The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-07-15
MR.. JEROME HOPKINS LECTURE.
He Pounds and Expounds the Pianoforte.

AT o'clock last evening Mr.. Jerome Hop
kins and thirteen other persons crowded
Haydn Hall.
MI Hopkins haZarded the remark that some
people have no brains. This was carried mem,
con. He was emboldened to add that most
persons do not use their own eyes OF their own
ears "They do however, said he, 'avail them
selves of their own noses"
But as it was not lecture on the sense of
smell he changed the subject and advised his
audience to believe the tailor when he praises
the fit of their garments, and not to be dis
couraged by the criticisms of the street-bovs.
Next he warned his hearers against trusting in
cobblers cooks and critics. This was alitera-
tive. eve in America said the lecturer,
SHOULD form our own opinions, not take them
from Europe
Here enSued some remarks that may or NAV
not have been adapted from the 4th of July
address of some local patriot. Mr.. Hopkins
voice, which notably lacks sweetness and
persuasive variety of tone, sounded lonely in
the echoes of Haydn Hall. 1t was as though
the Independence day Grafton were being
wiz AANNAA
at the other end of the town.
He playfully alluded to Mrs. Grundy and her
comments upon glove buttons. Then happy
thought took the lecturer on a sudden, be-
tween the eyes, and he offered, in case anyone
were listening with borrowed ears, to suspend
his remarks while they went home to get their
own. No one started.
Mr.. Hopkins played a fantasia upon themes
from Rigoletto. Then he rose from the
piano and gave sketch of the origin of various
orchestral instruments The lecturer took
occasion to pay deserved, though delayed
tribute to the excellence of Solomon's orches-
ira, but prefers Theodore Thomas He con-
siders that lawsuit as to the patent of stringed
instruments would be the correct thing-Tubal
Cain cersas Pan. He inserted pun-pay on
the words Tyre and liar. QIere another
person was added to the audience) Then Mr.
Hopkins played prelude and fugue by Bach
and ga sonata by Muzio Clement in three
movements" One of NJ C.'s move
ments must have been to turn in his grave, at
the manner in which his sonata was played.
Mr.. Hopkins arose from the piano and
delivered several pages of statistics in regard
to pianofortes. Similar remarks may be found
in the advertising pamphlets of any reliable
firm of piano manufacturers. A fugue by
Cherubini followed. (Another person entered
the hall and took seat.)
The lecturer offered to play La Cascade and
said he should use damper pedal. AT this
point of the lecture it began to rain.
Mr.. Hopkins worried the cascade quite thor
oughly. His left hand raised boulders in its
way and his right hand gave irresponsible
staccdto hits to represent snags. When he was
done with the cascade, it seemed pretty much
subdued and rippled on as gently as nightin-
gale
The lecturer regretted the general lack of
musical TASTE He held out glimmers of hope,
"for," said he, "what man has done man can
do" Great pianists,'' he observed, "are
rarely pecuniarily successful Here he ran
his eyes over the fifteen auditors.
Bach and Beethoven are dead, indeed,
but he continued cheerfully, 81 will play a
dirge of my own composition He did So.
Opinions vary as to whether it was for the de-
ceased composers or in memory of the fugues
and sonatas murdered in the course of the per
formance. 1t was robust and well-assorted
dirge. 1t opened with resolutions of respect to
the deceased, followed by a wake; then the
procession went with decorum to the ceme-
terry, and finally came home at round trot
The composition closed with a confused series
OF thumps, representing the carrying home of
the chairs borrowed for the funeral, and all
was over.
The lecturer made few closing remarks
and played ''The Mermaids Rhapsody" 1t
rained. Mr.. Hopkins and fifteen other per-
sons went out to brave the weather