The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1886-05-14
what l am about to mention shall never
go beyond ourselves"
Mr. nnnblahnoo tnoIipa5 hta baoJ II,

Mr.. Doublebass inclined his head in
silence. His daughter did the same.
"You are aware" said Mr.. Smart, "that
II Is my privilege TO be on somewhat init
mate terms, professionally speaking, with
n certain exalted parsonage who honors
our art with his patronage The concert
| mentioned just now is in aid of the funds
of well-known educational institution.
In order to give eclat to the entertainment
my exalted friend not only promised to
perform a solo on the trombone, his favor
ite instrument, but has offered to compose
an orchestral symphony specially for the
occasion. OF course, the offer was ac-
cepted. As You are aware, my exalted
friend dabbles little in composition. He
had, however, never attempted anything
on so ambitious n scale as a symphony,
and the task proved more arduous than he
had anticipated He himself with
his usual modesty, was the first to
acknowledge this. Hang the SYM
phony,' he said to me at last,
- even exalted personagcs use strong
language occasionally, Miss Doublebass-
Hang the symphony Pm sick of it.
They'll have to do without it, | ven
tured respectfully to suggest that this
would cause grievous disappointment,
tickets having been already sold. Well,
look here, Soapy,' he said-that is pleas
ant way in which the great one is pleased
to address your humble servant OCCASION
ally-'you must write the confounded
thing demurred as far as | could, but
he was firm, and in the end / had to un-
dertake the job. Now, / can be candid
with you, Doublebass, and / frankly adj
init that the task was not at all in my line
don't profess to go in for high art, you
know. | was at my wits end, when |
luckily thought of you and the symphony
you had mentioned to me, and here |
am. Now, l think you will see how the
land lies"
Really" said Mr.. Doublebass, who had
listened to the foregoing narrative with a
grim smile, that is a very great honor you
have planned for me. Now, when do you
want the symphony"
"At once; we ought to be practicing it
now"
al asked because, as you intimated, a
few alterations will no doubt be necessary,
and they can not be made in minute"
you relieve me of a difficulty, Double
bass. That is the very thing | wanted to
say. | can give you till Saturday, but not
later. 1t must be made shorter, you know,
and lighter, my dear sir, lighter"
II understand" said Mr.. Doublebass.
Something between Beethoven and Often
bach"
"Precisely-the very thingl" said Mr..
Smart and after few more words as to
terms he hurried off to the cab which was
waiting for him.
"You are not really going to do this
fathers" inquired Maggie, when the visi-
tor was gone. She had listened to the in
terview in some bewilderment and was
quite taken aback at the result.
"Why not, my dears" Better be out of
the world than behind the times" said the
old gentleman, evasively. Accordingly,
he set to work, with very little delay, and
kept hard at it for the next three or four
days, working far into the night. BY Sat-
urday, the revised edition of the SYM
phony was completed and duly forwarded
to Mr. Smart.
Within week or two advertisements of
the approaching concert to which Mr..
Smart had alluded were appearing in
newspapers and on boardings, and excited
no little interest in fashionable and musi-
cal circles. 1t was to be conducted by Sir
Boyler Potts. who had the general super
intendence of all the arrangements, and
who, besides being a musician of some tai
ent had made more money by his operas
and oratories than all the great masters
put together. The Lady Anne Dante was
to sing one of her own songs, and two
prima donnas of worldwide reputation
were also announed, though in much
smaller type than Lady Anne, who
had line to herself. Lastly came
the announcement of the trombone
solo by H. r. II. Prince Albert of Gotten
fenschen, and the new and original
symphony by the same gifted parsonage.
The prince of Gotten-Penschen's devotion
70, 1nt oil l,n l,,,-f
FAINT, he had first delighted the homely
German court in which he was born by
his astonishing rendering of nursery songs
upon mouth-organ. He was distantly
connected by birth with the English royal
family, and had greatly improved the con-
nectiOn by marriage-which last fact,
coupled with his musical talents, had at
once demonstrated his fitness for an i'm
pUrtant command in the British navy
This post II. r. H, Che had been elevated
to II rank of a royal highness by royal
warranty had now held for some years,
and during that time had shown zeal in
bringing the refining influence of music to
bear on the British sailor, which had
greatly raised him in the public estima-
ton. With such an artistic feast as the
programme promised, it is not surprising
that the tickets went or most satisfactor-
princes symphony was artfully stimulated
by occasional paragraphs in the columns
of the papers which supplied fashionable
intelligence. Many of these were written
by Mr.. Soapley Smart, who did a good
deal of light literary work, and was, more
over, the musical critic of that highly
fashionable journal, The st. James Ad-
yertiser. BY this means an impression
was widely diffused that II. r. H. the
prince of Gotten-Penschen had produced a
work which would at once elevate him to
II position beside the great classical com
posers of his fatherland.
The night of the concert duly arrived.
The hall was densely packed with an audi
snce representing the elite of London So
ciety, as well as Of the world of art and
letters. The entertainment fully justified
all the expectations which had been formed
concerning it, and provoked the greatest
enthusiasm. The prince of Gotten-Pen-
schen was reserved for the second part; and
when his royal highness appeared after
the interval with his trombone, he was re-
ceived with "A perfect ovation. Sir Boyler
Potts had composed a tasteful little NOR
ceau for the occasion, and the prince,
though little nervous, got through it
very creditably, with the exception of
triiiinG hitch when the august performer
had to stop and perform an operation
sometimes necessary with the instrument
in question. The symphony came almost
immediately afterward. The opening
movement (allegro) was listened to with
rapt attention and followed by volley of
applause. The next movement (andante
con moto) and the third (scherzo) created
still more favorable impression. But
the climax was reached with the fourth
movement, which, opening with quaint
moderate in minor key, wound up with
arattling presto, which completely brought
down the house, and reused the more
demonstrative portion of the audience to
the utmost pitch of enthusiasm. Amid
deafening applause the royal composer
came forward and bowed right and left,
with modesty which, under the circum-
stances, did him great credit and the ap-
plause continued until Sir Boyler Potts
took up his baton and gave the last move
ment over again.
Early the following morning Mr.,
| Doublebass, who mad resisted all the en-
treaties of his daughter and Mr. Smart to
be present at the concert sat in his arm
| chair while Maggie read to him an elo-
| quent critique of the previous nights
performance from The St James Adver-
tiser. There was grim smile ON the old
mans face as his daughter read the fol
| lowing passage: II 4 a word his royal high