Omaha daily bee., 1874-06-18

BY OUR MUSICAL CRITIC.

The annual meeting of this soci-
ETY. takes place this evening, at
Meyers Hall, at half-past seven, at
which time the election of officers
to serve the ensuing year will also
be held. We trust that on this oc-
casion o full attendance of both the
active and subscribing members Of
the society may be depended upon,
for whilst we have been compelled
ON several occasions, in the dis
charge of our duty Is q public jOurn-
alist, to animadvert upon the per-
formances given by this body, We
utterly disclaim, in the performance
of that ungrateful task, any person.
al or ~unfriendly feelings toward it.
On the contrary, We shall, in the
future, as we think we have endeav-
ed to do in the past, contribute our
share toward the support and
maintenance, upon q proper
basis, of any musical enterprise in
our midst. The fact is patent to all,
that Notwithstanding a liberal sub
scription and enthusiastic support
on the part of the public, the first
season of the Philharmonic closed
ingloriously, and with the express
sion of q feeling that the Society
had not done so well a it might
have done, had wiser and more
practical counsels prevailed; in fact
that there was some radical defect
In the management as to the selec-
ton of pieces to be presented to the
public, which called for a change, in
many respects, to enable our "Phil-
harmonic" to rank favOrably with
similar organizations in neighbOr-
ing States. Prominent, amongst
other objections, is the one, that q
preponderance Of instrumental
music has been produced at each
concert given in the first series. To
many professionals and others who
have the means and time
to cultivate and improve
their taste for that branch
of art, this argument would seem
almost frivolous, whilst to the mass
of patrons of the Philharmonic So
ciety of Omaha, whose musical ex-
perience is not so extended and
whose taste requires moulding and
direction, the obstacle is insupera-
BILE. A compromise in this respect
may. be easily effected without
trenching upon the rights of either
class of the lovers of music, and
probably no more fitting time to in
augurate q new reign of harmony
than at the meeting this evening.
We have always had the habit of
calling things by their proper name.
If a picture is unqualifedly bad, we
call 1t q dau6, and not the finished
production of a master; if a con-
certed piece of music, deserving of
. better fate, is rendered In q care
less, slovenly manner, we say SO, in
plain words, and cannot, with any
conscience, dignity it even with lip
applause!
The two columns of juvenile
twaddle which appeared in the Re
publican a few days ago as a criti-
cism of the last concert of the Phil
harmonic Society, in our opinion
was As insulting to the ladies and
gentlemen who participated in it as
it was to the good sense of the large
audience who listened and ap-
plauded. We cannot subscribe,
therefore,, to that Obliquity of both
sight and hearing, which claims
for a deplorable fiasco, the verdict
of a brilliant success.
There is unquestionably i'm this
city abundant material for the sue.
cessful operation of q good musical
society, and we can see no sound
reason why the interests of such an
organization, conducted on con-
sentative principles, should either
languish or be allowed to expire
within the limit of n short year.
We believe that the meeting this
evening d Meyers Hall will show
by its action, that our Philharmonic
Society is not composed of that ma
terial which requires any given
quantity Of stick candy to soOth its
lacerated feelings; but will go to
work in good earnest and by its
proficiency Is a musical society
places itself at the head of that
ttband of brothers whose humaniz-
ing influence is felt and acknowl-
edged throughout the civilized
world.