Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
'"THE secret of success in any line of ef-
* fort to-day may be summed up in two
words—application and persistency. The
non-observance of these requisites may ac-
count for the failure of so many of our
young singers in the concert and operatic
fields. The percentage of those who are
able to wrest approval from a discriminat-
ing public is comparatively small. The
reasons are not far to seek and are well
summed up by that clever artist, Milka
Ternina, and her words are as applicable
to the situation in this country as in the
German fatherland. She said recently:
"We have few singers in Germany now,
and as time goes on there will be fewer.
And where the new ones are to come from
it is hard to see. Young ladies and young
men at a given moment grow tired of
practicing and of being told that their pro-
duction is faulty. Then they strike an
attitude and protest that they are Wagner
singers. In two years' time they have
hardly a note left."
Natural gifts are being ruined to-day by
this anxiety to walk, so to speak, before
one can creep in musical art. In the com-
mercial field the spirit of "getting there"
without the purifying fire of experience
very often obtains, but it does not win as
often in the domain of art.
The musical woods of America are full
of young artists who, through their own
impatience and misguided teachers, have
been irretrievably spoiled. Their vanity
has been cultivated instead of their talents.
Those possessing the "divine spark" and
who have reached an altitude in their
profession are not the ones who believe
they are "great," but allow others to
think so.
from Norway, but far less passionate and
rhythmic in their color and intensity than
the songs of the Slavs. The instrument
with which the peasant folk accompany
these songs is of the harp order and known
as a kantele.
The "Kalevala" is full of legends and
sagas, which nineteenth century composers
are constantly setting to music. Philip
Schanz is one who has used it most effec-
tively in a fine overture—"Kullerwo."
He is also widely known in Finland for his
stirring national chorus, "Wiaro andens
fria folk" (We are a free-born people").
Still more original is the work of Jean Si-
belius, whose symphonic poems are all
built upon episodes from the "Kalevala,"
or upon legends from a rich mythology.
His music to Adolf Paul's tragedy "Chris-
tian II." has been given repeatedly in Fin-
land, Sweden and Denmark, and will prob-
ably be produced shortly in Paris.
A Finnish opera composer of promise is
Oscar Merikanto, who likewise has had re-
course to the "Kalevala" for his subjects.
Four more composers of merit are Karl
Collan, Gabriel Ingelius, Konrad Greve
and August Ehrstrom, all true Finns by
birth and inspiration. The man whose
encouragement called these musicians into
activity was Frederik Pacius, a German
violinist born at Hamburg in 1809, and a
distinguished pupil of Spohr. He early
settled at Helsingfors, where he died in
1891. The Finns regard him with grati-
tude as the founder of their modern musi-
cal culture. He remained until his death,
teacher and music director at the Hels-
ingfors University.
I T is a genuine pleasure to record the
1 success of the People's Singing Classes
of this city. The movement this season
has extended its influence far beyond the
Metropolitan area and branches are being
formed in other cities and in other States.
Frank Damrosch and his associates are en-
titled to the greatest credit for their labors
in this connection which at all times have
been given free. The purpose of these
classes is to teach every one who desires to
learn to read music from notes. Member-
ship is open to all willing to pay dues of ten
cents a week to cover expenses. These
classes are under the management of local
committees for the various districts into
which the city has been divided, which
committees
have the aid, support and
C I N L A N D is not, as many suppose, an
supervision,
when required, of the Peo-
*• unmusical country. At Helsingfors
ple's
Choral
Union. The Choral Union
literature and art are ardently cultivated,
and
the
classes
together are a co-operative
not as foreign offshoots grafted on. but as
undertaking
for
musical education—self-
native entities. A university nourishes
governing
and
self-sustaining.
The dues
and much attention is paid to the educa-
of
the
members
pay
all
expenses.
The
tion of women. Indeed, as Miss A. E.
organization
is
entirely
non-political
and
Keeton says: Music is especially dear to
non-sectarian.
It
has
no
connection
with
the Finnish nature; there exists at present
brilliant little coterie of Finnish musicians, any charitable or religious association.
both composers and performers, whose aim
is to create a native school redolent of na- IN his recent address before the Royal
* Academy of Music, Henry Irving,
tive inspiration and color.
availed
of the opportunity to make a con-
The Finnish folk-songs are of a simple,
fession,
which, for some time had laid
melancholy, soft character; as a rule, they
heavy
on
his conscience. It seems that in
are moodier than those of Sweden, smooth-
the
course
of his checkered career, he had
er and more final in their cadences than
on
frequent
occasions led his audience in-
the questioning note which comes to us
to believing that he was a piano virtuoso
of no third-rate ability. In this connec-
tion he said: "I remember once executing
a very charming melody on the piano; it
was not, however, really produced by my
accomplished fingers, but by a lady who
was carefully concealed behind a door in
the wings, and who played on quite a dif-
ferent piano. He hardly dared tell them
of the numerous subterfuges which he had
been afterward put to when requested at
some social gathering to play 'the charm-
ing air which he so delightfully rendered
on the stage the other evening.'
C ROM a youthful admirer of The Review,
^
Mary Clifton Connor of Gainesville,
Fla , one of the pupils of that conscien-
tious and successful teacher, Mrs. A. Green
Parker, I am in receipt of a naive and in-
teresting letter anent the article on " Rag-
time Music " in The Review of November
3d. She writes:
We, Mrs. Parker's class, just laughed
yesterday when we heard the article on Rag-
time Music. I have studied tonality, thor-
ough-bass, embellishments, musical form,
musical history, musical analysis and
rhythm, and have almost completed har-
mony. These all are Mrs. Parker's works,
except the History, which is by J. C. Fill-
more, and the Musical Analysis, by A. J.
Goodrich, and ,am ..now, studying his work
on interpretation which, by the way, is
fine, and I have never been able to play a
Rag-time piece through. I don't like them
at all. When I begin one of the Beethoven
sonatas I never want to stop till I get
through the whole piece, every movement.
I play any grade of music on piano or vio-
lin, unless we consider Rag-time a grade.
I was born in 1889, which makes me
eleven years old. I don't know what my
taste may be after I get older, but I am
pretty sure I will never like the rag-time.
I was passing a house the other day and
heard a girl, a young lady, playing a form
of music that should have been moderato,
and she was giving it the presto movement.
She was tearing it up literally. I said to
myself so much for coon songs and rag-
time.
Not one of Mrs. Parker's class likes such
music and the folks laugh at us because
we can't play them, we don't want to,
that is why. How can we spend our time
that way when we have Beethoven, Cho-
pin and other immortals beside us?
If I should be cut off from the masters I
would compose my own music before I
would play such. I have composed some
few things that I consider better. I could
spend the time in improvising and enjoy it
more. I thought the remark that synco-
pation was in a fit was funny. In Mrs.
Parker's Method she is called Miss Synco-
pation and is represented as a cross old
maid.
I just could imagine I could see
her. Cross folks are liable to have fits.
Now we do enjoy hearing your journal
read and we love to look at the pictures of
the artists. I feel like I know so many of
them. I am a Florida cracker and it looks
like I would like the rag-time music, but I
don't.
T H E recognition of Tschaikowsky as a
* power in music has been of slow
progress, but it may be almost said to be
established now that the public has heard
the bulk of his works. And, strangely
enough, the complete realization of this
composer's greatness does not follow a