The talking machine world (July-Sept 1921)

August 15,1921 THE TALKING MACHINE WORLD ( World of Mu.ic) 131 ■ ri« vuicrvest ana Diggest nit ui mtr /ear CHERIE PREHISTORIC PERUVIAN JAZZ Some Interesting Light on the Antiquity of the Type of Music Now Popularly Known as Jazz, Written by J. H. Davis, of New York An interesting article on "Prehistoric Peruvian Jazz," written by J. H. Davis, secretary of the American Museum of Natural History, recently appeared in the magazine section of the New York World. It read, in part: That the Indians of prehistoric Peru knew the art — or should we call it something else? — of "jazz" is apparent from the decorations, representing orchestras and dancers, found on the ancient pottery and metal objects of the region. Further evidence is furnished by accounts of early writers and, most convincing, by numbers of the musical instruments themselves, which have been recovered by archaeologists from graves and ruins. These instruments include drums, bells, cymbals, rattles, pipes, flutes, whistles, trumpets and an unmistakable ancestor of the oboe. If the activities of an energetic Indian orchestra equipped with some or all of these instruments did not produce something akin to present-day jazz, the writer is guilty of an error in judgment. Undoubtedly, early man sang and danced before he produced instrumental music. As the most important element of the song and dance is rhythm, and as in singing and dancing a desire for some sound to clearly indicate the rhythm seems to be universal, primitive vocalists and terpsichorcans everywhere have found assistance in the snapping of fingers, clapping of hands, beating of hips and stamping of feet. Then, probably, the drum was devised — the first musical instrument. The allied instruments of percussion, as cymbals, rattles and bells, soon followed. Later came the wind instruments, such as musical shells and varieties of pipes and horns. And finally the more complex stringed instrument was developed. The greatest single step forward in the history of instrumental music was the mechanical production of a musical scale. This came with the pipes. In Peru evidence is found of the first two types — instruments of percussion and wind instruments — but so far nothing has been found to indicate that the prehistoric Indians of the region knew how to make so-called music from the vibrations of strings. In the American Museum of Natural History, in New York City, there is a large collection of prehistoric musical instruments of Peru. They have been carefully studied by Charles W. Mead, assistant curator of the Department of Anthropology, whose findings have been published in a short paper. According to Mr. Mead, no drums have been found in ancient Peruvian graves. This may be for the reason, he believes, cither that the drums of the time, being made of perishable material, have all disintegrated, or that because of some superstition it was not customary to bury drums with the dead. Drums, however, were pictured by the native artists of the time and described by early writers, the evidence showing that they were identical in kind with the drums used today in several parts of Peru. They were made of skin stretched over a hoop of wood, or over one end of a short section of a tree-trunk hollowed out to a thin cylinder. Small drums seem to have been the rule. The drumheads were usually made of the skins of deer and other animals common to the country. But sometimes, as among the Huancas, the skins of captured enemies were used in the belief that the sound of such drums would strike terror into the hearts of living enemies. ENJOY CONTINUED POPULARITY "Home Again Blues," the big success of the Irving Berlin, Inc., catalog, has surprised the sales force of that organization by the great spurt in the demand for the number during the past six weeks. This is unusual, inasmuch as "Home Again Blues" is by no means new. Another number that has been quite a surprise to the Berlin organization is "Oh, My Sweet Hortensel", which in some sections of the country is very popular. song, "1 Ain't Nobody's Darling," has made Shapiro, Bernstein & Co., Inc., the selling agents for the number. The song is being sung by a large number of college glee clubs and it apparently is to have some unusual popularity. MORE ROOM FOR_ TRIANGLE CO. The Triangle Music Publishing. Co., 145 West Forty-fifth street, New York City, has acquired additional floor space adjacent to its present location. Alterations are now under way fitting the new quarters for occupancy. BEING FEATURED IN VAUDEVILLE The new Goodman & Rose fox-trot, "Who'll Be the Next One (To Cry Over You?)," written by Johnny Black, composer of "Dardanclla," is distributed by the Edward B. Marks Music Co., which has been appointed selling agent. The number is being strongly featured in vaudeville. TO ACT AS SELLING AGENTS The Skidmore Music Publishing Co., Inc., which some time ago released the novelty rube A NEW MECHANICAL CONTRACT The Music Publishers' Protective Association of New York is preparing a new simplified form of standard contract which it is hoped to put into universal use between mechanical recording companies and the publishers, replacing the various special contracts now issued by mechanical interests. THE COUNTRY'S QUICKEST "BLUES' Everywhere Is heard the HIT Publishers, J. W. JENKINS SONS' MUSIC CO., Kansas City, Mo. Also publishers of "12th Street Rag," "Sweet Love," "Colleen O' Mine"