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THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
TIMELY TALKS ON TIMELY TOPICS.
The development of an art is of slow growth
and not often is it within the power of anyone
to point directly to the influences which have
made for the betterment of conditions until years
have closed behind. This season marks events
which show the influence before, indeed, the sea-
son has fairly passed away. This makes the
season unique in the history of America and its
musical life. To sum up hastily—the several
visiting conductors of the Philharmonic Society;
the production of Parsifal; the visit of Richard
Strauss; the growth of the work in music among
the wage-earners; the establishment of the Rus-
sian Symphony Society; the incontestable influ-
ence of the orchestras as manifested by the vast
audiences which they have attracted—all go to
make the moment memorable.
It seems fit that an era or an epoch should
make itself felt in the opening years of the
twentieth century and if we can only realize that
this is upon us at the present moment, perhaps
we can further its influence and its force.
The influence of the pianist is perhaps deeper
and more subtle than that of any other individ-
ual, because in the piano lies the concentrated
essence of all music. It is the instrument
which stands for every voice in the orchestra.
The man who plays it represents conductor and
each individual instrument, and upon him rests
the responsibility of unfolding its beauties, as
also the meanings of the works which he in-
terprets.
To add to the exceptional forces just men-
tioned, the pianists who have helped to make the
season have been of remarkable proportions, and
in the combination those who could understand
must have seen that as contrasts and as ex-
amples of the different elements in the art of
piano playing we may never again have such
valuable studies. Bauer, Busoni and Reisenauer
—Adele Aus der Ohe and Fannie Bloomfield-
Zeisler. In addition to this galaxy—Joseffy!
Each of these artists is a painter in tone, and
from no two have we heard the same tonal ef-
fects. This means clearly that the piano is
"All things unto all men," while we have been
permitted to ponder upon tone production, and
incidentally—methods.
In considering the forces at work in America,
however, the strongest and the hardest workers
are the most sadly neglected. These are the
teachers who are really doing their duty by the
pupil, by themselves and last but not least by
the art. It is the teacher of piano who will re-
quest of his pupils to hear the great music
which goes on during the season; it is he who
shows his pupil what to listen for and how to
appreciate. It is a notable fact that with the ex-
ception of the few great luminaries of Europe
—such as Leschetizsky, and perhaps a very few
others, the teachers of America are accomplishing
much more in the direction of making thinkers
out of their pupils than are the teachers of any
other country. The American is primarily the
analyst, and he has carried this into his work
as the teachers of few countries have done. It
is not difficult to see the great home that music
is gaining in this country—it is already here.
The months of festivals are on. In addition
to the usual number of this class of musical
feasts the World's Fair plans seem to promise one
prolonged music festival. The opera singers have
gone, except those who are remaining to fill
these engagements. From Ohio to Maine choral
societies are working for the presentation of
new works and old standards as well, and upon
each occasion new life is brought into the old
works and fresh enthusiasm into the new ones.
It is upon such occasions that the local singers
come into their own, for these works bristle
with difficulties, and be it said in a whisper,
entail too much work for the opera singer who,
with a few exceptions, is a creature of arias and
whims. We have had the opportunity this sea-
son to become better acquainted with Elgar, as
the New York Oratorio Society, under Frank
Damrosch, gave two performances of "The Apos-
tles" and one of the "Dream of Gerontius," and
Walter Henry Hall, with the Brooklyn Oratorio
Society, gave the "King Olaf" last week. To sum
the works up in a few words, Elgar has assimi-
lated modern methods and applied them to quasi-
ecclesiastical atmosphere. This is traceable in
King Olaf, even though it is a secular subject.
In such works one is reminded forcibly of
Horatio W. Parker, whose Hora Novissima will
always stand foremost among the modern works
of its kind.
It is interesting to note that with the excep-
tion of Elgar and Coleridge Taylor, for mod-
ern oratorio we are justified in looking to
America for both quantity and quality as such
men as Parker, Huss, Chadwick and others have
already done much toward establishing America
as the home for music of this class. The pub-
lishers of Ave Maria by Henry Holden Huss
have just had requests from London for the
orchestral parts of that cantata which is in the
course of study by one of the large societies,
thus we may see that by sheer merit our com-
posers will work out their own salvation.
When Frank Damrosch went abroad a couple
of weeks ago no one save those with whom he
consulted realized that he was on a tour of in-
vestigation which he would apply to New York
later on. It has just leaked out that Mr. Dam-
rosch went to examine into the modes of con-
ducting the endowed conservatories of Europe
with a view of applying his own ideas and such
as met with his approval on the other side to a
new conservatory that is to be formed in New
York. The establishment of such an institution
is to be in the hands of James Loeb, who will
take this means of offering a tribute to the mem-
ory of his mother, who was a gifted musician,
and a woman always anxious to assist those work-
ing seriously in the field of music. Mr. Loeb will
give $500,000 in the hope that others will come
forward with enough to make an endowment of
$1,000,000. This will not be free to students,
but the tuition will be at such prices as to bring
study within the reach of all. The promise is to
put the very best instructors available in office,
and to make an institution which will defy
Europe and its conservatories.
The season was as rich in novelties as it was
in interesting personalities. Taking into consid-
eration the pianists aforementioned, we had
Miss Peppercorn, Jacques Thibaud, E. Colonne,
Gustav Kogel, Felix Weingartner, Victor Herbert,
Henry J. Wood, Wassili Safonoff and Richard
Strauss.
The Olive Mead Quartet made its first public
appearance at Mendelssohn Hall, and proved in-
stantly that the four young women were well
calculated to make a position for themselves that
would endure, as they were far beyond the ordi
nary in every quality that a good chamber music
organization must include.
In new works, we heard for orchestra: "Sin-
fonia Domestica," by Richard Strauss; "Don
Quixote," by Strauss, played by the Boston Sym-
phony Orchestra; "The Elysian Fields," by Wein-
gartner; "King Lear," by Weingartner; "The En-
chanted Forest," by Vincent D'Indy; Glazounoff's
E flat Symphony, Dohnanyi's First Symphony,
D'Albert's Overture to "The Improvisatore,"
Saint Saen's Overture to "Les Barbares," "Moor-
ish Dances" from J. K. Paine's Opera Azara,
and Orchestral Variations by Elgar.
In chamber music the Kneisel Quartet pre-
sented Kopylow's G major quartet; the Longy
Club, which made its initial appearance in New
York, played A. Caplet's Suite Persane for wood-
winds and piano. New songs of importance in-
cluded a number by Charles Martin Loeffler,
F. Weingartner, Richard Strauss and Hugo Wolf.
In the world of opera there was "Parsifal,"
and revivals of "La Dame Blanche," by Boil-
dieu; "The Elixir of Love," by Donizetti, and
Delibes "Coppelia." In choral works there were
Elgar's "The Apostles," "King Olaf," by the
same composer, Coleridge-Taylor's "The Atone-
ment," Henry Holden Huss' setting of Kipling's
"Recessional," Max Bruch's "Cross of Fire," and
Kelley's "Captain, Oh My Captain." There was
also a production of Horatio Parker's concerto
for orgir) and uvchestra, and a ?;reat number of
sacred works of iterit.
EMILIE FRANCES BAUKK.
THE CINCINNATI FESTIVAL.
An Exceptional Fine Program Will Be Interpreted.
More than thirty years ago the Cincinnati
Music Festival was established, with Theodore
Thomas as director. With the sixteenth festival,
to be held on May 11, 12, 13 and 14, the chain of
sixteen biennial events will have been completed,
all of which have been directed by Theodore
Thomas. The. Cincinnati festivals, perhaps bet-
ter than any single achievement in Theodore
Thomas's career, represent his broadest outlook,
his catholicity of taste, and adherence of an ideal.
The choral works to be performed include Bach's
B minor Mass, Beethoven's Missa Solennis and
Ninth Symphony, Elgar's "Dream of Gerontius,"
and an unfamiliar work of Berlioz, written for
great masses of voices and instruments—"The
Emperor's Hymn"—composed and first performed
in 1855 at the request of Prince Napoleon, and
never before published until the owners of the
manuscript were requested to do so by Theodore
Thomas and the Cincinnati festival directors.
The list of soloists includes Agnes Nicholls, Mu-
riel Foster, William Green, Watkin Mills and
Mme. Schumann-Heink. The price of a season
ticket for the five festival concerts is $12. The
manager of the festival is Mr. George H. Wilson.
NATIONAL SCHOOLS OF MUSIC.
Vincent D'Indy Says It is Questionable if There is
Such a Thing in Europe.
It is refreshing to find that America is not the
only country which is minus a truly national
school of music. According to Vincent D'Indy,
it is questionable if there is such a thing as a
national school even in Europe. The eminent
French composer discussed the matter recently
in The Revue Bleu in this wise:
"You ask for a description of the essential
traits of French music. In truth there is no such
thing as French music; no such thing as national
music. There is only music as such, peculiar to
no country. The truthfulness of dramatic ex-
pression, which is spoken of as a French charac-
teristic, was peculiar to the Italian Monteverdi
and the German Gluck, no less than to the French
Rameau. The only thing specifically French that
I can see in our music is a certain color, and that
also cannot be defined with precision."
"PARSIFAL" IN OTHER CITIES.
Herr Conried May Give the Wagner Opera Even in
California.
Heinrich Conried has arranged for the positive
production of "Parsifal" in Chicago and Boston
next spring, and is just now interested in a plan
to give the opera next spring in California.
Herr Conried expects to take the company on
tour as usual after the close of tlie season at the
Metropolitan Opera House. He will in all proba-
bility take only the performers needed for "Parsi-
fal" and the Italian operas. In the large cities
the Wagner opera and the Italian works are to
alternate in the repertoire.
At least three of the large cities will thus see
"Parsifal" next winter with the company of the
Metropolitan Opera House.
In connection with the policy of the Philhar-
monic Society of New York in importing foreign
conductors, it is not unlikely that we may have
Siegfried Wagner and Eugene D'Albert over here
next season.