Music Trade Review

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
eDV/ARDLYMANBILb
re
VOL. XVI. No. 16.
published Every Saturday.
*
|teu/ Yor% ffovember 26,1892.
which, beside being endowed with ihe most
grateful tone to the ear, is capable of conveying
sense to the mind." That is a commonplace,
but pray how does Wagner impair the faculty
of the voice in its power of conveying sense to
the mind ? The ruinous influence of Wagner
upon the singing voice is a well substantiated
fact, but although I have met with numerous
half-daft Wagnerites I have never yet come
across, or heard of, an individual who lost his
power of '' conveying sense to the mind ''
through his verbal voice, on account of Wagner ;
that is, provided there was any sense to be con-
veyed.
*
*
*
*
*
*
CLEMENT TETETODOUX AND WAGNER—HE AR-
'' The deliberate selection of fabulous subjects,
RAIGNS THE GREAT MASTER—WAGNER AS
and systematic degradation of the voice, are
A DESTROYER OF THE VOICE—MR.
really the strongest characteristics of the music
TETETODOUX
IS
VAGUE—MORE
drama,'' says Mr. Tetetodoux with some attend-
ABOUT THE WORLD'S FAIR—
ant qualification. Why shouldn 't Wagner have
A PIANO DE LUXE—
SOME INFORMATION FOR PIANO MANUFACTURERS selected fabled subjects for his works as he
desired ? And did Wagner really mean to sys-
—SUGGESTIONS FOR A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT
tematically degrade the voice ? Where is the
EXHIBIT AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
logical essence in these assertions, anyway ?
—A LONDON ' ' SONG FACTORY ' ' —
Here, however, is where that admittedly forcible
SOME POINTS FOR AMERICAN
and clever writer and teacher puts forth some-
SONG COMPOSERS.
thing worth reading : " A fair youth with wings
R. CLEMENT TETETODOUX, the emi- on his back, a gaunt wight with horns and
nent vocal teacher, contributes a very hoofs, being half-woman and fish, half-bull and
remarkable article to the current issue of Music, man, half-boy and goat, who make up the popu-
Mr. Matthew's publication, in which he arraigns lation of Christian and pagan mythologies, may
Wagner as a destroyer of culture and the artistic have seemed very significant artistic inventions
potency which training under qualified masters in the infancy of religions, but are nothing more
gives the voice. He, moreover, has not hesi- than incongruous combinations of what is.
tated to assail the intellectual and educational Man cannot conceive an object foreign to nature,
value of Wagner's music dramas. Although he nor can he have a thought or feeling foreign to
brings to his aid a redundancy of figurative ex- humanity." It was upon such subjects Wagner
pressions—suggestive of his preference for the drew for the substance of his works, and yet the
florid melodic embellishments of the Italian great master was never done prating about his
opera school—he manages to convey very novel fidelity to Nature and all that. His " Arts
and very striking arguments, in his own fashion, and the Revolution" is running over with
against the chief theories upon which the great wild statements and theories— eloquently ex-
German socialist, art philosopher and creator of pressed—concerning his doctrine that " t o be
music drama based the integral principles of his true to Nature is the highest mission of art.''
combined musical and operatic form. I share with What about eating with a knife and fork off a
Mr. Tetetodoux a very pronounced preference table instead of following the strictly natural
for opera over music drama—two distinct forms plan ? And what about wearing clothes in de-
it must be remembered—but I think he over- fiance of Nature ?
*
*
*
*
*
*
estimates the importance of the voice, and in
Notwithstanding Wagner's theorizing, in
some respects misconceives the relation of the
singing voice to the speaking voice in music which he had been anticipated by a hundred
scribes, to represent nature is not the highest
drama and in opera generally.
mission of art, and evidently Wagner realized
*
* .
*
*
*
*
Mr. Tetetodoux's plaint is clearly the plaint it, although the quality of his art contains little
of a vocal teacher who recognizes in Wagner an moral or intellectual value when measured by
enemy of vocal culture. " To the witchery of Skakespeare, Goethe, and such minds. As for
the voice opera owes its acceptance in spite of Mr. Tetetodoux's assertion about the impossi-
its artificiality," he remarks. What about the bility of conceiving an object foreign to Nature
libretto, the dramatic accessories, and the that is only true relatively and partially. It is
orchestra ? . Clearly the writer places the import- a scientific truism that we cannot create a single
ance of the voice on an exaggerated plane ! He new element in matter; we can only combine,
did not have reference merely the to qualities of mould and shape what is to new forms. I do
the singing voice alone when he wrote, for he not agree with Mr. Tetetodoux's mild material-
adds elsewhere : '' Opera is possible because of ism in that point indicated. The human mind
the charm and significance of the human voice, limited materially can conceive of things beyond
$3.00 PER YEAR.
SINGLE COPIES, 10 CINTS.
our mundane environments. It is upon aspira-
tions and ideals expressed in poetry and the
higher music forms that we reach out to original,,
mysterious and inexplicable elements of beauty
and pleasure in art. Ideals are not always cap-
able of being measured by standards of logic or
the first rule of science. Meanwhile, unlike
Wagner's art, they must always be capable of
being measured by the motive of morals, of
hum inity, and that intellectual essence which
can only be felt ofttimes.
*
*
*
*
*
*
The horse show held last week at the Madison
Square Garden was a tremendous success. The
management pocketed over $100,000 profit by
the event. The various other shows and exhi-
bits held in the Garden since it was opened have
drawn paying crowds and invariably given the
proprietors and managers handsome returns.
Why can't we have a grand Piano and Musical
Instrument Exhibition at the same place ? In
the hands of a few pushing individuals, backed
up by the approval of the leading firms, the idea
could be put on a practical footing within a few
days. An exhibition of that nature given over
exclusively to musical instruments would bring
the members of the trade and their products into
friendly contact and be productive of good all
around. The absence of rivalries arising from
competing for instruments and prizes would
ensure pleasant and kindly feelings on all sides.
The public could be drawn by musical entertain-
ments and other attractions. The idea is prac-
ticable to a remarkable degree if approved of by
the principal houses. It would be a gratifying
spectacle to see a representation of the artistic
products of the music trade field made in that
manner. The public and press have no idea of
the men and firms to whom they are indebted
for the production of pianos, organs, and mis-
cellaneous musical instruments. Give them an
opportunity to visit or read about a musical
instrument exhibition such as the one I sug-
gest.
*
*
*
*
*
*
The stereotyped phraseology and monotonous
similarity of most of the catalogues brought out
by piano and organ houses suggest much room
for improvement. Steinway & Sons, Lyon &
Healy, Decker Bros., and a few others are
notable exceptions, but the rule runs the other
way. A catalogue to be attractive must be
prepared and written by somebody trained to
literary pursuits; I have reference to the text.
Members of the trade who either overlook or do-
not recognize that fact should give it consider-
ation.
*
*
*
*
. *
*
The London Piano, Organ and Music Trades
Journal for November is the annual autumn num-
ber, and a very excellent and creditable issue it is.
The pictorial supplement is very tastefully gotten
up and contains a representation of the new
models in pianos, organs, and other musical in-
struments for the present season. Another
(Continued on page 331.