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Irving Berlin, perhaps more than any other composer, and later publihser of the first half of the 20th Century and beyond, represents America and American Music at its finest. Given his background it becomes even more extraordinary when one understands his contributions to this adopted country of his. Berlin also managed to stay right on the cusp of popular forms to which he was contributing, not mastering them, but certainly writing into them well. It is likely that he wrote AND published more songs than any other popular song writer in history, wrote hundreds of unpublished or unpublishable tunes as well, and likely created more pieces than anybody 20th century writer as both composer and lyricist. He was also quirky, but in spite of not being a movie star in stature, he was a true American favorite among the public and among the stars as well. As a publisher he allowed for a circulation for some composers that would have been harder to come by without direct association with Berlin's name. From truly humble beginnings Berlin managed to build a musical empire and a legacy that is hard to match and remains with us in the 21st century. Early Years
This great American was actually born in Mogilev (modern day Belarus) or Tehmen (according to his 1942 draft record, but at variance with other records), Russia in 1888 as Israel Isidore Baline, to Jewish parents Moses Baline and Leah (Yarchin) Baline. His father was a cantor who sometimes worked as a shochet (the person who kills animals in a kosher manner for sale and consumption) as well to support his wife and eight children. In the face of the increasing progroms and oppression of Jews in Russia, Baline moved his family to the United States when Israel, the youngest sibling, was around five. Perhaps the first hint of the coming name change, the family is shown on the arrival list of the Rhynland on September 14, 1893, as the Beilin family, but it is not clear whether they actually adopted the Berlin last name when they immigrated. Moses found work in New York certifying Kosher meat before it went to market, while his wife kept house. When Israel was around eight his father died, leaving the boy and his older brothers and sisters (one already working as a domestic) in the position of helping their mother survive in the New York ghetto. So he and his siblings went to work as news butchers, delivery boys, and whatever odd jobs they could find, usually at the sacrifice of sufficient schooling. He picked up some singing skills as well, although the boy never had formal training in piano, voice, or even harmony and theory. He was simply a natural. Gaining Success
Having become more competent as a pianist, albeit in a limited fashion, but more valuable also as one who could recognize good work when it came across his desk, Berlin was also utilized to review the works of other composers for publication, and became Snyder's right hand man. One of these composers was Scott Joplin, who in 1911 was shopping his opera Treemonisha around Tin Pan Alley in hopes of getting it in print, and raising money to stage it. There is a good chance that the score came across Berlin's desk. Later in that year with the help of Snyder arranger Alfred Doyle he re-purposed an earlier unsuccessful song, Alexander and His Clarinet, with a new verse, a tune we all now know as Alexander's Ragtime Band. This new verse was highly similar to the original melody of Joplin's A Real Slow Drag which closed the opera. The issue of possible plagiarism, potentially subconscious, was never fully resolved, but it seems plausible. The chorus of Alexander's Ragtime Band is similarly constructed from existing tunes, including the Reveille bugle call and Stephen Collins Foster's Old Folks at Home (Swanee River). While there is not a lick of actual ragtime syncopation in the piece, it quickly became and has stayed as an anthem of the ragtime era, and it permanently cemented Berlin's name in the songwriting world. The piece was immediately recorded by the Victor Military Band, and even played on the Titanic's maiden (and final) voyage the following year. Even in its original printings at least 40 different entertainers were featured on the various covers of the piece. All of this success from one publication, and yet Irving was just beginning his contributions to the Great American Song Book. Broadway Beginnings
Almost since his collaboration with Snyder began, Irving Berlin songs had found their way into shows on Broadway and 42nd Street through interpolation. However in 1914, Berlin finally released one of the first ragtime-based (more in name than in style) musicals (by today's standards musicals of that time would be considered revues) on Broadway. Few stage musicals at that time, perhaps with George M. Cohan's (who wrote a song lauding Irving Berlin melodies a year later) being the exception, had songs by any one composer, but Berlin did provide the majority of them for Watch Your Step. His original stated intent was to write a "ragtime opera," although he ended up with a pretty decent revue featuring some syncopation and lots of dancing. For the debut Berlin and his producers already had an ace in the hole, utilizing the recent popularity of the famous dancing couple Vernon and Irene Castle as his stars. Taking some queues from the Ziegfeld Follies, there were even some extravagances displayed on the stage, including a sizable medley of popular opera themes with some syncopation added. The combination of talents in the show made it a great success, and it played initially for 175 performances, a good run at that time. Most of the songs also ended up in print and were sold in the lobby as well as in stores, an added bonus. For the purposes of publishing this show the composer formed his own company, Irving Berlin, Inc., but still remained with Waterson and Snyder who published his popular tunes. As an unusual show of confidence, his new firm released virtually the entire set of songs from the musical in advance of opening night, including the lengthy medley. One of the tunes in this show quickly gained hit status and eventually became a standard, the finely double-layered Simple Melody (later renamed Play a Simple Melody). The following year he contributed the majority of pieces for Stop! Look! Listen!, which ran for a respectable 105 performances. The standout hit of that show, still with us today, was I Love a Piano, reportedly his favorite tune of all time. Hollywood, Then Back to Broadway
While songs by the Berlin himself as well as others under his banner sold well throughout the country, they were mostly performed live in New York through the 1920s. However, in 1927, as synchronized sound film became a possibility, a Vitaphone short came out called The Little Princess of Song starring 13-year-old Sylvia Froos, singing Blue Skies. There was enough interest in the piece that Al Jolson, no stranger to Berlin songs by this time as many of his co-written songs were published by him, used it for his pivotal "live dialog" scene in The Jazz Singer shortly thereafter, reportedly with ragtime performer Paul Lingle at the offstage piano. The movie, that scene in particular, was a sensation, and Blue Skies certainly did not suffer. But it also meant that Berlin published songs could potentially be heard virtually anywhere as performed by stars of the screen. In the early days of sound when dialog was still difficult to capture, but music was much easier to record, many of the earliest sound films became musicals, and they drew on whatever they could find in order to both have new material and capitalize on the subsequent sales of sheet music or records. Berlin was happy to oblige this new trend both as composer and publisher, and stepped up to the plate. The Berlin Renaissance
Patriotic was once again very much in vogue in 1942, and this time it was Uncle Sam that approached Berlin, asking him to repeat what he had done for morale in World War I with Yip Yip Yiphank. He quickly revived some of the old tunes, came up with new ones, and This Is the Army was born. After the initial run of 113 performances, it continued to tour the country and the world throughout the war. The unit formed to stage this and other shows for the military still exists into the 21st century. Berlin also toured extensively during the war, playing in the African, European and Pacific theaters, often shortly after a location had been liberated. After the war, President Harry Truman awarded him the American Medal of Merit for his contributions to troop morale. | ||||||
Fred Heltman is hard to categorize as either publisher or composer, since he remained active in both fields for many years and with lasting result. Information on him is scarce, but as much as is known is included here. An only child, he was born in Northern Ohio to grocer John H. Heltman and Carrie B. (Dresskell) Heltman. | ||||||
Fred received at least the normal musical training given to young people of the time, but his early entry into the field of publishing as well as composing suggest some additional professional training beyond just piano lessons. He is listed in 1900 simply as "at school," so whether that was local or at a boarding school is difficult to ascertain. He was likely still in the family's home in Cleveland, however.
As with Fox, Heltman was actively seeking additions to his catalog, but was perhaps a little more selective in his choices as his output paled by comparison to that of the Fox organization by the mid 1910s. He did, however, have the advantage as a composer and musician as well, of being able to pick what was most consistent for him, and lend a hand as an arranger from time to time, with Eastman working often in that capacity as well. One other musician that joined forces with Heltman for a time was Hungarian immigrant and music teacher Stephan Füzy, who also published as both a lyricist and an instrumental composer. He would later work for the W.P.A. in the 1930s.
Coming Soon to a Computer Near You | ||||||
Work In Progress 01/09 | ||||||
Charles L. Johnson was born in Wyandotte, Kansas to James R. Johnson and Helen Elizabeth Johnson. Census records and his 1917 Draft card show him a year older than the commonly published 1876 date suggests, as does his WWI draft card. So he was most likely born in 1875 as the 1900 Census and his Draft card specifically claim. In 1880, James is shown to be a fisherman, and his wife a housekeeper. Wyandotte was eventually incorporated into Kansas City, so Kansas City, Kansa is considered his birth place by default. Acknowledgement should be given to Phil A. Stewart of Kansas who has done the most extensive research on Johnson, which was a helpful augmentation to the demographic research done by this author. He has also compiled the most extensive list of Johnson compositions available, and has a book and a separate music folio available on Johnson, both of which are highly recommended. The list of unpublished works is from the Kansas City Library which houses the official Charles L. Johnson papers. |
Victor Kremer as much as any similar entrepreneur of his time certainly exemplified the immigrant's dream to make good themselves in a new country, and in this case to even literally change the face of part of it. Born in Germany (Prussia at that time), he came to America when he was 22 years old, shown as arriving in Baltimore, Maryland on November 23, 1892 from Bremen, destination Chicago. His occupation was listed simply as "merchant." Once in Chicago, victor took up residence for many years his cousin, music publisher Alfred Solman, and his family. He was naturalized in 1896. Kremer, who likely worked for Solman at some point, set out to be a publisher as well, and in 1898 set up shop, publishing at least one work by his cousin, who was also a composer. One of his first pieces was a set of waltzes by future publisher William C. Polla, who would contribute a few more interesting works over the next three or so years. By 1899 he was already taking in cakewalks and rags, starting with the successful Big Foot Lou by Joseph Gearen. In the 1900 Census, Kremer shows as single, still living with Solman, and | |||||||||
Frederick Allen Mills enjoyed a career with a true duality, and great success in both facets of his years as a composer (Kerry Mills and a publisher (F.A. Mills). Somehow he managed to keep these facets separate as he did his identities, yet made it all work together. Not much has been written on Mills beyond his role in popularizing cakewalks and his three biggest hits, but this account will hopefully fill out some more details about his life and times in the music business. | ||||||
the essence of it was a high stepping dance created by blacks who were actually imitating in exaggeration some of the wild and fancy steps they had seen white people execute. It was also the name of the social event, where each couple dressed in their finest clothes. The couple who won with the best walk would literally "take the cake," the prize that was traditional at these events, thus the name.
At a Georgia Campmeeting was his attempt to further the music form while explaining its role. In the forward to the piece Frederick wrote: "This march was not intended to be part of the Religious Exercises... but when the young folks got together, they felt as if they needed some amusement. A Cake Walk was suggested, and held in a quiet place near by - hence this music." It became the template he had hoped for, but not without a second bout of rejections as he tried to place the piece with larger publishers for better distribution. Undaunted, he released it under his own label and got it easily placed on stages throughout the Eastern seaboard.
Another member added in 1901 was Frederick J. Hamill who migrated from a position at the Windsor Music Company. Singer Bert Morphy also signed on in 1901, but by the end of the year he would instead go to work for rival publisher E.T. Paull. Among his top employees was Maxwell Silver who ardently promoted the firm. Silver stayed with the firm until its eventual demise in 1915. Mills himself as a composer did not respond immediately to evolving musical trends, but he managed to slip some rags and rag songs into his catalog to help keep it current. In 1902, his Harmony Mose provided at least one entry from Kerry Mills that could be considered a rag. Finally in January of 1902, Mills filed an incorporation to publish music, with his company officially renamed as Kerry Mills Inc.
not the Native American prince, so-called "Indian-Themed" tunes had been increasingly in vogue. While a couple of these had appeared in the Mills catalog, there were none by the publisher/composer himself. This was remedied with the publication of Red Wing: An Indian Intermezzo early in the year, a piece that has similarities to The Merry Peasant by Robert Schumann, which may have served merely as inspiration. It was quickly followed by Red Wing: An Indian Fable with lyrics added by Thurland Chattaway. This was further supplemented by an edition with a quartet rendition of the chorus appended to the song. The beautiful Hirt cover helped propel this piece in all its forms to the front of the pack, where it remained for many years. A century and more later, Red Wing is among the most popular, and most singable of the songs from this genre. The following year, a Native American girl from the Winnebago reservation was breaking into films, and trying to lay claim as the inspiration for the song, as her name was Princess Redwing. While there is no definitive evidence as to her connection to either way, the publicity did help to sell even more copies well beyond the normal distribution circuit of F.A. Mills Music.
Since Standard had already stopped distributing the lyric sheets as soon as the suit was filed, the final verdict, rendered in July 1915, awarded the plaintiff of six cents, described as compensation for nominal damages.
Jack Mills was one of the most important publishers of the 1920s in that he kept ragtime, or at the very least the spirit and concept of it, alive in a time when it had all but been declared dead. He was not afraid to mix simple popular songs with rearranged classical works and extremely difficult novelty ragtime pieces all within his vast catalog. Little was known of his origins before 1919, the same case with his brother Irving Mills, but our 2008 research has now found at least something about the early years of this ambitious publisher and his musical brother. Some of the narrative of Jack Mills's business life was derived from the extraordinary efforts of Dave Jasen and later Gene Jones in the books Tin Pan Alley and That American Rag. They are highly recommended sources for a very different look at how the music was composed and popularized and how it eventually reached the public. | |||||||||
Early Years in Virginia
Edward Taylor Paull was born the oldest of three children to Henry Washington Paull and Margaret C. (Thornburg) Paull in pre-Civil War Gerrardstown in what is now West Virginia, as Virginia had not yet been divided. Edward was the oldest of three children, including Laura May (5/23/1859) and Mary C. (12/27/1861). Henry Paull attempted a variety of occupations according to census listings. He was shown as a miller in 1850, a farmer in 1860, and boarding house keeper in 1870, the latter vocation of which he was successful enough to buy a great deal of land in Martinsburg after the end of the war. Young Edward certainly witnessed the ravaging effects of the war as it not only affected life in the Shenandoah River Valley but divided the state of Virginia politically as well, eventually splitting it into two states. The lasting memories of this are often reflected later in his compositions and covers.
Paull eventually found work in his late teens in a Martinsburg music store selling pianos and organs, and likely sheet music as well.
Among the first writings of Paull in association with the music industry is the following letter excerpted from the February 20th edition of The Music Critic and Trade Review concerning local business. MARTINSBURG, W. VA., February 9, 1882.
I have nothing special to report to you from this section of the country, as far as musical entertainments are concerned. The demand for musical instruments here and throughout the valley of Virginia is becoming much better than it was heretofore. I do a good business with the Estey organ and Weber and Fischer pianos. I flatter myself that I sold the last piano that was sold in the year 1881. I sold it and closed the bargain just one hour and a half before New Year's day, or half past ten o'clock at night. The piano I sold was a J. & C. Fischer square, the purchaser being Mr. Phillip Rodes, of Strasburg, Va. There may have been a piano sold later in 1881, but I doubt it. Yours, very respectfully, EDW. T. PAULL. Paull appears again with a letter in March 20th, 1882 edition of the same paper, concerning questionable practices by the D.F. Beatty Piano and Organ Company in New Jersey which were under investigation . It is partially excerpted here:
WINCHESTER, VA., March 2, 1882.
Editor of THE MUSICAL CRITIC AND TRADE REVIEW: Sir — I read a rather long article in your February edition of THE MUSICAL CRITIC AND TRADE REVIEW about D. F. Beatty's methods of doing business. I suppose there are undoubtedly numerous transactions of the Hon. D. F.'s that never come to light which would prove to the better thinking class of people that his Highness was not the extremely kind friend that he styles himself to be to the dear confiding public. One of his transactions has recently come under my observation, and I will mention the circumstances connected with it, and would like to ask IS THIS A BEATTY SCHEME? The facts are as follows: A Mrs. Wilson, residing at Strasburg, Va., on December 17 or 18, sent D. F. Beatty a check for $63 for one of his Mozart organs. The check was duly forwarded by Mr. Beatty to the proper bank and the money was collected for the same. Mr. B. acknowledged receipt of check. In the course of correspondence he promised immediate shipment of the organ... Mrs. Rodrick desired the organ for a Christmas gift to her children, but Christmas, New Year, and the middle of January came, but no organ... She wrote Mr. Beatty to please forward the money to her. He wrote her, however, stating that her organ would be shipped very soon, and after waiting quite awhile, she wrote about it again. He replied that it would be impossible to fill her order under thirty days, or more, for that particular style of organ, but if she desired he could ship her one of his 'Beethoven 27-stop Organs' immediately, but it would cost her $30 more... She hasn't received the organ yet, although March is here, and from all accounts I suppose she will be quite lucky if she gets it by next December. The question, however, that arises is this: Is this a Beatty scheme? A kind of patent process to "bleed" customers, or not? It is seemingly characteristic of the American people to permit themselves to be humbugged. They cannot be blamed very much, for any one who reads the flaming advertisements of the 'Honorable,' and have long articles of his Mayorship thrust in their faces, should almost consider it an honor to have dealings with such a noted person. They imagine that Washington, N. J., must be the London of America, as they hardly ever read of the Mayors, etc., of such villages as New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Cincinnati, or Chicago. It is surely time that such misrepresentations as he sets forth in his advertisements should be brought to light, and I know of no better medium than your worthy paper, THE MUSICAL CRITIC AND TRADE REVIEW. Very respectfully, EDWARD T. PAULL It is reasonable to assume that Paull had received some form of music education during his upbringing which allowed him to be able to effectively demonstrate both the instruments and the music, and may have even dabbled in light composition by his early 20s when he became a manager. However Edward evidently was not as capable of managing his personal financial life, as his father sold off some of his property assets to pay of some of his son's debts of $2,750 in the mid 1880s. Paull then moved to Richmond, Virginia, possibly to make a fresh start of things, where he managed the Sanders and Stayman music store for a time. He married Gertrude A. Kern, born in Winchester, Virginia (3/12/1864), around 1892. Their daughter Edna Page Paull was born the following year. It was at this time that Paull decided to venture into composition and publishing, doing so in a very grand manner.
In late 1890, Paull had partnered with John G. Corley who he appears to have known, or worked with for nearly a decade by that time, to acquire the Richmond branch of Sanders & Stayman of Baltimore, Maryland, and renamed it the Richmond Music Company. As noted in a Music Trade Review notice of January 5, 1891, "The new company will sell pianos and organs direct from the factories to the public, thus securing to purchasers the lowest possible prices." There was no initial mention of sheet music made. It was in the year 1893 that General Lew Wallace published his epic novel, Ben Hur - A Tale of the Christ,  a book which actually converted the author to Christianity as he wrote it. Ben Hur was soon adapted for the stage using phenomenal sets and staging techniques, including a sometimes dangerous chariot race with real horses on a treadmill, that would not be eclipsed in the theater for nearly eight decades. With a topic that was a sure thing to sell, Paull penned his first descriptive piece, The Chariot Race or Ben Hur March. To ensure potential sales, he commissioned a five-color lithograph cover from the A. Hoen Company of Richmond depicting the famous fictional race. Until this time, Hoen was known largely for cartography from their Baltimore office, and brightly colored cigar boxes from the Richmond branch. Paull released the work through his Richmond Music Company.The piece was nearly instantly successful. It even featured a congratulatory letter from General Wallace printed inside during the first few years of publication. (In later years when the initial silent movie version of Ben Hur was released by newly-formed M.G.M. in 1925, and it was subsequently performed by the Sousa band, there was a resurgence of interest in the Paull composition largely by association.) Ben Hur was quickly followed by The Old Man's Story and/or The Strangers Story (which appear to be the same piece), and What Might Have Been by Castell Brydges. All pieces soon appeared under his own company name featuring the soon-to-be-famous footer for the E.T. Paull Publishing Company. New York Successes
In 1896 Paull moved to New York City where he would remain for the rest of his life. He set up shop at 20 East 17th Street in Manhattan. His next descriptive piece was Charge of the Light Brigade, registered in June of 1896, and the first of many commemorating famous military campaigns. Soon to follow was The Della Fox Little Trooper March and Two Step by W.O. Johnson, dedicated to a famed stage performer of the time. The latter also featured a fabulous color cover from the A. Hoen Company, a trend which would continue for some three decades. Even though Paull was now nearly 300 miles from Richmond, he continued to use Hoen's services based on their fine work with the five color lithography process. The Paulls moved into a nice home in the Mt. Vernon neighborhood at 210 South Fifth Avenue, just blocks from his office.
Paull's descriptive pieces, of which many would be published over the next two and a half decades, were usually prefaced with a rather verbose and detailed "Explanatory" about the event, and there were subtitles throughout each one indicating the action that the music was supposed to represent. This was likely more for the edification of the pianist than the listening audience, as it was unlikely that the pianist or even a narrator would read these titles as the piece was performed. Whether it was due to this unique quirk, the general simplicity and interchangeability of his marches,  the eye-catching brightly colored covers or a combination of all these that sold his sheet music, it cannot be denied that Paull was providing the public with a product that they felt they needed since his pieces sold well.In late 1897 Paull relocated his company to 44 West 29th Street. He hired composer Jesse Campbell as his professional manager, who was largely responsible for promoting the publisher's works to stage performers and music outlets. On the chilly evening of February 1st, 1898, while Paull and his family were down south visiting in West Virginia, the pipes in his Mt. Vernon home burst, owing to the extreme cold and the fact that his water had not been properly shut off. The descriptions of the home with icicles hanging from the chandeliers and a glacier coming down the staircase were printed in various New York papers. When Paull returned home on February 2nd, he found the damages to likely be in the area of around $5,000, enough to inspire to compose another one of his "disaster" marches, The Ice Palace to help pay for the recovery. A lithograph of his parlor was featured on the cover of the timely work. Evidently, the damage was worse than initially reported. In mid April 1898, the New York Times announced E.T. Paull's purchase a three story brownstone at 226 West 105th Street in upper Manhattan, which was of considerable size 55 by 111 feet. His company now prospering, Paull also continued to take on some works of other composers, often asserting that they were "Arranged by E.T. Paull" on the cover, although the extent to which he altered them, if at all, is largely unknown. The most memorable of these is Harry Lincoln's Midnight Fire Alarm from 1900, the best selling piece in his catalog not composed by its publisher. Lincoln went on to a successful career with Vandersloot Music in Pennsylvania, but aside from Repasz Band was never able to capture the same magic that made Paull-published works so successful, including his own. Meanwhile, Paull made some attempts at popular music forms, including the cakewalk, as well as classical styles including waltzes and light parlor music. He published a folio of such works by himself and others in the early 1900s. In early 1900 Paull and his family took a brief trip to Mexico, and as a result they were skipped by the Federal Census takers. He then accompanied his wife and daughter to Europe aboard the Batavia. They were abroad for three months, according to his passport and some mentions in The Music Trade Review. While in Germany he attended a John Philip Sousa Band concert, and was both surprised and flattered to hear them perform his most recent piece, Dawn of the Century. Shortly after his return from this journey Paull's company moved into new spacious quarters utilizing two floors of 46 West 28th Street, where he would remain for several years. Paull took one of his only known trips to the Midwest, and possibly Western United States in mid 1901. According a notice in The Music Trade Review of June 8, "E. T. Paull is shortly to make a trip West, when he will give his many friends who have never seen him a chance to find out what sort of a man this march and waltz composer is. They will find out that composing is not his only good point." Business was steadily expanding in 1901, so Paull hired famous Australian baritone singer Bert Morphy to look after his professional department, which had recently been abandoned by Jesse Campbell. He also hired singer Harry Rogers, "The Original Bowery Boy," as an active promoter and performer of his works. Perhaps it was at Bert Morphy's urging, in an effort to associate the Paull Company with the latest musical trends, that the publisher briefly acquired the services of the brilliant ragtime pianist and composer Mike Bernard. The following announcement appeared in The Music Trade Review of September 28, 1901. "One of the best known piano players in the country is Mike Bernard. He has won many contests for piano playing, and is well known throughout the continent. Mr. Bernard has joined the forces of the E. T. Paull Music Co., and will devote all his time to furthering the firm's interests and he will doubtless prove a valuable acquisition in every way. He has just written the music to a clever song entitled 'Since Sally's in the Ballet,' Vincent B. Bryan having written the words. Another good number by Mike Bernard is 'The Phantom Dance...' With Bert Morphy - the general manager,  Mike Bernard and Harry Rogers, things should certainly hum at 46 West Twenty-eighth street, New York." Other than the two publications mentioned in the announcement, nothing more of Bernard's appeared under the Paull logo, so their association was short-lived.After a steady string of colorfully-covered pieces, it was in 1903 that Paull most successfully combined all of the elements of descriptive music, exciting narrative, sensational cover and a literally hot topic, in a piece that featured a historical disaster, The Burning of Rome. It remained in publication for nearly two decades in varying forms, and was followed by such other disaster-themed works as The Roaring Volcano. Paull also focused on patriotic figures and events, composing a number patriotic marches that attempted to approach the caliber of those by the famous Marine Band leader and his friendly rival, John Philip Sousa. He also actively promoted the works of others under his label to great acclaim. One example concerns A Signal From Mars by Raymond Taylor, "arranged" by Paull. According to a 1902 snippet, which inadvertently does not even mention the composer, "The E. T. Paull Music Co. have placed a re-order of twenty thousand copies for their new march, 'A Signal from Mars,' which makes sixty thousand copies in a little over three and a half months that have been ordered of this piece and since it was first placed on the market. The manner in which this march has 'caught on' is amazing. The extraordinary large sale that it has had so early shows that the musical public do not hesitate to take anything that E. T. Paull writes or arranges. It is certainly a compliment to his ability as a march writer." Later advertising rectified the oversight. Not too much was known about E.T. Paull's private life. However, comments in trade magazines by his peers indicate that in spite of his sometimes bombastic "best march yet" advertising he was a rather humble person, and enjoyable company, usually with a good story or two to tell. The energetic was relatively tall at 5'11", and moderately athletic in build. He was more often than not hurrying from place to place, but also stopping for a moment to enjoy a good cigar, something that bore printed mention from time to time. One sport that E.T. appeared to be particularly good at was bowling. According to a 1908 metion in the trades, "E. T. Paull for the third consecutive season won the first prize in the bowling contest of the Alhambra Club. In sixty-nine games his average was 172. Verily, is Paull the Apostle of Bowling." While Paull was certainly a "do-it-yourself" type of composer, not only constructing the naming his pieces, and specifying the contents of the cover art, there was one rare instance in which he enticed the public to get involved with his work by offering $10 in gold coin to whomever could provide a good name for his latest march in 1908. Out of some three thousand titles that were submitted, the one sent in by Mr. W.C. Bales, appropriately a member of the Sheffield Advertising Agency, was picked as the winning entry. The publicity behind the naming of The Home Coming March and Mr. Paull's payout was sufficient to assure good sales of the piece. Curiously, just before it was sent into print the discovery was made that his composer credit was not on the cover, to which he was quoted as having remarked, "By Gemini! You're right; I never noticed it." To Germany and Back Again
During the 1910s he prospered through expansion, having added four-hand piano and band arrangements of his works to his catalog, as well as promoting his works to the piano roll industry. In 1910 he and Gertrude are shown with their daughter Edna, a servant, and three lodgers in their Manhattan brownstone. It was hard to argue with Paull's success as a publisher, perhaps even more so than as a composer, because with little in the way of ragtime-based output he was still making a splash in the music stores and was well regarded by others in the industry. An article on him in the March 12, 1910 edition of The Music Trade Review, partially quoted here, gave some insight to this success from his contemporaries:
In one corner of a quiet, cosy, well-appointed suite of offices in West Twenty-eighth street stands a whirring, clicking instrument known as a New York Stock Exchange ticker. It seems to be rather an anomaly in the office of a music publisher,
 and yet the proprietor of the establishment is seen to go over to it occasionally during the day and study the cabalistic signs set out on the narrow tape that runs through his fingers. The music publisher at the ticker is E.T. Paull, America's new "march king." We do not know what the stock quotations have to tell him... The point is that the stock ticker is there—the only one to be found in the office of a New York music publisher.Why is it there, and what kind of a business is this that enables a man to have cause to keep in instant touch with the changing values of securities?... Mr. Paull's colleagues, or competitors — call them what you will - have known for some time that here is a man of means, one of the comparatively few such in the business of publishing popular music. And anyone who is at all cognizant of the situation knows that the business of the E. T. Paull Music Co. is unique; that it is, in fact, in a class by itself. Here is no great mass of "dead" numbers. No piles of music are gathering dust in the store room, waiting to be sold as old paper. No "hits" of a former year, now forgotten, defy attempts to revivify them. Instead, Mr. Paull pursues the even tenor of his way, the envy of some publishers and the admiration of all issuing just two march or two-step numbers each year. ...All of this composer-publisher's previous numbers, in fact, still enjoy steady sale. They are what may be called standard sellers, with an established clientele. One of the more recent of his productions was the "Lincoln Centennial Grand March," issued last year as a felicitous memorial of the event which the entire country celebrated early in 1909. This march, from a musical standpoint, was undoubtedly Mr. Paull's greatest composition up to that time. It was, furthermore, the only grand march, in the full meaning of that term, written for several preceding years... Such is the vocation of the publisher in whose office the stock ticker whirrs merrily through the day. With a clean, quiet, wholesome business he has gained for himself fame and fortune. With the latter, and with what private message the ticker clicks off to him daily, we have no concern. In brief, it is none of our business. In its broad scope, however, it is interesting to publishers and music dealers in general, as showing that a sound business position can be gained by a combination of ability and foresight, unmixed with the jealousies, the throat-cutting methods, and the trade evils which hold in thrall many less prosperous publishers. One of the secrets of the success of this house, for we may conjecture if we may not pry, we believe to be the foresight of the proprietor and the characteristic of learning what conditions are, then accepting them as such and meeting them with businesslike spirit... Mr. Paull said: "It is no longer to be doubted that so-called popular music is rapidly falling, in average level, to a retail price of ten cents a copy. This condition of cut prices has been brought about largely by over-production. The supply exceeds the demand, so that cut rates have been indulged in for the creation of a market. It would be hard to fix the actual blame for all this, as it has been due to a series of circumstances over which no one seemed to have actual control. Ten cents is a fair price for much of what is offered on the market, but publishers who offer a good grade of music are confronted with that handicap which is placed on their business. They must follow suit or lose business, since they cannot raise their publications to a level with the classic and the high-grade... As for myself, I simply recognized that the day of high prices had passed. I held out against the lower rates for two years. Finally I yielded, and soon was getting the larger orders to offset the lower prices. In the end I have come to feel that the fight against the new order of things was wasted energy, since one must seize opportunities that actually exist, and not expect to succeed by jousting at the windmills of what ought to be, nor by following visions of trade chimeras that retreat as one advances toward them." Note that a follow-up article later in the year announced that the stock ticker had been removed from Paull's office, but that he still appeared satisfied with "the results of what it used to tell him.
As commander of the Eastern department of the Minute Men, Mr. Paull was one of a guard of honor of five accompanying the Deutsche Kriegerbund for a tour of the Fatherland. The Kriegerbund is made up of men who are veterans of the German army, and the trip of 150 members through that country was made the occasion for some grand ovations accorded officially by the cities through which they passed...
"The tour through Germany was made something of a hands-across-the-sea affair, on account of the American flag which the guard of honor bore. In several places this guard, with the Bag, appeared where no other flag foreign to Germany had ever before been permitted. 'The trip was an ovation from start to finish, and what with parades, receptions, banquets, and so on, we could hardly have endured more of a welcome, if more had been offered. After proceeding up the Elbe River we found a big reception awaiting us at Hamburg, where we landed. We were received by the high senate, which constitutes the government of Hamburg... At Dresden was perhaps the finest of all the fine receptions and banquets, although that at Hanover was but little behind it. At Dresden the banquet was attended by 1,500 persons. At Hanover we were received by a committee of 1,000 citizens, all in double-breasted frocks and high hats. At Berlin we attended a review of 25,000 troops, ours being the first organisation to bear an American flag on Templehofer Field..." The other places visited were Mains, Frankfort (where even the housetops were crowded in welcome), Karlsruhe, Stuttgart, Munich and Regensburg, where the trip ended. Mr. Paull himself proceeded to Vienna, Budapest, Venice, Milan, Paris, Brussels, Antwerp and London. While he was away, he says, he did not have five minutes' time to devote to any thoughts of the music business. The company moved to mid-town Manhattan around May 1910, now working out of a four floor office building at 243 West 42nd Street, right on the fringe of the theater district. By 1915, many other firms would follow Paull to Times Square, which for a time would become a new center of music publishing. E.T. Paull music would remain in that desirable location until 1925. There was a lot of buzz, some of it coming from Paull's publicity machine, about many of his pieces in advance of their publication. In 1910 his ambitious Napoleon's Last Charge, a musical description of the Battle of Waterloo, drew critical acclaim. One description noted that, "a notable passage in the new march, as we can say of personal knowledge, is a bass solo which underlies the harmony that pictures to the listener the awful charge under full headway. This was written into the number by Mr. Paull himself, and makes the march not only of positively distinctive character but increases its merits most remarkably." Similar hype came with his 1912 publication of The Roaring Volcano One typical publicity story read as follows: "The E.T. Paull Music Co., which has won enviable success through the publication of the famous E.T. Paull marches at the rate of about two each year, bids fair to add to its laurels when the latest Paull march, 'Roaring Volcano,' is before the trade and public. Certainly in the new number, Mr. Paull has secured a firmer grip than ever on his honorary title of 'The New March King,' for it is a descriptive piece of fascinating brilliancy and capably arranged for piano and orchestra." In many ways, it was an advancement of his famous The Burning of Rome from 1903, but did not have the same sales success at a time when piano rags and ragtime songs dominated much of the popular market. The brilliant Hoen cover likely saved it from a more tepid retail rate.
A notable release was that of The Egyptian Glide in 1914, which Paull published simultaneously in two different versions. In advertising this piece composed by Syrian born bandleader Alexander Maloof, the publisher was hitting not only on the current trend for one-steps as well as the evolving tango.
In 1915 Paull was compelled to pull a 1913 publication from the market, his own Kaiser Jubilee March, which had been published simultaneously in Germany and the United States. The composer had revisited Europe, and Germany in particular, from August to October 1913 for the Kaiser's 25th anniversary, the event for which the march was composed. He participated in another Minute Man ceremony in Leipzig with the unfurling of the American flag at a monument celebrating the battle of Leipzig a century before. Paull and his Minute Men later went to Berlin to meet the Kaiser. The return from this trip on the Bremen could have been his last, as they met with treacherous weather during the thirteen day trip that threatened to sink the ship. Following this trip it was clear that the composer held the ruler in high regard, composing the tribute. However, given the growing tensions in war-torn Europe in 1915 and western sentiments turning against Germany, this work with the beautiful cover featuring a relief bust of the monarch was likely viewed as increasingly inappropriate to remain in print. From late January to mid February 1915, Paull served jury duty for a New York Supreme Court case. His comment on that obligation was that being a good citizen is a long way from being good business. Soon after this he released his ambitious Battle of the Nations in a stunning run of 100,000 copies, one of the first of such pieces associated with the ongoing war in Europe. He also made a couple of ventures into publishing film theme songs at a time when live music was the primary soundtrack for a movie. The Final March
Adjustments had to be made during "The Great War" around 1917 to 1919, which necessitated conservation of ink and paper. As a result, many of the pieces reissued at this time were cropped from large format size to what is now considered standard format (in response to U.S. Government requests to all publishers). Paull was part of this movement in his role in the Music Publisher's Association, and is mentioned in a series of cables to the London Music Publisher's Association concerning universal adoption of the new format. "June 11, 1918. London Music Publishers' Association, London: National Association of Sheet Music Dealers strongly recommend English publishers adopt nine and a quarter inches by twelve and a quarter inches for sheet music. Same adopted for America. Greatly desire uniform size account shelving and display. Received general public approval here. R. W. HEFFELFINGER, Secretary. June 12, 1918. London Music Publishers' Association, London: Music Publishers' Association, United States, heartily endorses and urges adoption of National Association of Sheet Music Dealers resolution regarding suggested new size sheet music., E. T. PAULL, Secretary."
During the war some Paull publications were even printed without the color plates in a single ink color using the black or top layer stones, showing only the outlines of the famed lithographs. Even so, previously vivid covers like that for The Triumphant Banner still had a high-class quality about them due to the fine illustration work that was the foundation for Paull covers. One Paull march from 1918, Pershing's Crusaders, which was brought out with the permission of the United States Government and the Committee on Public Information, was adopted by the Seventy-seventh Division of the U.S. Army, a great honor for the composer. Another in frequent demand overseas during the war was Hurrah! For the Liberty Boys, Hurrah!. Near end of the war the composer brought out a new printing of the timely Herald of Peace March from 1914. Following the end of the conflict, Paull's 1919 entry honored the U.S. allies in the war, Spirit of France. One of the more unusual offerings by the firm in 1919 was Armenian Maid composed by M. Alexander and Wilbur Weeks. It was a characteristic "Oriental song and fox-trot," dedicated to Miss Aurora Mardiganian, an Armenian actress who played herself in the 1919 biographical film Auction of Souls. Included with this sheet was an insert with a picture of the actress and a short history of "some of the trials she and her people went through during the war period." Taking up a cause on behalf of the composers, Paull advertised that a portion of the profits derived from the sale of the number were contributed to the Armenian Relief Fund. On December 20, 1919, Paull's daughter Edna was married to Uriah Carl H. Vinson of Alabama at a spectacular wedding which took place in his palatial Manhattan home on West 143rd Street. Edward and Gertrude were still shown as living in upper Manhattan in 1920, and Edna and her new husband Carl were lodging with them.
One more spectacular grand march was released in 1922, although with a colorful cover by the Starmer Brothers rather than the Hoen company. Custer's Last Charge actually eclipsed many previous Paull releases with descriptive passages of Native American chants and horses racing through the wind. The Paulls also became grandparents with the birth of Elizabth P. Vinson that same year. After a flurry of other post-war patriotic victory marches, Paull's business decreased as the buying public started to embrace the jazz age. Fewer people were playing music on their pianos, having gravitated to phonographs or player pianos for personal entertainment. The publisher was stricken for a time, as described in this snippet from The Music Trade Review of February 17, 1923. "E. T. Paull, head of the E. T. Paull Music Co. and secretary of the Music Publishers' Association of the United States, has been absent from his office for over a period of six weeks owing to a severe attack of synovitus rheumatism. While Mr. Paull is slightly improved it is understood he will be unable to be at his office for some time to come." In spite of this temporary health setback, which kept him from releasing any of his own works in 1923, Paull did get back to work later in the year. Paull's own piano roll line seems to have faded by 1923. Some of his pieces were incorporated into a media concept similar to what Paull had introduced in 1923, this time favored by the QRS Piano Roll Company in their new line of story rolls. These piano rolls fit Paull pieces perfectly with narrative, and possibly some pictures, printed on the paper to describe what was being heard as it played. The QRS story rolls added a great deal of allure to the publisher who was known for his long descriptive narratives printed on the inside cover of many of his more ambitious works. The four hand arrangements had an added element of magnificent scope. He also did not need to worry so much about sales and distribution. Paull responded to the initial batch of four rolls in a letter to Lee S. Roberts of QRS, part of which is quoted here: I have, as you know, been active in the field of composition a great many years, during which time 1 have shared with my fellow composers that very natural feeling that some of my works, particularly those of a descriptive character, might not convey to the hearer the mental picture that was before me when composing them. These compositions were inspired by historical facts, and I conceived the idea of having stories of these facts printed with the musical score. I reasoned if the song writer enjoyed the privilege of telling his hearers what was in his mind, why not the importance to me.
Recently my attention was called to the Q.R.S. Story Rolls and in them I saw the fulfillment of a long cherished ambition which was to give the player owner my "brain children" in a complete form. I cannot tell you, Mr. Roberts, the sense of gratitude I feel towards your company because of the opportunity thus offered, not only to myself, but my many followers as well. This gratitude has been greatly increased since playing the trial rolls of Napoleon's Last Charge, Paul Revere's Ride, The Burning of Rome and the Battle of Gettysburg, all of which you so kindly sent me yesterday. I want you to know with what keen delight I am looking forward to my other numbers that you have consented to issue in Story Roll form. In spite of best intentions and a good idea, the story rolls did not fare very well for QRS, and were soon abandoned. Most customers, it seems, preferred lyrics instead, and once the story roll had been "told" the novelty was more or less gone. It is unclear if any further Paull titles were published in QRS in this format.
 E.T. Paull's final months were spent publishing a few more pieces, including two of his own. The last of these, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, was heavily advertised as his finest and most dramatic piece yet. "It is based upon the theme adapted from the Book of Revelation. The story evolves around the prophetic vision of St. John of the legendary four horsemen; the first riding a white horse, indicative of peace, prosperity and happiness; the second rider, with sword in hand, is mounted on a red horse, symbolizing the reign of war with ensuing bloodshed and murder; third, the rider on the black horse, signifying depression, sadness and sorrow; and, finally, the pale horse and rider symbolizing famine, terror, frenzy and death, generally known as 'Death on a White Horse.' It is extremely versatile in its nature, ranging from the soft and sweet melody, interpreting joy and happiness, to strong and powerful strains, visualizing war and its horrors." It was perhaps prophetic as well.The composer remained at his post right up until his death the day before Thanksgiving 1924, from what was initially described as a "stroke of apoplexy." His private funeral on Friday, November 28 was attended by many of his peers in the publishing business, after which Paull was laid to rest in Evergreen Cemetery (a.k.a. Cemetery of the Evergreens) in Brooklyn, New York. In spite of his former success as a publisher, his net estate amounted to only $28,156.62 in addition to the business. One additional march, Top of the World was published more than a year after his death, featuring the last of the colorful lithograph covers that became his legacy. More was promised, and indeed some advertisements pointed out that there were dozens of pieces in the catalog not yet published, but other than Top of the World they did not materialize as the Great Depression approached. His wife and daughter held on to the company with help from friends for a short time. In February 1925 it was announced that the Richmond Music Supply Corporation, now run by Maurice Richmond, had purchased the entire catalog for $25,000. They also obtained the services of Miss Caroline Frank who worked with Paull for many years and was continuing to manage the business activities of the estate. It is important to note that this was the first company that took a chance on the young composer in 1893 when he presented them his first publications in Richmond, Virginia. Within a few years the Paull branch of the company was reorganized into the Paull-Pioneer Publishing Company. They managed to publish three folios of his marches that are nearly as collectible as the individual pieces themselves. Gertrude moved in with her daughter, granddaughter and son-in-law in Gastonia, North Carolina sometime in the late 1920s. They are shown there in the 1930 Census with Carl working as a manager for Woolworths. Gertrude died March 18, 1940 in Gastonia at age 75, and was buried next to her late husband in Brooklyn. The remainder of the family held on to whatever copyrights they had until the works slowly passed until the public domain. At this writing that includes all but his last three pieces published in 1924 and 1926. All of Paull's works are highly collectible today, particularly the ones with the Hoen covers. They are just as memorable for how much fun they are to perform as they are as pieces of early 20th century art. My sincerest thanks must go to leading E.T. Paull historian Wayland Bunnell who contributed a some of the information to this biography in his initial research on the publisher. Wayland owns one of the most complete E.T. Paull collections in existence, over 400 sheets, including those with alternate covers. You can contact him for more information and a catalog of music he has for sale at wtarrytown@aol.com. The remaining information was researched from public records, periodicals and sheet music by the author. | ||||||||||
The story of Jerome H. Remick is not one that should be milked for all of it's amazing success and pathos, but one that literally begins and ends with milk. It also takes place in one of the more progressive locations of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Detroit, Michigan, the home of mass manufacturing in both automobiles and, thanks to Remick, popular ragtime era songs and sheet music. Some of the narrative of Remick's business life was derived from the extraordinary efforts of Dave Jasen and later Gene Jones in the books Tin Pan Alley and That American Rag. They are highly recommended sources for a very different look at how the music was composed and popularized and how it eventually reached the public. | |||||||||
The Rossiter Brothers were collectively a dominant publishing force in Chicago during the ragtime era, albeit not always in a harmonious manner with each other. While not all of the desired information on them surfaced during research on their history, this synopsis covers at least some key facets of their lives together and apart. | |||||||||||||||
Ted Snyder was born in Freeport, Illinois to Andrew and Anna Snyder, fresh from Louisiana, followed by his sister Lillian Snyder five years later. When Ted was around 6, the family moved across the border to Boscobel, Wisconsin where he attended public school. By 1900 the family moved back to Chicago, without his father as the parents had divorced. Snyder's earlies foray into show business came in the form of a job posting theater bills around town. After high school he got work as a cafe pianist. Pretty soon he was doing minor arranging and composing as a staff pianist for a Chicago firm. While still in Chicago, one of his pieces composed with his lyricist partner Ed Rose made it to Broadway. The Goblin Man was featured in A Venetian Romance, a less than successful show that ran for 28 performances. But it was an encouraging start. | |||||||||
More than any other Midwest publisher in the ragtime era, John Stark was responsible for not only the labeling of the genre of Classic Ragtime but for recognizing and promoting the musicality of virtually every piece that was published by his firm. Yet he was also one of the oldest ragtime publishers in the beginning, and certainly the oldest who grounded the fame of his publishing house on the still-new ragtime genre. Some of the information in this biography can be found in the book That American Rag by Dave Jasen and Gene Jones, which should be a staple in any ragtime library. Other facets were found or confirmed by the author, including a review of notes by Rudi Blesh when he was researching for They All Played Rag in 1949. | ||||||
Frederick W. Vandersloot was a good example of a publisher in a somewhat isolated location who nonetheless managed a large reach through the United States during the ragtime era, particularly through the efforts of a couple of people who he was fortunate to have working with his firm. He was born in Fairfield, Pennsylvania, just miles from where the Battle of Gettysburg had been fought three years earlier, to Frederick William Vandersloot Sr. and Eliza E. (Crouse) Vandersloot, both Pennsylvania natives. The year 1867 is specifically listed on the 1900 Census, but most of the other reporting dates on Vandersloot indicate an 1866 year of birth. Frederick Jr. was part of a large family, including older brothers Edward, Byron and Harry, younger brother Caird, and younger sisters Reby, Daisy and Alba. Frederick Sr. was a well respected doctor in Clinton County, Pennsylvania and likely delivered all his children as well. As he was growing up it seems probable that he was referred to as William, his middle name, to avoid any confusion, something underscored by his listing in the 1880 Census and a couple of Pennsylvania listings into the late 1880s. Thanks go to ragtime historian Sue Attalla who acquired some of the information on the Vandersloots from multiple editions of Williamsport papers. The information on Lincoln and the demographics on the Vandersloots, including some newly uncovered information, was researched by the author. Thanks also to some facts provided by the Lycoming County Historical Society. Additional verifiable contributions are welcome and will be acknowledged. | ||||||
Famous as both a publisher and a songwriter, Albert Von Tilzer and his brothers Harry Von Tilzer and Will Von Tilzer represent another great success story of the ragtime era, even though they more or less wrote about and promoted ragtime, never writing any actual rags. They also prove to be a bit frustrating in terms of research, since much of the information on their early lives was relayed by the brothers themselves, and matching facts before 1900 are hard to corroborate. But a find has been made here that adds some interest to the Von Tilzer story.
Given their birth dates and locations, and matching the demographics of their parents, it appears that the brothers were born to Jacob Gumbinsky (or Gummbinsky) and Sarah (Tilzer) Gumbinsky, Polish immigrants who may have actually lived in Germany before coming to the United States. In later years, Albert often put Indiana as their place of birth, and Harry and Jacob switched between Germany and Poland, which was a little more helpful. Older brother Jules lists Russia, which is even more consistent with Poland. Given that all other factors match, it is likely that Harry was born as Aaron Gumbinsky in Detroit, Michigan, as were his older brothers Louis (1870 - later Jacob or Jack) and Julius (11/1868 - later Jules). There were reportedly two other siblings, one boy and one girl, but they died very young. Between 1874 and 1877 the family moved from Detroit to Indianapolis, Indiana, where Albert was born as Elias Gumbinsky (3/29/1878), Albert possibly being a middle name. In the 1880 Census, their father Jacob is listed as a hair dresser, but later owned a shoe store, then expanded that into a general store. Sarah worked as a milliner in the store as well. He is listed in the Indianapolis directories of the 1880s as selling "furniture, stoves and tinware" at 434 S. Illinois Street. Harry's memories recall a shoe store, and this would be somewhat consistent, as shoes might be found in such a location. Younger brother Harris Harold, the eventual lawyer for the Von Tilzer brothers, was born in September 1880, followed by Wilbur (Will) in November 1882. This find means that there was a big change in their names (except H. Harold who retained Gumm) and lives following Harry's lead. It has also been said that the family changed their name to Gumm at some point, although this is more likely Harry and Albert since their father was still using Gumbinsky in the 1890s. While living in Indianapolis, Harry, Julius and Albert were exposed to the joys of stage entertainment as a local theatrical company gave performances in the loft above their father's store. Harry had also been playing piano at an early age, largely, as he recalled, with encouragement from his mother. Albert also followed in Harry's footsteps with similar musical talent. Harry was so enraptured with the lure of performance that he lived out the fantasy of many young boys and left home to join the Cole Brothers Circus in 1886 at age 14. With them he worked as a tumbler and singer, playing the calliope and piano as well. He left the circus before he was 16 to perform with traveling burlesque and vaudeville shows playing piano and writing tunes and incidental music for them. Even though he had shortened the family name to Gumm it did not suit him, and at some point in his teens he changed it to a derivative of his mother's maiden name, adding "Von" to Tilzer to make it fancier. Albert followed that example some time in the 1890s, and once the pair became famous, brothers Jules, Jacob (Jack) and Will also changed their names to Von Tilzer, although Will was published as Gumm through around 1912. With brother Harry on his way to a music career, Albert followed in his tracks to some extent, deciding to abandon high school at first to help with the family business in the shoe and merchandise store, but eventually taking his music skills out into the world. As with Harry, Albert became a musician and sometime musical director of a traveling vaudeville troupe. This lasted for a few years, but once Harry's hit song, My Old New Hampshire Home, landed him a position as a partner with Shapiro and Bernstein in 1899, he sought out Albert, who now considered himself similarly as a Von Tilzer, to run the Chicago branch of the company. Albert had been to Chicago often, and in 1898 had a piece published there, one of many that were reactions to the sinking of the U.S.S. Maine and the brief conflict in Cuba. But now he was able to make a home, have a desk job, and perhaps consider composing more of his own pieces. As of the 1900 Census Albert was living in Chicago listed as a music composer, even with only two pieces in print, and Harry was similarly listed as a musician and composer in Manhattan. The situation in Chicago did not work out well, so Albert moved to New York and in with his brother for a time. He went back to selling shoes while waiting for a better opportunity. Harry did take in his Absent Minded Beggar Waltzes on the short-lived Shapiro, Bernstein & Von Tilzer label, which while not a great hit did give Albert some circulation in Manhattan and a moral boost. It helped him get work as a singer as well, and he was featured on the cover of the 1901 song When the Trees are Filled With Blossoms by Eddie Moran and the contrived Albert Rezlit (Tilzer spelled backwards), "Introduced and Sung by Mr. Albert Von Tilzer." He learned the art of composing from his brother and by trying several takes of his own at it until he felt the material was good enough to shop around. Something else Albert got from Harry was the fine tear-jerker lyricist Arthur J. Lamb, who provided him with the words for Tell Me That Beautiful Story early in 1902. Since Harry had just left his previous partners in an amicable move to start his own publishing house, he took Albert's piece as one of the first in what would prove to be an enormous catalog within a few years. The piece did well and showed that Albert had the same propensity for memorable melodies as his now famous brother. But Albert wasn't quite ready to commit yet, and still maintained other work while making efforts at other compositions, of which very few were published in 1902 and 1903. In 1903 Albert came up with That's What the Daisy Said published by Harry and penned with his brother Will (still Wilbur), who had recently moved to Manhattan as well. Its success plus Harry's mentorship encouraged him to set out on his own with his brother Jack who had recently moved to New York City. Together they founded the York Music Company late in the year. The origin of the name is likely derived from the city it was in (there was already a New York Music Publishing Company), and it seems reasonable that he did not use the Von Tilzer name so as to not be confused with his older brother's self-named firm. The cause of the break between the brothers is uncertain. However, it was made rather public in mid 1905 when Albert printed advertisements in the New York Clipper and other papers including the announcement, "Having severed my connections with the HARRY VON TILZER MUSIC PUB.CO., I beg to announce to all my friends that I shall be pleased to hear from them, either personally or by mail, at my new place of business." Just the same they would remain on on sometimes tenuous but otherwise friendly terms, and even share lyricists and writers for nearly the next two decades. Jack had also parted ways with his brother in late 1904, working as a business manager around Tin Pan Alley for a while, but ultimately hooking up with Albert. Albert and Jack were both listed as the manager of York Music in 1904 and 1905 in city directories. Jack's role was more on the business end of the firm while Albert created and sought out music for the catalog. In 1903, Albert got married to Caddie Neisbaum. The couple would stay together to his death, but there is no indication that they ever had children. Once he had his own outlet, Albert, in the same way as Harry, suddenly found his way and started pushing out lots of tunes, some of them hits, in collaboration with some of the finest lyricists in Manhattan and beyond. The first great success was Teasing written with Cecil Mack in 1904. Written for the stage show The School Girl, it lasted much longer than the show did, and helped make more of a name for both contributors. It was reported that he was paid the unheard of price of $2,500 for the English publishing rights in advance of publication. With his popularity on the rise and his company doing well, Albert decided to try writing for the Broadway stage, and area that his older brother had just failed in with at least two different shows. His first contribution was a number of songs for Mrs. 'Mac,' The Mayor which lasted only 8 performances, even more dismal than Harry's attempts. Still, he had another up his sleeve, and In New York Town managed 24 performances divided between three theaters before it was also finally shelved. At this point, Albert went back to focusing on writing hit songs for a while, and wouldn't revisit the stage for another few years. Will was also working in New York by this time, both as a musician and as an occasional lyricist, getting published in both of his brother's firms, but still under the name Wilbur U. Gumm. His income was largely derived from performance in vaudeville theaters and other places where he would accompany singers, but Will was also learning much about the business of musical publishing from his three older brothers. Harold had moved to New York this time, and equipped with a law degree was getting some work in Manhattan, soon specializing in show business law. Will was working as a manager for Harry's firm starting in 1905, touted in the trades as Von Tilzer rather than Gumm. Following another trend that brother Harry was on top of, Albert released a dance folio in 1905, a collection of some of his hit tunes without lyrics. These were useful to cabaret and vaudeville pianists as they provided necessary music for their gigs without breaking their budget. Within this folio was one of his rare instrumental numbers, Bunker Hill, originally released in 1904 as a song, which showed Albert to be more capable than Harry in this genre. While 1906 was an otherwise productive year for Von Tilzer, particularly with Lamb, there were no big hits forthcoming. However, he was working with another new partner, vaudeville performer Jack Norworth. In 1907 they penned a tribute to one of the champions of the dying genre of the minstrel show, George "Honey Boy" Evans, titled Honey Boy. It was either the piece itself or Evans' popularity that helped make it a hit, and it encouraged the pair to continue together. Albert also released a decent syncopated instrumental, Cotton, which while it didn't do quite as well as songs of that time, still added to the firm's profits. The year 1908 would prove to be another turning point for Albert as a composer, and within a decade his work would permanently be embedded in the American songbook. With lyrics by Jack Norworth, the simple waltz song Take Me Out to the Ball Game soon became a national sensation, initially popularized by Norworth's singer wife of the time, Nora Bayes. The irony is that neither composer had ever been to a ball game, and would not for at least two more decades. The following year saw fewer songs and no real sellers. Just the same, Albert decided to give the stage another go, and at the end of the year had completed The Happiest Night of His Life, a sappy comedy about a man on his wedding day and night. As with his previous efforts, it proved to be unpalatable for the public, closing after 24 performances. Albert was done with the stage for the time being, as was Harry for all time. To complicate matters, business was proving difficult for York Music Company, and he was looking for a change. Albert did manage to open an office in Chicago in 1910 which was represented by his older brother Jules. A couple of pieces came out simply as published under his own name in 1910 and 1911. Then good fortune came his way again. Albert had been writing with a female friend, Junie McCree, who had worked with him on The Happiest Night of His Life and some minor hits going back as far as 1905. In 1910 they hit upon Put Your Arms Around Me Honey which soon became a stage sensation when ragged beyond its otherwise standard arrangement. In spite of this, either the strain of the stage musical failure or perhaps some other factor proved to be the end of their five year on and off collaboration. Albert is listed in the 1910 Census with Caddie living in a hotel listed as a publisher rather than as a songwriter. Will was living with his lawyer brother Harold. Both Albert and Wilbur are listed as publishers, rather than songwriters. The following year, Wilbur would be the last brother to legally change his name, choosing Will Von Tilzer over Wilbur U. Gumm. Harris Harold Gumm would not follow brothers Jack, Harry, Will or Albert in this change. Will proved some of his business acumen in an article published in the Music Trade Review on November 4, 1911, concerning the spending of money on songs: More money is squandered in the popular music publishing field than in any other well established line in existence. It is a well known fact to people at all familiar with the music publishing business, that there are great money making possibilities in the possession of what is called a "hit," but how many publishers really make money when they get a hit? Not many. The majority turn right around and sink the profits from a successful number into a hoped-for hit.
The great mistake made almost invariably, is to invest money as well as energy in a bad number, thinking it to be the combination that turns out a so-called hit. If you have watched the business closely, you will have observed (if you are honest with yourself) that successful numbers during the past number of years, were hits before they were published. In other words, they possessed unusual merit in themselves and would have been just as successful if plenty of energy had been used and if the money had not been so much in evidence. To verify the above, the writer wishes to quote as examples the following songs published within the past two or three years : "The Cubanola Glide," "Don't Take Me Home," "I Remember You," "I Love My Wife, but Oh You Kid," "Under the Yum Yum Tree," "I Love It," "Lovie Joe," "All Alone," and many other numbers of lesser size. "All Aboard for Blanket Bay," our present big ballad hit is taking twice as long to make as it would if we squandered money on it. But how do we benefit by exercising judgment and patience? The answer is that it will live twice as long and when we balance our books in the end, we will find that we have made money, not lost it! "Blanket Bay" has been out since the first of January, 1911. To-day it is bigger with both the profession and the trade than ever before, and it is going along at a rate that is astonishing. "I Want a Girl Just Like the Girl that Married Dear Old Dad," a song we published hardly three months ago, is already acknowledged by everyone, including competitors, to be the most promising song of the year. "They Always Pick on Me," and "Knock Wood" will also be called hits before the season is many months older. We have had more real hits in the past three years than ever before. What is more important, we have made more money. The last statement takes on extra weight when you consider the small margin of profit to-day. Merit always wins out. In 1911 Albert came up with one relative hit, That College Rag, but was starting to wear from the business end of things. He brought Will in to York Music to work with Jack on running the company, as well as other musicians with supplying it with product. Albert's output in the period, though reduced, was still fairly significant. It saw the start of his collaboration with newly minted lyricist Lew Brown. Their initial output included average fare like Dapper Dan (The Ladies Man From Dixie Land), but they soon caught on with the consumer with I'm the Lonesomest Gal in Town and Parisienne. One hit and a sad sequel from 1912 consisted of Please Don't Take My Lovin' Man Away and Here Comes The Bride (The Girl Who Stole My Loving Man Away). Near the end of the year, Albert abandoned York Music, putting it in the hands of his brothers Jack and Jules. Then the writing seems to have almost stopped from 1913 through 1915, which may be attributed to a number of unknown factors in Albert's life. It was announced when he left York Music that he would endeavor to be a "producer of vaudeville acts," but there is no evidence of any success in this field. Albert and his brother Harry were charter members of ASCAP, formed in 1914.
Will made a change of his own in early 1913, stepping out of the shadow of his famous publisher brother Harry. As reported in the February 22, 1913 edition of The Music Trade Review: "Will Von Tilzer, who has long been general manager of the Harry Von Tilzer Music Co., has sold out his interest in that firm, and will engage in the business of music publishing on his own account in the Forty-fifth Street Exchange building. Harry Von Tilzer will continue the old business at its present address, 125 West Forty-third street." The company he started was Broadway Music Corporation, started with a capital stock of $500. The initial directors were brother H. Harold Gumm and investor William V. Goldies. Another 1913 announcement noted that: "He has arranged to handle the works of several prominent song writers, including James E. Monaco, writer of 'Row, Row, Row,' and other successes." Possibly looking for a change of some kind, Albert merged York Music with Broadway in 1914 and endorsed keeping Will at the helm. Some of the output at that time consisted of reprints of York Music stock, but new pieces soon started flowing forth from Albert and other composers who were recruited for the new label. Albert had little trouble finding lyrics, as both wannabe lyricists and composers constantly flooded Tin Pan Alley publishers with new material either by mail or in person. Adding melody to some of these submissions, Albert was able to augment his output and help bring some new names into the spotlight as well. One of these songs was soon brought to hit status by singer Al Jolson, who kept Down Where the Swanee River Flow in his repertoire for many years until some of the 1920s songs that caught his fancy replaced it. Another surprising hit for Broadway Music was Ragging the Scale composed by Edward B. Claypoole, a sometimes musician and full time Baltimore court clerk. It appeared initially with two different covers, and appeared both on the Broadway label and another side label the brothers had formed, ArtMusic Incorporated, mostly managed by Albert. The concept was extraordinarily simple - syncopating a simple one octave scale in a variety of ways in five different tonalities. Even though it was nearly impossible to imagine lyrics with it, the rag was a best seller. Then came what could have been an interruption, but for songwriters was a boon. World War I, while it took many of the men away to fight in Europe, seemed to have been kind to publishers as they had a lot to write about, a lot to publish, and a lot of consumers to justify the effort. Albert was no slouch in this regard, and Broadway Music published a good number of his war pieces, including I May Be Gone For A Long, Long Time, the post-war sequel I May Stay Away a Little Longer, and When the Sun Goes Down in Flanders. The most famous of these was Au Revoir, But Not Good-Bye (Soldier Boy), although none of them matched the popularity of George M. Cohan's Over There or Irving Berlin's many songs written for the boys in Europe. On their respective draft records, Albert was now shown working with ArtMusic, and Will, now married to Hattie Von Tilzer, as a publisher. Albert and his colleagues did not need to worry about what to write about after the was since the next war would be waged by supporters of the Volstead Act and the onset of national prohibition. One of a pair of blues he composed with Edward Laska was The Alcoholic Blues in 1919, but another surprisingly positive comic song was I Never Knew I Had a Wonderful Wife (Until the Town Went Dry). With yet another frequent partner, Neville Fleeson, Albert wrote Dear Old Daddy-Long-Legs which saw brisk sales for a few years. But it was with Brown that another mega-hit emerged, Oh By Jingo! (Oh By Gee, You're the Only Girl For Me), which quickly became a favorite in vaudeville. Albert appeared in the 1920 Census as a composer, now in his own home with Caddie, and Will as a publisher, with Harold Gumm now fully engaged as an entertainment lawyer, no doubt on retainer by his famous brothers. Burned three times, Albert nonetheless believed he could still make it big on Broadway with a musical. Urged on by the growing number of theaters and the successes of Ziegfeld and Berlin, he and Fleeson first worked on What's the Odds in 1919, which did not make it very far. Albert next penned Honey Girl with Fleeson and Edward Clark in 1920. This one finally hit the mark and gave him a success his brother Harry was not able to capture, running initially for 32 performances at the Cohan theater, followed by another 110 a few blocks away. That same year saw yet another standard that would require twenty years to fully catch on, but still was well regarded when it came out, Included at some point in Honey Girl but sold separately from the pieces included in the score, I'll Be With You in Apple Blossom Time was a charming waltz song that blossomed into a 4/4 swing hit in the 1940s. From 1920 on, however, Albert's melodies tended less towards current song styles and more to the sentimental or ragtime styles of previous decades, and no more big hits were coming. Jules Von Tilzer also made it into the news as Albert was testing the Broadway waters again. He was allegedly stabbed by his wife, Estelle, as he lay sleeping one night in late February 1920. Estelle's story was a bit different. She had reacted to a telephone call from a mysterious woman who alerted her that Jules had been fooling around with another woman for some three years. When confronted with that news, the 225 pound Jules denied the allegation and reportedly jumped out of bed. The 90 pound Estelle grabbed a knife in self defense. Neither of them seemed to be able to recall how the knife entered his body. It was not favorable publicity for the other Von Tilzers, Harry in particular, who was also mentioned in the articles on the incident as being the brother of Jules. In December, 1921, Albert opened his own publishing business with Fleeson. It is not known if there was any disagreement with Will that might have spurred this action, or if it was simply a branching of the Von Tilzer publishing empire. An announcement in The Music Trade Review of December 3, 1921, read: "Albert Von Tilzer, one of the best known of present-day popular composers, and Neville Fleeson, his writing partner, who for many years were on the staff of the Broadway Music Corp., have severed their connections with that company. Albert Von Tilzer has entered the ranks of the publishers under his own name, with offices at 1591 Broadway." The Albert Von Tilzer Publishing Company was short-lived, however. In an announcement published in September 1922, Albert noted that he had "been liquidating his business with a view to engaging practically exclusively in the writing of vaudeville sketches and acts. Such songs as Mr. Von Tilzer may write in the future will be offered to publishers on a free-lance basis." Albert and Neville ended up selling the assets to their distributor, Jacob Mittenthal, Incorporated. Encouraged by his recent success on Broadway, he wrote The Gingham Girl in late 1922 with Fleeson, and it ran nearly a year at 322 performances. Wary of jumping the gun lest it close early, the songs were not published until early 1923. That same year would see Adrienne make it to the stage, this one with future partner and lyric writing veteran A. Seymour Brown. It lasted around eight months at 235 performances. Harry Von Tilzer's firm went into receivership for a while in 1922, but he would emerge over the next few years in fairly good shape. Broadway Music similarly suffered a bankruptcy in late 1922, but was discharged from it in early 1923 offering a 25% settlement with creditors based on the promised of a successful reorganization. In this way, Will kept Broadway Music going at a brisk pace into the mid-1920s and the reorganized company kept its promise, coming out of the predicament even stronger. One good decision by Will was the 1927 reissue of a 1918 tune that he had long thought was "ahead of its time" when first published. In doing so, he turned After You've Gone by Creamer and Layton into a hit nearly a decade after its first publication, flooding the market with sheet music, recordings and piano rolls. Also in 1927 he launched an unusual campaign for a particular song, and in an article in The Music Trade Review of October 22, 1927, some of his past advertising innovations were also featured: "Blind" Campaign on Song by Broadway Music
Corp. Brings Unusually Satisfactory Results
Now that the series of mysterious advertisements pertaining to the new fox-trot ballad, "Make My Cot Where the Cot-Cot-Cotton Grows," has been concluded and the secret has been revealed that Will Von Tilzer, president of the Broadway Music Corp., New York, is backing the number as publisher, some interesting facts concerning the whole episode have come out. Quite a number of the boys in the songwriting business tried to figure out who wrote the number, but none of them guessed correctly. The stunt of using "blind" advertisements in the trade papers to introduce the number was characteristic of Will Von Tilzer and brings to mind some of his doings in the exploitation field in the past. He was the first music publisher to use a reversed plate for advertising songs to the trade and professional public, and it took him two years to induce the manager of the old Clipper to accept his "copy." Mr. Von Tilzer was also the first publisher to buy an entire page for songs and use not more than an inch of it in the center, leaving the rest white. As a result of his recent novel advertising of "Cot-Cot-Cotton," the professional folk have been talking and guessing and Mr. Von Tilzer has tried to get dealers in various parts of the country to solve the musical problem. The number is now getting away to a better start than any number he has handled in recent years. One prominent orchestra leader stated that if the number does not click with a big bang, he, the leader, will eat all the orchestrations the firm happens to have left over. Albert Von Tilzer's last stage musical would be Bye Bye Bonnie in 1927, written with Fleeson. After 125 performances it closed his career as a writer of stage musicals. His career as a songwriter in New York was also winding down. There was one more unproduced play, a musical extravagance that may have been intended for younger audiences, based on the story of Little Red Riding Hood. Fragments of this still exist in an archived collection. Even though Albert and Seymour had composed a couple of pieces before, they formally announced a new partnership in 1928, starting with the campaign pice He's Our Al in support of Democratic Presidential candidate Al Smith. In spite of a months long push by Will in promoting the song, Smith eventually lost the election and the piece was all but forgotten in short order. Soon after there was a folio of his works released by Broadway Music, Famous Songs of the Past, which contained many of what were by now considered his "old-time" songs. The folio quickly became a best-seller for the company.
Seeing opportunity in 1929 as the sound film The Jazz Singer started spawning musicals in the movies, Albert left his brothers behind in New York City and relocated to Los Angeles where he and Caddie would stay the rest of their lives. Work was sporadic in the beginning, but he is still listed as a composer in the 1930 Census. Writing in this period largely with George Whiting, Harry MacPherson and Ted Fiorito, Albert did manage to get some songs placed in musicals or music-oriented movies. His most prominent contributions appear in the ironically titled Rainbow Over Broadway in 1933 and Here Comes the Band in 1935, and MGM film featuring Virginia Bruce and bandleader Ted Lewis with his orchestra. After his, Albert only came up with the occasional melody, including an interesting set of cowboy tunes for stock Westerns written with MacPherson in 1938. He also co-wrote brother Harry's final contribution, Sierra Moonlight, in 1943. As of 1942, Will was still shown heading Broadway Music in New York. He died of a heart attack in his car, driven by his wife Blanche at that time, on the Cross County Parkway. Harry died in 1946. His oldest brother, Jules, passed on in October, 1954. After having been retired for many years, Albert finally passed on in 1956 in Beverly Hills, California. He and Harry were both inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame in 1970. The final years of the lives of Will, Jack and Harold have been hard to piece together, but hopefully additional research will bring closure to their stories, and help to codify their significant roles in American music. | ||||||
Famous as both a publisher and a songwriter, Harry Von Tilzer and his brothers Albert Von Tilzer and Will Von Tilzer represent another great success story of the ragtime era, even though they more or less wrote about and promoted ragtime, never writing any actual rags. They also prove to be a bit frustrating in terms of research, since much of the information on their early lives was relayed by the brothers themselves, and matching facts before 1900 are hard to corroborate. But a find has been made here that adds some interest to the Von Tilzer story.
Early Years
Given their birth dates and locations, and matching the demographics of their parents, it appears that the brothers were born to Jacob Gumbinsky (or Gummbinsky) and Sarah (Tilzer) Gumbinsky, Polish immigrants who may have actually lived in Germany before coming to the United States. In later years, Albert often put Indiana as their place of birth, and Harry and Jacob switched between Germany and Poland, which was a little more helpful. Older brother Jules lists Russia, which is even more consistent with Poland. Given that all other factors match, it is likely that Harry was born as Aaron Gumbinsky in Detroit, Michigan, as were his older brothers Louis (1870 - later Jacob or Jack) and Julius (11/1868 - later Jules). There were reportedly two other siblings, one boy and one girl, but they died very young.
Between 1874 and 1877 the family moved from Detroit to Indianapolis, Indiana, where Albert was born as Elias Gumbinsky (3/29/1878), Albert possibly being a middle name. In the 1880 Census, their father Jacob is listed as a hair dresser, but later owned a shoe store, then expanded that into a general store. Sarah worked as a milliner in the store as well. He is listed in the Indianapolis directories of the 1880s as selling "furniture, stoves and tinware" at 434 S. Illinois Street. Harry's memories recall a shoe store, and this would be somewhat consistent, as shoes might be found in such a location. Younger brother Harris Harold, the eventual lawyer for the Von Tilzer brothers, was born in September 1880, followed by Wilbur (Will) in November 1882. This find means that there was a big change in their names (except H. Harold who retained Gumm) and lives following Harry's lead. It has also been said that the family changed their name to Gumm at some point, although this is more likely Harry and Albert since their father was still using Gumbinsky in the 1890s. While living in Indianapolis, Harry, Julius and Albert were exposed to the joys of stage entertainment as a local theatrical company gave performances in the loft above their father's store. Harry had also been playing piano at an early age, largely, as he recalled, with encouragement from his mother. Albert also followed in Harry's footsteps with similar musical talent. Harry was so enraptured with the lure of performance that he lived out the fantasy of many young boys and left home to join the Cole Brothers Circus in 1886 at age 14. With them he worked as a tumbler and singer, playing the calliope and piano as well. He left the circus before he was 16 to perform with traveling Burlesque and Vaudeville shows playing piano and writing tunes and incidental music for them. Some of the tunes were evidently sold outright to the entertainers, and he received no credit for them. Harry also acted on stage from time to time, an experience that would be useful to him when plugging his songs in later years. Even though he had shortened the family name to Gumm it did not suit him, and at some point in his teens he changed it to a derivative of his mother's maiden name, adding "Von" to Tilzer to make it fancier. His brother Albert followed that example some time in the 1890s, and once the pair became famous, brothers Jules, Jacob (Jack) and Will also changed their names to Von Tilzer, although Will was published as Gumm through around 1912. After a few years on the road, and with many songs under his belt, Harry finally had one published. Titled I Love You Both it did not fare too well, and he earned practically nothing from it. Still, popular vaudevillian performer Lottie Gilson encouraged him and let him know that his talents were viable. At her prompting Harry moved permanently to New York City at age 20, with just $1.65 in his pocket, and started playing in a local saloons for an average of $15.00 per week. He hit the road again for a short time with a traveling medicine show, but again landed in New York, working in saloons and as a Vaudeville accompanist and singer. He kept writing songs, but they were again sold outright to entertainers, usually for $2.00 each. Some were reportedly even bought by famous theater owner Tony Pastor for his shows, but no credit was given to Harry, a common practice of that time. He worked for a time with entertainer George Sidney doing what is described as "Dutch" comedy act. The Big Breaks
In 1896 Harry met another songwriter, Andrew B. Sterling. They ended up rooming together in the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge, and started collaborating on songs. They were able to sell a couple of their early ethnic efforts to publishers, including I've Scratched You Off Ma' List to E.T. Paull in 1897, shortly after he set up business there. I'll Be a Sister to You and My Pretty Polly were also published by Paull in 1898. But no hits were forthcoming. It was the threat of eviction in 1898 that pushed the pair to quickly compose My Old New Hampshire Home and take it around to publishers. After more rejections, it was finally purchased by William Dunn of the Orphean Music Company for $5.00 in advance, and a final sale of an additional $10.00. The song ended up selling over two million copies in the next decade, which would have made the publisher wealthy, but not the writers, another common story of that time. A recording of the piece that same year also became quickly popular. Still, the brisk sales of the piece encouraged Harry and Andrew to keep plugging away. Another fortuitous circumstance also gave him a break, and shifted the income from this song back in his direction.
A few months after the sale of My Old New Hampshire Home and a few other pieces to other New York publishers, the Orphean catalog was purchased by Maruice Shapiro and Louis Bernstein, incorporated into their firm of Shapiro and Bernstein, Co., which exists still into the 21st century in spite of a number of changes in its lifetime. One of those changes involved seeing the potential of Von Tilzer as both a composer and recognizable name. His Vaudeville reputation also preceded him, giving Harry more salability. So after convincing him to quit the stage and hiring him as a staff composer they offered Von Tilzer and Sterling a considerable royalty of $4,000 on the piece they had sold for $15. In order to keep Von Tilzer around writing more hits, and they saw that more were coming, they also put him on the banner as a partner in the firm. Harry and Andrew did not disappoint, and soon came up with I'd Leave Ma Happy Home For You in 1899, a Vaudeville sensation. Other songs with their names also sold well. However, Harry branched out and tried out some lyrics given to him by another rising star, Arthur J. Lamb, who was more of sentimental ballad writer than a comic one. In 1900, it was clear that A Bird in a Gilded Cage would be a lasting maudlin tear jerker. The ballad of a woman held prisoner by her choice to marry for money, it was Harry that insisted on the girl actually being married to the old man instead of just a kept woman living in sin, a wise decision given the moral climate of the time. When working out the melody at a party, some of the girls within earshot heard the revised lyrics and were driven to tears, giving Harry a clue that Lamb had workable talent. They would write many other "tear jerkers" together over the next several years. Another bonus for the family, Harry's brother Albert was hired as a manager in the Chicago branch of Shapiro, Bernstein and Von Tilzer. As of the 1900 Census Harry was listed as a musician and composer, and Albert was in Chicago similarly listed as a music composer. Soon after that, Albert left the Chicago position for New York where he went back to selling shoes for a short time. Harry gave his brother a boost by publishing Albert's Absent-Minded Beggar Waltzes, which while not a great hit did give Albert some circulation in Manhattan and a moral boost. With his new found spending money, Harry started to take up hobbys, among them being harness racing. As noted in The Music Trade Review of June 1, 1901: "Harry Von Tilzer has had several smart brushes on the Speedway with his 2.10 trotter, and generally holds his own. He is an expert driver and it is to be expected that he will become quite a light in the trotting world." In league with Lamb and Sterling, Harry managed to turn out a number of successful tearjerkers and popular tunes over the next two years. He also was one of the first to produce a dance folio, a book that consisted of instrumental arrangements of popular songs. These were a blessing to pianists everywhere who did not need the words as much as they did the music, and the cost of a folio was considerably less than that of the 40 or so individual tunes contained within. What soon became clear, if not to Harry but to others, is that he was great at creating memorable melodies for lyrics of all varieties, but not so much at plain old instrumentals like marches, and certainly not rags. A handful of his songs were packaged as instrumentals as well, but the songs generally sold better in spite of their being more simply scored. In any case, he was grateful to his partners for the opportunity they had provided, but frustrated as well since he wanted more control over the end product, and more profit as well. To that end, he took his wealth of short term experience as a partner in a publishing firm, and at the beginning of 1902 created his own company under his own name, the Harry Von Tilzer Music Company. The parting of ways was reportedly amicable as Von Tilzer was glad for the start they had given him. Moving Forward - And Backwards
The evidence that having his own company to put out his product was a beneficial move is in the number of tunes that suddenly sprang forth from Harry and his lyricists in 1902, nearly five times that in 1901. Some of them may have been holdovers from the previous year as well. To boost his new catalog he also purchased the catalog of Mullen & Cain of Worcester, Massachusetts, who were leaving the business. One of his new partners was Vincent Bryan who proved himself quite capable with many composers over the next 20 years. Bryan and Von Tilzer came up with Down Where the Wurzberger Flow, a love song to beer in some respects, which saw popularity through singer Nora Bayes. He would follow this up with the clever Under the Anheuser Bush with Sterling.
Other partners included George Totten Smith and Eddie Moran who would write for many years with Harry. Lamb continued to provide him with the sad and maudlin ballads, and Harry complied with more stirring melodies such as The Banquet in Misery Hall and The Mansion of Aching Hearts, one of the songs Irving Berlin was hired to promote while still a few years off from being a composer in his own right. So he had a variety of lyric types to choose from. The firm expanded quickly, and two months after forming he moved to a large headquarters at 42 West 28th Street, two doors down from one of the publishers that helped him get his footing, E.T. Paull. Hoping to help with the delegation of authority within his new company, Harry sent for his brother Albert in Chicago, who became a manager for a couple of years before moving off into his own firm. In order to get his firm known, just as much as his compositions, Harry was active in pursuing new writers, new sellers, and the public. One of his most famous promotional stunts underscores his technique, as noted in an unsigned but obvious article that he placed in a newspaper. He was trying to sell what he was sure would be a hit, even though it was not his own composition. In full cooperation of the management, who likely got a cut of lobby sales, Von Tilzer himself posed as an audience member at a rooftop garden theater. He kept "falling asleep" and snoring loudly, creating disruption. His wife, who was not in on the gag, was quite embarrassed, and kept kicking him "awake" under the table. After a little time passed and many complaints were forwarded to the management, a waiter came to the table to remove the disruptive faker. As he was literally dragged to the elevator Von Tilzer, who had started his career as a singer, lit into the chorus: "Please go 'way and let me sleep, don't disturb my slumber deep." On cue, the female singer on the stage continued the song with the orchestra, and the audience erupted into favorable laughter having been taken for a ride by the former stage actor and singer. But more importantly, that evening and the next day, copies of the piece all but disappeared in exchange for their mad money. It also became a Vaudeville standard, used for comic effect for sleeping actors or audience plants. Black composers James Tim Brymn and Richard C. McPherson certainly gained notoriety from their generous benefactor. His success in plugging such songs was enough that Harry was able to buy his own building at 27 West 28th Street in early 1903. Harry soon found another area that in spite of his considerable talent was not a good fit. That was Broadway. Having evolved from Vaudeville and more legitimate theater, Broadway shows usually consisted of a hybrid of some semblance of a play mixed with some semblance of popular songs - often in no way related to the plot, but thrown in just the same to create a musical experience. This was different from the trend of operettas, or light popular opera, such as those of Victor Herbert. George M. Cohan was gaining much success in 1903-1904 with his musical plays, and others were trying to find their way. Von Tilzer tried, but ultimately lost his way. Some of his pieces had already been interpolated into shows, so it seemed easy. Plot was not so easy, however, and may have been the downfall of his early attempts. One early effort composed with Sterling was titled Tiddle-De-Winks which did not even make it out of Boston after its premiere in late 1902. The next was The Fisher Maiden, composed with Lamb, which debuted and died in just one month in 1903, lasting only 34 performances, and losing around $40,000. As had been hinted at when the show closed, late in 1904 a retooled version of the same play variously titled The Miller's Daughter or The Jolly Baron, with additional songs composed with Addison Burkhardt and Aaron Hoffman tried to revive the story. It was only half as successful, going for a mere 16 performances before shutting down forever. Another short lived effort that didn't even make it to Broadway was Heigh Ho in 1905. It would be several years before Von Tilzer would attempt to stage something again. With his health failing from the stress, Harry retreated to Bermuda for several weeks to recover in early 1905. Going back to song writing and publishing, Harry managed to turn out hits both by himself and other composers, and was soon one of the top firms in Tin Pan Alley and Manhattan, eventually rivaled by Jerome H. Remick, Ted Snyder and Irving Berlin in the popular music field. His own hits included the comic Alexander, Don't You Love Your Baby No More?, Hannah Won't You Open the Door, Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie, and the catchy and soon ubiquitous Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown, What You Goin' To Do When The Rent Comes 'Round?. Alexander eventually served as a bit of a prototype for Berlin's Alexander's Ragtime Band several years later. As with some of his earliest pieces, many of these were "coon" songs, but refined to be less offensive than the previous offerings, allowing a more genteel sector of public to perform them with fewer reservations about the content. He also continued to plant himself or some of his hired promoters in public venues to promote the latest wannabe hits with help from the management (likely including a cut for them). Von Tilzer soon had hired promoter Ben Bornstein who became the firms professional manager for nearly two decades. Harry has also been regarded as one of the originators of the system of song plugging, placing pieces in shows and making sure of surprise public performances. There is a legend, one that has been hard to substantiate as absolute fact, that Harry was in part responsible for the very name "Tin Pan Alley." According to writer Monroe Rosenfeld, he had visited Von Tilzer's office and heard his piano, which allegedly had sheets of paper or the like in the strings, giving it a tinny sound. Harry's pianos, combined collectively with those of the other publishing firms lining 28th Street between Broadway and Fifth Avenue, combined to make a clattering like the cacophony of tin pans being beat on. Thus Rosenfeld coined the phrase and it quickly became popular, but its true origin is lost to legend. By this time, Albert had left the firm to manage the York Music Company. The cause of the break between the brothers is uncertain. However, it was made rather public in mid 1905 when Albert printed advertisements in the New York Clipper and other papers including the announcement, "Having severed my connections with the HARRY VON TILZER MUSIC PUB.CO., I beg to announce to all my friends that I shall be pleased to hear from them, either personally or by mail, at my new place of business." Just the same they would remain on on sometimes tenuous but otherwise friendly terms, and even share lyricists and writers for nearly the next two decades. Jack had also parted ways with his brother in late 1904, working as a business manager around Tin Pan Alley for a while, but ultimately hooking up with Albert. In 1906, Harry married his New York born wife Ida Rosenberg, also of German/Polish parents. She had been previously married and subsequently widowed, left with a substantial fortune. Ida brought her daughter along with her into Harry's home. Harry's songs started to make the rounds internationally, and one of them was even readily adaptable for other continents. Take Me Back to New York Town was also heard as Take Me Back to London Town in England and Take Me Back to Melbourne Town in Australia. In March 1905 Harry ventured to Europe and England for several months to secure arrangements for overseas distributions through his former partner Maurice Shapiro. Most of his writing with Lamb had ceased by this time, as the lyricist started working more with Albert Von Tilzer. His primary partner from 1906 to 1909 was Vincent Bryan, although he was doing some work also with Will Dillon and Jack Mahoney, also writing partners with Albert. As a publisher, he had the ignomious distinction of having rebuffed the pleas of Max Brooks, who had come to Harry on behalf of his young singing waiter friend Irving Berlin, to give the immigrant composer a chance at a position writing or at least promoting songs. How different his firm might have been with Berlin on board. One of Harry's enduring hits of 1909 with Bryan was The Cubanola Glide, an easy dance tune that succeeded in both song and instrumental form. His single tune with Jimmy Lucas, I Love I Love I Love My Wife (But Oh! You Kid!), once again proved his capabilities as both writer and promoter. Now having followed the general migration of publishers from 28th Street to the Broadway district, moving to 125 West 43rd Street near the heart of the Broadway district, Harry made one more attempt at staging a Broadway show in 1909 with The Kissing Girl. As with the other four, the curtain fell on it with a thud in short order, and he backed down from further attempts. The publisher is shown in the 1910 Census as residing at the Hotel Carlton with Ida, listed first and foremost as a music composer rather than as a boss. Boom Time and Down Time
As the 1910s started, 28th Street had been all but abandoned by the bulk of publishers that had populated that storied street for over a decade. Von Tilzer now occupied a four story building that nearly backed up to that of fellow publisher E.T. Paull on 42nd Street. He had it remodeled to handle a growing staff, including a grand store at street level. The professional department, charged with promoting songs to the industry, also expanded to nearly an entire floor. His brother, Will, was still working for him during the move. He would leave the firm in early 1913 to form the Broadway Music Company. However, before that time Will proved some of his business acumen that such an asset to Harry in an article in the Music Trade Review on November 4, 1911, concerning the spending of money on songs:
More money is squandered in the popular music publishing field than in any other well established line in existence. It is a well known fact to people at all familiar with the music publishing business, that there are great money making possibilities in the possession of what is called a "hit," but how many publishers really make money when they get a hit? Not many. The majority turn right around and sink the profits from a successful number into a hoped-for hit.
The great mistake made almost invariably, is to invest money as well as energy in a bad number, thinking it to be the combination that turns out a so-called hit. If you have watched the business closely, you will have observed (if you are honest with yourself) that successful numbers during the past number of years, were hits before they were published. In other words, they possessed unusual merit in themselves and would have been just as successful if plenty of energy had been used and if the money had not been so much in evidence. To verify the above, the writer wishes to quote as examples the following songs published within the past two or three years : "The Cubanola Glide," "Don't Take Me Home," "I Remember You," "I Love My Wife, but Oh You Kid," "Under the Yum Yum Tree," "I Love It," "Lovie Joe," "All Alone," and many other numbers of lesser size. "All Aboard for Blanket Bay," our present big ballad hit is taking twice as long to make as it would if we squandered money on it. But how do we benefit by exercising judgment and patience? The answer is that it will live twice as long and when we balance our books in the end, we will find that we have made money, not lost it! "Blanket Bay" has been out since the first of January, 1911. To-day it is bigger with both the profession and the trade than ever before, and it is going along at a rate that is astonishing. "I Want a Girl Just Like the Girl that Married Dear Old Dad," a song we published hardly three months ago, is already acknowledged by everyone, including competitors, to be the most promising song of the year. "They Always Pick on Me," and "Knock Wood" will also be called hits before the season is many months older. We have had more real hits in the past three years than ever before. What is more important, we have made more money. The last statement takes on extra weight when you consider the small margin of profit to-day. Merit always wins out. The hits came out of the house of Von Tilzer in increasing quantities during the 1910s, including many from Harry himself. After some time apart, Sterling came back into the fold and contributed once again to some memorable tunes. Their first was the lovely sleepy little child tune All Aboard For Blanket Bay. It was with Dillon that he came up with another unforgettable hit that has lasted a century to date, I Want a Girl (Just Like the Girl that Married Dear Old Dad), and another that still exists in thousands of copies that live in piano benches around the country, All Alone. The former was one of the firms best sellers of 1912, contributing to record sales on January 2 of that year. The latter was a great boon for the telephone, suggesting phone romances and perhaps hinting at more in a not-too-subtle suggestive manner.
Even good publishers and good managers can sometimes make poor decisions of the moment. Such had already been done with Irving Berlin. But Harry also nearly nixed one of the most enduring songs of the century, which was fortunately saved by alcohol. Joseph McCarthy and James V. Monaco had written some tunes together, and brought a ragtime one step to Von Tilzer which he subsequently rejected. One of the firms's song pluggers, Nemo Roth, was a friend of the composers. While it was his job to promote Von Tilzer tunes at events like dance contests, he sometimes knew enough to take a chance. Roth was at a Brooklyn dance event one evening prepared to sing Am I In Love, but Monaco and McCarthy asked if he would try their tune instead. The singer had been downing large quantities of beer that evening, and by the time he got up to perform his pace had slowed considerably. As a result, he had to sing the piece You Made Me Love You at a much slower pace, instantly (if accidentally) transforming a ragtime song into a tear-jerker of a ballad. Even though Harry, who was present, was clearly irritated by the substitution, by the end of the performance he acknowledged that was a tune with great possibilities. The following week he presented it to his friend Al Jolson at the Winter Garden Theater, and after its performance the singer was called back to stage over a dozen times. Ironically, it was Will who ended up publishing the piece under his Broadway Music imprint. With Sterling he created a musical monster with The Ragtime Goblin Man in 1912. Lots of ballads flowed from the team of Von Tilzer and Sterling in 1913, with the biggest being When It's Cotton Blossom Time (Sweet Rosalie). In 1914 Harry and his firm capitalized on the Tango craze, hitting it from several angles. They also covered all of the dances being made popular by the team of Vernon and Irene Castle with their fast-selling You Can Tango You Can Trot Dear But Be Sure And Hesitate, the last part referring to a popular waltz form of the time. This same year, Harry and his brother Albert became charters member of the newly formed American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), an important organization that continues to protect the rights of the music business into the 21st century. Having been published for some 20 years by the mid 1910s, and having been in business for well over a decade, Harry began to slow, but certainly not halt his writing activities, concentrating more on the business end for a while as the sheet music market became more competitive. He still performed his songs on a semi-regular basis in vaudeville houses around the East, mostly in New York City, and sometimes as a headliner on the Keith circuit. These even included performances at the famed Palace Theater, the top vaudeville house in the country. Van Tilzer's ego and instinct both seemed to be intact, as noted in his own words published in January, 1915: "The public wants pictures and problems of everyday life. It wants simplicity. The old-style melodrama was loaded with ideas. It was a kaleidoscope of scenes and situations. A play should contain but one or two good ideas worked out with truth and logic. The time has passed when the public wants a sop thrown to it. It does not demand a happy ending so that it may go home and sleep in peace. The public is willing to think nowadays. The ethics of the drama are undergoing change, as is everything else. If I haven't learned the public taste in twenty-five years of song writing, music publishing, story building, acting, journalism, traveling, studying human nature , all the things I've done and all the things I've seen, then nobody'll ever learn it. I believe I can pick winners. I've certainly picked one, and I've got another up my sleeve. A million's waiting for the man who picks the winning play." In 1916 the firm picked up and moved north to an even larger building at 222 West 46th Street, where many other publishers had relocated as well. Harry picked up a couple of new prolific partners, who with Sterling would help him through World War One and into the twenties. They were Garfield Kilgour and the clever Lou Klein. While the war was actually easy to conquer musically, as patriotic songs about "our boys" sold no matter what, he had another obstacle faced by many older ragtime-era musicians and composers, the onslaught of jazz in 1917. Even though Von Tilzer was a charter member of ASCAP, he became frustrated with that organization within three years, and made news when he resigned from in in October, 1917. According to the New York Clipper of October 31, he said, "I do not feel that the society will ever do me any good. It may be a wonderful thing for some publishers, but as far as I am concerned, I believe that by the time the various officials and staff of the organization are paid there will be nothing left for me. I am essentially a publisher of popular music, and I feel that it is absolutely necessary that my compositions be featured in every place where music is performed, and I believe that if the director of an orchestra pays the price of the published orchestration, that is all I can really expect... So you see that while I am receiving nothing from the society, I am losing business by remaining in it, which is the reason I have decided to resign." In later years Harry was readmitted once he found that the system was working much better. Just prior to this Von Tilzer publicly celebrated the 25th anniversary of his sole 1892 composition, expanding the theme by claiming to have been fully engaged in the business for a quarter century, in spite of his earlier thin output. As the war business wound down in 1919 the output from the Von Tilzer company started to look depleted as well. They moved once again, this time to 1658 Broadway, not far from the 46th Street address. Sterling still made some bold contributions to the team and to the company, but by this time they were just writing new songs that sounded old in many cases. However, he did manage one more substantial hit for Sophie Tucker, Old King Tut, playing upon the popularity of the recently discovered boy king's tomb. Harry also tried for Broadway again, this time composing the musical Mad Love with Frances Nordstrom. It never made it far beyond the manuscript stage, and was never produced, even though there were plans for it around the Christmas holidays in 1919. Several contracts remain between Nordstrom and Von Tilzer with producer Lew Fields through 1920, but no production is known to have taken place. A judgment was levied against Harry in 1920 in favor of actress Jean Newcomb, possibly for non-payment of salary. During his appeal with the New York Supreme Court, Harry revealed that his salary was only $25 per week from his company, and that it was his only source of income, so he was unable to pay the $3,173 judgment. He made it clear that his wife, Ida, owned the stock that had formerly belonged to him. When questioned about a statement he had made that he "had been very fortunate financially," Von Tilzer clarified that it was his firm that had been fortunate, but that he was still relatively financially bereft. This was a questionable convenience, but one that held up just the same, resulting in a reduced judgment. Jules Von Tilzer also made it into the news around that same time. He was allegedly stabbed by his wife, Estelle, as he lay sleeping one night in late February 1920. Estelle's story was a bit different. She had reacted to a telephone call from a mysterious woman who alerted her that Jules had been fooling around with another woman for some three years. When confronted with that news, the 225 pound Jules denied the allegation and reportedly jumped out of bed. The 90 pound Estelle grabbed a knife in self defense. Neither of them seemed to be able to recall how the knife entered his body. It was not favorable publicity for Harry, who was also mentioned in the articles on the incident as being the brother of Jules. To compound things, his long time professional manager, Ben Bornstein, left the firm in 1922. However, he did add composer Ted Barron to the staff that same month. Late in 1922 Von Tilzer was offered another stint in vaudeville as a feature performer. He went back on the road only briefly, but by 1923, Harry was all but retired. His company went into receivership and was downsized, moving this time to 719 Seventh Avenue. The bankruptcy notices cited liabilities of $35,863, with unbalanced assets of only $3,902. Among the creditors were the print jobber Robert Teller & Son & Dorner for a whopping $12,113, former manager Ben Bornstein for $3,000, and his brother Will for $1,000. However, amends were made and Von Tilzer had reorganized by the end of the year, moving again to moderately larger quarters at 1587 Broadway. After partially disappearing from view for a while, the old performer in Harry decided to try and make a mark again. In the summer of 1929 he dusted off an old plot, Heigh Ho, and fit new songs into it. The revived musical opened in Asbury Park, New Jersey on August 19, with a promise of opening at the Royale in Manhattan three weeks later. Sadly, in spite enthusiastic reports from the trade, it died in New Jersey, and Harry was done with Broadway for good. Harry appears with Ida in both the 1920 and 1930 Census records, living in Manhattan, both times listed as a composer and music publisher. The couple also had a home in Freeport on Long Island where they were spending more time. Ida Von Tilzer died in Freeport, Long Island on September 25, 1930 after a five month illness. He became a little crustier in his attitude after this, and in the early 1930s commented on contemporary composers and the consumers, saying that "all people like today are mush love songs that don't have much story to them." He then referred back to such songs as Wait Till the Sun Shines Nellie and When the Harvest Days are Over, Jessie Dear, which had a story line to them. A later article in the Christian Science Monitor in 1946 had a markedly different take on trends, with the author claiming that "Tin Pan Alley... never turned out very good music, and its lyrics were usually over-sentimental. But the product of such song writers as Gus Edwards, Charles K. Harris and Harry Von Tilzer was usually wholesome and singable stuff." The Von Tilzer firm continued on into the 1930s, and publishing was still somewhat of a family business. Albert, still actively composing, had long since run through the life of his York Music Company with Jack. Broadway Music Publishing Company run by Will was still going strong, and brother H. Harold Gumm was acting as an attorney for all of the brothers as the need arose. There was a spurt of songs composed in 1935 with Moran, potentially intended for use in motion pictures, but nothing definitive has surfaced on this. In June 1937 Harry was involved in an automobile crash, hitting another car and then a tree. He received severe head injuries that kept him from his duties for a few weeks as he recovered. Once he returned to work it was clear that his pace had slowed down a bit. The Ragtime Goblin Man came back in 1941 with Von Tilzer and Sterling's unsuccessful The Swing-Time Boogie-Boo Man. Harry wrote one last piece, this time with his brother Albert, in 1943, Sierra Moonlight, then faded away into the woodwork as his firm was sold off. Harry Von Tilzer spent the last years of his life at the Hotel Woodward in Manhattan, finally passing on in early 1946. But he will not and cannot be forgotten as his work remains a part of the fabric of popular song in the United States, and even the world. The catalog floundered for a while, but was purchased from the heirs by bandleader Lawrence Welk in 1958. He saw to it that many of the great Von Tilzer tunes were not only featured on his weekly television show and concert tours, that that they were once again available in print. Von Tilzer didn't have the biggest hits or the most quantity, but he helped originate some of the paradigms of the business, and certainly made it competitive in a healthy sense for many decades. In 1970 Harry Von Tilzer and his brother Albert were both inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame, but both had already won fame with fans of old-time songs around the world. | |||||||||
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