One of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's least known operas is Tsar Saltan. A skip-along scherzo in its second act has become one of the inevitable pieces in any violinist's repertory: Flight of the Bumblebee. Last week Rimsky-Korsakov's little earsore was a strong jukebox nickel-puller, helped by a steady left-hand beat, and a new name: Bumble Boogie.
The man who put it there is short, balding-39-year-old Bandleader Freddy Martin—the man who has made more money from the music of Tchaikovsky and Grieg than the composers did themselves. By last week, Bumble Boogie (titled by Freddy's 14-year-old son,...
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