ROBERT MacGIMSEY - American Society of Music Arrangers and ...

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\. I, No. 4 April, 1944
PuhinhcJ monthlr in Beveriv Hills. California, by
THE AMERICAN SOCIETY
OF MUSIC ARRANGERS
Editor:
RUDY DB SAXE
Associate Editor* :
Joseph Dubin. Albert Glastet
Charles Mjitwcll
Attist :
George F.. Mtessner. Jr.
Yearly subscription SI. 00
Single copy I Or
Addrtst all communicjiions to
THE SCORE
P.O Box 807. Beverly Hills. Cal.fiforma
Connnis Copvnghtfd 1944 hy
The Amtncan Sorter v of Music Arrangers
Los Annrl*-i. C.il.fofnia
Women in Music
Are women as good musicians as men.' And
here, gentlemen, is a subject as controversial
an.) thorny as the battle ot the sexes.
Up to very recently men have held all prerogames
as tar as performance of music was
concerned. With nr\w exceptions, orchestras
always had a tul! complement of men.
The contention was the perennial one: women
.simply could not play as well as men; they
could not hold to the job and discipline as
readily as men; they were too temimne and
emotional. ... In other words: the ntaker ttA.
Well, the war has changed much of that.
Today we see more and more women in our
orchestras, including the leading symphonic
organisations of the country. Where once it
would have seemed an oddity to tind a woman
player —except perhaps the harpist— it is now
a common sight to see women not only among
the string choir but in other sections, including
the brass.
The contention may be that in case of emergency
any expedient is per force a good one.
Replacing men. now in the army, with women
players is proving to be more than an expedient.
Tci some of us it is becoming apparent
that women can adapt tjiemscives to the rigid
discipline and coordination of orchestra playing,
and strangely enough that they can play,
too. and well!
Arranging has been a field so far reserved
exclusively for men. That this sphere of action
is no longer the happy hunting ground ot men
aione is evidenced by the fact that two women
arrangers have just applied for membership in
t.he American Society of Music Arrangers. I hat
their applications have been unanimously accepted
by the board ot directots is proof that
ASMA is not behind the times in recognizing
true merit.
\Ve welcome you into our ranks, Raclie
Britain and Jerry Phillips.
Rum ni: SAXI;, Hi/in>r
Errata Corrige
In the March issue o( 7/!cp .Vta/t. it was erroneously
st.nc-d that "Minstrel Man," a 1'RC
production, had I crde Cirofe conducting. Information
just rc\eivc'd shous that Mr. Grofe
composed a great many of the songs used in
the picture, while Leo Erdody orchestrated and
conducted.
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THE SCORE
Incidentally ....
For many years the need for a first rate
music publishing house has been keenly felt
on the West Coast, Local composers so far
have had to depend solely on Eastern publishers
tor proper distribution of their work.
The .Delkas Music Publishing House, recently
established here in Los Angeles, is the
first company on the West Coast to be organized,
insofar as standards and means of distribution
are concerned, along lines comparable
to those of the best eastern publishing houses.
Not only will the established composer lind
the necessary outlet for his works through
Delkas, but it is the firm's intention to encourage
the new American composer. By publishing
the works of native composers Delkas
plans to do its share in bringing American
music to the American people.
An interesting feature of the Coast's newest
music house is the association with this tirm
ot Nathan Abas, long known in musical circles
us conductor of the Northern California Symphony
Orchestra, and lor his broadcasts of
symphonic and chamber music. Through extensive
musical knowledge and experience,
Abas is able to bring to the publishing of masic
the same high standards he has always maintained
in its performance. Because of his wide
acquaintance with musicians, such composers as
Still, Toch, Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Biggs, Becker.
Norman Wright and others are already numbered
in the Delkas fold.
Shostakovich's new V.iniith S\nifhi>n\s
performed by the New York Philharmonic
Symphony on April Jnd under the baton of
Artur Roclzinslci. This was the premiere performance
in the Western hemisphere of the
new s\mphony depicting phases of the present
war. While it is felt by some that the instrumentation
of the present work is not as complicated
as the composers SiTinfh. the score is
still a massive one, for it calls for an orchestra
of 100 players.
Speaking of musical comedies and . . .
statistics. Robert Russell Bennett, Don Walker
and Hans Spialek are the trio responsible for
practically the entire orchestration of successful
musical comedies played on Broadway in the
last decade. The orchestral score which is taken
from the composer's lead sheet, is completed
within two and three weeks, and contains
around half a million notes. The cost to the
producer runs anywhere from rive to ten thousand
dollars.
The Toets Corner ?
(To those greedy ones who claim all the
tretlir and glory for compositions and arrangements
they never wrote. )
With aopolgies to ,i great philosopher
7 hen.' once u it,\ jtiikddu, iwj f AISOI*.
11 ho ujs loit^in^ for t>/or\d janie.
He dressed up hi other bird's feathers
Anil tried to pnl peacocks to shame.
Hi1 strutted arontiJ in the sunshine
Ami started In put on a shoic,
l\al /'/i aitJietn c- piii id hitn to pieces—
Alter all I'i' // ti:nr>c
and timing of the arrangement. !:•. cry ore hetral
movement must tie in with the picture.
In practice, the functions of the com;v),c:
and arranger are generally combined in r! c
cartoon studio. Colors ot the orchestra, it,.
amount of emphasis needed, the pointing i..
comedy, the placement of s.rjnd effects ,i"
dialogue, the desires ot the sfory men and •
rector— the need of dose control over all rhc'
factors tend to combine the iwi> fun. lions.
l'1'lii.i the n'fiiiiil in u n-riii til iiriult-, Jiu;
ing tint) music in the ciirtmiin, l'\/ .S////;. .
New ASMA Treasurer
Because of unforsec-n < ontingeni ics K
Dunn, ASMA's Treasurer-elect, was obligt ,
resign his oliice. The Bonn! of Dunior. re..,,
mended Arthur Sihocpp toi the po'.r. and ,u ,,
last genc-r.il meeting on April *> his .tot-pi.--,
was unanimously endorsevl
Christmas Holida/
Hans J. Saltcr will compose scoic- to "( |,: ..
mas Holiday," a Deanna IXirbui tccuurc-
Universal. George Farnsli will orclicMutt.