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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
TELEPHONE
NUMBER.
1745.--EIQHTEENTH
STREET.
The musical supplement to The Review is
published on the first Saturday of each month.
" A s citizens, we can do much to raise
the standard of music by giving our en-
couragement to such organizations as are
composed of competent professional instru-
mentalists, and whose work proves them
equal to the demands of the occasion. A
united movement of this character will
prove a great public benefit and purify the
musical atmosphere of our communities as
nothing else can, and stimulate a demand
for good, wholesome music."
*
/"-\RIGINALITY and a sense of humor,
^-^ none the less pungent because appar-
ently unconscious, rarely seem to be ab-
sent from the consideration of any subject
commanding the attention of public bodies
in Ireland. The town council of the his-
toric city of Londonderry has been thought-
ful enough to secure the services of five or-
ganists to play the fine four-manual organ
in the City Hall, to undertake the care of
the instrument, and to give free recitals.
These gentlemen are to play monthly in a
given rotation—presumably two months
each in the course of a year; and are each
to receive a fee or nominal salary of two
guineas per annum. They are, further,
"to be under the full control of the Mayor
and committee." Here are notable sug-
gestions for corporations and other public
bodies having organs and musical perform-
ances under their charge. It will be a
matter of interest to see how far the Lon-
donderry authorities control the selection
of music and how much of it will be patri-
otic, political, and topical, in order to suit
the somewhat varied, not to say fiery,
tastes of the withal warm-hearted inhabi-
tants of the famous city.
*
A T the last convention of the New York
** State Music Teachers' Association one
of the interesting papers read was by Wm.
J. Holding on the subject of the modern
orchestra—its use and abuse. He advo-
cated the employment of good music on
all occasions where orchestral music is es-
sential. He stated this branch of the art
of music was debauched by unscrupulous
persons, and its influence then was pernici-
ous and baleful.
" There is absolutely no excuse for such
a condition of affairs musically," said Mr.
Holding. " There are excellent orchestras
and clever musicians enough throughout
the land to supply competent and experi-
enced performers and good music on all
occasions. But the services of this class
of. instrumentalists are ignored by those
who have the employment of musicians at
such places, because they are willing to ac-
cept the unreasonable pittance for which
incompetent and inexperienced musicians
can be obtained.
"The public has a prerogative in this
matter, and as citizens should not be slow
to utilize it. By remaining indifferent
and ignoring this fact, you are offering a
premium and encouragement to incom- EXPRESSIONS are found from time to
petence and mediocrity."
*—' time of the belief in music as a power
*
not merely to subvent religion and aid
HTHE reference which Mr. Holding makes worship, but, indeed, as in itself transcend-
* to the wretched music "dished up" in ing all other means of expression of ideals
places of amusement is timely, in view of and of eliciting what is most elevating in
the many complaints now being made by thought and feeling.
theatre-goers in this city. He says:
This elevating influence the Rev. S. A.
"There is a common impression with some Barnett shows in an excellent article in
managers that an orchestra is a necessary the International Journal of Ethics is not
nuisance, of no importance whatever ex- restricted to those who possess special
cept to fill in the waits between acts, and advantages for general culture of spe-
in that capacity 'anything goes.' Hence, a cial musical training, but that the un-
few players (and in the manager's estima- educated readily fall under the sway
tion, the fewer the better) are employed at of the best music. It is not necessar-
the cheapest rates obtainable, regardless of ily the light and comic which they want.
ability, experience or even combination of "The fact that crowds come to listen is
instruments. This is a grave mistake, and sufficient to make the world consider its
if fully understood by the public, would opinion that the people care only for what
not be tolerated.
is light or laughter-compelling. There is
"As patrons, the public has a right, and evidently, in the highest music, some-
would be justifiable in remonstrating a- thing which finds a response in many
gainst not only these incomplete orchestras, minds not educated to understand its mys-
but likewise music of a trashy grade. As teries nor interested in its creation. This
citizens, we should act as decidedly in this suggests that music has, in the present
matter as we would if a like diabolical and time, a peculiar mission."
distracting performance were permitted on
The very reason why music appeals al-
the stage.
most universally is that it lacks the definite-
" The need to-day is for good orchestras, ness of speech and without necessarily pro-
composed exclusively of orchestral players ducing any subject-imagery, yet is the
and not made up of brass band musicians. means of communicating states of feeling
The latter are all right in their place. But from one mind to another. The works of
brass band work is ruinous to orchestral the great masters, when the listener is in a
players and unfits them for the fine, deli- receptive state of mind, may well appear
cate work required of an orchestra.
to him as revelations from the unknown.
They carry him "above the smoke and stir
of this dull spot," and appear to him not
so much the work of a great composer
as a divine creation. Doubtless one
reason of this is that in music there is
a greater freedom than in any of the other
arts from the reference to ordinary events
and scenes. In Poetry, Painting, and
Sculpture there is necessarily a representa-
tion more or less ideal of the concrete in
life. In music this is eliminated. It is a
mysterious and complicated chain of re-
lationship, the relationship of time, mel-
ody, and harmony. It is abstract, ideal,
and not to be valued for any mere descrip-
tive power which in a small degree it pos-
sesses. The musician seeks beauty of expres-
sion ; to the smallest detail there must be per-
fection of proportion. The longings of the
human heart are for the perfection of pro-
portion in life, for the bringing of all dis-
sonance into an all-pervading harmony.
Thus it would appear as if the musical and
spiritual were in close relationship, and
that music, by its very incapability of stat-
ing anything with definition, had all the
greater fitness for leading the listener into
worlds of imagination in which the real is
forsaken for the ideal, the lower for the
higher.
*
/WIR. BARNETT, who has had excep-
' " *• tional experience of the value of mu-
sic as a spiritual influence, suggests a more
general trial of the experiment which he
has found attended with such good results.
He says: "The experiment, at any rate,
may be easily tried. There is in every
parish church with an organ, and arrange-
ments suitable for the performance of
grand oratorios; there are concert halls or
school rooms suitable for the performance
of classical music. There are many indi-
viduals and societies with voices and in-
struments capable of rendering the music
of the masters. Most of them have, we
cannot doubt, the enthusiasm which would
induce them to give their services to meet
the needs of their fellow creatures.
"Money has been and is freely subscribed
for the support of missions seeking to meet
bodily and spiritual wants; music will as
surely be given by those who have felt its
power to meet that need of expression
which so far keeps the people without the
consciousness of God. Members of ethical
societies, who have taught themselves to
fix their eyes on moral results, may unite
with members of churches who care also
for religious things. Certain it is that
people who are able to realize grand ideals
will be likely in their own lives to do grand
things, and doing them make the world
better and themselves happier."
Music is sometimes regarded as a relax-
ation or amusement. All men, musicians
perhaps most of all, should be grateful for
this assertion of its claims, for placing it
on the highest plane, and for admitting
that it is, in many cases, of more help to
the aspirant than what is more ordinarily
termed worship. Following out this trend
of thought we notice that Fritz Scheel,
conductor of the Philadelphia Symphony
Society, has sent to various clergymen let-
ters saying that music is one of the most