Evening star., 1940-12-12
Frederick Ceremony
Marks New WIND
Pact With A.S.C.A.P.
Leading Son9writers Of
Nation Attend Bouquet
Of Broadcast Station
~ q Staff Correspondent of The Star.


FREDERICK, Md, Dec. lin
ceremonies marked by the appear
Ance and performances of many of
the Nations leading song writer's,
the independent radio station of
Frederick, WIND, last night re-
newed its contract with the Amer
lean Society of Composers, Authors
and Publishers at banquet held in
the ballroom Of the Francis Scott
Key Hotel.
The occasion celebrated not only
the extension of the stations right
70 use A. S. c. A. P. music-which
includes virtually all of the greatest
in the American repertory-through
the coming year, but the Inaugural
Non Of full-time operation of WIND.
John G. Paine, general manager
Of the society, keynoted the con-
troversy between A. S. c. A. P. and
the major broadcasting networks
over the use of A. S. c. A. P.-con-
trolled music when he declared
WIND typifies the great croSs-sec-
tion Of American broadcasting sta
tions which want to furnish the
American public with the music Of
the great and familiar composers,
and that their work is being played
in response to public interest and
not at the whim of the chain opera
tors in New York.
Music is the inspiration of the
people" Mr.. Paine said. 1T binds
them together, carries them through
crises and sings of the glories of
their history.
British Morale Cited.
Somewhere in the midst of the
destruction of falling bombs which
is present-day England the people
are being held together by song,
'Therell Always Be an England,
and are taking courage in its in
spiration. You can be sure that
Hitler is not nearly so disturbed
by English guns as by the thought
that somewhere in one of the
countries he has and is trying to
Cypress some one will write another
'Marselllaise' to overthrow his
domination"
Mr.. Paine then challenged the
right of radio networks to boy
colt and blacklist our great Ameri-
can melodies just because we have
the temerity to say, IF you want
to use our music you must share
with us the profits which you make
from its USE
"If this proposed ban by the
networks on A. S. G. A. P. music
goes into effect on January l there
will then be two countries in the
world in which the music of the
great composers will be banished
from the air: In Germany, through
the edict of Hitler, and in the
United States, through the edict
Of the big networks"
The array of entertainers was one
to dazzle a Broadway habitue, and
we'll over a hundred public officials
and residents turned out to take
advantage of the show.
Such aces of Tin Pan Alley as j.
Fred Coots, Milton Ager, Nick Ken
ny. Arthur Schwartz, Joe Howard.
and Johnny Mercer all took turn
at the microphone, either to sing
or play their most popular melodies.
And these operators frequently be-
came feats of major skill, so crowded
with autograph seekers, interviewers
and photographers was the path
from banquet table to microphone.
So edervescent was the spirit of
their audience that the various per-
formers had only to break into the
opening bars of some favorite song
before thunderous ovation all but
drowned out the music.
Many Old Timers on Hand.
Many of the musicians on hand
were old-timers in Ascap ranks and
In the public fancy; several were
newcomers. Songstress May Singh
Breen and her composer husband,
Peter De Rose, bent over the piano
In duets of De Rose favorites such
as Have You Ever Been Lonely
and Somebody Loves You" Duck
ing the countless pops of flashlight
bulbs, dignified Otto Harbach re-
cited the lyrics he wrote to Jerome
Kern's Smoke Gets In Your Eyes"
Oscar Hammerstein II, who has
collaborated with such operetta
composers as Sigmund Romberg,
explained the creation of his latest
song, THE Last Time I Saw Paris"
after which Baritone Alexander
Gray sang the joint product of
Kern -Hammerstein II. Belle Fen
stock. fast acquiring recognition as
. leading writer of modern melodies,