New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-11-23
" NEW PUBLICATIONS.
MUSIC IN AMERICA.

y These two volumes may nc pldccu uiioI oiiO -
sral title because the sketch of Music in England
g as the author declares, only an Introduction to
his principal subject the history of music in Amer-
tco Tie work is very far from covering
no swbole field, in either country. The Eng
lsh section is restricted TO church-masic and the
ballad the only branches of the art in which, ac-
eording to DR.. Ritter, England has shown any orig
inal productive power; and even of these two de-
nartn1ents it is only the first which is treated with
an approach to thoroughness. 1t Is quite true tha
the real creative impulse in England has usually
found expression within certain narrow pouhds
Int there has been great activity ID many other
forms Of compOSIton-the oTatOrlo, the cahtata' INC
sT,,onbonv the opera. and of late years especially
tbe works of English musicians have attracted
much notice. Even If these productions are formed
nnon old models, they are numerous enough and
GOOD enough to demand attention in any survey OF
q Music in England" IT. however, we are to take
Dr Ritter's first volume for nothing more than an
isolated chaptervof English musical history prela-
tory 70 his second volume, then it may pass, though
the title ought to be altered to describe It's limited
purpose.
We understand the authors plan as soon as we lay
down the English volume and proceed to ms re'ie"
of musical development in the United o'a,eS;
This begins with psalm-singing, and we are lolilo"
TO infer that in Dr. Rtters opinion, so Itr as CUM
position is concerned, it ends with psail-sns 'HS'
too. His history of American psallnodS' Ao"o'oi'
is admirable; it shows exact, independent anu u"
teIligent research and an enlightened critical
spirit it is not without humor; and the sketch oi
William Billings the first Yankee composer
a7611 300. a lame, one-eyed, snutt-taSng tanner
9Th n stpntorian voice, who made psalm tuhts'
bornopized them as best he could, aud clalRed
+bam doXn ON sides of leather, is delicious Inc
humble beginning of American music III the seh-
taucht church chOIrs seems to nave attracted VI
Ritter more than any other part OF his task ana MS
studies of its quaint records have borne apHhuaht
+it pnt il i easy TO oyer-Tate the significance OF
these early attempts at song. lhelr interest," 10
mainly antiquarian. The Westinghouse 10 DC
sure produced the country singing-claSS' ana tlie
sncing-cass in the course OF time promoted the iol
nation of choral societies, and III that way we can
go connection between the Bay Psalm Book
and the Handel and Hap Din Society. But the oirecV
boir Of billings is Sankey and whatever Is best IN
or church musc now and most likely to prove
fortfe has been derived straight from Lhghsh
and other foreign sources not developed rom the
old New-Engand choirs.
Nv Rittcy's account of the earliest musical soce-
tics in the United States the earliest performances
nj oyatorio and the earliest attempts at cssic u-
sic for the orchestra. highly interesting ana Niu-
allie and he has doue justice to the memory
of some worthy pioneers whose lah"fs we are 100
ont 20 overlook lie refers more briefly to the FIRST
performances of opera. English and lttnan the
orera has always been an exotic IN TINS country
INIT whatever its fault it has had great influence
upon the development Of popular tlNte LOT h"s't'
and the author might well have cohN'a''" 1t VII"
,nore care 70 the early history of thc two organ-
cations which rightly hold the first place IN me an
-ols of musical art in this country, the Philhdf'
,,o,,io Soeiet, of Ncw-YOrk aud the Handel ana
II,,lu Soccty of Boston. he doyOtcs SOME excellent
,o@es and he paws au ample and Wei-dtNefNtu Iii"-
1tc IN the old Gernania orchestra, WHICH came 10
ne almost as IA revelation. His REVIEW however Vi
the last twenty-five or thirty years OF music III
America is so incomplete and 50 erroneous lhat 1t
reads like the production of a man VINO mas It.
manned for generation outside the current Oh Iu
sicnl progress During tho period 10 whch we Ie4''
+bere has been remarkable awakening oi the mnsI-
- .,,;r+ in this country; it shows itself in wide
1iansion of musical enthusiasm, in the growth OF
1,;corous critical spirit 1--WE do not mean III the
nress bnt among the audiences III lively demand
for the best in point of execution III an astonishing
o,ex,,tion of the standards of performance IN an
extensive appreciation of the serious, the dghl-
6e5 and the lovely in music and IN the decline Oh
bpnbng Musical enterprises of Iraimrr' now nave
not often to struggle for existence. In" Audiences
of the principal philharmonic Societies are limited
DulV
able for their uses Similar societies are slrhgng
m, in most of the large cities Of the East DE- lit-
+cr j. greatly mistaken III hls assertion that the
roccirts oT the Ncw-Yolk Society even III it, best
years have never been large enough To offer each
of fine active lncmLerS are adequate remuneration
for his services to the society during the season
for the dividends have recently been lar III excess oil
the standard rates of compensation demanded by
instrumental performers. There is no better play
inc to he heard in the world than we have now IN
New York: and the programmes presented III TINS
city are stronger than those OF the most Ins'rouS
soci.,;ag of Enrope. In a w0Id we seem to he fast
onpro1clIing that condition of generally dhused IN
tercst and intelligence in art matters ont OF wluch
Az creative impulse must spring. But we look in
gain tbronrh Dr. Rittcr's book for an explanation
of this sudden awakening, OF even an acknowledge
n,ant Of IT, The notion that musical culture IN the
1rntcd STATES has been slow and steady progress
ihe tardy fruit of seed planted by our gadlathciS'
seems to us entirely mistaken. Many Ncw-l orkcrs
who are still young can reinenher whom the impulse
given by the Gernauia and other pioneers not nav
ing been maintained by their SUCCESSORS seemed 10
have exhausted its force rs the oldef generation
died ont for. in a restless ana changing society llho
ours no influence counts for much permanently
which is not continuous influence. Tnis journal
assuredly has never been slow to recognize the
snlendd service of the Ncw-York philharmonic So
cetv bnt the truth is that for several years before
+bo death of Mr.. Bergman that organization was
an a piiiable decline, and practically without any
Influence ut all and it did not recover itself untu
Theodore Thomas took 1t in hand and reorgahHed
81 after NeuendOrf and Damrosch had failed Inc
society very nearly succumbed to the same cause
which destroyed the New-York Harmonic Society
and limited the usefulness of so many other associ-
ations-namely bad work. 1t is not enough, IN
order to create an interest in music, that an orches
fra should play Beethoven symphonies; it must play
them well.