Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-12-08
Won BulOW on American Audiences,
Newspapers, Beer Drinkers, and
COmnOSerS


Composers.
From Interview in the N. Y. Sun.
"And what about American audiences.
DR.. Won Bulow !"
L do not want to say too much, said
he, stopping in his walk and reighting
his cigarette, which had been put out
by the rapid current of his converse
ton. 81 do not want to say too much,
but I am perfectly delighted with them.
There seems to be a combination of all
the characteristics of other nations.
There is the utmost reciprocity and ap-
probation. In this they resemble the
Italians; bat the Italians seem to stop
there, and have no wish to learn. The
Americans seem as DESTROYS to be
taught as they are quick to perceive.
Then there is quite evident spirit of
reverence for the very names of the old
masters. This is seen not only in au-
diences, but in the newspaper reports.
I am much pleased with the way they
have been written. There seems to be
such spirit of reverence, even when
the writer was evidently not musician.
And does not the Book, which, I am
sorry to say, I do not read very often,
say that reverence for the masters is the
beginning Of wisdom?
"Your newspaper enterprise is great
wonder to me. The idea of reading in
the morning carefully written criti-
cism of concert in which you played
only eight hours before / wrote to a
friend in Germany, from Hartford, and
asked him if Germany could do any
thing like that. Here is compare
lively small city, I said, there are
three papers, and in the morning after
my concert read the reports. Is it
possible in Germany He writes me
in wonder, IT is not possible in Ger
many There our critics would be
tired after the concert, and would go
and eat and drink beer.
"That is the great fault with my
countrymen, said the Doctor, frown-
ing, 1.-The beer drinking. They do not
get drunk like the Irish people, but
they drink until their blood becomes
sluggish and their brains Stupid. I
like the vim or you Americans the =
what shall say-what do you call it
the ginger?' You see I'm full of slang.
L speak very poor English. When T
was in England, the pronunciation there
was sc unmusical as to be very d.staste-
full to me, and I gave up attempting to
learn the language. Since coming to
this country I see its beauties, and am
learning it. AS I said, like the Amer
lean enterprise. It extends to every
thing. DR.. Damrosch tells me that two
years ago there were twenty members
in the Handel and Hayden Society in
Brooklyn now there are two hundred.
1 attended a meeting of the Arion Cho-
raj Society last Sunday, and heard them
sing some difficult music in an admira-
BILE manner. In Germany choral
society of men like the Arion becomes
more drinking society than a musical
one. They worship the God Gambrinus
more than Apollo.
s'1t is question with me" said the
pianist, taking fresh cigarette and re-
Stunning his walk: cit is question
whether America will soon produce a
great composer. It is not necessary
The field is not yet open for new COM
posers. Even in Germany the resources
of the old masters have not been devel-
oped. Wagner had that in mind when
he told the King of Bavaria that he
must have better music schools In which
to train artists to produce the works of
the masters. That's what you need
here. Goethe no, Schiller-says (Do
you know German? No, I don't know
that I can translate it, something
like this! when the King builds, the
workmen must be busy Well, the
Kings have builded, snd builded we'll;
we need the worklaen now. There are
no great composers in England none
that will live. Bennett is miniature
Mendelssohn. Balfe has written sweet
y, sometimes, and Sullivan, too; but
the works can't last, By the way, Sui.
livan's burlesque, The Trial by Jury,
with the words by M. S. Gilbert, is q
most charming little thing. Go and
hear it if you ever getan opportunity.
1t only takes three quarters Of an hour,
and it is delightful, both poem and
music"