Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1884-12-13
MUSICAL CULTURE.
The Soulful Violin and those Masters Who
Have Touched 1t.


Have Touched 1t.
Musical culture is in the air. 1t could
not be otherwise with two conservato-
ries. the classical symphony concerts, the
immense amount of newspaper criticism
and the hundreds OF teachers all about |
US. Young parents want their little
children to be ed ucated, according the
present standard, and so it goes"
"But the violin playing" said | return
ing to my first theme. "How happens
it that that instrument has become so pop
ular with even Boston LADIES'" Because
it is the kin GOT instruments, and because
a girl Looks charming when she playsls."
After this said no more, but recalled
the fact fer myself that fifteen years and
more ago, when Camilla Urso enraptured
everybody with her delicious playing,
several young ladies begun to think they
would like to play the violin too, and
consequently the amount of scratching
and squealing their families were oblig-
ed to endure was enough to have driven
them insane. One Boston girl delight
ed societ with her graceful playing for
several seasons to the exclusion OF all
other performers, but as the Eichberg
violin school grew in reputation and IT'S
scholars began to appear in public and
gain laurels and money at home and
abroad, amateur violin playing became
rather DANGEROUS unless the performer
was an exceptionally pretty girl. These
amateurs went to Mr.. Eichberc, who i'm
proved their tone and style, and now
when they have little boys and girls OF
their own they insist on their learning
the violin, too, just as much as their
arithmetic and geography. More than
one genius has been developed under
the E.chberg training. His pupils 90
abroad to have finishing lessons from
Joachim to find they have been in
structed in the best German school OF
the violin, and the polishing they re-
ceive is rather from art association than
from actual knowledge or anything more
to learn. 1t is study, study, study with
them then. / heard at Mr.. Eichburg
/ house last Sunday evening young CIR
who is pupil of Leonard, the grea
French master of the vielin, and who
mas returned home for little visit be
fore entering on the final two years o
uninterrupted study required before
making her debut in public. She Ii
: now in her 10th year, and when only
wears old began to have lessons from
MIR. Eichberg. She was a mite of {
thing then and used to stand with hel
! little violin tucked under her CHR
scraping away with all the fervor of {
born artist. No one supposed she would
: make music her career, but necessity hai
, brough out the genius and some day
If her teachers and friends are not mucf
, mistaken, she will join the ranks of thu
great violin virtuosos of Europe.
r An immense change has taken place
, in the public taste for violin playin:
, within a few years. Do you remembe
; when the public went mad over VI
| Bull and his "Mother's Prayer" H'
! was considered great prayer, but IL
=. the new light we regard him as a sen
( sationaI one, person OF much magnet
E ism. a man of splendid stature, VIII
D knew enough to button his coat ant
Y throw I'D his head and raise his elbow
Y so the audience could see the back O
his violin. That caught the popdla
feeling, and people who regarded catgu
as horrible and fiddlers as natural tor
4 ments would howl and clap their hand
at the tunes he played. Ole Bull wa
, not precisely charlatan, but he cam
: very near 1t. He could appreciate elias
e steal music, but he also appreciate
money, and when he found the untutol
ed public liked his m )ther's Prayer
=, and the Last Rose OF Summer" he le
e il have them, and shook his name lik
d a Norwegian-pony and showed n
,. Apollo-like figure more buttoned up tina
Ia ever. He died rich and much respecte
- and his agreeable widow lives out
the James Russell Lowell house at Can
e bridge. and his brotheT-in-law is
t marry daughter of Mr.. LOngfello'
After the Bulls went 10 Cambridge
live and were the near neighbors OF I'll
~ Longfellows society opened wide
n doors and have welcomed Mrs. Bu
d ever since But the Ole Bull style
o. violin playing is dead and buried wi
him. Wilhelm with his magnitce
of tone and broad, solid style; Wieniawsl
of who thrilled us all with bis mild gra
,g and brilliant phrasing, have been he
w and Taught lis much in the art of go
re and true music. There have been otht
az who have starred in the concert roo
e. but they have left no impress. no ince
of tive, opened no new vein of ambitlt
ne such as these masters have done. i
rit resident orchestral first violinists W
are occasionally soloists in the conc
ng room include some fine PLAYERS, ca
of having his own individual style, adm
mt ed by his followers. Boston Cor. Alba
tn Journal.