Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
United States is comparatively an infant
in the art field, but a strong and lusty-
youth in the " playground" of commerce.
Meanwhile this infant is exceedingly pre-
cocious and is giving abundant evidence of
the possession of those artistic traits which
will make us as famous in time to come as
we are now acknowledged to be in the mat-
ter of industrial supremacy. An indul-
gence in pessimistic predictions instead of
helpful criticism is to be deplored when
treating of this subject. Rather cultivate
an intelligent optimism whereby we may
blaze the way along a greater art progress
and thereby secure the much desired "at-
mosphere" for our country.
*
EXT season promises to be a pretty
lively one in the piano field. Among
those likely to be with us are Paderewski
and Mark Hambourg, who will reach here in
the early fall, Siloti, De Pachmann, Geo.
Liebling, Rosenthal, Jonas, Carreno, Josef
Hoffman, Dohnanyi and many others whose
names will come up for discussion as the
thermometer bounds up into the nineties.
*
HE late Pat. Gilmore's generosity is
proverbial. Mme. Lillian Nordica tells
the following story in this connection: It
was at the time when Gilmore was at the
height of his Paris engagement when his
agent ran off with his funds and left the
old bandmaster almost stranded. Despite
his sincere trouble he retained his imper-
turbable good nature and came out of it
successfully. " H e came to me one morn-
ing, smiling good-naturedly as usual," says
Mme. Nordica. "After greeting me and
inquiring after my health, he said, ' My
dear child, you have saved some little
money on this tour.' I told him yes.
" ' N o w , I would like to borrow that
little from you.'
'' I was very much surprised at the
request, for he said nothing whatever of
his loss. Still, he had been so uniformly
kind and generous, and had won our con-
fidence and regard so wholly, that I could
not hesitate. I turned over nearly all I
had and he gathered it up and went away,
simply thanking me. Of course, I heard
of the defalcation later. It was all around.
Our salaries went right on, however, and
in a few months the whole thing had been
quite forgotten, when he came to me one
morning with money ready in his hand.
'' ' To pay you what I owe you, my dear.'
"Oh, yes," I said, "so and so much,"
naming the amount.
" ' H e r e it is,'he said, and handing me
over a roll of bills, went away. Of course,
I did not count it until a little later, but
when I did I found just double the amount
I had named, and no persuasion would ever
induce him to accept a penny of it back."
*
HE recent festivals in England in honor
of Queen Victoria's eightieth birth-
day have kept the English composers busy
writing hymns of honor.
One of the
most dignified productions which has made
its appearance in this connection is that by
Sir Frederick Bridge of Westminster Abbey.
The verses are by S. C. Clark on the text
" My Time Is In Thine Hands," taken
from the Psalms.
IN this electric age when fame is created
*• in a day in the musical, industrial or
literary world, we seldom think of the cre-
ative forces behind individual enterprises
which are instrumental in placing them on
the highest pinnacle of success.
A good publisher cannot create merit in
poor work, but a poor publisher may kill
meritorious manuscript. As a few careless
strokes of the brush will ruin an artistic
N
T
T
F. TENNYSON NEELY.
picture so will indifferent action on the
part of a publisher destroy a beautiful
word painting, while on the other hand
a few polishing strokes in the make-up and
embellishing of a book will advance it
from a medium position to a higher niche
in public esteem.
It is the possession of that peculiar dis-
criminating ability in generous quantities
that has been a profound factor in placing
F. Tennyson Neely prominently before
book readers throughout the world.
He takes a personal interest in the pro-
duction of each author, and the wonder
grows how he is able to do this and direct
the extensive business which he has cre-
ated. Few people who see Mr. Neely's
books prominently displayed in the various
cities have an adequate idea of the magni-
tude of the business which he controls, or
of the tremendous vitalizing force which
has built up this enterprise from modest
beginnings, until to-day it ranks as one of
the greatest publishing concerns on earth.
F. Tennyson Necly publishes annually
over six million books, issuing on an aver-
age over one book a day.
It requires a perfect business organiza-
tion and executive ability behind such
an institution
which
has
the entire
world for its
market, for the
Neely system
to-day main-
tains an estab-
lished distribu-
tion of books
throughout
two
hemis-
pheres.
H e
has exhibited
g r e a t enter-
prise in pro-
ducing works
by s p e c i a l
writers upon
our new colon-
ial possessions.
Mr. Neely has
his headquar-
ters in New
York, main-
taining branch
offices in Chi-
cago and Lon-
don. The list
of Neely au-
thors includes
some of the
b e s t known
names in the
w o r l d , and
writers of in-
ternational
note are con-
stantly added
to his ranks.
In his busi-
ness methods
Mr. N e e l y
has been icon-
oclastic.
11
was Mr. Neely
who first made the innovation of placing
within the reach of all the works of promin-
ent authors handsomely and attractively
gotten out at popular prices. To an attract-
ive, buoyant and magnetic personality he
adds a keen literary instinct and business
perception, which enables him to quickly
separate in the literary granary the wheat
of merit from the chaff of indifference.
*
MIL SAUER sailed for Europe last
week, and before his departure he ex-
pressed himself as most appreciative of the
reception accorded him during his tournee
of this country.
"Herein New York is
the best audience a pianist can find," said
E