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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
TELEPHONE
NUMBER,
1745 -EIGHTEENTH
STREET.
The musical supplement to The Review is
published on the first Saturday of each month.
TO SCHUBERT.
The theatre's gilded, shallow glare,
The hum of jewel'd vacancy,
The tinsel pageant's fret and blare,
The buskin'd stride, the tragic stare,
Are not, oh, happy heart, for thee.
But thine the hearth and thine the fire,
And thine the comrade, pipe and bowl;
The child, the wife, the heart's desire.
The strings of God's great human lyre,
Are thine, thou singer of the soul.
—W. J. Henderson.
*
I T is proposed by the Manuscript Society,
whose object is to advance the inter-
ests of American musical composition, to
make the coming season "a festival of ex-
traordinary attraction and importance to
composers all over the world."
The plan of concerts for the year in-
cludes the customary public concerts in
Chickcring Hall, and a continuation of
the series of private meetings, of a social,
as well as musical nature.
The annual reunion of the society will
be held on Friday, August 26th, on the
Madison Sqviare Roof Garden, and the
Metropolitan Permanent Orchestra will
make up its program for that evening
from compositions by members of the so-
ciety.
The officers of the society are:
Reginald de Koven, president; Arthur
Foote, first vice-president; Homer N.
Bartlett, second vice-president; Louis R.
Dressier, treasurer; Lucien G. Chaffin,
corresponding secretary; J. Hazard Wil-
son, recording secretary ; Peter A. Schneek-
er, librarian.
*
WICTOR HERBERT is an indefatigable
worker in the field of composition.
Between concerts at Manhattan Beach he
has completed the score of his new opera
"The Fortune Teller." One of the strik-
ing numbers is a "Czardas." This work
will be produced at Wallack's Theatre in
the fair by the Alice Neil sen Company.
Mr. Herbert has also completed his first
symphony. This opus will be played at
the first concert of the Pittsburg Philhar-
monic Orchestra.
unpleasantness with Spain
T HE has present
been singular in many ways; in
L\
none more than in its dearth of new music.
Now that the South has come clear back to
the fold, that ideal jig, "Dixie," has gained
a national acceptance almost above "The
Star-Spangled Banner." But these two
pieces have had the monopoly of public
interest. The people actually learned to
rise to their feet when the " Banner " was
unfurled musically, and scenes of enthusi-
asm remarkably wild for America were
frequently aroused. But what new air is
there ? In the landing at Santiago, it is
true, one piece was so much played that
the Spanish doubtless think of it as our
national air. But it was only the song,
"There'll be a Hot Time in the Old Town
To-Night!"—a vaudeville negro tune worn
threadbare on the street and in the music
halls until a hot-weather campaign gave it
a new meaning, and the distinction of
being recognized in General Shaftcr's
official dispatches. There have been beside
a few efforts to force the motto, "Remem-
ber the Maine! " on the people, but they
were too full of bathos even for war times.
The music publishers complain that the
conflict has killed their trade, and that not
even patriotic songs have sale enough to
pay for their printing. The cause of this
is perhaps not far to seek, says Current
Literature. Our welfare has not seriously
been threatened since the opening of the
war. Triumph has been fully expected.
Consequently there is no deep note to
touch. In the war with the Confederacy
our national fabric was being ripped
asunder; the Union was assailed; the
scales of victory and defeat were for long
in the South's favor. It was a time when
people thought and suffered fiercely. But
now we are fighting a weak country,
inefficient in men and munitions. We are
the assailant, not the defender. We are
acting rather in the function of policemen
than of patriots. Our cause is holy, but it
is not one that takes very deep root in the
emotions. It docs not grip the heart and
squeeze out music.
A PETITION in favor of a municipal
^*- opera house to be supported by local
taxation has been presented to the London
County Council. The commendable ob-
ject is to establish a permanent opera
house where music will be taught to the
masses and encouragement offered to
young artists whose ambition trends in the
direction of grand opera.
The petition, which has been signed by
men eminent in every walk in life, is being
given serious consideration by the London
Council. The movement is also receiving
the strongest support from the press.
*
TT seems to us that a municipal opera
* house is indeed as logical as a munici-
pal library or art gallery, and it fits in
with all the new ideas of the theory and
practice of local government as they have
been carried out in English and Scottish
towns.
The London County Council,
which has been held back and blocked in
its attempts to reproduce in the metropo-
lis the enlightened municipal policies of
the great provincial centers, now has an
opportunity for initiating a movement for
popularizing the best class of operatic
composition. A municipal theatre is the
logical sequel to a municipal opera, and
the patrons of art, who have appealed to
the Council in behalf of musical education
are probably equally interested in the sup-
port of drama of the highest character. A
vState-aided drama will never be practica-
HP 11 AT clever Irish novelist, George ble in England unless the municipalities
1 Moore, has written and just had pub- take hold of it for the sake of popularizing
lished a novel called "Evelyn Innes," the best works and elevating the standards
which furnishes delightful reading to mu- of public taste.
sicians and all lovers of music. Moore,
much as he has been abused in the past for VX7ILLIAM BERGER, a young Boston-
his leaning toward eroticism, is an artist
'
ian, has carried off the prize of
whose aims and ideas are of the best.
2,000 marks for the best setting of Goethe's
The criticisms and references to musical poem, "My Goddess," donated by Dr.
matters which abound in this book arc sur- Walter Simon, of Konigsberg.
Mr.
prisingly able and profound.
Berger, who was born in 1861, has recently
*
written a symphony to be produced short-
T H E question agitating local musicians ly in Mayence.
*
is that of the conductor for the Wag-
*
ner performances at the Metropolitan
A GERMAN periodical points out that
Opera House next winter. It seems to be * * it was the late Anton Seidl's privilege
settled that none of the big men abroad to introduce Wagner's Nibelungcn Ring
arc free to accept Mr. Grau's offers. To complete, not only in many German cities,
bring over an untried man would be folly. but in three countries—Italy, England and
It looks as if Emil Paur, from the force of
America.
circumstances, would be Seidl's successor
T H E full list of engagements for the
at the Opera House as well as with the
*
opera season at the Metropolitan
Philharmonic Society.
Considering the
Opera House, this city, commencing in
critical estimate of Mr. Paur in this city,
November next, has been announced by
his rise to the position of local arbiter in
Maurice Grau.
The list of artists differs
musical matters has a humorous side.
butlittle from earlier announcements which
Friends of Mr. Walter Damrosch are pre-
have appeared in this paper. The names
dicting that he will eventually be Mr.
include Mme. Melba, Mrs. Emma Eames-
Grau's selection. As he is also to conduct
Storey, Mme. Lillian Nordica, Mme. Calve,
some of Mr. Ellis's Wagner productions,
Mme. Sembrich, Miss Marie Engle, Mme.
this additional duty would permit him to
Brugere, and Susanne Adams. Mezzo so-
consider himself as the high priest of Wag-
pranos and contraltos: Mme. Schumann
ncrism in the new world. And then there
Heine, Mme. Meisslinger, Mme. Bauer-
might be backsliders from the faith.
meister, Mme. Randez, and Mme. Marie
TT is estimated by London musicians who Bremer.
Tenors: Jean de Reszke, Van Dyck,
A recently petitioned for an opera house
supported by the city, that, with an annual Salaza, Salignac, Brener, and Anton Dip-
Bassos: Edouard de Reszke, Cam-
grant of $75,000 from the County Council, pel.
a theatre could be kept open niost of the panari, David Bispham, Plancon, and Van
year.