Music Trade Review

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THE: MUSIC TRADE
MUSIC AS MEDICINE
The Subject Continues to be One of Live Inter-
est in all Parts of the Country.
The new medical science does not stop at ano-
dynes and anaesthetics. It aspires to make the
cure of human ills pleasurable as well as pain-
less.
Mental massage, by which a well-known
woman of fashion asserts that a mind may be
"so swept, and garnished as to be ready for the
knottiest social problems," is the berest begin-
ning of the progressive practitioners. The school
of musical therapeutics stops short of nothing
save capital operations.
Only the other day one of these advanced scien-
tists undertook to illustrate his lecture by actual
experiments. A few bars of Chopin were to
cure one ailment, a selection from Beethoven to
subdue another malady. Prof. James Marn
Dixon, of the University of California, announces
that he has discovered "an emotional curve" in
Longfellow's "The Bridge." Poetry and pulse-
beats, he declares, stand to each other in the
relation of cause and effect. Taking Tennyson's
"May Queen" for example, he finds that the first
division of the poem stimulates heart and lung
action and produces a mood of heightened hap-
piness; the second causes a slower pulse and a
mood of depression, and the third, resignation
and sorrow and irregular circulation and respir-
ation.
Obviously the thing to do when feeling out of
sorts is to quit after reading the first part of
"The May Queen." When suffering from excess
of joy and a fluttering pulse, select the second
division.
Music and morals is an old theme with tho
metaphysicians. The New Jersey authorities
have just recommended voice culture and instru-
mental practice for the reform of wayward young
persons. But if rheumatism can be conquered
by rag-time and a cold in the head by a "coon
song," the world may be made whole again. The
day may yet come when every apothecary shop
will be converted into a phonograph gallery.
WEINGARTNEB, HONORED.
The French Government appreciates the serv-
ices rendered to French music by Felix Wein-
gartner, who is editing the collection ot Berlioz's
complete works for the Breitkopf and Hiirtel
edition, and who has done much to make the
works of that master popular in Germany. It
has conferred on him the cross of the Legion of
Honor.
REVIEW
CARUSO ON SUCCESS
As a Lyrico-Dramatic A r t i s t — H i g h l y
Temperament Necessary.
MASTERS FOND OF DANCE MUSIC.
Nervous
Mr. Caruso is quoted in the London Magazine
as saying that "a man or woman of hi.^h nervous
temperament alone can succeed as a lyrico-
dramatic artist. In the great operas a severe
strain is put upon the principal singers; for
while they are portraying love, hate, or revenge—
the two latter sometimes in a whirlwind, so to
speak, of orchestral music and song—they have
the whole time to watch the conductor, keep time
and rhythm, and fail not at the same time in re-
producing with perfect accuracy the composer's
music. The nervous tension, therefore, it is ob-
vious, must be far greater on the operatic artist
than it is on the actor, who only has to think of
his action and his words, while the actor-singer
has to think of action, words and music. In the
proper exposition of these lies that which con-
tributes to success."
Some Famous Composers Who Loved This
Form of Music—Are Our Conductors Pe-
dantic?
It is worthy of note that all the great masters
were fond of dance music, and wrote a good
deal of it themselves, says Henry T. Finck, In
the Evening Post. The number of the Bach
dances is legion. Mozart said that he who could
not create any good dance music was really no
good composer. Beethoven wrote thirteen Liind-
ler and other dance pieces. Nothing gave Schu-
bert more pleasure than to sit at the piano while
his friends were dancing, and improvise those
entrancing waltzes which Liszt's version made
still more fascinating, and which all pianists
play con amore. Chopin wrote no fewer than
fifteen waltzes. Brahms wrote waltzes not only
for piano but for the voice, and called them
"love songs"—Liebesliederwalzer. Wagner wrote
a waltz in "Die Meistersinger." Tchaikovsky in-
troduced one in a symphony. Yet our pedantic
MUNICH'S FESTIVAL PERFORMANCES.
orchestral directors are trying to be more digni-
As Lhere will be no Beyreuth festival the com- fied and exclusive than Beethoven, Schubert
ing summer, American tourists in Europe, anxi- Chopin, Brahms, Wagner and Tchaikovsky! The
ous to hear festival performances of Wagner's Strauss waltzes are really intended for the con-
operas, will have to go to Munich, where they cert hall quite as much as for the ballroom.
will also be able to hear two performances each They are animated by a poetic rubat.o, or capri-
of three of Mozart's operas: "Figaro," on Sep- cious coquetry of movement, which raises them
tember 11, 19; "Cosi fan tutte," September 13, far above ordinary dance music, and makes them
17; "Don Giavanni," September 15. 21. The quite as worthy of a place at symphony concerts
Wagner performances will consist of "Die Meis- as Chopin's waltzes at piano recitals. Let us
tersinger," August 7, 18, 31; "Tristan," August have a little less pedantic dignily, a little more
16, 28, September 2; "Flying Dutchman," August emotion and human nature about our concerts,
15, 30, and three cycles of the four Nibelung and good music will make more rapid strides in
1 opular appreciation. Too much dignity is the
operas, August 9, 13, 21, 25, September 5. 9.
death of art. Let us recall what happened in
Vienna some years ago, when Hans Richter put
WILL MASCAGNI AND LEONCAVALLO
a Liszt rhapsody, Grieg's Peer Gynt suite, and
FIGHT ?
Weber's "Invitation" on a Philharmonic pro-
Since the success of Leoncavallo with his new gramme. The result was that even Dr. Hanslick,
opera "Roland von Berlin," a violent controversy the most academic and pedantic of the critics,
has arisen between him and Mascagni, owing to was obliged to write: "The public was jubilant,
the assertion of the latter in the press that the entranced by the brilliancy of the performance,
actual work of composing the new opera had and the pieces. It was really a blessing not to
been originally tendered to him by M. Hochberg, have to listen for once, to 'profound' music only,
at the time director of the imperial theatres in not to be led along dreary, stony abysses by Ham-
lets, Manfreds, Ibsen, and Schopenhauer."
Berlin. Leoncavallo resented the insinuation of
having played second fiddle, and obtained a tele-
gram from Hochberg positively denying that
NEWS ITEMS BOILED DOWN.
such was the case. Mascagni, however, stuck to
Henry Wolfsohn has arranged with Director
his guns and will not withdraw his assertion. It
is possible the controversy will have a more seri- Conried, of the Metropolitan Opera House, for
ous sequel, as the two composers are now actively the appearance there to-morrow evening, March
engaged in accusing one another of prevarica- oth, of Josef Hofmann and Fritz Kreisler in con-
tion.
junction with the Metropolitan Opera House
Orchestra.
To the Music Trade:
Conried's Grand Opera Co., is now on tour. THE MUSICIAN for March will be a Grand
Opera number, and is most timely. It will contain full-page illustrations of Sembrich, Calve,
Eames and Jean de Reszke, and pictures of all leading artists, together with interesting arti-
cles, and complete selections for voice from four great operas: Carmen (Bizet), Aida (Ver-
di), Faust (Gounod), Lohengrin (Wagner).
THE MUSICIAN is going ahead by leaps and bounds. The January number was all sold
January 16th. The edition for February (Theodore Thomas number) was increased 5,000
over the original order, owing to demand before publication.
The order to the. printer on the March number will be larger than the February number.
Don't forget that all of our advertisements in THE MUSICIAN, as well as those in maga-
zines and newspapers, and in all our catalogs, request the reader to order of the Home
Dealer. This means you.
We have one dealer at least who gives a copy of THE MUSICIAN as a premium or prize
to customers who purchase to the amount of $1.00 cash. It is such good advertising for you
that we recommend it to the trade.
The people who read THE MUSICIAN in your own town will be stimulated to order of
you not only our own publications but the publications of others. The greater the interest in
music the larger the sales, and large sales mean unusual profits.
Therefore order THE MUSICIAN now, or if you are already on the list increase your
order.
It. means success to you.
Oliver Ditson Company
150 Tremont Street, Boston
Edith Thompson, pianist, and Ferdinand
Eager, baritone, will give a concert in Mendels-
sohn Hall, on Tuesday afternoon, March 7th.
The programme is one of exceeding interest.
Albert Von Doenhoff has arranged for a piano
recital at Mendelssohn Hall, on the evening of
March 8th, when he will play Beethoven's so-
nata, opus 111, and a group of smaller numbers
by Chopin, Schumann and Liszt.
Luigi Mancinelli, the famous conductor, well
and favorably known in New York, has just
completed his new work "Sancta Agnes," which
will be produced at the Norwich Festival in Octo-
ber. The libretto is by Professor Albini.
A Canadian rhapsodie has just been composed
by Sir Alexander Mackenzie, based upon some of
the interesting folk songs collected by him dur-
ing his tour of the Dominion in 1903. It will be
given its initial performance by the London Phil-
harmonic Orchestra on March 15th.
Carl Panzner, conductor of the Bremen Phil-
harmonic concerts, will wield the baton at the
concert of the Philharmonic Society at Carnegie
Hail this evening. He is a man of widespread
reputation and known and esteemed throughout
Europe.
Details regarding" the new conservatory found-
ed by James Loeb will soon be forthcoming.