Music Trade Review

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THE
7V£VSIC TRHDE
must be the affair of the associated chari-
ties, and what more does he know or care
for their workings than he does for those of
the
board of trade ? And thus charity, which
A S we stand and try to gaze into the veiled those stories with music, not alone because
is
the
most beautiful, the most elevating, the
Future, time rolls on, and behold! it has of their search for American subjects, but
most
inspiring
emotion, the emotion which
become the Past. So gradually has it come because they are allied to them by the at-
is
the
fountainhead
of everything great and
upon us, that even in its presence we knew it mosphere of the time surrounding their
noble,
is
totally
unknown
and undeveloped.
not until it was gone. For years, yes, scores birth.
Nor
is
it
possible
for
this
child to know
of years, the past generation waited for the
While the Indian was enacting his drama,
what
love
for
its
fellow-being
means, nor
Music of the Future, and it has now come to what was the negro doing? The negro, the
even
love
for
an
animal,
for
it
is
taught to
be that of the Present. Wagner himself pro- fight for his emancipation, his helplessness
regard
all
such
emotions
as
dangerous
to
nounced his creations as belonging to the in that new-found freedom, the loss of life
future; it is doubtful that he anticipated with and property, the tragic story of the man its interests and success in life.
what a broad sweep he would capture the who died to set a people free—all went to Now we understand that children are given
musical world when that day which repre- form this most dramatic era which America books of elevating influences, and there is
sented the future to him would arrive. But . has ever known. The country was a boil- no question but everything that can be done
it has come and he is here, not only in his ing vat of emotions. Patriotism, love, hate, to give them culture and refinement is done.
own works, but in the compositions of all pity, bitterness, exultation, charity—in fact, In fact, it is not possible to understand how,
the modern writers who unwittingly, no it would be hard to name any emotion which with conditions as they are, children could
doubt, reflect him from all sides except, per- was not then at its height. The influence of be brought up otherwise. It is the fault of
haps, the thematic. It is now our turn to that day gave America the composers, the conditions and the times, and the people are
peer behind the heavy curtain which divides artists, the writers, the painters, which have unfortunately absolutely helpless. Yet, what
will all this do for art? When the only
to-day from to-morrow, and we ask from done it credit to-day.
where will our music of the Future come?
But the life and customs of the present thought from the cradle to the dark river
Would it might be from America!
are very far from what they were then. is one of controlled emotion, antagonism, or
But there is a very potent reason why it The growing tendency of the American is protection of self, where is the possibility of
cannot come from this country, which never to crush emotion, to cultivate stolid indiffer- temperament, spontaneity and all the minor
has given the world a distinct school, and ence, to live within self and for self or family, necessities, which, although minor, are still
every day brings us further from the possi- which is no less a form of selfishness be- necessities, to make up a nature that is ca-
bility of that than the day before. It is not cause it is a pardonable one. The kinship of pable of accomplishing great things? One
that the American is not equally, if not more Man to mankind is being eradicated, and it fact is certain from the foregoing stand-
capable than he of other nations. There is is being accomplished in the only place where point and it is that art cannot come from the
absolutely no doubt that we have teachers it can possibly be efficient—in the cradle of over-crowded city; even for study the city
who will bear comparison with any in the the babe. As the babe is trundled along in offers nothing but the most severe hard-
world; there are more people working vig- its carriage enveloped in furs and laces, its ships. It is almost impossible to be housed
orously in the cause of music in America nurse receives strict orders under no cir- if there is a suspicion that one is a music
than anywhere else on the two continents; cumstances to allow anyone to approach it; student. And one cannot entirely blame peo-
there are few of the world's greatest artists as it toddles along a few years later it is ple for not wishing to add to the clang of
who are not heard and appreciated in this bidden to pass without notice the kindly the trolleys, the whirr of the elevated trains,
country; and yet, for the music which tin- glance or smile of a stranger who is moved the rumble of the wagons over the cobble
gles with the red blood of life, which caresses to his depths by the sight of its pure, inno- stones, the additional sounds which good,
with the note of sympathy, which ripples cent baby face; he would give .much to lay conscientious practice entails. The American
with the laughter of glee, which lingers like his finger on the little pink cheek and to hear city, with its noises, its jostle, its selfishness,
the memory of a dream, which startles with it lisp a few words, but no—it has been and the conditions heretofore named, does
the cry of pain, which crushes with the taught never to speak to the "naughty man not seem to be conducive to art, and still,
weight of tragedy, which sneers with the who will catch it and run away with it." here is the only opportunity to hear the best
jeer of mockery, which sanctifies with the When the child begins its journey through that the musical world has to give, and there
purity of love, which elevates with the holi- life, as it enters the school-room it is taught is no possibility of accomplishing great
ness of religion, we cannot—we must not—' to live its own life and not to mingle with things without hearing great things. The
look to America. American life, with its other children; no doubt it is often informed teachers of greatest ability are to be found
hurry and bustle, its waste of nervous en- that they are very inferior and in no way fit in the large cities, even though they make
ergy and its tendency to make machines of associates. The eternal text is to control its but bare subsistence, while the smaller places
its people, forbids any art that must come emotions and never to show its feelings. have to take anything that comes along. Not
from emotion. The present does not hold The child looks around and sees the result until this is entirely changed can we hope for
the great barrier to the art of to-day that of this everywhere. It sees the jostle, the any great things from America. The large
it does to the art of the future, for the men lack of courtesy and sympathy of mankind cities are musical and will easily bear com-
and women of to-day were born in a totally to man, and it joins the rank and file of those parison with Paris, London, Berlin or
different atmosphere to those born to-day, who live their lives within the four walls Vienna; but the smaller cities, even those
of considerable importance, lack this atmos-
as a glance into the history and customs of themselves.
phere
sadly. It is not because of Paris and
around the "fifties," "sixties," and even later
Poverty does not appeal to him, for he
BerlinTand
Vienna that Europe is the musi-
will prove, and in consequence the American never sees enough of it to know what it
cal
centre
that
it is, but the whole country is
should be at his height now, if ever, in this means. Of course, he has seen the ragged
musical.
Dresden,
Munich, Hamburg, Nice,
generation. He was born when the country and crippled old men and women on the
Lyons,
and
all
down
the line have their or-
from North to South was bleeding and torn. street begging for alms, but there are so
chestras
and
their
permanent
opera, and
In certain sections of America the Indian many of them, and he has always heard that
every
hamlet
can
appreciate
the
greatest
and his rights represented the cause of much probably they are impostors who are really
classical
masterpieces.
If
in
America,
besides
bloodshed and tragedy. This red man of well-to-do and gain their livelihood by play-
enjoying
the
quiet
and
beauty
of
a
life
close
the wildwood and the doom which hung in ing upon people's sympathies. He knows
to
nature,
a
student
might
have
the
very
heavy clouds over him gave America one of that there are armies of beggars, that the
best
instruction
as
also
the
atmosphere
of
its most picturesque and poetic epochs. indigent form a large part of the population;
art;
if
he
might
hear
in
his
own
home
the
Longfellow and Whittier have given their but to him, as to hordes of men and women,
stories to the world; MacDowell, Burton this is a condition for which nobody is re- great artists who visit America; if the or-
and other musicians of to-day have crowned sponsible, which nobody can help. That chestras of the large cities might receive
j
»
THE MUSIC OF THE FUTURE.