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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
writer of the above remarks in his opinion
that the end of all technique is tone.
It is permissable, of course, where mu-
sicians solely are present, to make a pro-
gram wherein the soloist or band makes it
a point of showing just what can be done
with a certain theme and in this connection
display all its different powers. But when it
comes to a public concert, at which the mass
of the audience is drawn from ordinary con-
cert-goers too much technique is surely out
of place; what we really want is beauty of
tone, the well-blended color effects pertain-
ing to the various instruments, and the
smoothness and altogether charming effect
produced by frequent and careful re-
hearsals, and a proper reading of the sym-
phonies, overtures, concertos, and other
musical forms presented.
In singing, too, beauty of tone and dig-
nity and clearness of enunciation are the
main requisites of successful art. Beauty
of tone is much more important than is
the strength or loudness of a voice or the
overlauded ability to take a high note
regardless of fine general effect. Tech-
nique, too, should never be overevi-
denced in any musical performance. In
this connection a writer in the Times says:
In vocal music a simple rule for judging
the quality and effectiveness of a voice is
to notice whether the singer uses her voice
without an apparent effort—simply sing-
ing as she would talk, because she can
and must. Many of our singers unfortu-
nately are prone to facial contortions that
are painful, thereby disclosing methods
which are ostensibly faulty, and some of
our most distinguished singers are to be
included in the foregoing. On the other
hand, is it not a pleasure to hear a singer,
whether limited in quantity or quality of
voice, making use of it in an intelligent
manner and giving us the pure beauty of
tone which the selection demands? In
the instrumental and vocal fields what we
want is a greater appreciation of poetical
delicacy and quality in interpretation, not
technical pyrotechnics.
and exactly the opposite physiological pro-
cesses are awakened from those that make
him melancholic, he is likely to become
cheerful. Or, if one is insane through too
much gayety, the rousing of a physiologi-
cal brain process tending to produce the
emotion of sadness, will aid the patient.
" I n nervous diseases," said the physi-
cian referred to, ' ' treatment by music has
JV/I USIC is coming to be used quite gen- been recognized for a long time as really
* ^ * erally by physicians connected with effective. French psychologists, including
several institutions in this city as a cnra- Louret, who has employed it in treating
the insane, and Ribot>
a professor in the Col-
lege of France, have
settled the point by
specific experiments.
The Greeks were not
ignorant of the effect of
music in stimulating
the muscles. At bot-
tom it is the same mo-
tive that is supposed to
justify bands of music
in armies.
"After all, music is
only rhythm, air vibra-
tions, that act upon the
muscles as any other
force does. In the ex-
periments undertaken
on. the elephants and
other animals in the
Jardin des Plantes, the
vitality was materially
affected by the char-
acter of the, rhythm.
Any one will, upon
hearing an unusual or
disagreeable sound, ex-
perience a physical sen-
sation.
A discord
makes a trained and
s e n s i t i v e musician
grind
his teeth, and an
JEAN GERARDY.
unexpected
cannon
shot
lifts
the'ordinary
tive for many forms of malady. The Path-
ological Institute of the State of New person off his feet."
York is now recognizing music's influence
JEAN GERARDY, the celebrated 'cell-
in curing certain forms of insanity. In ^
ist who won the praise of leading crit-
this connection a series of tests are being ics in all parts of the country during his
All AURICE GRAU has made arrange- made with the ergograph, a contrivance
tour last year, will be among the distin-
* * * ments for the opening of next year's which is applied to the muscles of the hand
guished artists who are scheduled to visit
opera season. The company will sail from and arm and which induces fatigue. In
us next season. Gerardy has made rapid
Europe on October 20, and will proceed, experimenting, it has been found that
headway in his profession and from the
numbering about 235 persons, direct to music played during the tests has produced
prodigy of a few years ago he has devel-
San Francisco in a special train. There it variations in the results, accounted for in
oped into a mature artist with few equals.
will open on November 12 for a season of no other way. When a lively air was
He is under the management of Victor
three weeks at the Grand Opera House played on a harp the subject regained his
Thrane.
(of which Mr. Grau has just signed a lease). vigor, and kept up the exercise for a con-
After the season in the California capital, siderable time. When a characteristic tune DOE, whose fame is gradually augment-
the company will play brief engagements, was played on the 'cello, the patient's arm ^
ing as one of our great national fig-
probably in Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, became almost powerless, his vitality de- ures in the domain of poetry, was the sub-
Denver, Kansas City (Mo.), Lincoln, and creasing rapidly.
ject of a recent address by Louis E. Van
St. Paul and Minneapolis, opening in New
These observations have been taken to Norman, in which he said " Music runs
York December 18. The company will mean that the physical well-being of a pa- throughout Poe's poetry. It is the first
probably include Mmes. Melba, Eames, tient can be influenced by the effect of mu- thing that strikes the ear. It is not sur-
Nordica, Ternina, Scheff, Gadsky, Bauer- sical rhythm. Among psychologists, the prising that this is so, for he believed the
meister, Suzanne Adams, Susan Strong, theory of emotion set forth by Prof. James musical element to be the very soul of
Louise Homer, Carrie Bridewell, Gadski, of Harvard and Prof. Lang of Scotland has verse. It is to be regretted that American
Olitzka, MM. Pringle, Jean and Edouard come to be well accepted. This theory is musicians have overlooked Poe in their
de Reszke, Plancon, Dippel, Muhlmann, that emotions are the result of physiologi- lyric and operatic compositions. The poems
Campanari, Imbart de la Tour, De Lucia, cal changes in the bedy—that we feel bad of Poe are a field of fresh, untrodden
Bertram, O'Mara, Scotti, Gililbert, and because we cry, and not that we cry be- lyrical beauty. Euphony, forcible diction,
Journet.
Mancinelli will conduct the cause we are troubled by a certain feeling. rhythmic flow, intelligibility, the lyric and
French and Italian operas, and, Walter So, if a person suff'ns from melancholia, dramatic spirit—all the qualities necessary
Damrosch or Herr von Schuch the Wagner
operas. Mile. Calve will not be back in
America till 1901, having signed an en-
gagement for the Opera Comique, Paris,
for next season. She will create there two
roles, the one in a Wagner opera, the other
in "L'Ouragan," of Zola and Alfred Bru-
neau.