Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-06-01
THE MUSIC WORLD.
Echoes of the Strains From Edouard
Strauss Orchestra.
CAUSE Of THE DISAPPOINTMENT.
Concert Of the Handel Musical Association
at Carnegie Hall.
THE GOSSIP OF MUSICAL CIRCLES

Well, Edi Strauss has come and gone
leaving in his wake deal OF discussion pre-
and con. The fame of the great family
name he worthily bears, aided by extraor.
dinary advertising-the most effective part
OF which resulted from the injudicious pro-
tests against the landing OF himself and
his men-drew an immense amount of pub
lie attention to last weeks three concerts in
Mechanical Hail. 1t also drew something
like $40, 900 or So, 900 into the box Office.
No wonder Edi is pleased with Pittsburg.
If similar financial return is being had
throughout the tour, part of the proceeds
should be used to increase the number of
strings in the orchestra. Nearly twice as
many are needed to give the proper balance
OF tone. The occasional obstreperousness of
the brasses, drums, ETC., would thus be
offset
In other respects little fault can be found
with the makeup Of tue orchestra, consider
ing the chief end of its existence. 1t is
fact that a number of the men were not the
ones that have so long been playing to-
gether in the Vienna Volksgarten. Mr.
Strauss himself frankly stated this fact
IN conversation with the writer
that the majority of the players did belong to
his own band in Vienna, and that all of them
had been most industriously rehearsed by him
through the entire month of April. There is
no doubt that the players we heard had all the
skill requisite ana that they were thoroughly
under the command OF their conductor.
whence they came is of no moment.
Nearly ali the selections outside the family
held received faulty Interpretation for which
the cOnductor's readings and the unbalanced
orchestra must share the blame There were
not many such selections, however-in the sec
ond evening, none. The Strauss Overtures were
given with an effectiveness that could hardly
have been improved, except by augmenting the
orchestra. And the dance tunes that formed /
the vast bulk on the programmes, these were
played in an altogethersdellghtful fashion, the
orchestra being quite adequate for this pur-
pose and the conductor showing at every point
that he was there in his own native element.
In spite of the fact that the playing of the
vast bulk of the music all that anyone had
any right or reason to expect a vast deal of
disappointment has cropped out in the weeks
discussion. Why?
One reason is that a goodly number of peo-
pie, misled by sweeping advance notices or by
their own ignorance, habltually fail TO mark
the distinctions between different classes of art
work and are wont to fancy that he who attains
pre-eminence in one must needs be, at least,
eminent in all. Such people, if they knew as
little OF the drama. would go to hear Den
Thompson as josh Wbttcon16 ana come away
aggrieved at not seeing there the splendor
they had witnessed in Booths Richelieu ; they
licking humor of Tristan Shandy;' they
wonld critIcise a RajOn etching be-
cause it had not the opulent color
of a canvas by Makart Why, such good folk
would go SO far as to demean the Boston Svm1
phony Orchestra by thinking to compare it
with the Strauss Orchestra, and would do a vet
greater injustice 10 the latter by blaming it for
not equalling the former.
Mosi people, however, went to the concerts
last week for the express purpose OF hearing
the Strauss dance music at its best. That is
just what they did hear and yet they we're dis
appointed The fault here lay not with the per-
formers, not with the listeners, not with Ihe
music itself as written; but with the attempt to
construct concert programmes almost altogeth- !
er of compositions not designed for that pur-
pose.
Not designed for concert, because specifically |
designed for and associated with something |
else The majority OF the thousands of listeners |
felt uneasy and unsatisfied as they sat still IN |
their stiff, narrow seats. With that music one !
ought to be dancing, at least watching the |
may whirl; one ought to be sitting comforta-
bly,, cigar in mouth, mug In hand, chit
chat the GpS-then, how delightful
ly harmonious would the music sound.
Music SO thoroughly incidental in
design and association cannot, without vio-
lence, be made to take the principal role. The
effect is as if one played an accompaniment
without the solo,
And down in his heart the thoughtful OBJ
server felt that-aslde from the design and
the association-the very essence of the music
lacked some element needful to satisfy the
legitimate place in the domain of art; so has
that which we call household art" which finds
its application to wall papers, carpets and fur
nlshlngs. But neither can wholly satisfy
the artistic craving. Rhythm and mel
ody, the salient elements in the waltz
are not all Of music; they are not of themselves
enough to make single programme that will
TO its end satisfy even a general audience 1
Harmony must have its full share and the
more developed musical forms are needed in
order to have an evening of satisfying music.
The public at large may not understand
exactly the reasons of their dissatisfaction |
They are fond of sweetmeats. they say: and
being unsati>hed after feast of Wiener
Donhons, they are naturally inclined to blame
the confectoner. The fact remains that a
programme Of Strauss dance-musc thourh
played inimitably by Strauss himself. cannot
by any possibility be truly satisfying to the
average appetite for music an more than a
meal OF candies, however hne, can satisfy the
average appetite for food.
-.
The last important local concert of this sea.
son is that to be given on Tuesday evening of
this week. at Carnegie Hall, Allegheny, by the
Handel Musical Association. Conductor Amos
Whiting and his chorus are to be assisted
by several local singers of prom
nence and by two eminent sfioists
from the East namely: Miss CIemence de We're |
whose success throughout the country this |
season has been simply. phenomenal (though |
rot surprising TO those who heard her here last |
year ana MI. george +. Whiting, one of tho
,ountrys foremost organistS and composers,
VINO is most kindly remembered from his ap- |
Dearance at his brothers first May Festival at
library Hall ten years or so ago. This is the
programme:
'ounod- Send out Thy Light''
Chorus.
Zach ''Toccata Doric Mode''
Areos The Bell Fugue''
-, Mr. Geo. E. Whiting.
''R1manZa.n - from Aida
-, Allle. DE We're.
'hadW Wlek-Ballad for Chorus. Lovely RosabelIe,,
MISS Eva Day and MIR. II. b. BrocketJ, soloists
fhlung-SonSta, minor; OPP 25..............
- ...-.; Allegro con Brio
-englous melody with variations. Finale, Allegro
Nivace.
Mr.. Whiting.
'aNlo-'Charmant Oiseau. - from La Perle du