Music Trade Review
Issue: 1900 Vol. 31 N. 9 - Page 5
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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
quent utterances upon singing and out-
door music. He once stated before an
assembly of country folk that at one time
he thought the musical faculty was pos-
sessed by the few, but experience had
taught him that it had been only denied
to the few and that almost every man,
woman and child could learn to sing.
Gladstone was undeniably fond of music,
though his tastes were catholic. He had a
magnificent speaking voice, as we all
know, and it is said that his singing voice
was cultivated and delightful. Gladstone's
interest in music remained to the end of
life, and its enjoyment was a continual
afternoon recreation. His observation on
the might of music deserves to be remem-
bered. He said:
" They who think music ranks amongst
the trifles of existence are in gross error;
because from the beginning of the world
down to the present time it has been one of
the most forcible instruments both for
training, for arousing, and for governing
the mind of man. There was a time when
letters and civilization had but begun to
dawn upon the world. In that day music
was not unknown; on the contrary, it was
so far from being a mere servant and hand-
maid of common and light amusement
that the great and noble art of poetry was
essentially wedded to that of music, so that
there was no poet who was not a musician;
there was no verse spoken in the early ages
of the world but that music was adapted as
its vehicle, showing thereby the universal
consciousness that in that way the straight-
est and most effectual road would be found
to the heart and affections of men."
A PORTRAIT of that Russian wizard
-** of the keyboard, Ossip Gabrilowitsch,
who will visit this country in November,
illumines our front page this month. Al-
though quite a young man, this artist has,
by force of his ability and his remarkable
talents, won his way into the very front
rank of contemporary piano virtuosi. The
tributes paid Gabrilowitsch by the leading
European critics are of such a flattering
character as to lead one to expect that this
artist will prove the sensation of the musi-
cal season. He possesses a magnetic per-
sonality and is both handsome and modest
—a rare combination. His intense Slavic
nature, backed by a prodigious technic, en-
ables him to accomplish musical feats far
beyond his years; nevertheless, it is as a
musical, and not as a mere "technical " art-
ist, that he makes his strongest appeal.
While he reads Bach, Beethoven, Schu-
mann, Chopin to perfection, yet as a Rubin-
stein interpreter, Oscar Bie, the well-
known German critic, considers him un-
equalled.
five pieces being German. For the Expo-
sition it was therefore proposed to have
ten orchestral concerts of French music
alone. A committee of twenty composers
was appointed to make up the programs,
the result being endless quarrels and no
gain to the cause of French music.
M E W YORK is not the only city where
*• ^ it is difficult for orchestral organiza-
tions to thrive. In London the Philhar-
monic Society's season has been such a
failure from a financial viewpoint that an
assessment of ten per cent.|has had to be
MISS AUGUSTA COTTLOW.
country and will make her re-appearance
here at the coming Worcester Festival,
when she will play the Tschaikowski Con-
certo in B flat minor.
j*
HTHE character of the music in the ma-
jority of our churches has been the
subject for frequent discussion. There
has always been predominant in this es-
pecial field a narrow feeling which has
hindered any improvement along essential
lines. As a writer in Harper's says:
"The bigotry which has piously shut the
best music out of the church is a survival
of t h a t asceticism
which nipped like a
killing frost everything
vernal in the religious
life. But as the rigors
of bigotry have softened
in the growing warmth
of general enlighten-
ment, and the love and
culture of music have
steadily advanced, the
church has quietly
dropped its old methods
and has unconsciously
taken on the new, until
to-day it may be truth-
fully said that the best
music of the world is
laid under tribute for
church services. Even
the wicked music of the
heels is sometimes so
judiciously 'slowed up'
and subdued in color,
and punctuated with
solemn pauses, that
staid deacons, decor-
ously, innocently, pace
to their pews to strains
from an opera."
In the Roman Cath-
olic Church music of
a decided florid and
operatic character has
long been used and
has added considerably
to the attractiveness of its service. Mean-
while there is to-day a strong movement
among the authorities in that church to
curb this tendency toward operatic effects,
aud make it more devotional and more in
keeping with the Palestrina ideal. There
is a gratifying tendency, however, in our
larger cities and in churches of all persua-
sions to improve the standard of the music,
and this is very pleasing to all who have
the advancement of music at heart. Good
music, whether in church or school, in op-
era house or theatre, has a tendency to ed-
ucate the ear and stimulate a desire for a
higher standard of musical effort in public
affairs and in the home.
levied on the guarantors. In this con-
nection it has been brought out that most
of the soloists either appeared for nothing
during the season or for very small fees.
It seems that MM. Paderewski and Rosen-
thai were the only performers who drew
large audiences and under the circumstan-
ces it might be suggested that the New
York plan of engaging attractive artists
and paying them their full fees would
prove more profitable in the end. An en-
terprising "know-all" says that part of the
society's deficit this year is due to the pur-
chase of a diamond ornament as a wedding
''THERE have been many musical per- present for Clara Butt Well, well; this
* formances in Paris since the opening is dreadful!
of the Exposition, but none of internation-
al importance, while the tropical heat iyi ISS AUGUSTA COTTLOW,an Amer-
which has prevailed, and the fact that most * * * ican girl, will be one of the conspic-
of the concerts are given in the afternoon, uous pianists before the public this season.
from three to five o'clock, have tended to She was heard here some years ago, with
diminish the audiences. In ordinary times Anton Seidl at his concerts in Lenox Ly-
the Paris concert programs are made up ceum, after which she went abroad to
chiefly of foreign music, three out of every I study. She has just returned to this
D U D O L P H ARONSON is returning
*^ from Europe on board the steamship
Ems. His tour through Europe has been
a very quick and very successful one. He
has settled all the arrangements for the
Strauss tournee and the successful Ameri-
can composers have been selected. Herr
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
quent utterances upon singing and out-
door music. He once stated before an
assembly of country folk that at one time
he thought the musical faculty was pos-
sessed by the few, but experience had
taught him that it had been only denied
to the few and that almost every man,
woman and child could learn to sing.
Gladstone was undeniably fond of music,
though his tastes were catholic. He had a
magnificent speaking voice, as we all
know, and it is said that his singing voice
was cultivated and delightful. Gladstone's
interest in music remained to the end of
life, and its enjoyment was a continual
afternoon recreation. His observation on
the might of music deserves to be remem-
bered. He said:
" They who think music ranks amongst
the trifles of existence are in gross error;
because from the beginning of the world
down to the present time it has been one of
the most forcible instruments both for
training, for arousing, and for governing
the mind of man. There was a time when
letters and civilization had but begun to
dawn upon the world. In that day music
was not unknown; on the contrary, it was
so far from being a mere servant and hand-
maid of common and light amusement
that the great and noble art of poetry was
essentially wedded to that of music, so that
there was no poet who was not a musician;
there was no verse spoken in the early ages
of the world but that music was adapted as
its vehicle, showing thereby the universal
consciousness that in that way the straight-
est and most effectual road would be found
to the heart and affections of men."
A PORTRAIT of that Russian wizard
-** of the keyboard, Ossip Gabrilowitsch,
who will visit this country in November,
illumines our front page this month. Al-
though quite a young man, this artist has,
by force of his ability and his remarkable
talents, won his way into the very front
rank of contemporary piano virtuosi. The
tributes paid Gabrilowitsch by the leading
European critics are of such a flattering
character as to lead one to expect that this
artist will prove the sensation of the musi-
cal season. He possesses a magnetic per-
sonality and is both handsome and modest
—a rare combination. His intense Slavic
nature, backed by a prodigious technic, en-
ables him to accomplish musical feats far
beyond his years; nevertheless, it is as a
musical, and not as a mere "technical " art-
ist, that he makes his strongest appeal.
While he reads Bach, Beethoven, Schu-
mann, Chopin to perfection, yet as a Rubin-
stein interpreter, Oscar Bie, the well-
known German critic, considers him un-
equalled.
five pieces being German. For the Expo-
sition it was therefore proposed to have
ten orchestral concerts of French music
alone. A committee of twenty composers
was appointed to make up the programs,
the result being endless quarrels and no
gain to the cause of French music.
M E W YORK is not the only city where
*• ^ it is difficult for orchestral organiza-
tions to thrive. In London the Philhar-
monic Society's season has been such a
failure from a financial viewpoint that an
assessment of ten per cent.|has had to be
MISS AUGUSTA COTTLOW.
country and will make her re-appearance
here at the coming Worcester Festival,
when she will play the Tschaikowski Con-
certo in B flat minor.
j*
HTHE character of the music in the ma-
jority of our churches has been the
subject for frequent discussion. There
has always been predominant in this es-
pecial field a narrow feeling which has
hindered any improvement along essential
lines. As a writer in Harper's says:
"The bigotry which has piously shut the
best music out of the church is a survival
of t h a t asceticism
which nipped like a
killing frost everything
vernal in the religious
life. But as the rigors
of bigotry have softened
in the growing warmth
of general enlighten-
ment, and the love and
culture of music have
steadily advanced, the
church has quietly
dropped its old methods
and has unconsciously
taken on the new, until
to-day it may be truth-
fully said that the best
music of the world is
laid under tribute for
church services. Even
the wicked music of the
heels is sometimes so
judiciously 'slowed up'
and subdued in color,
and punctuated with
solemn pauses, that
staid deacons, decor-
ously, innocently, pace
to their pews to strains
from an opera."
In the Roman Cath-
olic Church music of
a decided florid and
operatic character has
long been used and
has added considerably
to the attractiveness of its service. Mean-
while there is to-day a strong movement
among the authorities in that church to
curb this tendency toward operatic effects,
aud make it more devotional and more in
keeping with the Palestrina ideal. There
is a gratifying tendency, however, in our
larger cities and in churches of all persua-
sions to improve the standard of the music,
and this is very pleasing to all who have
the advancement of music at heart. Good
music, whether in church or school, in op-
era house or theatre, has a tendency to ed-
ucate the ear and stimulate a desire for a
higher standard of musical effort in public
affairs and in the home.
levied on the guarantors. In this con-
nection it has been brought out that most
of the soloists either appeared for nothing
during the season or for very small fees.
It seems that MM. Paderewski and Rosen-
thai were the only performers who drew
large audiences and under the circumstan-
ces it might be suggested that the New
York plan of engaging attractive artists
and paying them their full fees would
prove more profitable in the end. An en-
terprising "know-all" says that part of the
society's deficit this year is due to the pur-
chase of a diamond ornament as a wedding
''THERE have been many musical per- present for Clara Butt Well, well; this
* formances in Paris since the opening is dreadful!
of the Exposition, but none of internation-
al importance, while the tropical heat iyi ISS AUGUSTA COTTLOW,an Amer-
which has prevailed, and the fact that most * * * ican girl, will be one of the conspic-
of the concerts are given in the afternoon, uous pianists before the public this season.
from three to five o'clock, have tended to She was heard here some years ago, with
diminish the audiences. In ordinary times Anton Seidl at his concerts in Lenox Ly-
the Paris concert programs are made up ceum, after which she went abroad to
chiefly of foreign music, three out of every I study. She has just returned to this
D U D O L P H ARONSON is returning
*^ from Europe on board the steamship
Ems. His tour through Europe has been
a very quick and very successful one. He
has settled all the arrangements for the
Strauss tournee and the successful Ameri-
can composers have been selected. Herr
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