Hear and Gone by Warren Bull

Hear and Gone by Warren Bull

Image from Almighty Duck on unSplash

One unfortunate similarity between music and writing is how quickly works disappear from view. As an author, I was always rather alarmed and upset that even successful authors with ongoing series had their early books in the series go out of print.  It never made sense to me that authors I spoke with would describe books they had enjoyed writing about characters whose lives they found interesting, but when I asked where I could find a copy of their books they told me those works had vanished from the current marketplace.

You would think that people would buy older books from a writer whose current work they discover and enjoy. You would be wrong. Even though when I find a wonderful book, I always look for other books by the author, apparently, book nerds like me are not enough of an audience for a publisher to keep printing copies. Publishing contracts do not favor the creators without whom the business of publishing would not exist.

Sadly, the same is true in the music publishing business. There are clever and catchy songs in many musicals, for example, that do not make it into sheet music compilations of the musicals. A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, for example, starts with a brief prelude that sets the atmosphere beautifully, for a rollicking night of joy and mayhem, but it is not included in sheet music for the show.

There is a deliciously unrepentant song by the villain in The Snow Princess, a non-Disney cartoon based on Swan Lake. The villain proudly announces his evil intentions and how much fun he has as the antagonist. The tune is reminiscent of New Orleans jazz, but even the composer told me he no longer has a copy of the score. 

I know someone whose job at a music publishing house is to listen to and notate music that exists only in recordings. He does a remarkable job, at a reasonable rate for the time and effort involved. And it costs more than I want to pay for a song I may never perform in public. Yes, I’m ridiculously fascinated by music (and writing) but even I have my limits. There are sheet music hunters who have collections of songs not found elsewhere and who can search for rare sheet music. And there are used booksellers who can scour the world for particular editions or books that are not in their personal collections.

Also, a surprising number of misheard lyrics are available at different sources. I am convinced that nobody knows the actual lyrics to the song Louie Louie, a hit by the Kingsmen in 1963 that is, by the way, in the Grammy Hall of Fame. But there are other audible song lyrics that bear little resemblance to what was composed. 

At least readers are spared from titles like To Kill a Rocking Word and Catsup in the Why.