New-York tribune., 1890-08-06
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

THE MUSICAL YEAR BOOK OF III TIE soo uNITEp II;5
STATES. Vol. vi. season OF loo0'oo' fuO'
ushed and compiled by G.. II. Wilson.
JIandbooks of the Kind that Mr.. Wilson, musical
critic of "rhe Boston Traveller has been issuing no"
for seven years do not belong TO entertaining 'cse
but their permanent value is greater tan taI OF 'e
most fascinating writings which music cans o"' B"
this country. Whether not VIC are III any sense
musical people is question when sir' "
writers still affect TO have under oonsid'lauo"' ""
have recently seen an e. tended comment Oh r. L.
Rtter,s Music IN America" printed in 'errla"
neu,s,aner which was confcsscdly calcd ont bV d'c
disparsnnr remarks concerning native mn'ch e"o''
with which that nntrStwOrthy historian cont
his book These remarks hnmored the reviewer P'O
conceived idea that America is mereN '"o ~ I,..
dollars TO which European singers ana INSTRUMENT
eo,h IN order TO add to their material possessions
and whore owing 10 the crud"ness OF pol"i" 'd0''
a +so lack of discrimination and judgment. they lose
an o,.iet,c excellence so carefully nurturcd III Ihc
fa,herIand We could have wished that uc "illcI VI
The review had devoted himself 10 a syuuH s U' I'D
Wilson'S record, instead OF the Uulsu i"V''' 49,
,rammar and false deductions of Professor h'''er.
II would have given him truer Idea OF ti'e re'u
state of musical culture in this country i"e W.
sonoes NJ mnsical taste and intelligence Woulo
have had to lie sought for by Hn'
trne but we would sooner trust the ue""''o'"
made by an intelligent stranger hOhl al i,'
martial presentation Of simple facts l"aA US
rluai q
thinks a few song rccitals given by his vile genera
tiop or so aco in hall which is now Only ai'
.nc,e,t menory Of more significance IN the ahhalS
"a -,rs,c than the muscular abors OF Theodore lhoas
In bebaf of classical orchestral music from Name 10
california As data from which to deduce 'hc aT
titude Of the people Of this country tO"aiN h"'iV
we wonld have been glad TO direct his atteh'ioh !"
tbe fact that as Mr. Wilson'S painstaKlng comPild
Zion shows. forty cities OF the United states at
,sast listened to orchestral concerts OF Character
which might be duplicated in only three or iVlf
NJ tbe cities OF Furope-et say, to be spechc' III
Paris London, Vienna Leipsic and Berlin Inc col'
certs referred to were those given Dy 'e orc"c7"S
nj New.York and Boston. Including these there are
thirteen cities In which orchestral concerts were
given by local bands. We are speaking no" Oh
orchostral concerts simply, leaving out Of CON
siderttion for the moment all places III WHICH
orchcstras were called into activity by local choral
ORGANIZATIONS We do not pretend TO say that thls
is a record which justdes the assertion that our
country is far enough advanced in music to cntitic
II 10 boast Of the Wilderness and thorOnghnesS OF It's
culture but 1t Is at least a record when Is more
significant and truthful than can be found III the
book which processes to present survey OF music
culture in the United states. To 1t must DC ad0eo
q note on the half hundred more other cities whose
doings in the department OF choral music are re
corded in detail in Mr.. Wilson's pages,
and the equally interesting compilations Of
new works performed in this country for the first
time Of American works performed and published here
and abroad, of standard choral works OF magnitude
produced in the progress Of the season, and OF the 90
inss at the annual meeting Of the Music Teachers Ma
onal Association held in Philadelphia July 26 1880.
The table OF compositions by Americans which
received performances in the United states shows BoS
ton as still leading New-York in the number oi com
positions composers and performances This table is
appended;