HALF A MILLION FROM ONE SONG.
£.S.D. OF THE MUSIC MARKET. It has been stated by Mr. Henry T. Finck. the well-known American critic, that in his opinion the most profitable song ever written was " Listen to the Mocking Bird," by which publishers in all parts of the world have realized £500,000 and which was bought in the first place from the composer for £7. And, according to the same authority, £16,000 was netted from Arditi's " Kiss Waltz." " QUEEN OK THE EARTH."
The highest price ever paid for a stng is the £2,240 which was paid a few years ago at an auction sale for the copyright of Mascheroni's " For All Eternity." This song had then nearly its full term of copyright to run, and its shares with " Queen of the Earth " the honour of being the most popular of modern compositions. Curiously enough, " For All Eternity " was refused by several publishers before a well-known firm agreed to undertake the publishing of it ; and the venture turned out to be a very lucky speculation. The copyright of a song lasts forty-two years, ani, of course, the nearer it ap--1 roaches the end of its copyright period the less it is worth in the auction-room. About the same time
that the copj right of " For AU Eter-
nity " was sold, however, some remarkable prices were also fetched by other compositions.
" Farmer's Violin Tutor." for instance, was sold for £1,752, and the simple, though very pretty piano piece, "Fairy Barque" consisting of six pages, realized £l,Blo—over £3OO a page. As a curious instance of the musical peculiarities of the public it is interesting to note that while this little piano piece was sold for nearly £2,000 in 1883 the who'e of I Verdi's opera, "II Trovatore," only reached the sum of £503. Operas seem to have been more appreciated thirty years ago, judging from the fact that in 1871 Wallace's " Maritana " realized the sum of £2,232, and this amount was eclipsed when shortly afterwards £2,500 was paid for " Lurline," written by the same composer. In 1883 Balfe's opera, " Rose of Castille,'' fetched £958 and Weber's " Oberon " £428.
PROFITS OF WAGNER'S OPERAS. I Talking of operas, it is interesting to note that Wagner's heirs a re said to make £28,000 annually from royalties from the great composer's worirs. Richard Strauss is estimated to have earned £25,000 in twelve mouths, while the late Sir Arthur Sullivan made £38,000 a year during the great run of the Gilbert-Sullivan
operas at the Savoy. Humperdinck's royalties from " Hansel and Gretel " amounted to £IO,OOO in one year, and both Mascagni and Leoncavallo are believed to have received in lefs £2u,000 apiece for " Cavalleria Rusticana " and " Pagliacci."— " Tit-Bits."
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Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 2951, 5 January 1912, Page 2
Word Count
449HALF A MILLION FROM ONE SONG. Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 2951, 5 January 1912, Page 2
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