MUSIC.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 75, 21 December 1907, Page 13

MUSIC.

; v. T: '"t " : '"'v [By Treble Ceef,]'

How .Songs are Boomed. ; When.it-is mentioned, that out of every thVeo-' or four . huhdred songs which are printed and offered to tho public, probably "ofily" half a dozen gain a good measure of popularity, it will be readily understood that , 'fortunes .are'not/made "dufei'of. song 'writing and song publishing every day.. As a"matter of'factj.'it .is'one of: the'most- speculative of businesses,;'land-jwere' .it not' for certain methodsfhdopfed'by'publishers .to boom, their be infinitesimal. If ' a";Sb'n'g.'is,,'.tb7.''catcli'. on" it must be boorived, and how this'is' done, both ''in this country'and in America, was recently, ex- ' plained by-Fred. Day, head of the American branch ol.*.''Messrs.' Frauds, .Day, and.' Hun-:;tlieV'well-known ' music publishers;.: , and ; B.arr.ett, ~the» manager, of. the, professionaldepartment, in London.' : - ■ ! ; and American, methods of-.popu-larising, or 'plugging' a song, as our cousins 1 across the-herring -pond - term it/ are somewhat dissimilai'j-'-'-said -Mr. Barrett. : "Hero a song is boomed'" chioHy" by getting ■ it Sling 'from'the stage." 1 Artists and managers •go'to the publisher to secure" their materialfor ' music -.-halls, ■ musical - comedies,; and - pauto.niiriies'.: Tho' songs are- played over to them, ' ; ahd:',th.6y ' 'chbpse'':tliose ".numbers wliich \ip;pear " .most;. attractive.:;' By.; this; mean!, 'the - public'get,to, know the.songs, beter..than'.th.ey could ..«o _tliroiigti '■"the;'ordinary advertising cjianriels., 'Sometimes-.'we charge a fee' for :?.iugihg,,a'.,so'ng";in' a:''panto'mime.; .'liu-siich. a manager;', who,, pays; the fee—generally- two. juineas—would 'have the exclusive right of . using thai;-song ''during' tlie seasoii. within !.a> certain: ,'.'area, .y/hich plight prevent .five or. six neighbouriiig matiagprs,_ attracted. ;by - the., song; front using lit-' .■Consequently it; is .usually advisable to waivq tlie'question "of Jee for .the bigger "ad.vertisement-.,, .: "Mbst ~of. the.:, latest ..songs ..which--.have ~'caught-on,'; .here, '.'Bluebell,' .-'Pansy,-Facos,' " ;etc., haVe ;been -what are termed' free, songs; .that.is,; : so'ngs which .havejbee.n. bro'uglit.'f'dtii Ame'ricai. in such, a case any artist wh.o;.cares. to do so can sing them without •payment-of-fee. ,;In' fact, ivo offer to present copies, as", well ilsYbaiid parts, to any, vaudeville artist'-who cares to sing the song in public. It-may,: or 'riiay; pot, ..become., popular. , .If it, the public rush-to; Buy copies, and,-we profit ac> cordiiigiy.".' ;.!:.''.What, is ...the; method: .in.'; America,.: Mr.. Day?".. . ~ . ;.- : : "There .the competition is decidedly .keen;" •Mr-, l'red- Day teplied,' and. instead -of ; the artist and. manager, going to the" publisher foi- what lie.wants, tlie publisher is obliged tio run after the artist and manager if ho 'doesn?t:Want to be left behind. In Amcrica "tho publisher-must first of all; employ 'a'.large •staff: of pianist 'pluggers' aiid singers, whom lie 1 sends all over the.'cbUutry ...seeking out suitable performers and inducing thorn to, visit. ,the temporary offices. opened in the various'" towns to hear / the' latest compositions played and sung to them. 'And unless ' the,artists can be■ induced; to listen to, and take ,up a song, tlie' chance of making a success may be. lost, as otherwise Mr; Somebody Elso .may buttonhole the a rtiit- jh- r iio noxt corner, and persuade .. her to sing the songs of'another publisher'. ; . /; "The 'pltigger' is often-at work 1 until 3or 4 oiclock iu the morning; -for the ■ work, usually has to be done after the evening .perand early Jthe -next day hp is busy .ferreting out the whereabouts of' another ar,tist, or trying' to get wind; of rehearsals; for now productions, into which.some of his firm's soligs'may be introduced. ; .' • '•'lyiis;- however; is- only one step towards the. popularising :of a' song. Having, secured the artist and had the song produced and -siing,"',with,' by 'the "way, 'the assistance -of .'friends';,, in ; the gallery, who have beeiy pre-.-.vionsly coached in whistling and singing .tho ;melpdy,Wt is necessary to secure.the valuable, assistance' of the conductor of the 'orchestra to get him to play the peoplo out with the melody of the song. A judicious tip will.bring :t-his about. : / !*".<>'>

Valuable' Hints to Singers.' /Madame Clara Butt has been giving aspiring. Vocalists some most faluaMe.Jjints as to the .best; methods for preserving aind perfecting the voice. . Her system may be summed up as "the golden.mean."- "Simply take care not. to overwork'.the voice," is her advice, "and \never tire' it out by too much Ringing at'a', time. It is'perfectly, easy, for instanqej.to get through n large amount of .study .b.v simply having in:;froiifc iofione and thinking the musical phraserjvell iover Jn. connect ion with the words. -By.-.doing this,f oho is tactically able,-to accomplish -half;the initial work before oven opening'tha 'i mouth at all. _ Not only should the student ■ refrain from singing too much, but' also from talking-too much; Tajking is as ' great: a /strain as singing, and if people would only bear , this ,in mind; - .wo should-., hear Jess -of . voice- troubles.' 'To obtain the besfc.fcesnlts one -.should, moreover,' never. practis»Mriero than a quarter of an'hour at-a timei.Tersc,»> ;ally, Tipractise my-scales-for.-ten mihutds each day. With regard "to lessons, no general riile :can;- I think,' possibly be laid dbivu';:as to the agefor starting . One could, ■ without harm, - however,, begin .practising while 'still quite.youhg";';b\i.t,' ,'of> course,' 110 attompt at a public;apj>earance should then be made: Mere ••long- pWer'has little to do with singing,- > excepting":, that'it is . good for-, breathing purposes,;. ' Singing is, on - the ' other hand; ' exceedingly beneficial to the : lungs, and;would certainly firolong life- in a' case of consumption'. 1 V, - j - .- i ■ • . A Good Story. . '..... k A-.good.story is going the -rounds concerning .a business man,from out.back who. failed ,to carry out the directioiisiof his musicJoviiig \yifo. in regard to absorbing German- opera. On-.ariving. in Melbourne he heard 110 talk in business t circles, about .- "Lohengrin", and -"The. Valkyrie," but a great'deal kbont'"The •Girls- of- Gottenbu'rg," ■ the- doings of Max ;Moddelkopf and the drolleries of 'Mitzi'and ;Elsa. -'"Elsa" "especially appealed to/hisbc- ■ wildered •brain as a name familiar through tho aesthetic deliverances of his wife upon Gerinan folk-lore. in relation to Wagnerian lhusic-drama... So ho rushed off ,to "German ■opera" in all good faith, but instead of that, ■ at" the lVincps's Theatre 1 lie saw the presenta'-tion-'by- the Royal Comics; His only 'consolation now_is that lie had one evening's thorough enjoyment iii exchango for the-awful .'time ehe "experienced afte a prolonged game at cross-purlioscs witlr his "indignant spouse.

Clara Butt in Perth. , : Some cxcitiug : episodes occurred in connection with"the inevitable- extra concert' which Miidame Clara Butt gave" in Perth on' tha conclusion of her season -there."' Her 'visit 'was such a short one; and-her. departure so 'irrevocably fixed for.the sniliiig day of the .incoming mail'steamer, that'only the briefest notice. could bo given, and :ovcn this wascurtailed by the fact that the< QmraL made a .'quick .passage from Colombo,,, and got in sovcral liours ahead of schedule time." It-.thus .happened that tho public ;had only a.;-few 'hours'; notice of thethey responded in truly, .magnificent. fashion. Between the opening of the box-plan, on-tho .'morning of the conccrt and : mid-day. fully •1,500 seats were booked, and the atidienco that , evening was tho largest ever seen in l'erth,. quite ,4000 people assembling in.Her Majesty's Theatre. .The. great-auditorium was literally, r packed -to -suffocation;' and no .less than 800. were seated on'the stage; So .great was the crush' that ,the management were wholly.unable to steady- tho rush., -.The ■natural', result wasV'Va"', summons ' against, Messrs. J. and N; Tait. '.The'- same state of affairs, somewhat modified, had prevailed at tho.. preceding concert, and a maximum ipeiialty. ,of; £20 Was .'imposed: for. each case.Notes.-.'"": ~~ .Mr. P.. A. .Howclls, of Ailelaido,. aetlncj-fur the Australasian Concert Company, has completed arrangements with., the'famous Italian " Acquaviva dclle Fonte " Band to tour the Commonwealth early in the coming .year. The. band is world-famous, and their :repertoire contains .all the Italian, German. French, and English masterpieces. ~ .- • lien M. Caruso, the famous tenor, inado hii first, appearanco at the Vienna .Opera House a few weeks ago the charge for boxes fras increased to £12 a performance. Tho chargos for v the other seats were increased to live times the ordinary prices, and oven then tho demand for. seat's largely exebeded .the seating accommodation of the theatre.. The Dunedni Amateur ' Operatic Socioty, • under Mr. Sidney Wolf's conductorship.'havo decided to stago "Erminio."- It will pro>bly be produced iu May, " '