The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1888-01-12

THE Musin Concert on Saturday even
ing last, was one of that class of enter
tainments which are elevating while high
ly enjoyable. Mons. Musin has but few
--vais as a performer on the violin
There is no other musical instrument
which In the hands OF master has such
capacity for stirring the emotions. Its
melody seems to touch responsive chords
In the human organism which vibrate in
unison with the divine harmony. In the
hands OF Mons. Musin the violin speaks
the language of the soul in tones as sweet
as ever stirred the heart with feeling OF
delight. Those soft, sweet strains,
Sound so fine
That nothing dwells 'twixt it and silence"
mark the touch Of masters hand. His
reception was most enthusiastic; the
bursts of applause at the close of each
performance attesting no more strongly
the intensity Of pleasure, than did the
breathless attention indicate rapt delight.
The singing gave but little pleasure
because the singers were more intent
upon showing the possibilities of tho
voice than in exhibiting its sweetness
Had it not been for the Scotch ballad
which the lady sang when called out in
the hope that she would do justice to
her magnificent voice and please the
audience, the programme would be great
ly improved by striking out the vocal
part of the entertainment. Why it is
that singers will persist in vocal pyro-
technics, about as enjoyable as rope walk
ing to the person whose love of harmony
OF sweet sounds" has not yielded to the
refining influence of musical education"
the musical barbarian is incapable of
understanding. The barbarian, last
Saturday night, derived far more pleasure
from the singing of the Scotch ballad
than from all the other vocal perform
ances, and it seemed as if the musical
aesthetic paid tribute to its superior ex-
cellence by manifesting unusual pleas
urable emotions.
The barbarian must rely upon things
exterior to the regular programme for
his delight in musical entertainments.
The stimulating of laughter and the ex-
hibition of the wonderful compass of the
voice have none of that touching melody
for which his uncultured soul hungers.
His plebeian taste demands something
natural, rich in the feelings of the heart,
sweetened by expression and made glor-
ious by the cultured voice charged with
feeling. The artificial warbling and
devious jerks and breaks, the sudden
leaps upward, the balks and shrieks and
ha, has, simply show the possibilities Of
the voice and make the barbarian wish
they would get through with the fooling
and get down to singing.
il Mons. Musin had not played the
selection from the Carnival OF Venice and
the "Suwanee River" his playing would
be declared wonderful but coupled with
the admission that it had not been greatly
enjoyed. People don't enjoy sweet
sounds merely, or artistic performance.
They must flow on tremendously and
speak to us. But the barbarians will
never be recognized at musical perform
ance until they stamp and shout and
bring the performer outside the pro-
gramme. And music-loving reader, if
people generally would speak the truth
on this subject, are we not all barbarians
In loving best the simple and the touching?