The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1883-05-20
The AWARD SUCCESS
TIONS."
TIL


say timely suggestions, as it is new
evidently too late to put them into
practice)-given to the public by L.
b. j., in your issue of Sunday, May
18th. What a pity they were not
given six months agO,and thus have
saved all the discontinue to the
judges" and still worse "dissatisfac-
ton" to lat least some one or more)
of the competitors. However, now
the light has come, I am still in the
dark, and who knows perhaps that
benighted committee would fail,
with their lack Of 'Feye to business
to see the points had they been
given carrier; but as LIS. j, assures
us that 'no mittee in future
can" make such blunders, the mat
ter must be plain to all future gen
eTatiOns.
Let us look at each fault as given
US by this writer, and find whether
it is areal or imaginary one,
brought to his mind by discomfort
through failure to win or some
other cause. First, he asserts that
il was wrong to require words and
music by the same authors, and
styles in distant way those able to
do this lack CT all trades" Alas,
what name for the great Wagner
Of Germany, and others that might
be quoted Of fame in the sister arts.
We used to have but three-music
poetry and painting; but a fourth
must now be added "thrashing
machine making" But to be
serious, where is the wrong
The writer must be aware that
quite fair percentage of those who
have contributed to the Sunday
School Union music in the past (as
their selections will prove,) have
been these very Observation-Disclosures"
who wrote their own words as well
as music. l need not furnish the
names, as they can easily be found ;
and even were it not so, were they
not restricted in the same number
of classes and prohibited from
writing their own words? True, I
believe all the competitors, even the
Jacks, ETC., would have preferred to
have no restriction, and get their
words where they pleased. But if
the committee desired to encourage
composers to wed words and music
of their own, see nothing wrong,
especially when they gave other
composers a corresponding number
to try their unions of different
authors" And the comparison
Who ever heard Of setting music to
a threShing machine (musical
though it may be, or wedding it to
poetry? But even granting this,
his most earnest plea, to be correct
he must know that this rule has
been put in force, and that even
where the prize has been offered fol
words and music by the same
authors, the prizes have been
separate and not given as offered
Yet [ have heard none of the
wronged or interested parties com,
plain.
Next, he tells US how the subject
Of poetry should always be given,
and the number of verses. HowWould
Milton, Shakespeare, and others
like to have been confined to GER
tain number of verses to express
their thoughts On a certain subject
and l can't help thinking they
would not thank such as 81. 8. j.
or myself for a subject. Or what
person Of ordinary sense could not
tell which was the best poem, be
the subject or number of verses
never so different, were one of ours
granting we were poets placed side
by side with theirs.
True, the music must express the
sentiments of the words. ANY
musical man would understand
that: there is where they are allied
closer in my opinion than "machine
making" So in future we are to
understand that comparisons car
not justly be made with any two
works Of art, unless the subjects be
the same. Critics put up your pens
till all artists go to work on the
same subject!
True, what he says should be,
could be done; but [ give the com
mittee credit for having too good az
''eye to business to have twenty
tunes to one poem when their OBJ
ject was to set material for book
| [ have heard Of no one taking
"creGit' TO himself. AS far as
know successful competitors have
only taken the "cash" offered al
prizes and honorably awarded
| them. The other part of TIT
advice might probably come
handy to L. S. j. Any musician Of
moderate ability could give an hon
est opinion of which of Handeli
choruses was the best. Many have
done so, and many more will, a
they are certainly not all of equa
merit. Though taking the pO0res-
of them and comparing with an.
at our humble competition, doubles
any thorough musician would no
be many minutes before deciding il
his favor, be the subjects never S,
different. 1t is the mastery witt
which he treats all his subjects tina
makes them difficult to compare
not the variety of subjects upol
which he writes. A judge or criti
would be a very poor one indeeI
who could not find points Of meri
on the want of them without mat
ter on the same subject Wherewitl
to compare. A composer of Voca
music to-day who cannot set a pas
I Sabla Ornan or J0ionn oaaOOnnoni