, 1874-08-23

plano-aHangement- The melodies and har.
monies OF the overture are here sure eauugL
But, in place Of whatever Of refined color1ne
the Instrumentation may have had. the organ
gives only bald contrast Of few leading
tinta- The flutes are well enough. certain
approximation to ths sioliu-tone is not i'm
possible But the braas, aud especially the
clear-ringing blast Of the trumpet, arc com-
pletely wanting in the organ. Besides, one OF
the greatest charms OF tie orchestra il want
ing,-the attack and rdnish Of individual tones,
the variation OF which forms 10 important q
means Of expression. Hence it is not only the
writer's opinion, but that Of al good Judges
Of the organ. that, in playing oyertures and
other Light orchestral pieces the organ is enter
ing upon task to which its resources are made
quate, aud in which it can never hoDoraby dis
tlnBuish itself. At the same time, thus course
has the necessary effect to crowd real organ-
music into the background, md so AL important
injury Is done TO the progress OF = sound musical
Taste.
There exist two Tell-narked schools OF organ
composition,
THE FRENCH AND THE GERMAN.
The French builds chiefly on gweetness and
piquancy Of contrast in tone-color. Tho
chef lights Of this school ore Basiste and the
late Letebre-Nely. They use the tremulant aud
recda enormously. Nevertheless, their compo-
s1tions are thoroughly legitimate to the organ,
Rs far az regards its mechanical construction and
resources. True to the organ as = machine, but
not to tho ideal In emotional texture they are
extremely secular, or, il characterized At all by
sentiment it in Of a sappy aud spoony kind, less
elevated than that Of the haclneycd Lost, Pro-
scribed " in ''Martha" Tie German school, on
tAe other hand, comes down from Bach and
Handel. Its present representatives are Fischer
and Il. Merkei, Of Dresden. This style Of COM
position has been greatly modified since DacA's
time, but the ruling sp,rlt il still dlgni:ied and
coutraiuutal. The masterpiece Of this school
Was the fugue. Latoly Merkel seems iu his
sonatAs to have succeeded in impart-
ing modern gpi1it to organ-lnu4ic,
without emascnlating 1t Of its dignity. Hnnpt,
tue veteran organlst in Berlin, holds Merkel's
second souatA to be the greatest piece Of recent
OTgan-nlusc.
THIS long depression will ecrye to explain why
hold Crc4~o3d to have unworthily yielded to
the public want OF taatc. 1t also berycs to auow
reason 10, regarding the advent OF
DUDLEY nEck
with great deal OF interest Buck, then 3
young man, fresh from Germany, waa III orsan-
list of the very highest rank. Ills technique ;:as
easy and firm; Ills registration good, but nct
particularly superior; his taste catholic, but
able organize ita1s, gave very important lmpe-
tus to orSa1-study among other orgauls:s. Tho
fire lost us Buck and Creswold. Buck rent to
Boston. and became organist to the Music Hall
Associaton, where lie has me. With great sue
cess. Creswold went to ST. Louis, aud be too
About five yoars ago, Louis Falk returned
from Germany, thoroughly up in the best school
Of orgal- misic. aud looking en- oye.turc-pleyiug
as little better in an organist than stealing. But
TWO things were against him: One MAS the Rev.
Arthur Aitchel who, l am told. would not suffer
him to play legitimate organ-nusic III church
not cEen the slow movements Of Mendelssohn's
Bona:as; the other WAS Creswold's mantlc,
which. in the haste Of the fire. lie omitted to take
with him. No sooner did Fa!k begin to play
overtures and "Mouastery Bells " than his sala-
ry began to creep up. until at present it In at 4
gratifying figure. Falk has ia ens OF very high or
der. lie masters difficulties with the utmost eaae,
and reads With absolute geniaa. It il unfortunate
that his German learning finds 10 little field for
exercise here. Had he the good luck to have
expected linn to have been q lifelong exponent
OF the noblcst AMI best organ-muslc, as veil III :
composer OF uuuHtlal ability.
Another acquisition of whom Chicago Vas
very far from making the beat was
I'LL. FI4GLER,
organst in DR.. Bartletts church. Flag1cr was well
brought up On good organ-musir. But, iinding
that alud Ut thing lnconpatible with Chicago
bread-Aud-butter, he too fell into the lap of the
operatic Delitah, and pEofesses himself able and
wiling to play the music the pcople are willing
to pay for; aud. if anything could reconcile one
to orcratic oycrtnres on The organ, it would be
Flas1er's exquisite neatness in doing them.
Quite lately another ACCESSION has come to the
rsnks Of Chicago organistA. to whoee remarkable
merits the press has failed to do justice.
MI. II. c. EDDY,
OF the First Congregational Church. is all organ
virtuo,o Of very high order. Although still quite
8 young man touy about 2}), he has played
through ali tho Bach works, and almost the
whole repertory Of oEsar-music. But 1t Is not
simply his vide knowledge of organ-nnsic. it is
his superb and mastery technique, aud especially
the artistic coulness and uplomb Of TITS tla,ins,
oven ID the most difficult moments Of compo-
sltion, that enti:lo him to such high rank In
whatever way We may test him, whether in the
finish Of touch and phrasing, sweep and clean
ness Of execution, or the enormous range of his
rel ertory (probably equalcd by only one other
2. Warren, OF New York;. it is
rafe to say tha. here We have an exponent OF
:ity might be- proud to possess linn. And write
this Decause, beng oil or:anist, l feel competent
10 sreak uudcrstandingiy OH this subject, 80
un1ntelhgib!e to the average mu-
steal amateur; and, moreover, have tho hope
HAT the city may not lose him as We did Buck,
;he most eminent Of his predecessors.