Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
TELEPHONE
NUMBER,
1745—EIGHTEENTH
STREET.
of airy existence no longer fettered by
phases of emotional feeling.
If a person possess but a spark of divine
instinct he is able, perhaps but in a limited
degree, to dip at least in the liquid melodies
of inspired music even if he has not studied
the means whereby that effect has been
obtained; but recite to an individual who
has not learned, actually or by frequency
of reading, the rules of prosody—read to
such a one metres of a Milton or Tenny-
son, and no chord of sympathy will be
touched. Why? Music appeals to the soul,
the higher part, the unknown quantity
of a man's organization, whereas poetry
demands the acquired knowledge of a
language and its correct meaning and ap-
plication. Music can accentuate the verse,
but find if you can a single line of poetry
or prose which might add to the effect of a
musical poem—Beethoven's C minor or
Pastoral Symphony, for instance.
""FHE present season of grand opera prom-
*
ises to be a reeord breaker in every
.respect. We knew in advance, of course,
that the management had drawn up a pro-
gram w r hich, in the matter of performers
and works, was not to be paralleled; indeed
it was lavish on the side of recklessness.
There remained the serious consideration
whether or not the community, including
the world of fashion, music lovers pure and
simple and those who merely sought amuse-
ment, would back up the impressario and
the stock-holders of the Metropolitan in
their enterprise.
What a glorious thought it is that our
It is pleasant to record that after two art is the only one which absolutely con-
weeks' performances this question can be tains itself in itself.
For this very
answered in the affirmative.
Many of reason it can scarcely be termed an art. It
the new comers, such as Ernst Van Dyck, is more a spiritual existence—an implied
Marcella Sembrich, M. Saleza, as well as life. Poetry, greatest of the arts proper,
all the leading favorites, have been heard gives but a word picture of a natural
and their reception has been enthusiastic. beauty or emotion. The plastic art, which
Maurice Grau has unquestionably strength- must rank next, copies in more perfect
ened his forces by the addition of many guise the greatest of earthly creations, the
stars of great magnitude. It is gratifying human form.
I say "in more perfect
that a serious effort to give us the best guise;" that is, more coldly beautiful,
that is to be had in the way of musical morespirituelle, less earthly, less animal.
talent is appreciated by this town. The The nakedness of the statue does not of-
community is showing that it is awake to fend ; it raises no sensual thoughts. It is
its opportunities.
Attendance at even a cold and in white. It is less human—
few of the great works which are performing more godlike.
this winter is a liberal education in itself.
*
*
I T is said that Pope Leo is engaged in
T H E cosmopolitanism of the artists ap-
'
writing a Latin song on the "Worship
*
pearing at the Opera House testifies of the Redeemer," to celebrate the end of
to the universality of the divine art and de- the century, and to have selected the priest
monstrates that the best talent has been composer Perosi to compose the music.
culled from every opera house in the old The Pope is also writing a libretto for an
world. There are singers from Germany, oratorio which has been set to music by M.
Italy, Poland, Hungary, Holland, Belgium,
Theodore Dubois, director of the Paris
France, England, Australia, and America. Conservatoire, and will be performed in
There are singers dramatic and singers the Cathedral of Rheims in the latter part
lyric; tenors robusto and tenors di grazia; of December by an orchestra of 120 pieces
bassos cantante and bassos profundo. and a chorus of 200 voices. The subject of
There are women whose voices express the the oratorio is "The Baptism of Clovis."
passions of humanity and women whose Students of French history will remember
voices emulate the song of birds; men who that the baptism of Clovis led to the general
sing of love and men who sing of hate. All acceptance of the Christian religion and
schools, all methods, all styles are repre- contributed greatly to the setting up of that
sented. Arias will be sung with all the bulwark which in later centuries checked
finish of the art of bel canto, cavatinas will the onslaught of the Moslems and saved
be warbled with the frills, trills and rou- Western Europe from passing under the
lades of "fioriture" and declamatory recit- domination of the Saracens. The mental
atives will be formulated with the gifts of
activity of this wonderful old-young man
oratory allied to those of singing.
is amazing. His four score and more of
*
years of course affect his physique, but his
DOETRY is the expression of the intel- mind seems as active as if he was half the
1
lect, the mind, the positive feelings. years. It is safe to predict that his ora-
Music is the language of the soul, the heart, torio will be a brilliant success.
the unutterable feelings. One is to the
*
other as the spirit to the body. United in
IN a London musical paper there has been
their heights they combine in a god-like * much discussion anent the subject
humanness, and less frequently in a hu- "Was Browning Really Musical?" In
man god-likeness. Sever them, and the this connection Mr. Dannreuther says :
imitative art sinks to a human level (it " I have never seen him touch an in-
may be a fairly high one, but still it is hu- trument or hum a tune."
To which
man,) whilst the abstract art rises to realms Charles Fry replies in the same periodical
that he once called on Browning at his res-
idence in Warwick Crescent, when, after
expressing himself much pleased with the
performance of one of his plays, he made
a very flattering reference to the beautiful
setting of the song " There's a woman like
a dewdrop," which Sir Alexander Macken-
zie had written at Mr. Fry's request. Mr.
Browning said: " It is a rather charming
setting as a song, but my own idea was
rather that in the play the song should be
more suggested than sung—hummed, in
fact—as the young lover enters Mildred's
window and bends over her. " Whereupon
he sat dow r n to the pianoforte and hummed
a verse of the song to an extemporized
tune, playing his own accompaniment.
"My regret is," Mr. Fry concludes, "that
I was not able to jot this down and thus have
secured a permanent record of a song writ-
ten and composed by Robert Browning."
*
P M I L PAUR, in the short time he has
*^
wielded the baton as a resident of
this city, has demonstrated by his earnest-
ness, perseverance, determination and en-
thusiasm that he is not only a great musi-
cal master, but is destined to secure re-
sults hitherto thought impossible from a
homogeneous body of efficient players.
Every hearing of his Symphony Orchestra
confirms this. At the Symphony concerts
two weeks since, as well as at the popular
Sunday evening entertainments, he has de-
lighted large and critical audiences with
orchestral interpretations that are in many
respects a revelation. Mr. Paur has had
to face a peculiar problem in this city.
Coming from Boston where he had control
of a splendidly trained body of musicians,
he has had to organize and mold into form
a body of men accustomed unfortunately
to lax discipline. Under the circumstan-
ces the work accomplished in a compar-
atively short period, is simply remark-
able, and it augurs well for the continued
progress along artistic lines of the body
which he now so ably controls. In this
connection the magnificent educational
work which Mr. Paur and the Symphony
Orchestra are accomplishing through their
Sunday night performances cannot be
lightly overlooked.
The prices charged
bring the compositions of the masters,
capably interpreted by a good orchestra,
within the reach of all. It is by such work
as this that we can hope to make progress
musically as a nation. Germany's stand-
ing to-day in the musical world is due
largely, if not entirely, to the artistic at-
mosphere created by the opportunities af-
forded those musically inclined of hearing
and enjoying good music at a reasonable
tariff.
God speed Emil Paur and his
Symphony Orchestra in their good work.
*
IACOMO PUCCINI is writing his next
opera for Mme. Melba. This work is
to be founded on Sardou's " L a Tosca,"
and the composer has already been em-
ployed on it for at least a year. It is in-
deed so far advanced that some of the
music has been played to Victorien Sardou,
who was at first somewhat opposed to the
use of his play as a libretto, but was de-