Music Trade Review
Issue: 1904 Vol. 38 N. 14 - Page 7
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THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
GREAT FEAST OF MUSIC AT ST. LOUIS.
The musical attractions to be presented at
the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, which
opens in St. Louis on May i, are steadily
growing in number, and it is safe to assume
that the features now outlined will exceed
from every viewpoint anything of a similar
nature which has been given at great inter-
national expositions in the past.
In the magnificent Festival Hall, which
seats 3,500 people, and which contains the
Paris; the Philharmonic Band, of Berlin, and
perhaps the Royal Irish Constabulary Band,
of Dublin. Sixteen American bands will be
heard, including all the leading organizations.
Daily concerts will be given by three of the
leading bands, consisting of one celebrated
American organization; Weils's St. Louis
Band and a foreign band, which will be either
Mexican, Filipino or Indian.
The Bureau of Music has been liberal in
ERNEST R. KROEGER, MASTER OF PROGRAMMES.
largest organ in the world—whose musical
charms will be exploited by a number of
foreign organists, headed by Guilmant, as
well as some seventy-five distinguished
American organists, with Charles Galloway
as official organist—there also will be given
orchestral concerts with the principal Ameri-
can, conductors, such as Thomas, Gericke, Her-
bert, Paur, Scheel, Damrosch, and a number
of foreign conductors, including Hellms-
berger, of Vienna. The regular orchestra
will number eighty musicians, under the di-
rection of Ernst, with Max Bendix as con-
certmeister. All the prominent pianists will
be heard in Recital Hall, and a number of
vocal recitals, as well as chamber concerts,
are also in preparation. The leading Ameri-
can choral societies will give many concerts,
and the St. Louis Symphony Society will also
be heard in oratorio.
Bands from all over the world have been
engaged, such as the famous British Grena-
dier Guards, the Garde Republicaine Band, of
the way of prizes, and $30,000 have been ap-
propriated for the band contest, $16,000 in
prizes for the choral contest, and $4,500 in
prizes for the chorus contest. Other interest-
ing features ofj the World's Fair will be
school children's concerts in Festival Hall,
and massed children's choruses in the stad-
ium.
.
Another musical feature will be the con-
vention of the Music Teachers' National As-
sociation and the Missouri State Music
Teachers' Association. Music by American
composers will be largely encouraged at both
orchestral and organ concerts, and altogether
Messrs. Markham, Stewart and Kroeger, of
the Bureau of Music, are to be congratulated
upon the work so far accomplished.
As recently recorded in The Review, the
official hymn has been written by Edmund
Clarence Stedman, and set to music by Prof.
J. K. Payne, of Harvard, and the official
march has been written by Prof. Van der
Stucken.
In connection with the band tournament,
which commences on Sept. 12th and ends
Sept. 17th and for which $30,000 in prizes
have been appropriated to be divided between
the bands which will be placed in three classes
—A, twenty members, B, twenty-eight mem-
bers and C, thirty-five members—much dis-
cussion has been caused by the fact that the
international pitch is to be used exclusively.
Some have objected to this fiat. On this sub-
ject, Geo. W. Stewart, manager of the Bureau
of Music, said to The Review:
"Many years ago the great orchestras of the
country, including Thomas' and the Boston
Symphony, adopted what is now termed the
international pitch. Following the lead of
these eminent organizations the principal
bands of the United States have been grad-
ually but surely adopting the international
pitch.
"It is a well known and indisputable fact
that the leading bands of the United States
not only use the international pitch, but
that they have used it for many years. In
none of the following cities is the old fash-
ioned high pitch used by the best organiza-
tions : New York, Philadelphia, Boston, St.
Louis, Chicago, Cincinnati. In fact, none of
the best bands in the United States use the old
fashioned pitch.
"Apparently a standard of pitch for the
Exposition was necessary, indeed imperative,
to prevent having a conglomeration of instru-
ments, ranging in pitch one-third to two-
thirds of a tone above the pitch of all of the
best bands in the world.
"In reply to a gentleman who asked me the
names of any Western bands using the inter-
national pitch I referred him to the Musical
Union of St. Loius with the information that
one of its laws makes the use of any high
pitch instrument at a professional engage-
ment a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of
$25 for each offense. I also gave to the gen-
tleman the addresses of a number of the most
prominent band leaders in the United States,
requesting him to write to them to verify my
statement, and also requested him to write to
Steinway & Sons, New York, or any reputa-
ble pianoforte or organ firm in America in
order to convince him that the high pitch be-
longs to ancient history; but, like the demo-
crat who still votes for Andrew Jackson, he
knows he is right, and won't be convinced."
BROOKLYN AS A MUSICAL CENTER.
At a recent meeting of about sixty repre-
sentative Brooklyn women at the home of
Mrs. W. S. Packer, No. 2 Grace Court, a
movement for the establishment there ~6f sT
great university of music and the making of
the borough a national music center was dis-
cussed at length. Mrs. Camden C. Dike pre-
sided. It was decided to hold a public meet-
ing on a date to be fixed, and to seek to in-
terest prominent men of Brooklyn and else-
where in the project.
Mrs. Packer's plan is to have the proposed
university of music liberally endowed in all
its departments and to pattern it after the
leading institutions of the kind in Europe.
The proposed university will include an au-
thoritative college, an opera house, concert
chambers, a permanent orchestra, library and
school of last resort.
Busoni sailed for Europe last week after a
successful tour in America.
THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
GREAT FEAST OF MUSIC AT ST. LOUIS.
The musical attractions to be presented at
the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, which
opens in St. Louis on May i, are steadily
growing in number, and it is safe to assume
that the features now outlined will exceed
from every viewpoint anything of a similar
nature which has been given at great inter-
national expositions in the past.
In the magnificent Festival Hall, which
seats 3,500 people, and which contains the
Paris; the Philharmonic Band, of Berlin, and
perhaps the Royal Irish Constabulary Band,
of Dublin. Sixteen American bands will be
heard, including all the leading organizations.
Daily concerts will be given by three of the
leading bands, consisting of one celebrated
American organization; Weils's St. Louis
Band and a foreign band, which will be either
Mexican, Filipino or Indian.
The Bureau of Music has been liberal in
ERNEST R. KROEGER, MASTER OF PROGRAMMES.
largest organ in the world—whose musical
charms will be exploited by a number of
foreign organists, headed by Guilmant, as
well as some seventy-five distinguished
American organists, with Charles Galloway
as official organist—there also will be given
orchestral concerts with the principal Ameri-
can, conductors, such as Thomas, Gericke, Her-
bert, Paur, Scheel, Damrosch, and a number
of foreign conductors, including Hellms-
berger, of Vienna. The regular orchestra
will number eighty musicians, under the di-
rection of Ernst, with Max Bendix as con-
certmeister. All the prominent pianists will
be heard in Recital Hall, and a number of
vocal recitals, as well as chamber concerts,
are also in preparation. The leading Ameri-
can choral societies will give many concerts,
and the St. Louis Symphony Society will also
be heard in oratorio.
Bands from all over the world have been
engaged, such as the famous British Grena-
dier Guards, the Garde Republicaine Band, of
the way of prizes, and $30,000 have been ap-
propriated for the band contest, $16,000 in
prizes for the choral contest, and $4,500 in
prizes for the chorus contest. Other interest-
ing features ofj the World's Fair will be
school children's concerts in Festival Hall,
and massed children's choruses in the stad-
ium.
.
Another musical feature will be the con-
vention of the Music Teachers' National As-
sociation and the Missouri State Music
Teachers' Association. Music by American
composers will be largely encouraged at both
orchestral and organ concerts, and altogether
Messrs. Markham, Stewart and Kroeger, of
the Bureau of Music, are to be congratulated
upon the work so far accomplished.
As recently recorded in The Review, the
official hymn has been written by Edmund
Clarence Stedman, and set to music by Prof.
J. K. Payne, of Harvard, and the official
march has been written by Prof. Van der
Stucken.
In connection with the band tournament,
which commences on Sept. 12th and ends
Sept. 17th and for which $30,000 in prizes
have been appropriated to be divided between
the bands which will be placed in three classes
—A, twenty members, B, twenty-eight mem-
bers and C, thirty-five members—much dis-
cussion has been caused by the fact that the
international pitch is to be used exclusively.
Some have objected to this fiat. On this sub-
ject, Geo. W. Stewart, manager of the Bureau
of Music, said to The Review:
"Many years ago the great orchestras of the
country, including Thomas' and the Boston
Symphony, adopted what is now termed the
international pitch. Following the lead of
these eminent organizations the principal
bands of the United States have been grad-
ually but surely adopting the international
pitch.
"It is a well known and indisputable fact
that the leading bands of the United States
not only use the international pitch, but
that they have used it for many years. In
none of the following cities is the old fash-
ioned high pitch used by the best organiza-
tions : New York, Philadelphia, Boston, St.
Louis, Chicago, Cincinnati. In fact, none of
the best bands in the United States use the old
fashioned pitch.
"Apparently a standard of pitch for the
Exposition was necessary, indeed imperative,
to prevent having a conglomeration of instru-
ments, ranging in pitch one-third to two-
thirds of a tone above the pitch of all of the
best bands in the world.
"In reply to a gentleman who asked me the
names of any Western bands using the inter-
national pitch I referred him to the Musical
Union of St. Loius with the information that
one of its laws makes the use of any high
pitch instrument at a professional engage-
ment a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of
$25 for each offense. I also gave to the gen-
tleman the addresses of a number of the most
prominent band leaders in the United States,
requesting him to write to them to verify my
statement, and also requested him to write to
Steinway & Sons, New York, or any reputa-
ble pianoforte or organ firm in America in
order to convince him that the high pitch be-
longs to ancient history; but, like the demo-
crat who still votes for Andrew Jackson, he
knows he is right, and won't be convinced."
BROOKLYN AS A MUSICAL CENTER.
At a recent meeting of about sixty repre-
sentative Brooklyn women at the home of
Mrs. W. S. Packer, No. 2 Grace Court, a
movement for the establishment there ~6f sT
great university of music and the making of
the borough a national music center was dis-
cussed at length. Mrs. Camden C. Dike pre-
sided. It was decided to hold a public meet-
ing on a date to be fixed, and to seek to in-
terest prominent men of Brooklyn and else-
where in the project.
Mrs. Packer's plan is to have the proposed
university of music liberally endowed in all
its departments and to pattern it after the
leading institutions of the kind in Europe.
The proposed university will include an au-
thoritative college, an opera house, concert
chambers, a permanent orchestra, library and
school of last resort.
Busoni sailed for Europe last week after a
successful tour in America.
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