Larry Adler sang Gershwin tunes with an orchestra and Adler adding harmonica solos. Adler appeared in five movies, including "Sidewalks of London" (1938), in which he played a harmonica virtuoso named Constantine. His other film appearances were in "Three Daring Daughters" (February 12, 1948) playing himself; "Music for Millions" (December 8, 1944) playing Larry; "The Singing Marine" (July 3, 1937) playing Larry; and "The Big Broadcast of 1937" (October 6, 1936). He was a prolific letter writer, his correspondence with "Private Eye" becoming popular in the United Kingdom. Adler wrote an autobiography—entitled "It Ain't Necessarily So"—in 1985, and was food critic for
Musical instrument popular music, and the instrument makers responded accordingly. Beginning in about 1400, the rate of development of musical instruments increased in earnest as compositions demanded more dynamic sounds. People also began writing books about creating, playing, and cataloging musical instruments; the first such book was Sebastian Virdung's 1511 treatise "Musica getuscht und ausgezogen" ('Music Germanized and Abstracted'). Virdung's work is noted as being particularly thorough for including descriptions of "irregular" instruments such as hunters' horns and cow bells, though Virdung is critical of the same. Other books followed, including Arnolt Schlick's "Spiegel der Orgelmacher und Organisten" ('Mirror of Organ Makers