Show World (December 1910)

December 17, 1910. THE SHOW WORLD 7 THE GRIST TUNEFUL AND OTHERWISE, FROM THE SONG-WRITER’S BUSY MILL A Happy Week for the Music Editor Who Finds Much to Commend and but Little to Condemn—For a Change By C. P. McDonald CLASSIFICATION OF SONGS AND INSTRUMENTAL NUMBERS For the Guidance of Performers and Music Dealers CLASS E-EXCELLENT CLASS P-POOR CLASS G-GOOD CLASS A-AWFUL CLASS M—MEDIOCRE CLASS Z—Should be Ignored Numbers Review in this Issue, and their Classification “COME WHERE THE VIOLETS BLOOM.”—Class G. “I’M LOOKING IOB A DEAR OLD LADY.”—Class G. u -LONG IN PUMPKIN-PICKIN’ TIME.”—Class G. "DABLING, I LOVE YOU.”—Class P. “GOODBY, BETTY BROWN.”—Class E. “THAT DREAMY ITALIAN WALTZ.”-Words Class M; Music Class G. “ROSA RIGOLETTO.”—Class G. “PLANNING, PRETTY’S THE PICTURE I’M PLANNING.”—Class E. “IN THE GARDEN OP MY HEART.”—Class E. “WHERE THE DESERT MEETS THE NILE.”—Class E. “LOVE DREAMS.”—Class G. “A WITHERED ROSE.”—Class G. “PEEKABOO, MISTER MOON, PEEKABOO.”—Class E. “KNOCKOUT DROPS” (Instrumental) .—Class G. “SIERRA” (Instrumental).—Class P. i Music Company of Chicago. There are two things about this dainty little ballad which lift it from the common¬ place. First, it is the best bit of work we ever have seen from Mr. Lewis’ pen. Secondly, it is, so far as we have been able to discover, the best and most at¬ tractive song in the Thompson Com¬ pany's catalogue. This also applies to the music, which is by Donald Bestor, one of our most voluminous Chicago composers. It is a splendid little ballad, well handled and apparently well wrought. The verses are short, which, we believe, adds strength to the song, for it thus disposes of the tedium of monotonous repetition. Bestor’s music indicates that the composer is at his best in ballad composition. All in all, value to the catalogue of any publisher, and Mr. Thompson has displayed much astuteness in procuring the publishing rights, for the song, properly handled, should become a good seller. J. W. Hamer Is the author of the words of “PM LOOKING POR A DEAR OLD LADY,” and Mr. Hamer convinces us that there still is a new angle to even the most shopworn idea. His idea in this song, looking for a dear old lady who possesses the proper daughter for a companion for a fellow disposed to settle down for life, is a happy medium, and this idea, it would seem, is worked out to the entire satisfaction of all con¬ cerned. The music is A1 Plantadosi’s, and is of excellent quality. None of Mr. Piantadosi’s music is pretentious and this fact adds much zest to his particular individuality as a composer of tunes popular. His melody to the song under discussion is an excellent example of what our popular composers may attain without descending to bald faking. Leo Feist, publisher. "The new ‘Sweet Song’ success, by the writers of ‘Down Among the Sugar Cane,’ ’’LONG IN PUMPKIN-PICKIN’ TIME,’” Cecil Mack and Chris Smith, is offered by the Gotham-Attucks Music Company of New York City. Without going into great detail, we wish to state that the writers, who work well to¬ gether, have evolved a song of good pos¬ sibilities. The story is old, but it is one of those things wherein the water¬ melon vine and ringing church bells con¬ spicuously figure, and such songs, stere¬ otyped as they may be, never die a-borntng. Chris Smith’s music is of good quality, and the title page (by Pfeiffer), showing two lovers seated upon a world represented by a hallow- e’en pumpkin, is apropos. Charles H. Kennington, 42 Plymouth street, Worcester, Mass., is the author of the words, the writer of the music, a nd t he publisher of “DARLING, I LOVE YOU.” Perhaps it is due to the fact that Mr. Kennington had too many irons in the fire (we pluck this phrase from the cannery, being entirely too in¬ digent to endeavor to be original) that he has so unmercifully fallen down in everything with which this song has to do. The words have before been writ¬ ten thousands of times .and likewise thousands of times better. Mr. Ken¬ nington probably is one of those pessi¬ mistic persons who believes that the words carry little weight, and acting on this assumption, he has gone ahead and written accordingly. In rhyming, Mr. Kennington has made “park” do service with “darts.” The word “say” is tan- demed with “say,” and “sleep” is a bed¬ fellow of the same word. Ah, let us ramble through this touching second verse, for Mr. Kennington has written as one inspired and his ingenious and pathetic sentiment goes deep and forces tears of anguish from our stony gizzard, than whom no man has a tougher one: “Years roll by, tears dim her eyes. She sobs for his return; For on that day that she told him nay He sailed across the main. In a land far away he’s sleeping, they say. The sleep that we all must sleep; While in her ear ring loud and clear Words he used to say.” We pause long enough to put the query, “Has Izzy, the boy lyric wonder, author of that divine and imperishable heart throb, ‘Never Trust a Friend in the Game of Love,’ got anything on this Kennington?” The Theodore Morse Music Company is the publisher of “GOODBY, BETTY BROWN,” by Jack Mahoney and Theo¬ dore Morse. As might be anticipated, this is a march song. While it is a war song, with the omnipresent bugle, shot and shell, there still are three things to recommend it as a song of great promise and merit. These are the nu¬ merous new expressions Mr. Mahoney has taken pains to write, the good quality of Mr. Morse’s melody, and the rare beauty of the title page. With these three requisites combined in one song, no publisher need fear a cold re¬ ception when it is launched. In fact, were we publishing and purchasing the songs of other firms, “Goodby, Betty Brown,” would serve to separate us from about all the capital we possessed. No better recommendation can be bestowed upon any number. The words of “THAT DREAMY ITALIAN WALTZ” (by Jos. McCarthy) are far from being up to the usual standard of this writer’s talent. It may be our particular aversion to these “I gotta sweethearts thata I lovea” pseudo also a large portion of our dislike for them is owing to their exceedingly rapid multiplicity. They, like the Yiddisha ditty, seem to emulate the rabbit and guinea pig in copious breeding. And one naturally wonders just what pro¬ portion of them are money makers. Dozens of them have come to us for review and other dozens have been brought to our attention. Perhaps the old adage of the survival of the fittest will serve to ring down the curtain on further productions of this kind. From our point of view we freely believe they now are passe, and we also are under the impression that the public will grow aweary anon of these barnstorming ef¬ fusions. But getting back to this par¬ ticular song, while Mr. McCarthy’s words are, as we remarked, below his usual standard, the music of Al. Pian- tadosi is good, barring the bars which are not his and speaking only of the passages to which he lays claim as the composer. The song would be good, we imagine, were it not for its Italian flavor, which long ago ceased to be palatable with us. Leo Feist, publisher. While carping on these Victor Em¬ manuel flirtations, travesties of poor conception and diabolical in their abor¬ tive phrasing, we shall say one word in passing concerning “ROSA RIGOLET¬ TO,” by Edward Madden and Gus Ed¬ wards. Here the word writer has writ¬ ten a fair set of words, quite a little in advance of the effort of Mr. Mc¬ Carthy. Here, too, the music is good. When you’ve said this you’ve gone as far as you possibly can, for the story is no bold departure from any of the other songs of like ilk, and the music is not marked by any ingenious, captivating melody, such as has distinguished many of Mr. Edwards’ efforts in the past. Gus Edwards, Inc., publishers. Perhaps the most striking feature about “PLANNING, PRETTY’S THE PICTURE I’M PLANNING,” another Gus Edwards publication, is the beau¬ tiful little poem of Will D. Cobb. Here, indeed, is a lyric writer who paints with a cunning and enchanted brush, for his word i pictures almost invariably have that subtlety of thought and naive ap¬ peal which are the boon of but few of our present day crop of versifiers. Mr. Cobb’s splendid originality also carries him far into the hearts of captious critics, and many of his rhymes and lines are revolutionary in popular song construction. Gus Edwards’ music is sweet and simple, a sweetness and sim¬ plicity which are all the more welcome because they are not overdone. This, in our judgment, should be the mission of all composers. When Ernest R. Ball is at his best, there is something inimitably homely and human about his writing, and that he is at his best in “IN THE GARDEN OP MY HEART” is our candid belief. Mr. Ball is the composer of ballads too numerous for citation in limited space, many of them gems of modern ballad composition, and many of them falling short of the high water mark. None of his successes is superior to the one under discussion. In this ballad he shows at his best, which is opportune, for Caro Roma’s lyric is a good one and stands the test of close scrutiny. The Roma-Ball combination in this instance is a most pleasing one, and their joint efforts form a ballad of cleverness and dainty execution. M. Witmark & Sons. J. R. Shannon is the wri ter o f bot h the words and the music of “WHERE THE DESERT MEETS THE NILE.” Mr. Shannon need feel no qualm of con¬ science in confessing the authorship of either. Perhaps the story of his song has before been told, but it has not been told as Mr. Shannon tells it, and therein lies the secret of his good workmanship. To these words he has set a melody which effervesces with originality. We admit a marked fondness for these songs wherein anything oriental or pertaining to the Nile is played up, and Mr. Shan¬ non has written in this song one that tickles our fancy from the first to the last note. Our delight is still further accentuated by the exceedingly apropos title page. Decidedly a Class E publi¬ cation. Grinnell Bros., publishers, De¬ troit. Two ballads recently published by Je¬ rome H. Remick & Co. bear the name of Henriette Blanke-Belcher as the com¬ poser. They are “LOVE DREAMS” and “A withered ROSE.” The words of the former are by J. J. Crawford and those of the latter by LeRoy Scarlett. The music in both instances is melodi¬ ous, unpretentious, and of good quality. The lyrics of both songs are good ballad words, and the title pages, by Edgar Keller, are beautiful. Especially is this true of “Love Dreams.” The best song from all points of view we ever have seen from the pens of Marvin Lee and Donald Bestor is “PEEKABOO, MISTER MOON, PEEK¬ ABOO.” Nothing to make this an at¬ tractive song has been left undone. The words are highly gratifying and Mr. Lee has refrained from perpetrating his usual bad rhyme. The words can¬ not justly be criticised, for they contain much merit. Mr. Bestor’s music is pleasing to the ear and common enough to be whistled without effort. The Crews title page with which Will Ros- siter, the publisher, has invested the song, is an idealistic one, well drawn, An exceedingly clever number—clever in construction and clever in arrange¬ ment—is “KNOCKOUT DROPS,” a rag by F. Henri Klickmann, published by the Victor Kremer Co-operative Music House. This number serves to convince us that Mr. Klickmann has much melody in his soul. It is by far the most me¬ lodious number so far published by this enterprising house. It is adorned by a title page which is plain but effective. “SIERRA,” intermezzo two-step, by Roy H. McLain, would be a corking good number were it not for the fact the composer has seen fit to carry on a strenuous flirtation with two other num¬ bers which attained much popularity some years ago. His plagiarisms, how¬ ever , detract greatly from whatever commendation we might otherwise have to offer, for they are extremely remi¬ niscent of Cole and Johnson’s “Big In¬ dian Chief," and that recognized but unaccepted national anthem, “There’ll Be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight.” Mr. McLain may have done this lifting unconsciously and it also may be due to one of those strange freaks of memory which often makes us believe that something that sticks way back in the brain is our own. Roy H. McLain & Co., publishers, Cleveland, Ohio. BALLARD MCDONALD. Ballard MacDonald, one of the most versatile writers before the public to¬ day, has renewed his contract with Jos. W. Stern & Company, under the terms of which he will write exclusively for that house. Mr. McDonald’s work is marked by an individuality and refinement which place him in The Show World’s category of good writers. He is the author of innumerable praiseworthy lyrics, among which are “Nix on the Glow Worm, Lena,” “I Wish I Had My Old Girl Back Again," ’T’ve Got the Time, I’ve Got the Place, but It’s Hard to Find the Girl,” and “Amina.” It is said that in all probability his services will be employed during the coming season in writing the lyrics for a complete production. Announcement The demand for the Christmas number ot THE SHOW WORLD, now in preparation, will be tremendous. It will be THE Christmas number of the year Don’t fail to be represented in it. No increase in advertising rates. Mall copy tor your AD today.