Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-12
COMPOSER WRITES
18Th MUSIC SCORE
Sigmund Romberg Prefers
"Student Prince" Songs
of All He Has Written.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press
NEW YORK, November 12-Sigmund
Rornberg, who started out to be civil
engineer, recently saw produced the
fifty-sixth Broadway show containing
his music.
At least, he has been told it was the
fifty-Sixth. He can't remember him
self although ne is inclined to think
the figure is little high.
In the % years since he came TO
New York from Vienna, unable to speak
a word of English, and started earning
his living by playing piano in theater
orchestras, he mas made enough money
so that he could now, to use his own
expression, take two or three years off
and lie around"
He has a penthouse studio. just off
Fifth avenue, containing both a piano
and a pipe organ and probably the
worlds finest private collection of oper-
attic scores. There he likes to gather
his friends together to sing "close har"
mony" evenings when he is not working
on another operetta.
Likes Four Scores Best.
OF all the scores he has written since
he wrote the music for a Winter Gar
den show in 1913 and stepped out Of
the role of pianist into that Of COM
poser, these four come to mind imme-
diately when you ask him to name some
of his favorites: Blossom Time" May
time" Student Prince" and Desert
Song"
He liked them because they contain
songs that, entirely ASSOCIATED from
the names of the operettas or his own
name, he says, have lived.
"A composer can't aim for any higher
goal" he said today, than that the
songs he has written should become the
property of the people, who just sing
them without remembering where they
came from or who wrote them.
Is Writing New Music Now.
For that reason, writing operettas
must be more satisfactory than writing
jazz. A song like Deep in My Heart
Dear from my Student Prince may
never attain the wide popularity of the
latest jazz piece, for the very reason
that jazz orchestras can't make any,
thing out Of it. And because it never
becomes too popular, it may live longer"
Romberg averages one and one-half
operetta scores year, he says. It takes
him four or five months to finish one.
then he must spend two or three months
working it over while it is in re-
hearsal. He doesn't mind making
changes.
~ SdolcI AOI IIlc W TUNE
sometimes" he said, than for the singer
to change his voice."
His latest score, East Wind" was
produced recently. He is now engaged
on another out will not discuss it until
the production is announced.
Works Secretly on Opera.
Romberg had just finished a three
year course in civil engineering in
Vienna when he came to the United
States, in 1919, at the age of o. His
father, a chemical engineer, did not
oppose his coming and would have
been willing to help him financially
while he was getting start as COM
poser, he said.
'tBut he didn't have to-" he added.
ST made plenty of money at piano play
ing for the first four years. And after
I Started writing music I was most
fortunate. I've always had plenty to
dotr
Between operettas Romberg has for
some years been working on an opera.
But he won't discuss it at ALL A
fIt will probably never be produced"
e,said. Victor Herbert had two operas
pr0duced-and they broke his heart"