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48 PAGES,
VOL.
XXVII. No. 10.
Published Every Saturday at 3 East Fourteenth Street. New York, Sept. 3,1898.
VICTOR HERBERT INTERVIEWED.
A RACY interview with Victor Herbert
^* appears in the "Criterion." His
estimate of Sousa is interesting in view of
the respective position occupied by each.
When asked which of the great conductors
he considered the greatest, he said:
" Oh, each has had his own qualities and
virtues. Seidl had magnetism. Thomas,
who in some ways was at least his equal,
is a wonderful drillmaster. Nikisch de-
lights, and at times surprises one, by his
ingenuity in finding new meanings in the
works which he interprets—meanings
perhaps never dreamt of by their com-
posers.
Paur is honest, rugged and
straightforward, but lacks personal charm.
Dan Godfrey (whom I have invited to
come down here to-morrow with his band)
has a certain authority which is thoroughly
English. When he conducts he seems to
be telling the public that they are hearing
something superlatively fine. He is
dignified—but metronomic. One-two, one-
two,
one-two, one-two.
That's God-
frey."
"And what do you think of Sousa as a
conductor ? "
Mr. Herbert fidgetted a little.
" I think he writes good marches," said
he.
I persisted.
" Very good marches," said Mr. Herbert,
parrying the attack again.
"Stirring,
facile, rhythmic, strong. Original ? Oh,
absolute originality is hardly to be ex-
pected of anyone nowadays. I fancy I
have detected phrases from the ' Marseil-
laise,' and from 'Boccaccio' in some of Mr.
Sousa's marches."
" But—as to his conducting ? "
He began to look uncomfortable.
" I like his way of conducting his own
marches. I don't care so much for his
readings of more serious works."
"If you had your choice, would you
emulate Seidl or Gilmore ? "
" Well, I should like to combine the pop-
ular quality of Gilmore with the more
classical merit of Seidl. You may have
seen that from my programs. The other
day, for example, besides lighter compo-
sitions, I gave my public a selection from
' Tannhauser,' a little Haydn, some
Beethoven and so on. And it was all ap-
preciated. But I see no reason to be
ashamed of composing or interpreting less
$2.00 PER YEAR.
SINGLE COPIES 10 CENTS.
pretentious things—such as waltzes or somewhat oblong, square in shape, which
marches. Why be fanatical?
Do we was hollowed, leaving at each end a solid
sneer at the daisy because it is not the piece about three or four inches in thick-
ness, and at its upper side was a kind of
rose?"
"What do you aim at chiefly in conduct- sounding-board about a quarter of an inch
in thickness. In this were made three in-
ing?"
" I try to get good, vigorous effects out cisions, two running parallel some distance
of my orchestra, and to put a little fancy lengthwise of the drum, and a third run-
into the interpretation of music.
No ning across from one of these to the other
composer can express everything. Some- just in the center. By this means two vi-
thing must always be left to the initiative brating tongues of wood were obtained,
of the conductor. Runs should not be which, when beaten with a stick, produced
taken regularly. Whether it has been in- sounds as clearly defined as those of the
dicated or not, at some point or other you kettledrums of the present day.
should emphasize, quicken or retard.
The rattle, it is stated, appears to have
Liszt, as you know, had a horror of con- occupied an important place in the cere-
ductors who merely followed their musi- monies of the ancient Mexicans. A primi-
cal directions. You may ruin the work of tive form of dance rattle still used by the
a composer by being literal.
Yaqui Indians of Sonora, Mexico, is made
of
butterfly cocoons, which are divided in-
"What a marvelous thing is this art
to
halves
and sewed together at one end
of music ! Think of it. Two hundred
years ago it was in its infancy. Almost with a double cord. Each half of the co-
every important development in its his- coon contains a grain or pebble. They
tory has been made within a century or are attached to a long cord, which is wound
so.
What will its future be? Wagner around the leg of the dancer.
has succeeded Berlioz, and now we have
The only instruments of metal in the
Richard Strauss. Orchestration which it museum collection of Mexican antiquities
would once have been thought impossible are bronze bells. These appear to have
to render—by military bands at all events been in general use by the Mexicans be-
—now figures regularly in our programs. fore the Spanish conquest, and they are
Not so long ago the march from ' Tann- often found figured in the picture writings
hauser ' was in the ' impossible ' list. Now representing the various objects which the
it is in every military repertory."
Aztecs used to pay as tribute to their sov-
ereigns.
" You swear by Wagner, I believe?"
Whistles were used in Mexico and Cen-
" I admire all great composers—Schu-
tral
and South America. The whistling
mann as well as Haydn, Wagner no less
than Bach. And I admire Berlioz, though mechanism in all is identical with that of
I think he has been greatly overrated as the modern flageolet, and the only distinc-
tion that can be made between them is by
an orchestrator."
classing the instruments which emit only
*
one sound or note as whistles, and those
which have one or more finger holes as
ABORIGINAL AMERICAN flUSIC.
flageolets. The smaller instruments are
DROFESSOR
WILSON
of
the
National
Museum states that music evidently mostly grotesque caricatures of the human
occupied a prominent place in the arts of face or figure or of animals or birds. The
the ancient Mexicans, for it is mentioned larger instruments are more like the mod-
by the early Spanish writers in connection ern flageolets. A figure is shown carved
with war, religious ceremonies, and of fes- in marble. It has six round holes, the
tivities of various kinds. The instruments lower end being carved in imitation of an
described or mentioned were drums, tim- alligator's head. It is Professor Wilson's
brels, flutes, horns, trumpets, and rattles. opinion that the antiquity of the instru-
According to Clavigero they had no stringed ment may not be very great. The fact of
instruments. There is no representative its having six finger holes, he thinks, sug-
of the ancient Mexican drum in the Na- gests European contact, as in all other
tional Museum. It is described, however, specimens of this class from the Western
the "teponaztli" of the Aztecs, as being hemisphere the usual number appears to
made of a single block of very hard wood, have been four holes
r