Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
With which is incorporated THE MUSIC TRADE JOURNAL.
VOL. IY.
HONESTY.
T is a strange fact that so few people can be honest, but prefer to
live under the protecting shelter of hypocrisy. We do not have in
view the kind of dishonesty which leads to the court room and eventually to
the penitentiary, we speak of social dishonesty as the result of hypocrisy.
This hypocrisy may be only apparent and in reality only false shame,
though the difference in the effect is so hard to detect that it may fairly be
classed with hypocrisy. A young man from the country is invited to din-
ner; he has never been in the city before, and these swell dinners prepared
by a French cook with all the various ragouts and sauces which would do
credit to a Vatel, are entirely unknown to him. He sees things on the table
which his boldest fancy never had conceived of, but he feels ashamed to con-
fess his ignorance. He eats heartily of all the delicacies which are danger-
ous to a stomach not used to them, and the next morning finds himself in
bed with a head-ache and a cold perspiration. It is well known that once
such a young country cousin took the fingerbowl, which the waiter put
before him at the end of the dinner, and drank the contents down to the last
drop, not supposing that it was intended to supply the place of a wash-
basin at the close of the repast.
Hypocrisy shows itself everywhere in picture galleries, in churches, in
theatres and in concert halls. At the last Philharmonic Concert we saw with
our own eyes how 2,000 people were bored, when Bach's Cantata, " A Strong-
hold Sure " was being performed. Bored is the right word, and there is no
exaggeration in its use. But, of course, of these 2,000 people not 100 would
be honest enough to confess that they were bored. Johann Sebastian Bach!
A noble name! It was the duty of the listener to be delighted, and as every
one who did not gush would have been considered unmusical, it was a duty
to express delight and satisfaction at the end of the concert, while in their
innermost souls the listeners were only too glad that the affair was over.
Conventionalties breed hyjjocrisy, and otherwise honest people become
hypocrites by moving in certain circles of society. There are circles in New
York which consider it one of the most outrageous crimes not to be musical.
Members of these circles believe that an individual is musical who is capable
of listening every week to three Symphony Concerts, two Oratorio perform-
ances, five Chamber music Concerts, and six Piano Recitals; and then, still
unsatisfied, longs for more. This hyper-classical clique cannot understand
how anyone can thoroughly enjoy on Monday night a symphony, and listen
with pleasure to a set of valses, well played, on Saturday night.
This clique, of course, just at present, delights in Bach, and if we repeat
that they all felt bored by the cantata recently produced, we give as the
principal reason for the assertion that not a single musician belongs to the
clique, which is wholly composed of high-toned amateurs, who have not the
faintest conception of Johann Sebastian Bach's works. Somebody may say
that such people as belong to such a clique know just as little of Liszt or
Berlioz; true, but we must not forget that the modern composers are more
interesting to these people, because kaleidoscopic instrumentation and har-
monic transgressions will more easily catch the listener's favor than mere
beauty of form and rules of counterpoint. Modern tone-poets are more fas-
cinating, and the listener is easily charmed, even if he cannot follow the
composer's ideas. This is sufficient, and nobody can expect more.
If a banker, or a lawyer, or a physician is fond of music, and listens to
a symphonic work which delights him, we have no right to expect analytical
explanations. He need not tell us why and wherefore it pleases him; he is
not a professional musician and never pretended to be one; he is fond of
music, and listens attentively to every composition that interests him.
Modern works throw their charms over the intelligent listener, not only
through their intrinsic value, but also because of their conceptional powers,
especially now-a-days, when intellectual gifts are mistaken for musical ge-
nius. Johann Sebastian Bach was the first true and great representative of
the Protestant Church music. At a time when everything basked in the
glory of the fantastic music of the Catholic Church, the cantor of the
Thomas Church at Leipsic, arose with his doctrines and declared war against
the musical paraphernalia of the Roman Catholic Services. We must not
forget that the German Protestant service is the plainest that can be imag-
ined—-we may even say, that it is far too plain for the lower class, as it does
not help to stimulate their religious zeal, and it is based on strictly expressed
doctrines, without any elasticity or latitude. Johann Sebastian Bach was so
impressed with the doctrines of the German Protestant faith, that he made
them the basis of his musical works. We cannot deny that, although there
is in the works of Bach, to the unaccustomed ear, something harsh and cold,
on the other hand there is a wealth of deep and noble musical thoughts,
gigantic expression, and an unrivalled beauty of form. To understand Bach
it is necessary to become acquainted with his style early in life. And look-
ing at the audience at the last Philharmonic Concert, we saw the necessity
for a change; we saw that something must be done, as our musical affairs
were in danger of going astray.
Last winter when the Passion music was performed here, failure could
not be averted, because of the lack of understanding on the part of both
singers and audience. The Cantata recently performed was less heavy than
the Passion music, accordingly the result was less disastrous; but the fact
that Bach is considered a bore, is to be regretted ; to-day we do not want
Bach, to-morrow we may give up Haydn, and a week later we will not care
for Mozart. How far will it go? Mr. Mapleson has presented "Don
Giovanni" with his company this winter, but except in Boston, the receipts
for the performances of Mozart's opera were depressingly small. What is to
I
No. 3
N E W YORK, MARCH 5TH, 1881.
be done to keep the appreciation of the classic composers alive? The musi-
cal education of our children must be regulated according to sound princi-
ples. Let us work slowly and the result will be encouraging. Why is
nothing done in our public schools toward this end? They teach singing,
but nothing but trashy songs are on the tapis. Let the children sing
chorales, and study them seriously.
There is the Normal College, frequented yearly by several hundred
young ladies. They have a singing teacher, and sing at the Commence-
ments. But what do they sing? Insignificant compositions of a flimsy
character without musical value. We have many English and German
Choral Societies; but they appear to think more of social pleasures than of
musical improvement. We have material enough in this country to do all
we desire to do, and it is high time to throw over all fanciful ideas of glory
and reputation. We are a young nation, and it is useless to claim the first
musical prize from older countries without a thorough educational system.
If really we desire a change, let us set aside hypocrisy—let us be honest!
If to-day we desire to deceive our neighbors by a well-feigned enthusiasm
concerning something we do not and connot understand, we also deceive
ourselves and hurt the coming generation. Only a frank and honest con-
fession of our ignorance can bring a remedy, because we then can begin to
learn our needs. We must banish the halo of classicism, if we are not really
impressed by it; we must confess our weakness, and then, and only then we
may expect a change for the better. Our musical amateurs must learn the
necessity for this frankness and honesty, for after all, in this great Republic,
true musical salvation lies in dilettantism, which pays so that the profes-
sional man can reap.
Either Bach should be declared completely out of fashion; or, let us
say, out of reach, and has no business on concert programmes; or, the con-
cert public must be taught to understand his works. The present genera-
tion in New York will hardly learn to appreciate Bach, but the younger folks
should be made acquained with the works and style, and that can only be
done in the manner mentioned above.
INJUDICIOUS.
HEN Mr. Mapleson closed his season in Chicago some weeks ago, the
papers of that city were loud in denouncing him and his manage-
ment for various offences he had committed. Now, we know that Col.
Mapleson is not a saint, and that his actions are generally open to criticism,
but it seems to us that some of the Chicago papers went too far, and acted
injudiciously in meddling with things entirely beyond their sphere, and we
think that they trespassed on the limits of the critical domain. For
instance, one of the complaints reads that Campanini has been cast on the
off-nights. How is it that a man who claims to have common sense can
produce such nonsense? Mr. Mapleson casts his operas according to his
calculations in regard to the treasury-box. He puts Sign or Campanini
where he thinks he can do him the most good and draw the biggest house.
What are off-nights? They only exist in the imagination of that class of
people who want to have stars or artists who feel slighted because the public
does not appreciate their talents sufficiently. The manager does not want
to have any off-nights, for he expects big houses seven times a Aveek, and the
critic surely has no right to make a difference between regular nights and
off-nights, for he wants to see good performances whenever he is invited to
attend. Mme. Gerster, who is considered the star of Col. Mapleson's
troupe, probably sang in Chicago on the regular nights; to make his other
performances attractive, Signor Campanini was put in front, and if he did not
draw according to expectations, it is surely not the manager's fault. Campa-
nini, excellent artist as he is, never was a special attraction in regard to dollars
and cents, but very likely his manager thought that his powers were stronger
than they really are, and cast him accordingly. Why should Campanini
sing with Gerster on Monday night, when Gerster's name alone was suf-
ficient to crowd the house? Mme. Gerster's repertoire is not an ambitious
one, and any tenor with good voice and fair schooling will do in her operas.
Consequently Ravelli sang with her, and to give Signor Campanini a show
he was cast for Tuesday night. If people wish to consider such perform-
ance an off-night, nobody can prevent them from doing so, but it is utterly
injudicious and unjust. Another complaint against Mr. Mapleson is that he
pushes forward those of his artists who have still a reputation to make, and
ignores others who can command success by the power of their names.
Does not every business man act in the same manner? We should consider
Mr. Mapleson an extremely bad manager if he acted differently. He
engages his artists, good, indifferent or bad, and the moment he signs a con-
tract with them he is in duty and self defense bound to make the best of
them. Artists of high rank do not need his protection; only the Dii and
Deae minorum gentium look to him for the sheltering power of an operatic
manager who has some influence with newspapers. That he does not always
succeed is another question; his duty is to try his best, and he tried so hard
in Boston that they began to consider Mme. Swift an excellent singer. We
cannot understand how Mr. Mapleson could engage a woman of Mme.
Swift's inferior artistic abilities, but this once agreed upon, we should con-
sider it equally funny if he should go round and proclaim her a bad singer
everywhere. Gerster, Valleria, Cary, Galassi, Campanini, and a few others
can get along without Mapleson's help. The manager knows this, and con-
sequently has instructed the army of his sub-managers and agents to work
the weaker part of the troupe in newspapers. If newspapers agree to
that system, why should the manager not make use of it? Of course, then
the great artists of the company begin to grumble, for they are all of a
W