Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-02-26
MUSICAL POSSIRILlTAES IV
AMERICA.
Important Views by a Competent
Authority

THE following paper by Mr. Theodore Thomas
WAS written at our special Request The only re-
have reg ardIng viii be that il is NJ 1nSer 1t
in ADDITION to The excellent aud aborious work Mr..
he Goes not have leisure from time to time TO give
the pubic also the benefit of his pea.-Ed Serb
ner's Monthly
The Americans are certainly music.lovin.
people. They are peculiarly susceptible to the
sensuous charm Of tone, they are enthusiastic
aEd learn easily, and with the growth 10 gen
eTal culture OF recent years there has sprung up
d. size fer something serious In It's purpose In
music, as Ia the other arts The voices of the
women, although inclined to be share and nasal
III speaking, are good In singing. Their Sun all
volume reveals the lack OF proper training,
put they are good In quality. extended In
Der are sopranos, but there are many altos, and
there would be more and they would be better
we're II not for the rulnous attempts TO make
sopranos OF them. The mems voices do not
compare favorably with those OF the women.
They lack strength and character, and q we'll
balanced chorus Is hardly possible as yet With
OuI.a mixture OF English or German voices to
give boay to the tone. or late years, probaol
because OF the growing attention TO ply
training there has been marked impr We g t,
and many good and beautiful voices have bee 4
DEVELOPED, chiefly bartt0neS or high bases. The
inceSsant pressure Of work when every Amer
lean feels prevents the men nom paying much
attention 10 music, but as the country advance !
In age and begins TO acquire some or the TT pose
which age brings there Will come possibilities
development which cannot now De estimaGed!
In considering, therefore, the present co adj
tiol OF musical development Ia tais county, |
am led naturally to speak first OF vocal m1Sic
Although the contrary has been asserted /
thu that ft Is in the vocal direction aud not
Ia The instrumental. that tue present Develop
mint OF the art tends We have 40 puolic 10
stIumenial Performers OF American birth WaO
Can rank with our singers In public estilnaeto0.
nor is there at present. more than very lin
lied demand for tnStrumentalisGs. New York
Is the only City la the country la which an
orchestral player can make a living, and even
here he must give lessons or play &C balls and
parties, thereby losing or injurlhg the tner
qualities or an orchestral PLAY er. Boston, In
spite OF many Efforts cannot support large
We'll BALANCED orchestra. Philadelphia has no
standing orchestra and In Cincinnati and CHI
cago the orchestral music an must exc out a
living By play Ing In beer gardens and saloon.
The OILY demand for piano players except OF
the highest order. Is as teachers, and of InOse
we have many and good ones, who do what may
De called missionary work. Singing, Oh the
other hand, appeals to almost every one and
there is q certain demand, even II limited for
Singers in the churches.
When We consider that music is taught In the
pubic schools throughout the country, we
might expect some evidence CT result OF this
teaching among the people. Much money is
branch. and what does 1t amount to? Many of
The Children learn like parrots. and soon forget
the little which they have learned. Those VINO
retain this knowledge lind it drawback when
fault Is net In them, but il the system taught.
So faulty Is that system that it would be better
70 abolish singing entirely from the schools
lhah 10 retain IT, under the present method
liz does more harm than good. i consider the
81 stem at present followed In this elementary
Instruction. called the movable DO sys-
lem,p fundamentally wrong, and expert
ence has confirmed me In this opinion IL "a a
make shift, invehted by amateurs Pupils
should learn something aoout absolute pitch OF
tones Instead or merely their relative Ditch.
The movable do system shuts the door against
tins knowledge The first tone or the scale In
every key is 40, and that term do never sug-
gestS TO one who has thus studied music any
liked absolute conception OF pitch; for exam
pie, DO Is sometimes and sometimes d. while
TO the musician e and d are DIS distinct sounds
as the voWels Il and z. The system will enable
pupil 10 sing simple hymn-tune which has
no accidental sharps or flats, bat it Is wrong
thus 10 limit pupils TO so restricted Capacity
In my experience. those Who have learned TO
read music according to this method never free
themselves altogether from it. it should BIZ
considered as necessary to be thorough I'm the
study OF music as I'm that OF mathematics.
/ DO not say that Ii should be carried TO the
same extent, but that so far as 1t Is carried
IL should be Taught Understandings and wen,
taught so as TO pave the way for future study
when desirable, and not SO as to block &c no
attach great deal OF importance to this mat.
ter or correct musical instruction. Ii we start
rlght IN the schools, the, public taste Will soon
ADVANCE TO higher standard 1t Is from the
Young that the church chOlrs and singing
r.rs must be recruited, and IL a correct
Foundation 10 laid when The rudimsats are
lea'lei, tie progress a iii0l7 ausauctu POSI-
ti0n Is natural a. fil<'v.
While singing under proper objection g
healthy eAeiClSe, great Injury eau o. uJut to
tnc turC&G ard vocal organs b. allowing the
cbl:Grs1 10 sing, OF rather scream aCtDo tno OF
men voices. Most OF the school singing witch
E~lt htard IN tIiS country Is scrcalntng noC
slneibg, While III England and Germany /
hedlu nothing OF tue Kind. On the prtnc,ole
tI&i 10 person Can teaCn another what he
ctih6t GO himself "a principle Which believe
la 10 great extent), hold 10 the opinion that
the teachers or singing should themselves be
Singers, With good method. Singing ought
also 10 be taught without the aid of an inSJrli-
ment, unless IL be occasionally 10 SUPPORT the
pitch
AT present the musical standard OF the
American public, taken as d wnOie, must De
prCnCuncf a low Che. Ii We should jIdte OF
What hes teen done IN music by the programs
CT concerts given IL the larger cities Ne M ;lt
rightly claim f0a this country a nigh rank ia
cultivation. Those concerts, no EGVer, APPEAL
Let to the general public, but TO one class Oaiy,
and that limited one, as anyone who OBJ
serves the audiences can easily see. This class
Is growing In numbers As we'll as Ia cultiYa-
ton. but 1t IS still far too small to supp )rt
more Than limited number OF concerts, a at
present. those OF the New York and BrOoalyn
does lot advance In music. Partly from want of
opportunity. partly from the habits OF the
pee pie. The average American Is so entirely
absorbed In his wolk that when he goes out in
Tie evening he looks for relaxation In some
kid Of amusement which makes little or no
demand upon bis intellect, and he has no ii.
Guilty III finding II.
As regards general musical culture, the n 10
He may be divided into LW0 classa5-LhoSe ;. no
go 10 the tEeaterS and those for whom ne
church Is the social center. In both church
ana tneater the standard OF music Is low one
Ia the Church, where 1rSt OF all sincerity
should p. eyail and where nothing but healthy
1uod shcuid be given, the music Is looked uDou
as an attraction, and given as an amusement.
II Is largely operate, IL appeals to the sen ses
only. ala Is too often OF the sickly SentfInen a
Greer. In those churches only which have con-
gTegatl0nal singing Is the sense of what ia su +
able and decorouS not offended. In this cr,Gl-
cism do not include some OF the Roman Cath ,
lie churches. The priest estimates at It's r.,lI
value the power OF music over the masses. aud
co-operates with the orgahiSt TO produce q good
musical service. Why can not this be done in
the Protestant churches? Pleasing mu 5tc
need Lot be trifiing or sentimental: there
are many beautiful works, not suited for
the concert-room. which are intended for
devotional USE But the greater part
OF the church music Is sort OF PATCHWORK
"a little piece from this composer and another
piece from that, put together by an amateur A
higher aim ought TO be set, II not In the d st
place because OF the itself ffhouoh 90, "