New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-10-30

Of
tue that fine natures often inseDsDle 70 oU
art as persons excel ia the words NJ musical @
Se,t o r. snsa great historical truth which Mr. Weiss
limited in the opening OF his essay tht a directIon
more than another Music at the present mohcns a
to DO that which speaks most universally anu 70 % ~
times feel Jealous that the other inodhcauols
nor recognized IA equally capable OF Xpresslon Nv
each one separate special Hetlt' nS' 9auins or
is always n great deli gut 10 find some great EJ heI A.
pressing himself through different arts ~ m'ona ,
Cello who cultivated poetry, sculpture. hnu , ,nt
The essay was much like music III tnrowi.b oens ~
that state OF sympathy aud rcceptivy ihht ). '''' "
most impertinent aud impossible 10 cf'lc'S'"
MR. JONES-MUsIC HIGHER THAN WORDS
did not understand, Mr. Weiss, that mu'lo was noro
important words. but higher. UNDERSTOOD nin 70
say it's Geld was comparatively narrow. hut 'hat hau
field which words did not have; that it passed. into re-
zion where words could not go, and that II NY OK.
pcrlence so far rs know anything about d. ~ -
form OF expression that words can never equai us III
VIA. nc aad abont old art could not agree with him
entirely for think our statue Of the Cool samaritan
t hesT al ANYTHING n that remain; to OF Greek
art, and 1 think WITH regard to music that
Perhnns II viii not be estimated In this circle 10 DO or
high order and perhaps It is not but stu II ~
trnIy American music think It also true that the tune
of John Brown" Is an American tune ana any ,na.
other enc the soldiers sang 40 heartily Inc bnto ~
OF Freedom" and another song written ny honi' "
Work. ,.,. p.o,,, .or, q, old
Methodist tnnp probably English ,,,
Mr.. Jones-I don't know Sir; AIN not acquainted
Mr. ginsS9~I know the Southern negroes used to
sing IL TO the words Jesus lives forever those VINO had
lust come ont from the INTERIOR aud who ooud not haVo
Caught IL from troops
Mt Jones-I should like to think II American
Mrs Cheney-There Is something national, electrlfynR
in IT, should like to ask Mr. Hgginson If he found any
thing original in the negroes music -, -, ,,,
MI HiggnsOn-Gt seemed TO me almost all original but
dld not know have tried to ascertain how far their
tunes were Methodist hymns aud how for they were IN
dgcnous do not know how high Africa Is cnttieu 10
RANK remember years ago asking Mr. John Dwight II
he did think those we're good and respectable nhg'
and ought to he encouraged and he said tey were en-
trey in the wrong direction ana that we shouu oc "o'
ter off without them . ,.,-,.
Mrs Howc-Thcy could scarcely he allowed to be music
though should not say We were better on Wlt9ut 'nen
The war found voice in them very naturally; they
seemed new. and some Of them very ichlhS 81, .
Mr.. Hgginson-Are they not as genuine music Us tho
Scotch ballad~t
Mis-. HOwe-POsSbly.
MR. uGGiNsOS-THE PEOPLE OF BO5fON-MUsICAL
HYrocRrrFs.
OF course we all know that there are two points OF
view have heard gentleman, known TO many OF us
here an accomplished musical composer. who THINKS
that all the musical training OF Boston for % years
has been entirely in wrong direction that it has made
ali the people OF Boston hypocres in this respect thas
they All prness TO enjoy music that they do not enjoy
nor understand Somebody said that the people OF boston
continued 10 applaud things night after night which they
dhl not enjoy TO which he replied that they were Unlike
the people any where else that their cOnscences were
unlike anybody elses, and that they would so on APP
plauding for generations II they thought ~ rlght.
Iaugherl believe that we are some time To develop
"A genuine American music. II are going 20 tax about
H. we may we'll speak about music rs lhing NOT 700
sncred 20 be compared other things There are Two
pnius OF view I'M which it Is allowable describe music
and compare IL with other forms of att one thhb no
woman has ever excelled In the composition OF music.
Whether this is discredt to music woman Is an open
question. For aught know II has been very lnnch
Gtherwise m the lyrical adaptations Of music. Aud
there is another point in which the musical composer
has seemed TO be at great disadvantage nhd thht IL
that he il always dependent on others Tor carrying
out his thought Ofcouse the sculptor bat co. hut
the composer very greatly What In the use o the great
Get composition the world II IL must wait three or four
centuries until it gets interpreted through the executive
sympathy OF some musician COMPOSITION ~ az, event.,
ursupposes series Of trained orchesiras, Of whom tho
units shall be individual composers also tho makers OF
instruments implied IN the rendition OF great mus
cal compositon Does il imply that 10 higher or loser
than great literary work, whereof the author hmself
iuteTprecraud the thought started TO the Morld eau
not be taken from i Those who have heard the extra
ordinary singing OF Mrs. - can understand how tho
story arose II they believe the story that one Of
the eminent Of European composers told her mat
hers WAS voice for which composers had waited That
musical composers had not dared TO do their utmost not
being able To anticipate voice ike hers. ~ Always
seemed 10 me should not like TO he committed 70 pro
ducuon In sphere Of art where ~ much depended upon
Others.
Mn wrtss-Tuy ORCHESTRA TIIE COMPOSERS QUARRY
IL always seemed to that orchestra was like 3
quarry The sculptor had his idea IN his brain. and en-
bodied It In stone just the cultivated orchestra Is the
result and expression OF the composers idea Out OF tho
granite nc strikes his idea just out OF the orchestra
Beethoven strikes his You have To Walt Tor your inter
Mir Hgginson-I included the sculptor think there
is little uiscOnception. did not wish 10 make words
supeTior 10 music meant say that IL expressed GER
tam directions of human emotions and sentiments and
recalled certain moods OF human emotion and sentiment
in ~ most charnng manner, which words could not do
We know perfectly well the moods ana sentiments when
words can recall cultivated person. sitting IN tho
presen nee of an orchestra letting those OF
melody blow over aud through him, VIII lustiy inc
statement that something done 10 HIM or her nc that
moment which Is done huely by Shakespeare OF
Dante That something is more subtitle and elusive than
the other. ,...-
which struck onceI should like 10 know II u rs ui'
yersAlly yerfed-that music never changed has mood.
Iutd IL Whatever thought, Whatever
purpose might DO In his mind, music only deepened II
but never directed or changed IT,
Mr. Higginson-I don't believe he ever heard drum
(hr. JOnesI--AtA o'clock In the morning.
MISS BoRG
The next speaker was Miss Selma Borg, lady OF high
cultivation and belonging TO one OF the first families OF
Finland She was educated in Germany and will return
from America TO her native land to open Bureau Of
Emigration 70 this country She said after speaking Of
the music she had heard In many lands. when power
full orchestra has struck the first chord and finished the
the music and have myself felt that the orchestra
had greater power over tho humanity present
than any speaker. will say that music has
seemed TO me finer language than any word. be-
cause / think music Expresses harmony,
and the deepest harmony OF all Music Is angble may
call 1t body so is word. and will also call II body.
o. 10 that music represents God TO our spirit
than any word can It seems to me that that instrn
spiritual There seems to TO be the difference
between the body OF music and the body OF word that
there s between this body OF mine and the body in which
INV spirit will be clothed when II leaves this body.
Then Mr.. HigginsOn said something about w0manhood
IL there "a shadow upon woman or upon music woman
has done put little yet aud for this reasOn-man the
masculine the stronger he had 10 DO the ground WORK
And so the music that have Is the groundwork or
the music that In yet come and that Is the reason
You do not find any great compositions by women For
this reason IL Is not the fault OF art or the fault
OF woman; 1t is not the fault Of any one
that woman has not come up to anything
but che Is coming fAppause Miss Borg continued TO
talk about music and composers In highly interesting
way displaying remarkable musical knowledge She
sad that she believed Robert schumann TO be superior
10 all other composers. because he seemed to express
ost fully his thought and feeling She spoke OF tho
manly element In music, and expressed her conviction
that words cannot convey theig meaning moro clearly
than music.
Mr. Owen-I think words have told us what music was,
and that ali who have read Charles Auoheser VIII re.
member that 1t was Elizabeth Shepard who has taught