Music Trade Review
Issue: 1897 Vol. 24 N. 14 - Page 3
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With which is Incorporated THE KEYNOTE.
VOL XXIV.
No. 14.
Published Every Saturday, at 3 East Fourteenth Street. New York, April 3,1897.
THE VIOLIN.
Before the listening world behold him stand,
The warm air trembles with his passionate play;
Their cheers shower round him like the ocean
spray
Round one who waits upon the stormy strand.
Their smiles, sighs, tears are all at his command:
And now they hear the trump of judgment bray,
And now one silver note to heaven doth stray.
And fluttering fall upon the golden sand.
But like the murmur of the distant sea
Their loud applause, and far off, faint and weak.
Sounds his own music to him, wild and free—
Far from the soul of music that doth speak
In wordless wail and joyful ecstacy
From that good viol pressed against his cheek.
Richard Watson Gilder.
MYTHICAL ELEMENT IN TANNHAUSER.
The music-dramas of Wagner possess a
great deal more interest than the mere
stories of their plots, effective staging, and
musical interpretation of the emotions and
events represented.
In the legend of Tannhauser, Frigg-—
Wagner's "Fricka" in "Siegfreid"—is the
mother earth, wife of the god of heaven,
who is called in Anglo Saxon "Woden,"
High-German "Wotan," Norse "Odin.' 1
She appears under the name of Holda, the
blithe, propitious goddess, who may be
identified with "Ostara," Anglo-Saxon
"Eostre," the goddess of spring whose
name survives in "Easter." Her charac-
ter is given in the spring song of the shep-
herd boy in the opera.
bodiment of feminine virtue, that cardinal
quality for which the Latin writers admired
the "barbarous" Teutonic tribes, and held
them up as examples to their degenerate
Roman world. The change from this to a
malignant spirit was in accordance with
the familiar practice of the early mission-
aries, who themselves believed in the exis-
tence of the heathen gods, but either called
them demons and devils, or else identified
them with some saint of the church, as
Freya was often identified with the Virgin.
There were Venus mountains in other
parts. This goddess is the life-giving
power of the earth. But she also had her
high dwelling in Asgard, the Teutonic
Olympus; and in her great hall, called in
the Norse "Folkvangr," it was believed
that lovers separated on earth would meet
once more, nevermore to part till the world
shall perish. She was the goddess of love;
but Teutonic love was not like Latin, Freya
not like Venus. The ancient Teutons be-
lieved that in the springtime the gods trav-
eled over the earth unseen, blessing the
fields and orchards, and calling the dor-
mant forces of nature to action. This
belief is recalled in the shepherd's song.
H. E. O. Heinemann.
POPULAR WAR SONGS.
Much of the music now known as war
songs was not written until the war was
almost ended. The most popular writers
of music at that period were Dr. George
•< Queen Holda forth from the mountain came,
F. Root, Charles Carroll Sawyer and Hen-
O'er field and meadow she hovered,
Enchanting sounds
ry C. Work, and the most famous of the
Bewitched my ear,
few great war songs was Dr. Root's "Bat-
But longing eyes night covered.
Then dreamt I many a blissful dream,
tle Cry of Freedom." It was written in
And, scarce awake, beheld the gleam
1861 and sung first at a big "rally" held in
Of golden sunshine round me.
Union Square, New York, just after the
And May, fair May had found me,
Sounds piping merrily my lay,
first call for 75,000 men. It was sung by
For May has come, beloved May."
a male quartet and took the loyal throng by
Elsewhere the same deity appears under storm.
All the songs made for the period cover-
the name of Bertha (Berchta, Beorhte,
bright), perhaps the Nerthus whom Taci- ing the war were not sad by any means.
tus mentions. The name "Holda" is the One of the most notable comic songs writ-
word "hold," one of the sweetest, most ten by Henry C. Work in 1862 and sung
tender words in the German language, one on every concert stage in the North was
of those untranslatable terms meaning "Babylon Has Fallen," and it marked the
gracious, kind, loving, propitious, all in first general participation of the negroes in
one. She was most emphatically a divin- war.
ity friendly to man, and nothing could be
Everybody who can remember anything
further removed from her character than about the war will recall the desolate
that of Venus. In fact, she was the em- Thanksgiving of 1861. The Federal
^3.00 PER YEAR-
-SINGLE COPIES, 10 CENTS
troops had met with repulse and disaster
in every direction. The South was acting
under its new government, and the breach
was growing wider each day. Then was
born a song worthy of the time and topic.
It was not sectional and was sung in South-
ern homes as well as Northern. Dr. Root
composed and dedicated it to the homes
made desolate by the war, and it was sung
at a great Thanksgiving demonstration in
.New York on that day, "We Shall Meet
But We Shall Miss Him."
Then on July 1, 1862, came the call for
300,000 more men. Hearts that beat high
with hope that the war was about to end
almost broke under the stunning blow.
Right bravely the boys tramped away and
loyally they sang, "We Are Coming, Fa-
ther Abraham, 300,000 More."
In 1863, thinking that the war was about
over, and looking to the end, the whole
North was singing, "When Johnnie Comes
Marching Home Again."
"When This Cruel War Is Over" was a
much-sung song both North and South and
was particularly fruitful in parodies.
One of the grand old favorites written
in 1864, "We're Tenting To-night on the
Old Camp Ground," has been growing in
favor with the years, and half a hundred
grizzled old veterans will sing it all night.
0
THE MANUSCRIPT SOCIETY'S PUBLIC CON-
CERT.
The next public orchestral concert of the
Manuscript Society, which will occur on the
evening of April 22, will be of exceptional
interest. Among the compositions will be
the Suite in D Minor, for grand or-
chestra, opus 36, by Arthur Foote, of
Boston, which was set down for per-
formance at the second public meeting.
The Suite is in four movements. It
is intended to give the songs by Mrs.
Gaynor that were announced upon the pro-
gram of the first concert, but which
were not sung on that occasion. At the
close of the last season Dr. Gerrit Smith
offered a prize of $50 for the best composi-
tion for organ, and Mr. John L. Burdett
offered a prize of the same amount for the
best song. The competition closed on
February 1, 1897, and the successful pieces
will be performed at this concert. A violin
concerto by Homer N. Bartlett is also
scheduled for this event.
With which is Incorporated THE KEYNOTE.
VOL XXIV.
No. 14.
Published Every Saturday, at 3 East Fourteenth Street. New York, April 3,1897.
THE VIOLIN.
Before the listening world behold him stand,
The warm air trembles with his passionate play;
Their cheers shower round him like the ocean
spray
Round one who waits upon the stormy strand.
Their smiles, sighs, tears are all at his command:
And now they hear the trump of judgment bray,
And now one silver note to heaven doth stray.
And fluttering fall upon the golden sand.
But like the murmur of the distant sea
Their loud applause, and far off, faint and weak.
Sounds his own music to him, wild and free—
Far from the soul of music that doth speak
In wordless wail and joyful ecstacy
From that good viol pressed against his cheek.
Richard Watson Gilder.
MYTHICAL ELEMENT IN TANNHAUSER.
The music-dramas of Wagner possess a
great deal more interest than the mere
stories of their plots, effective staging, and
musical interpretation of the emotions and
events represented.
In the legend of Tannhauser, Frigg-—
Wagner's "Fricka" in "Siegfreid"—is the
mother earth, wife of the god of heaven,
who is called in Anglo Saxon "Woden,"
High-German "Wotan," Norse "Odin.' 1
She appears under the name of Holda, the
blithe, propitious goddess, who may be
identified with "Ostara," Anglo-Saxon
"Eostre," the goddess of spring whose
name survives in "Easter." Her charac-
ter is given in the spring song of the shep-
herd boy in the opera.
bodiment of feminine virtue, that cardinal
quality for which the Latin writers admired
the "barbarous" Teutonic tribes, and held
them up as examples to their degenerate
Roman world. The change from this to a
malignant spirit was in accordance with
the familiar practice of the early mission-
aries, who themselves believed in the exis-
tence of the heathen gods, but either called
them demons and devils, or else identified
them with some saint of the church, as
Freya was often identified with the Virgin.
There were Venus mountains in other
parts. This goddess is the life-giving
power of the earth. But she also had her
high dwelling in Asgard, the Teutonic
Olympus; and in her great hall, called in
the Norse "Folkvangr," it was believed
that lovers separated on earth would meet
once more, nevermore to part till the world
shall perish. She was the goddess of love;
but Teutonic love was not like Latin, Freya
not like Venus. The ancient Teutons be-
lieved that in the springtime the gods trav-
eled over the earth unseen, blessing the
fields and orchards, and calling the dor-
mant forces of nature to action. This
belief is recalled in the shepherd's song.
H. E. O. Heinemann.
POPULAR WAR SONGS.
Much of the music now known as war
songs was not written until the war was
almost ended. The most popular writers
of music at that period were Dr. George
•< Queen Holda forth from the mountain came,
F. Root, Charles Carroll Sawyer and Hen-
O'er field and meadow she hovered,
Enchanting sounds
ry C. Work, and the most famous of the
Bewitched my ear,
few great war songs was Dr. Root's "Bat-
But longing eyes night covered.
Then dreamt I many a blissful dream,
tle Cry of Freedom." It was written in
And, scarce awake, beheld the gleam
1861 and sung first at a big "rally" held in
Of golden sunshine round me.
Union Square, New York, just after the
And May, fair May had found me,
Sounds piping merrily my lay,
first call for 75,000 men. It was sung by
For May has come, beloved May."
a male quartet and took the loyal throng by
Elsewhere the same deity appears under storm.
All the songs made for the period cover-
the name of Bertha (Berchta, Beorhte,
bright), perhaps the Nerthus whom Taci- ing the war were not sad by any means.
tus mentions. The name "Holda" is the One of the most notable comic songs writ-
word "hold," one of the sweetest, most ten by Henry C. Work in 1862 and sung
tender words in the German language, one on every concert stage in the North was
of those untranslatable terms meaning "Babylon Has Fallen," and it marked the
gracious, kind, loving, propitious, all in first general participation of the negroes in
one. She was most emphatically a divin- war.
ity friendly to man, and nothing could be
Everybody who can remember anything
further removed from her character than about the war will recall the desolate
that of Venus. In fact, she was the em- Thanksgiving of 1861. The Federal
^3.00 PER YEAR-
-SINGLE COPIES, 10 CENTS
troops had met with repulse and disaster
in every direction. The South was acting
under its new government, and the breach
was growing wider each day. Then was
born a song worthy of the time and topic.
It was not sectional and was sung in South-
ern homes as well as Northern. Dr. Root
composed and dedicated it to the homes
made desolate by the war, and it was sung
at a great Thanksgiving demonstration in
.New York on that day, "We Shall Meet
But We Shall Miss Him."
Then on July 1, 1862, came the call for
300,000 more men. Hearts that beat high
with hope that the war was about to end
almost broke under the stunning blow.
Right bravely the boys tramped away and
loyally they sang, "We Are Coming, Fa-
ther Abraham, 300,000 More."
In 1863, thinking that the war was about
over, and looking to the end, the whole
North was singing, "When Johnnie Comes
Marching Home Again."
"When This Cruel War Is Over" was a
much-sung song both North and South and
was particularly fruitful in parodies.
One of the grand old favorites written
in 1864, "We're Tenting To-night on the
Old Camp Ground," has been growing in
favor with the years, and half a hundred
grizzled old veterans will sing it all night.
0
THE MANUSCRIPT SOCIETY'S PUBLIC CON-
CERT.
The next public orchestral concert of the
Manuscript Society, which will occur on the
evening of April 22, will be of exceptional
interest. Among the compositions will be
the Suite in D Minor, for grand or-
chestra, opus 36, by Arthur Foote, of
Boston, which was set down for per-
formance at the second public meeting.
The Suite is in four movements. It
is intended to give the songs by Mrs.
Gaynor that were announced upon the pro-
gram of the first concert, but which
were not sung on that occasion. At the
close of the last season Dr. Gerrit Smith
offered a prize of $50 for the best composi-
tion for organ, and Mr. John L. Burdett
offered a prize of the same amount for the
best song. The competition closed on
February 1, 1897, and the successful pieces
will be performed at this concert. A violin
concerto by Homer N. Bartlett is also
scheduled for this event.
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