Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-09-20
An OrganiSt THAT Fills the Bill Al
ready in Sight for the Carnegie
Hall in Allegheny.
NO TROUBLE ABOUT THE SALARY,
Although the Original Amount Has Been
Cut in Two Private Subscrip-
tiOns Are Promised.
THE PROPOSED SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA.
Programme at the Exposition and Budget Of General
Notes Of Interest

The lively discussion evoked by the article
in this department SoI1e weeks ago, about
local organ music in general and the free
organ recitals a Carnegie Hall in particular
wandered considerably from the original
text. The position of those who desire to
see Mr.. Carnegie's gift and the peoples
money used for the peoples best advantage
and truest enjoyment has been misunder-
stood in various important points.
The gist of the whole matter is simply
this: Although more fine, new organs are
being built here than ever before, and al
though churches are growing more liberal
towards the musical part of their services,
the standards of organ playing remain
mournfully low and crude There is little
opportunity 10 hear good organ music in
church, and practically none at all outside.
We have not one musician making organ
playing and teaching his speciality. In
short, the king of instruments is treated
with neglect and indifference as an alto
gether secondary matter for which almost
sny kind of treatment is good enough.
Here is the great need which Mr.. Car
negie's gift of a concert hall and organ and
Allegheny Citv's creation of the Office of
ing. There was and still is the opportunity
Tor bringing here an organ specialist of
high quality who will, both by precept and
example, help nightly to raise the general
standards of organ playing among us, while
he a the same time furnishes the audiences
at the free recitals an entertainment more
truly enjoyable than ever and of the kind
proper TO the instrument.
-
The Example of Mr.. Phipps' Gift.
To illustrate this position: When Mr.
Phipps presented the conservatory to Allie.
gheny the right policy was pursued in plac-
ing it under the control of a specialist one
whose life work was in that line and he was
authorized togo ahead and make that con-
servatory as complete and fine an institu-
tlon Of its particular class as he could. We
happened to have the right man here: but if
we had not it would have been manifest
folly to have Installed some local amateur
gardener in the place and expect him at the
same time TO develop his own abilities and
would be either creditabie to the
the people. Nor would it be right to limit su-
perintendent Hamilton to raising only such
flowers and plants as the people already
have in their front yards, and have thereby ,
learned to like. The object of such a con-
servatory is to provide for the people the
very plants they do not have other opportu-
mites Of seeing, but which they do like and
enjoy once the opportunity is presented.
1t is precisely so with the free organ re-
citals Their true object is to furnish the
people with that particular kind of musical
fitted to convey Music appropri.
ate TO the organ played in the true
organ style forms the one essential element
otherwise the term ''organ recital" is wholly
misapplied and the money given and ap-
propriated for such recitals is wholly
misspent. Anything else would be like de- |
beasts or fshes-very interesting and popu-
lar objects, in much the same line as the |
plants, but none of which could properly be |
made the chief object of conservatory.
~
What the People Enjoy.
It should be understood above although |
this point has been persistently mis- |
conceived in the discussion-that the |
kind of organ recitals now advocated |
will be more heartily and truly enioyed by |
the people at large than the species of enter |
tainment that has thus far masqueraded |
under that title. The legitimate liter Iture |
Of the modern organ abounds in compost |
tions that the people can and do enjoy |
whenever they get a chance to hear them !
well played. Throughout England and |
France and elsewhere organ recitals of the |
class referred to-often given free-are a |
prime source of popular musical enjoyment. |
Whoever the Allegheny City Orgauist may
be, II is his paramount duty to search out |
just such compositions appropriate for the |
organ as will be appreciated and enjoyed by
his popular audience and then to play them
in the true organ style and with the utmost
effectiveness.
That will satisfy and please everyone,
surely. And it can be done here, as it is
being done elsewhere. But it absolutely re-
Quires an organ specialist to do this; il can
not possibly be done as it should be by any
one whose principal occupation and inter
ests lie in other directions
There is no such organ specialist here, as
is well known. But, as has already been
said in this column, "the post of city organ
lst, with salary of 81 200 year-the orig
1nal figure, and none too large for the right
man-and with the exceptional field for
teaching and church playing, is ample bait
70 draw hither a professional organist OF
high quality" 1t was not at all expected
that an oIganist of wide experience and long
established reputation could be drawn here
by even better offer than this. Some young
man, OF proper training and high talents,
who would have his reputation yet to make
Is as much as We could fairly expect
-
The Inducement Is Sufficient.
But it so happens that the above-quoted
declaration has been borne out by facts
quite beyond expectation. certain pro-
fessiOnal oTganiSt of high reDute who has