MUSIC SM THE HOME C H A R L E S 1 0 W M ® M A R S H "What have they seen in thy house?”- 2 mng, 20:15 W HEN we remember the thousands of musical instruments and the ever-in
which to be proud. -Furthermore, to our shame be it said, we laugh and wink at subtle innuendoes and even immoral sug gestiveness in their jingling verse that we would not for a moment tolerate in con versation. Even in the best of them, there is nothing in the cheap sentiment and cheaper music to commend their entrance, to a refined home. People little réalize the wide sphere of influence exerted by one of our commonly called “ragtime hits.” A song that makes an instant appeal to the masses nets the publisher anywhere from $25,000 tò $40,000 profit. This from a song or piano piece of the most trivial and worthless character, and almost invariably written by a person with no musical knowledge or training ! It is absolutely the prostitution of the art of music to the greed for money. Let us follow the course of a modern “popular” song. Every publisher of this class of music keeps a more or less elab orate staff of men to “arrange” the material that is afterward published. This matérial usually consists of the barest melody (more than likely incorrectly notated) and a sug gestion of an idea—comic, suggestive or sentimental—in execrable verse. Provid ing he sees possibilities in this material, the publisher accepts it and pays the composer (save the mark!) five dollars or so, seldom more and deserving less. The “arranger” then supplies a piano accompaniment of invariable harmony (the same three or four chords and cadences are used in all cases.) The verse is “doctored” up and the song is printed and launched through the the aters, dance-halls and cabarets. If it is a “hit” this same song will adorn ( ?) the piano in thousands of Christian homes throughout the country; fortunately how-
creasing millions of copies of music that are sold each year, this subject is more vital and important than at first seems patent. There is scarcely a home that is not influenced in a greater or less degree by music, and but few of us realize the extent of that influence, because music is extremely subtle; its appeal is not tangibly concrete, and, in the case of music'of infe rior worth, its vagaries, and undesirable qualities may be under the surface. For like almost everything else in the world, there is good and bad in music, and too often the home is thrown open to the bad —perhaps because' there seems to be such a preponderance of it. Music, so-called, of the most trivial and worthless character, finds its way into countless homes where a book or maga zine of like calibre would not be tolerated. The people o f these homes pride themselves on their good taste and refinement and cul ture, and very likely in the matter of select ing the books which are to occupy their library shelves, or of choosing the pictures which are to adorn the walls of their houses, they would give every evidence of good taste. But when it comes5to music, they seem not to realize that one of the most flagrant sins against good taste and refinement is bringing into the home music of the so-called “popular” or “rag-time” type. Our modern “popular” songs, aside from their inane and silly words, are musically and morally unfit to be found in any Chris tian home; and yet how many pianos in Christian homes are covered with their glaringly gaudy covers! And their idiotic titles are flaunted forth as if something of
Made with FlippingBook Annual report