, 1874-12-06
RICHARD GRANT WHITE,
Injustice Of Certain Criticisms up0n
Him.
Statement Of a Lady Who Has
known Him All Her Life.

statement Of q Lady Who Has
known Him All Her Life.
VERNON, N. J., Dec. !, 1874
10 the Editor Of Tbs Chicago Iri1une:
sln: I recently visited Richard Grant White,
and happened to bo at Ills house when he was
cleaning out drawers OF pamphlets and nawspa-
pers which had been sent to him. and looking
through little heaps Of memoranda, IL most lit
orary men must do, suppose, once in while,-
generally long while, I presume. Judging by
his habits in that respect. OF these no showed
mo, among othez things. before they won't into
tho kindling heap, threo articles from Western
new8papers,-TuE CHICAGO TRIBUNE was ono
which first vexed mo, and then made me laugh.
They were about his recent articles on Wagner
aud Liszt; and the reason Of my ANNOYANCE and
amusement was, that the writer's, not satisfied
with opposing his viewB, endeayored to injure
hun by asserting that he had not qualified him.
self to express an opinion upon the subject about
which h8 wrote, but was Like the shoemaker that
went beyond his last; that he might expect peo-
pie to listen to him when he spoke OF Shakespeare
or the English language, but that Io had no
clcim to consideration when he writes about
music. becanHe Of bis ignorance Of that subject.
THIS, as ona writer has already said, amounts to
charge Of literary dishonesty, aud, On that &c
count, write this letter.
sm not muelcian in tho sense in which Mr.
Grant White is. but know enough to see that
those articles themselves show
THOROUGH ACQUAINTANCE WITH MUSIC.
As to bis views OF Wagner and Liszt, do not
feel competent to express an opinion they may
be right or they may be wrong; he will probably
be found able to defend them, II he should thiuk
it worth while to do so. But the 1easou given,
and often repeated, in these articles, for deny
ipg his right 10 speak on the subject, kno1u to
la utterly false; and, as tho assertion has been
copied, and IL of such an Injurious nature. wish
to deny it, aud show thosa who make it how
wrong and how Ignorant they are themselves I
am able to do this because I havo known Mr.
Graut White all my life: having lived, for much
the greater part OF it and Of Ills own, in tie same
house with him.
A1E. Grant Whites lows OF music showed itself
in his earliest years. and his study of it began
not only before his college years, but before he
went to boarding school. In his boyhood he had
mezzo-3oprano voice, and aftarward a bari
tone, OF the beauty Of which there are many wit
neases. Music soon BECAME
AN ABSORBING PASSION
with him. and he gave to it almost all the time
he could take from his studies. He Gang; lie
became a member OF quartetto choir, Of e
madrigal club. OF q private society for mass
singing he Studied vocalization with the best
masters Taking UP instrumental music, ard
giylog himself 10 it with the aame ardor, be-
SOON became member Of two instrumental
clubs, with which be performed regularly for
rcars. Net con:ant with t'iis, he even got op-
portunities OF playing in orchestras. This was
IN his boyhood, or ut least before he WAS 21.
Such was his lore OF this music that he used to
90 from BROOKLYN to New York. and carry his
yloloncello miles and back to tho meetings Of
ono club. He heard all tAe music that IVES to be
heard that il, ali tho good music, for he
would mover listen with patieuce to what was
poor and frivolous; it WAS only in the works of
the great composers that he seemed to take real
pleasure But he did not seek to acquire great
excellence as a performer; he never became TN
amateur ''virtuoso y; and lie dishked all display,
and nero society music. What seemed to fas-
ciuate him was
TIE IDEAL. OF MUSIC.
Ho studied thorouyh-bass and composition;
and l sslll hexa mention one evidence of his
eRtnestuess And thoroughuee8 as well as his en-
thusias1n At thas time it was not go easy
to obtain classical music here as it is now;
and, ,.uot being able 10 buy scores OF the great
instrumental composers. ho made scores for him.
self OF many Of Haydn's, Mozart's, and Bee
thovan's quartettes. by writing them out from
the separate parts, that ho might study them.
Indeed, there seemed to be no labor too great for
him to undertake in bis devotion to tho Art That
he 60 passionately loved. Dnt be afterwards
provided himself amply from Europe in this re-
gpect and, when his library WAS sold. few
years since, there WAS such collection OF the
complete instrumental scores OF Beethoven, Mo-
zsrt, Haydn, Wober, ctc., ETC., On the catalogue,
as WAS neyer seen before 1t Z book-sale in this
country. These he used to read and ling6r over
as he would good novel. Indeed, he was what
the Italians call .fdnu!sco per Ia musfcu !: 1t be-
came
ALMOST pIes1PAT1oE
with lliul,-his ouv 0ne.-6o much so that his
family feared he would abandon his professional
studies and become musician He composed
and arranged music. Monde!ssohn's e. Maluslna"
wns first heard in this country in his arrange
ment OF it fot one Of the clubs Of which he was
. me1nbor,-ha having imported an early copy Of
the score. He arranged Deethoyens C Minor
also. But ali this work lie regarded merely aH 4
part Of his study, saying nothing about it. In his
silent reserved way OF working and doing every
thlng. Ills taste at this time may be gathered
from tho programme Of q Ettlo concert arranged
by lin, and given in his fathers house under
his own direction, at which Was present, when
he was onty 10 or 20 years old. aud which haa
been preserved in the family. Here it IL:
PANT I.
Overture" II EoZze di Figaro Mozart
Der Freysclutz Weber
Symphony No. s, Ainor Beethoven
PA1T H.
Oyerture-ss Oberon Weber
Overture" Calypso Winter
Symphony" No. I, u"-...-............... Mozart
Alegretto end presto, symphony-" No. =,
.11eetaoFea
Another remark on this point A gentleman
well known in musical circles in New York, when
these deuiats of his knowledge OF music appear
cd. said, in high derisiou OF them, =" Why, Grant
White
TAUGHT uE TO UNDERSTAND TuE - NlNon'
when we were boys together"
These facts. vhlcl, occurred thirty ycara ago.
will show how it was that l W'as both vexed and |
entertained BY the assertion in ono OF these arl-
cles. that ''Mr. White knows Bcothovon's music |
merely from what he has heard foolish people |