Music Trade Review

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56 PAGES
With which is incorporated THE KEYNOTE.
VOL. XXX. N o . 2 2 .
Published Biery Saturday by Edward Lyman Bill at 3 East Fourteenth Street. New York, June 2,1900.
C I F T E E N valuable prizes will be offered
*
at the coming nineteenth national
saengerfest which is to be held in Brooklyn
commencing on July 6. The principal one
is the trophy donated by Emperor William
of Germany—a silver statuette, already re-
ferred to in these columns.
In the contest between singing organiza-
tions of the city and county there will be
awarded bronze busts of Wagner and Abt
for first and second prizes. In the com-
petition between individual societies, which
is divided into three classes, the prizes will
consist of grand pianos, portraits in silver
and bronze relief of Beethoven, Heine,
Rheinberger, Heuser and Meyer-Albersle-
ben, and silver cups.
The Emperor's prize is to be awarded to
the society deemed by the judges to have
sung best the song "Das Deutsche Lied."
The verses were found in an old New York
scrap-book; the author was an immigrated
German whose love of the Fatherland in-
spired him. It has been set to music by
Peter Fassbaender, a Swiss composer.
Two hundred and twelve singing socie-
ties are to take part, and the singers will
a
g£ r e g a te ten thousand in number.
Among the attractions of the Saenger-
fest will be a chorus of five thousand school
children. Rehearsals are being held every
Saturday in nine of the local schools under
the direction of nine of the public school
teachers of the borough. Mr. Albert S.
Caswell, the musical director of public
schools of Brooklyn, will wield the baton
at the concert, which will take place on the
afternoon of July 3.
When the plan to let the little ones sing
was first proposed some doubt was expressed
as to the possibility of securing a sufficient
number of good voices.
They will sing in three sections, the
junior grade, the advanced grade and the
high school pupils, as well as in joint
chorus. Among the songs to be rendered
will be "The Code," " T h e Lost Chord"
and "Rocked in the Cradle of the Deep,"
by one thousand five hundred high school
boys. The entire chorus of five thousand
will render, among other songs, the
" Lorelei."
the Gay City. On this subject Theodore
Dubois, the director of the French Conser-
vatoire de Musique; M. Carre, directeur de
1' Opera Comique; several leaders of French
military bands, and one of the chief mem-
bers of the justly celebrated band of the
Garde Republicain, said: "This is exactly
the sort of music our countrymen want in
order to play up to our reputation. We
are apt to perform music in far too ab-
stract a way, and above the heads of
ninety-nine out of every one hundred
listeners. We get succes d'estime, but
we fail to stir the masses of the people to
enthusiasm as the American band does.
Besides, the American descriptive music
the American band plays a classical re-
pertoire, including Chopin, Liszt, and
Beethoven, fully as well as we do. I feel
certain the example given by this Ameri-
can band will be followed by a majority of
our military orchestras on account of the
immense hold it obtains over the ordinary
listener's emotions."
COME features of unexpected musical in-
^
terest are to be found at the Paris Ex-
hibition. Besides frequent performances of
modern music by the Colonne orchestra, a
small model church, "St. Juliendes Mene-
triers," has been erected in the " Vieux
Paris," where short performances are given
by the Chanteurs St. Gervais, at least
twice a day, of church music of all periods,
with special attention to the unaccom-
panied music of the Renaissance age.
Thus on a recent afternoon were given a
motet by the French composer Richafort
(sixteenth century), two numbers from a
cantata by J. S. Bach, and Cesar Franck's
"Dextera Domini." Later, in a concert
hall close by, old French chansons, both
for solo voices and for choir, and Pales-
trina's madrigal, "Mori il moi core," were
sung. Each morning a mass (or the great-
er part of one) is performed, such as the
"Missa Brevis" or Vittoria's "O quam
gloriosum; " and for the benefit of visitors
who have not Fetis at their finger's ends,
a lecteur gives before each piece "une
courte glose analytique et didactique."
T H E American band, as Sousa'sis termed JV/l ME. NORDICA is to return to this
* in Paris, has made a distinct "hit." * " * country next fall under very unusual
Great interest is manifested in American circumstances. Her contract with Maurice
compositions, songs and descriptive music, Grau is for only fifteen appearances in
which are a revelation to the residents of opera and these are to take place in the
$3.00 PER YEAR.
SINGLE COPIES 10 CENTS
West. That an artist should return for
such a brief engagement seemed incom-
prehensible until the conditions were un-
derstood. Mme. Nordica demanded for
next season the same terms paid to Mme.
Lehtnann two years ago on the ground
that she is Mme. Lehmann's successor.
Mr. Grau would not agree to this proposi-
tion, so Mme. Nordica will return only for
the few performances in the West, where
she will receive the fee paid to Mme. Leh-
mann. Mme. Nordica does not intend to
be satisfied with Mme. Lehmann's artistic
honors. She expects to enjoy her financial
favor as well.
A T the recent musical jubilee in Mil-
**• waukee, Carl Schurz paid a very grace-
ful tribute to the people of his native coun-
try and the part which they have played
in the develpment of musical taste, and
social enjoyment in this country. " It
is well known," said Mr. Schurz, "that the
American born of English blood has, in
spite of his remarkable capacity, industry,
and energy of character, failed to properly
appreciate the value of harmless amuse-
ments. I do not now mean the sad-faced
man who knows no other Sunday en-
joyment than to take a stroll through
a churchyard and read the inscriptions
upon the grave-stones; I mean the aver-
age American, who daily occupies him-
self with useful employment, and strives
for refinement, and would gladly win for
himself and his family the real enjoyments
of life, if he only knew how. He who
adds anything to mitigate the nervous
haste and grim earnestness of the Ameri-
can life with the light and warmth of a
harmless social cheer, confers a benefit
upon the American people. And among
these beneficent people the Germans stand
in the front rank.
' 'More than any other portion of the popu-
lation, Germans have shown the native
born how he may enjoy himself with small
things; how enjoyments that cost little or
nothing may be of great value; how art,
and especially music, improves and ele-
vates social life; how one may take a lib-
eral view of life and still remain an order-
loving citizen. How this example has in-
tertwined, how it has in the past fifty
years altered the tone of American life,
how old prejudices have given away be-
fore a wholesome living, we elder ones
can testify."