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THE 7VSUSIC TRKDE
THE SYMPATHETIC TONE CURE.
T"" HE charms which music hath to soothe
*
the savage breast are not to be com-
pared in potency, if we are to believe Miss
Augusta Vescelius, with its power for the
cure of disease. "When its therapeutic value
is appreciated," says Miss Vescelius, "music
will be considered as necessary in the treat-
ment of disease as air, water and food."
The music cure process, it appears, is, first,
to discover the cause and character of the
malady.. This having been accomplished, you
must next "determine its key in rhythm"
and apply the "sympathetic tone cure," and
then the disease is done for. Like a demon
into outer darkness it departs from the body
and the sick man is made whole. In the event
of failure, take the case out of the ordinary
practitioner's hands and give it to a special-
ist, for it is evident that the "key in rhythm"
has not been correctly ascertained.
Apparently, indeed, it is on the proper de-
termination of this "key in rhythm" that the
subsequent ''sympathetic tone cure" depends.
There are maladies, 'for example, which Wag-
ner might only aggravate, while rag-time
would bring ready relief. A symphony might
insure a slow death to the patient whom a
Sousa march would electrify into vigor. The
amputation of a leg to the strains of the col-
lege chorus celebrating that a^ 4 . of surgery
might induce such a feeling A cheerful con-
tent in the victim as to make the use of any
other anaesthetic unnecessary. As a writer
in the World says: "It is obvicus that there
are limitless possibilities of deve'opment for
the usefulness of the music cure, a 1 ways pro-
vided that the intelligent practitioner pos-
sesses an ear properly attuned to f he cor-
rect determination of the 'key of rhythm.' "
Evidently Christian Science "healers" will
have to look to their laurels hereafter..
MINNESOTA TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION.
""THE second annual meeting of the Minne-
*
sota State Music Teachers' Association
will be held May 7, 8 and 9 at Plymouth Con-
gregational and Wesley Methodist churches,
Minneapolis. The program will include seven
concerts and matinees, including: one orches-
tral matinee and one symphony concert by
the Boston Festival orchestra.
&
NOW THE FASHION—PERHAPS.
A N authority in New York's "high soci-
**• ety."—whatever it means—says that
since the advent of Prof. Dolmetsch last year
there is a turning to the spinet and clavi-
chord by many well-known women. It is
very difficult to purchase these ancient in-
struments in this country, though they may
be found in some small villages in New Jer-
sey, New York and Pennsylvania. There
are tinkling cymbals, but they have been
bought up and redecorated, and now are the
chief ornaments of many drawing rooms.
As harpsichords are rare in this country,
we may expect some enterprising piano man-
ufacturer to engage in turning out these an-
tiques, along lines similar to furniture makers
who supply to dealers in odd things all kinds
of furniture bearing every evidence of age
an i decay.. The fads and fancies of our
wealthy people help along many departments
of industry.
REVIEW
TRUTHS WELL EXPRESSED.
HT H E R E is some good reading in the let-
*
ter sent the Philharmonic Society by
Walter Damrosch previous to his departure
for Europe. It states some plain truths in
plain language. The Philharmonic Orches-
tra can not retain the honorable place it has
held for more than sixty years unless it rec-
ognizes the existing condition of musical af-
fairs. Mr. Damrosch hit the nail on the
head when he wrote: "The Philharmonic
Orchestra of to-day is incomplete.
About thirty strings, and one-half of the nec-
essary wind instrument players are not mem-
bers of the society, but have to be engaged
from whatever material may be available in
New York at the time. And as the Phil-
harmonic gives only eight concerts during
the season, some of the best players are often
drawn away by other organizations which
offer greater pecuniary inducements. Under
such conditions, notwithstanding your zeal
and devotion, it is impossible for you always
to meet the highest standards set for orches-
tral playing in this city.
"To be compelled, as some of your mem-
bers are, to play at the races in October and
at the balls in January is no proper prepar-
ation for a symphony concert."
WILL APPEAR AT THE FESTIVAL.
/VAISS MARY CLAYTON CONNOR,
the clever young musician and pupil
of Mrs.. Ankie Green Parker, of Gainesville,
Fla., will be among those who will help to
make the Florida May Musical Festival an
unusually interesting event. The Review
has several times referred to the rare musi-
cal ability displayed by Miss Connor, which
has been nurtured and developed with such
exceeding care and sympathy by Mrs. Parker
that we feel confident Miss Connor will do
justice on this occasion to her State, her
teacher and herself.
&
DR. ELGAR'S "THE APOSTLES."
'"F H E oratorio which Dr. Elgar has written
for the Birmingham (Eng.) Festival is
entitled "The Apostles." It opens with the
vigil of the Saviour and the sound of the
shofar, with the singing of choruses inside
and outside the Temple at Jerusalem at the
dawn of day.
The Sermon on the Mount is drawn upon,
each of the "Beatitudes" being followed by
reflective sentences. The oratorio likewise
comprises the scenes of the Storm on the
Lake, of Christ walking upon the Water, of
the Betrayal of Judas, of the Crucifixion, and
the Ascension; while the second part deals
with Pentecost.
Our London contemporaries are hopeful
that Elgar will add still further to his fame
hy this great work.
VARIETY OF OPERATIC TITLES.
I N an article in the Forum, Joseph Sohn
mentions the curious variety of titles
chosen by contemporaneous composers of
operatic works to designate the nature of
their product. "During the early period
which witnessed the creation of the master-
pieces of Gluck, Mozart, Weber, Rossini,
Meyerbeer, Verdi, and the earlier works of
Richard Wagner," he says, "the term 'opera'
was generally regarded as sufficient. Dur-
ing the season just terminated, however, we
have had a perfect embarrassment of riches
so far as new forms of art are concerned."
He gives a list of operas with their compos-
ers and the descriptions applied by them..
The latter comprise music drama, musical
novelette, fantastic comedy, lyrical scenes,
folk tale, miracle, operatic fairy tale, merry
stage play, dramatic legend, lyrical action,
pantomime, musical comedy, village idyll,
merry opera, Biblical drama, lyrical drama,
operatic mystery.
THE BEETHOVEN FESTIVAL.
'"FHE next Beethoven festival at Bonn, his
birthplace, will be held from May 17
to 21. It will be very different from the
usual festival, as only four musicians will ap-
pear—the Joachim Quartet, who will play
all of Beethoven's quartets, not in chrono-
logical order, but so that each program will
contain specimens of the early and the late
workmanship.
BEN DAVIES ON SINGING.
D E N DAVIES, who has been heard re-
*-* cently in concert in this and other cities,
is emphatic on the fatal mistake so often
made by young singers by rushing into pub-
licity before they have become thoroughly
grounded in vocal technic. The importance
of being well prepared cannot be overesti-
mated. He lays stress upon the necessity of
getting behind the mere notational hiero-
BUT FEW REHEARSALS.
glyphics, so to speak, and by so doing to ob-
\AJ
M..
B.
TUTHILL, secretarv of the Ora-
tain that deep insight into the hidden mean-
torio
Society, writes to The Sun in
ing of the music which shall reveal the hid-
reference
to
the
query as to how many re-
den beauties of its inmost soul. There are
hearsals
that
chorus
had for Edward Elgar's
few more expressive, and therefore artistic,
"Dream
of
Gerontius."
He states that the
singers before the public than Ben Davies.
total
number
of
chorus
rehearsals
were thir-
Again, his career furnishes another instance
teen,
of
which
two
were
half
rehearsals.
The
of what may be achieved by steadfast perse-
minimum
number
required
of
each
chorister
verance, high ideals, and a patient continu-
ance in well doing.. Young singers may not for qualification was seven. The rehearsals
only derive encouragement but may learn a of the orchestra alone numbered three, and of
the orchestra and chorus together one. In
lesson from the career of this artist.
England the festival chorus which produced
'"THE New York festival chorus of 500
the work studied it eight months. Surely
voices conducted by Tali Esen Morgan
this is a progressive country.
presented Mendelssohn's "Elijah" at Carne-
gie Hall on Tuesday evening. The solo sing-
It is rumored that H, W. Savage will fol-
ers were Mmes. Marie Zimmerman and Alice low the lead of Heinrich Conried the new
Sovereign and Messrs. Evan Williams and impresario at the Metropolitan, and add Wag-
Gwilym Miles. There was a large attend- ner's "Parsifal" to the repertoire of his Eng-
ance.
lish Grand Opera Company.