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Words for Music Box Tune Discs
By Lee Munsick

The words to any song -- recorded on a music box tune disc or not --
are best located by finding original sheet music.  This used to be a
fairly simple chore.  One just walked into any music store and asked
for -- or ordered--sheet music for that song.  Sadly, those days are
gone.

There are some companies which specialize in sheet music.  One such in
New York City is Patelson's; there may be others in various cities.
A search on the Internet for "Sheet Music" will uncover tons of things.
Perseverance and patience are the bywords here!

An excellent (although expensive) resource is Bob "Lissauer's
Encyclopedia of American Popular Music".  This gives a wealth of
information about thousands of songs.  There are other fine song
reference books.  Check with any major library, especially one with a
music department.  Numerous fine reference sources are available.

Just remember that music box discs -- especially Regina -- cover
roughly the first third of the 20th century  from just before 1900 to
the 1930s.  The music itself may come from an earlier time, and of
course many of the songs went on to become standards with sheet music
available for many years.

One of the best sources would be eBay.  Just search for the name of the
song and be sure to check the little box below the bigger box in which
one types the words one is searching for.  That little box has the eBay
search engine check the auction item Descriptions as well as the item
Title.

It's amazing how much information one can discern from eBay listings
and descriptions without ever buying anything!   eBay provides a means
for the researcher to contact the person listing the item; lots of
times this can uncover even more useful information!

Just remember the caveat about anything on the Internet:  Do NOT assume
that everything one reads is true!  Good advice with newspapers,
magazines and books, as always!

Lee Munsick
That Godfrey Guy


(Message sent Mon 22 Oct 2001, 01:20:49 GMT, from time zone GMT-0400.)

Key Words in Subject:  Box, Discs, Music, Tune, Words

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