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THE 7VSVSIC TRADE
REVIEW
gate. "I never heard of any movement de-
signed for the benefit of the people that some
clergymen did not object to it at the start.
These rooms would be empty on Sunday
afternoon. It does not cost us anything and
there
is no better way of utilizing them for
ARTISTS 1 DEPARTMENT.
. the public welfare."
TELEPHONB NUMBER, 1745—EIGHTEENTH STREET
Commissioner Guy said the delegation of
Artists' Department of The Review is clergymen wanted to know whether the con-
published on the first Saturday of each month. certs were to be anti-religious, semi-religious
MUCH SYMPATHY FOR MASCAGNI.
or religious, and added:
' T ' H E troubles of Pietro Mascagni, the
"I told them the Board of Education was
•
young Italian composer-leader, since not religious."
his arrival in America ten weeks ago, have
"Speak for yourself only," interrupted
aroused the sympathy of music lovers Gen. Wingate.
throughout the country. It is hinted that
It was finally decided to grant the request
some of these American sympathizers, of the Public Education Association and the
moved by his sad predicament, are tak- Gaelic Choral Union.
ing steps looking toward Mascagni's ex-
MOZARTIAN LITERATURE.
trication from the troubles that surround
A VOLUME on Mozart, which is anything
him. On Monday a despatch from Chicago
but luminous, has made its appearance
stated Pietro Mascagni, the Italian composer,
in
this
country from the pen of Eustace
will appear in Chicago as temporary director
Breakspeare,
of Birmingham, Eng. He
of the Thomas Orchestra. It was also de-
brings
to
light
nothing new regarding the
termined that he will resume his tour
life
and
accomplishments
of Mozart or his
of the United States, and he is now looking
music,.
His
style
is
typically
English—long
for a manager with sufficient capital to in-
sentences,
cut
up
by
innumerable
phrases in
- sure a successful journey.
parentheses;
in
fact,
so
long
are
they that
So many Chicagoans requested the com-
the
efforts
of
the
late
Senator
Evarts
seem
poser to give another performance that it
short
in
comparison.
On
page
96
he
reveals
was impossible for him to refuse. The con-
cert will be held at the Auditorium Theatre. the "secret of Mozart's power" in this wise:
"Mozart's art is fundamentally fixed on
SUNDAY CONCERTS IN SCHOOLS.
three primary rocks:
' T H E R E V I E W has long advocated the
"1st. Intuitive (and inimitable) apper-
use of the public schools for Sunday ception of the subtle affinities and corres-
concerts for the people much on the same
pondences between the human emotions and
lines as the public lecture courses now given
the artistic tone-material.
at night. One is as educational and uplift-
"2d. Exhaustive expression and interpre-
ing as the other. It is a pleasure to note
tation of the manifold and widely contrast-
that the Executive Committee of the Board
ing types and modes of character and indi-
of Education rose superior to the narrow-
viduality as shown in life.
minded opposition of some well-meaning
"3d. Ideal beauty of the formal means
but misguided clergymen who see evil in
(e. g. melody par excellence; exquisite ar-
music for the masses as, in the olden days,
they saw danger in education. The report rangement, proportionment, and balance of
the thematic contents, and its parts, etc.)
of the proceedings is worth quoting:
chosen for the clothing and conveyance of
At the meeting of the Executive Com-
the artistic ideas—(so far, indeed, as with
mittee of the Board of Education the ques-
an art like music, distinctions of ideas and
tion of permitting the Public Education As-
form are at all possible)."
sociation to. give concerts in Public School
If our readers find the secret here revealed
33 in West Twenty-eighth street on Sunday
they
will be entitled to a prize. Some of our
afternoons, came up. There was also a re-
English
friends who devote themselves to
quest of the Gaelic Choral Union to use the
musical
topics
take life rather too seriously..
assembly room in Public School 40 in East
HEM
Thirty-seventh street.
"If we grant this request we will estab-
lish a precedent for the rest of the country,"
said Commissioner Lummis. "Shall our
city government go into the musical and
theatrical business on Sundays? A delega-
tion of clergymen waited on the committee
in charge of this matter and protested against
Sunday concerts in the schools and their
views are entitled to consideration. It is
difficult to make up a musical program that
would have no objection. I have here one
of the programs and I see on it a plantation
melody. Surely that is not classical. The
schools should not invade the domain of the
churches or desecrate the American Sab-
bath."
"These concerts are elevating and whole-
some for the people, although some clergy,
men do object to them," asserted Gen. Win-
"WHO WAS THE GREATEST COMPOSER?"
I N the course of an admirable and highly
* eulogistic article on "The Greatness of
Mozart," W. J, Henderson, the musical critic
of The Sun, closes thus:
"Now a word for those who skim the sur-
face of all critical comment and sum up their
imperfect views to the misrepresentation of
the writer. The author of this article has
not said that he regards Mozart as the great-
est composer that ever lived. He has been
trying for a quarter of a century to decide
who was the greatest composer, but he is
further from the decision than he was in the
beginning. Then he thought he had Beet-
hoven comfortably tucked away in the back
of his head, but that he would just take a
little closer look at the others before spring-
ing his startling discovery on an unsuspect-
ing public.
"It was that looking about that got him
into difficulties. He has now arrived at
the comfortable state of mind of the man
in one of the Philippine Governor Taft's best
stories. This man lived on the banks of
Sashequashequarlie Creek.
Said an ac-
quaintance to him:
" 'Jake, how do you spell the name o' this
here creek?"
" 'Wai,' said Jake, 'some folks spells it
one way and some folks spells it 'nother,
but I don't believe there be any right way
to spell it.'
"This writer has almost concluded that
there is not any greatest composer, because
some are great one way and some another,
and there you are.
"This writer has not said that he prefers
Mozart to Wagner. Neither has he inti-
mated that Wagner is not such great shakes
after all. He does not indulge in the com-
parative method of criticism. It is not any
one's business whether Mozart is greater^
than Wagner. One good reason for this 4
is that they cannot be compared, for {hey are
of two totally different genres. Both ar£
great. Why not try to enjoy both?"
BANDMASTER DUSVS AMBITIOUS PLANS.
J O H N S. DUSS, the millionaire band-
^
master of Economy, Pa., is making big
plans for this year. He is no longer content
with the St. Nicholas Rink as a rendezvous
for the summer, but intends to hire Madison
Square Garden and the entire opera house
orchestra with Nahan Frartko as concert-
meister. It is even said that Marcella Sem-
brich has been approached, as have Nordica,
Schumann-Heink and Scheff. It is the in-
tention of Mr. Duss to make a four or five
weeks tour after the opera season closer
He intends to secure, if possible, one, Of
perhaps, a quartet of Grau's famous artists,
and with the Metropolitan Opera House or-
chestra proposes to cut a wide swath in the
musical world.
This year, as last, he is pursuing a liberal
policy in the matter of salaries. In fact, sal-
aries are no object to Mr. Duss, and in view
of the fact that money talks as potently with
the great stars as those of lesser attraction,
why, it will be well to watch Mr. Duss. H e
may be spectacular, and all that, but he has
a big measure of Yankee enterprise and grit r
and it is difficult to prognosticate where h e
will land. At all events, he will surely land'
on his feet.
EUROPEAN PEDAGOGY ANALYZED.
Q O M E solar plexus blows to the "Euro-
^
pean superstition" is given in the recent
issue of The Musician by W. Frances Gates
Under the caption "The European Microbe"
he boldly and, we may say, truthfully asserts:
"Americans are notoriously gullible in
matters affecting Europe and European;
teaching. The teachers there recognize this,,
and propose to reap the harvest the gods
send. Incompetent teachers there are as nu-
merous as here, and rascally ones more-
numerous. American students spend in Ber-
lin alone $750,000 a year.. What would the
sum total amount to in all Europe! A Ber-
lin critic writes this of the teaching in his
own city: "Some of the instruction given
is little less than criminal.. A large percent-