Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-12-07
German and French Music.

At present Saint Saens is head and shoulders
| above all the Frenchmen. Next to him Mas
seset. Then we have Reyer Delibes, Messenger
Chabner, Vincent d'Indy (whose "Wallenstein
Trilogy is lovely, Henri Marechal and few
others. As general thing their music lacks
for me the solidity of the best German com.
posers. Their songs are rather unsatisfactory.
l was showing one of the above mentioned
composers a song by friend of mine, who is OF
the German school, and he after trying it over,
said: "Yes, it is very pretty, but why put such
elaborate harmonies to such a simple songP'
His own music shows his reason. He has writ.
ten several operas; the harmony is perfect, and
there are good dramatic bits in them, but they
lack a certain something's fullness. He said
that such an accompaniment was only suited to
song in grand opera
Lamoureux announces several Thursday
afternoon Pops" at reduced prices. did not
attend the last, but it is enthusiastically no.
ticed. The small concerts are few and far be.
tween. They will make their appearance in
Lent. The prices charged for these are amaz-
ing, generally from 81 to S4 seat at each, and
cause of such outrageous prices is due to
their being given generally by teachers VINO
wish TO bring themselves before the public eye
and consequently paper" the house largely.
Having, however, an eye to the main chance,
they place limited number of seats in the
music dealers shops SO that the dear public may
have chance to hear this rare musican-and
help pay the hall rent. One learns such things
by-and-by. Of course, l don't refer to such
people as PaderewiskI, Sophie Menter. and the
like.
Diemer, a Partisan pianist, played with
orchestra, Lalo's Famneur Concerto, at La
moureux's first concert 1t was a tiresome,
colorless performance of tiresome compost
ton, SO said most of us.
l wonder who writes the music criticisms of
the two English dailies here. 1 rather fancy
the office boy, when the bookkeeper is busy.
As a general thing they are exactly opposed
and somehow manage to be both wrong. How
n rd nf ma mar
that places several towns in the States of Phila-
delphia and Cincinnati.
When began this last night 1 had no idea
what store of wrath should get into before
l finished. To-day is st. CeciIa's day, and I
have been to st. Eustache and heard the mass.
Once upon time in ages past someone called
Baron Taylor founded a sort of benevolent
society for musicians, and every St. Cecilia's
day there is a mass at St. Eustache for their
dement,. Don't mistake me. and suppose that
the religious mass is for them. Not at all.
That is the annoying feature There is a real
mass SAID by the priests but that is merely an
incidental-a sort ofreciUation, as it were.
Generally someone writes mass for the oc-
caslon, and good orchestra interprets it and
good singers sing their solos, as last year, when
Ambrose Thomas composed mass and La
moureux and his orchestra interpreted it with
fairly good soloists. But to-day-what a tor
ture! At 10 O'Clock, accompanied by Messrs-
Carl and Bryce, two of Guilmant's staT Ameri-
can students, entered the church. One might
have thought himself at home In America, for
nothing but American" did he hear around
him. Presently, that is to say at I:30, Dallier
struck up an exquisite prelude on the great
organ. am sorry that can't tell you what
it was, for we had all three heard it before.
After that several minutes interval to digest
the impressions of that magnificent organ. with
its unequaled diapasons, gambia and S2-foot
pedals. Then the misery began.
Why, Monsieur BoIsdeffre, did 1t occur to you
to compose a mass for the occasion Surely
you could have gracefully remained in the
background and let some one else take the
curses that these musicians showered on you
to-day. 1t is true that a child of II who under
stood harmony could have done just as good
work and equally certain that Baron Fran
chettl. whose "Asrael'' will have been heard in
New York before this reaches you, could have
stolen more operatic motifs. Altogether, /
am willing to venture that such an unutterably
bad mass has not appeared for years in Paris
at least one written for such an event.
Having dined at the famous Marguery's and
tasted his sole sauce Marguery, am going to
hear Melba and Lasalle in "RigoIetto," to be
followed by the ballet lie Reve."
Sunday-I heard the opera and saw the ballet.
What pity to put SO good cast IN such
trif1ng opera. Melba was as she always is per-
fection and so was Lasalle. The rest of the
quartet were unusually good. The ballet is
Verv beautiful, 1t is a Japanese sort of an
affair with lovely costumes and good dances.
The music is well adapted to the piece and has
some exquisite Plumbers.
To-day attended Colonies concert, having
some curiosity to hear Mendelssohn's Scotch
Symphony" He handled it wonderfully well
and received tremendous applause, Massenets
''Scenes Alsaciennes" is rather interesting, ex-
cept the third movement. Sous les Tilleuls"
where duo between clarnetand cello is lovely
enough to remind one of heaven. The prelude
to Tristran was another interesting piece, but
lacked force in its Interpretation.
That is all think of just now. OF course
there are a few small concerts and recitals, but
as a general thing they are rather uninterest-
ing Reyer's '.Salammbo" has been well brought
out in Rouen. That CITY, Lille and Bordeaux
have the reputation of being very musical. :