Ideally, the source of the music should not be obvious, and to this end a concealed loud speaker has an advantage over the live ensemble, which through its motions or the physical appearance or mannerisms of its members may distract diners. There should be no vocal announcements between selections. Occasionally a listener will want to know the name of the song being played because it is familiar, reminiscent, or sweet. When the budget will permit, printed or mimeographed programs are most welcome to those whose interest is aroused.
The music recommended, is the music which has been played by dinner ensembles for years. Their repertoires usually include waltzes by Strauss and his contemporaries; selections from operettas by Herbert, Friml, and Romberg, and the popular favorites of the past decade, such as selections from the musical comedies of Kern, Cole Porter and Gershwin, or the songs of Carmichael and Berlin.
It cannot be emphasized too strongly that mealtime music must be physiologically non-stimulating, and noisy music is to be avoided. “Douglas Jerrold declared that he hated to dine amidst the strains of a military band; he said he could taste the brass in his soup.” (Hadden, J., “Music as Medicine,” 1895, 9:369). A foreman of a shop in which music was played during mealtime begged that raucous music be omitted “to give the digestion a break”[9].
Some orchestra leaders habitually use arrangements which approximate the qualities desirable for mealtime music. Among these are: Wayne King, Marek Weber, Andre Kostelanetz, David Rose, Frankie Carle, Carmen Cavallaro, Eddie Duchin, Guy Lombardo, and the following orchestras: Boston “Pops”, New Mayfair, Percy Faith, Anton and Paramount, Victor Salon, Victor Continental, Palmer House Ensemble, Selinsky String Ensemble. All these have been recorded and a sample list of their recordings follows as a nucleus of a mealtime music library.
| Victor Recordings | |
| Southern Roses | 26322 B |
| Sweetheart Waltz | 26322 A |
| Black Eyes | 20037 B |
| Our Waltz | 27853 B |
| Holiday for Strings | 27853 B |
| Frühlingstimmen | 4387 A and B |
| Dream Waltz | V 214 |
| None But The Lonely Heart | 4413 B |
| Song of The Islands | 27224 B |
| La Golondrina | 27451 B |
| Lover, Come Back To Me | 27397 A |
| Indian Love Call | 27397 B |
| Le Secret | 20416 A |
| Pirouette | 20416 B |
| Wine, Women And Song | 6647 A |
| A Shepherd’s Tale | 9479 A |
| Narcissus | 9479 B |
| Come Back To Sorrento | 27917 A |
| Gavotte from Mignon | 27917 B |
| Zigeuner | 24609 B |
| Tales of Hoffman | 20011 B |
| Badinage | 12591 A |
| Air de Ballet | 12591 B |
| Gold and Silver | 25199 B |
| Blue Danube | 25199 A |
| Columbia Recordings | |
| Begin the Beguine | 4265 M |
| Easter Parade | 4292 M |
| With A Song In My Heart | 4292 M |
| The Touch Of Your Hand | 4291 M |
| Somebody Loves Me | 4291 M |
| Falling In Love | 4266 M |
| Tea For Two | 4266 M |
| Josephine | 36692 |
| Louise | 36692 |
| Estrellita | 4236 M |
| London Again | 69264 D |
| By The Tamarisk | 69264 D |
| Swan Lake | 69357 D |
| Rosalie | 36543 |
| Speak To Me Of Love | 35551 |
| Pavanne | 7361 M |
| Clair De Lune | 7361 M |
| Decca Recordings | |
| The Very Thought Of You | 3110 B |
| Cocktails For Two | 3110 A |
| Every Little Movement | 18300 B |
| Minute Waltz | 18466 A |
| Blue September | 15050 A |
| Valse Bluette | 15049 B |
| Sleepy Lagoon | 18286 A |
CHAPTER SEVEN
MUSIC IN BED
Modern hospitals are so different in organization and equipment from what they were a century ago, that it may be said that the hospital is a recently acquired phase of community life. Originally, the sick were treated in their own homes. The inconveniences and inadequacies of caring for the seriously, and especially the contagiously, ill at home led to the development of hospitals. The primary purpose of the hospital has not changed, and the musical aide must never forget that medical care and rest come before all else.
Some bed patients are too ill to listen to music. It is possible that judiciously offered music might be of value to all patients but it is safer to deny a few in the absence of expert medical guidance than to disturb the sick. The musical aide may not question the wisdom of the physician in prohibiting the use of music in some wards or for some patients. The physician knows many things about the patient which are unknown to the musician and there is insufficient time to explain these to the musician. In institutions where the public-address system distributes music through ear-phones rather than through loud speakers, listening presents no problem and head-phones are not supplied to patients until the physician permits it. When only loud speakers are available, and the ward houses a mixture of seriously ill and convalescent patients (as is fairly common in large public hospitals) it may be necessary to deprive the ward of music for the sake of the few who should not have it.
The number of possibilities which may be found on any one ward is so great that only the most general kinds of use will be mentioned. Pediatric wards are frequently arranged so that the acutely ill are segregated, and this permits ward music at most times. Where patients are intermixed, the attending physician will make the decision. The importance of scheduling for children is enhanced by the fact that most children prefer their music loud, and this can be especially annoying to the sicker children. As a general rule it might be stated that with the progress from childhood to old age, the preference shifts from fast loud high-pitched music to softer and slower music. The speaker volume on the pediatric ward may be increased to gain the attention of some children, and drown out the crying of others. Children can listen to the same set of records almost endlessly. They prefer to hear music with which they are acquainted. They like songs with words.
One reason for hospitalization is to get the patient away from the annoyances and noises of home. One of the modern noises is the radio. Most patients sleep and need more sleep than well people. In most hospitals certain hours of the day are chosen for rest in the hope that the patients will fall asleep. The usual period for daytime slumber is directly after lunch. The filling of the stomach is in itself a soporific. Warmth, darkness, and physical relaxation increase the tendency to sleep. Since there is no universally sleep-inducing music, music should be avoided at this time. It may keep some awake. If the patient is in a private room and is willing to be played to sleep it should be attempted. It must be remembered that if the music is sufficiently interesting or if the reproduction is poor or scratchy it may prolong wakefulness or even prevent sleep.