Los Angeles herald., 1891-12-13


1t has been said that Mozart was light
and shiftless in his mode of living, and
that he drank to excess. History and
the logical facts disprove any such asser-
tions. He was fond OF glass of hot
punch while writing; would also drink
glass of wine when in good company,
but could never find time to dissipate,
nor would his active brain allow itself to
be dimmed and crippled by TOO much
strong drink. After having been in his
youth devout church member, with all
that the name implied in the then ultra
Roman Austrian empire, he became
Free Mason, leaving his former warm
friends to become his bitter enemies,
who surely used their best endeavors
and great influence to hurt him. and
! thus to avenge their church on him.
This may account for the many slurs
which have been thrown on the mortal
man, the more so since the immortal
genius Of Mozart was beyond the
cabal of the most influential and
strongest humans. In spite of all this
| his standing as man and as musician
must have been grand. The high es-
TEEN in which Father Haydn held him
would alone suffice to prove that he was
not only blessed by the Deity but was
also loved and respected by his fellow
man. AS 70 his justice in Judging 9TH
ers, desire to give but one example.
In 1887, youth of IS was brought to
him, to whom, after hearing him and
conversing with him, he prophesied
great future as musician. That beard
less youth afterwards became the great
musical giant-Ludwig Won Beethoven!
Mozart as a musician was unique.
| Others before him have written more
music, because OF having lived longer
and in countries where better market
for music existed. German music was
not then what it has beco ne since his
time. nor were the Germans educated in
music to any great extent in those days.
Chamber music surely owes him a great
debt OF gratitude, for through him has
it received great impetus. While bis
| first operas and other early works show
a decided leaning to the old Italian
school, his later compositions show
departure from the trodden paths of
centuries. The piano, which in his day
was but Door excuse for the name as
now applied to the modern instrument,
was by him benefited in many an im-
mortal composition. The violin, viola,
cello, bassoon, clarinette and almost
every instrument and form OF music no
has labored in and for The viola was
his favorite instrument. To the flute
alone was he not friendly; but the flute
| of his day was poor one, and very few
players gained proficiency on that in
| strument.
| Many modern musicians find Mo-
zart's music too melodious, too prosy,
ideal, dreamy and, in the words of the
skyscraper, too trivial. In our age of
steam and electricity, Of the mighty
power OF wealth, of noise and hustle. of
nervous overwork, of the Zolas in litera-
ture, the anarchist in politics, the ex-
treme realism in art, the doubt in laws,
usage and dogmas-in this our age we
surely need some rest, q breathing spell,
| a quiet corner; i'll music soothing melO-
dies which float by us smoothly and
without the aid of the bass drum or
tuba-harmony which is light and trans-
parent, resting as it were on graceful
SALES.--FUTURE, a combination of earnest
art and ripe knowledge, tempered by
| the humor and innocence of the music
| of Mozart.
True, we need the etudy of philoso-
| ply and metaphysics, but We gain much
knowledge through good fiction and
| light, pure poetry. We praise the minds
and hands which build the great ma
chinery of our day, but we tire of hear
ing their continuous puff and whirr or
the noise OF the wealth-producing spin
die. We then prefer the quiet OF the
forest or the plain; we participate
in the aggravations and the tur-
MOL of the world of politics
and commerce, but seek as
refuge the quiet pleasures OF our home
we are dazzled and moved by the pom
derous works OF our great poets q
Shakespeare, Leasing, Goethe, Dante
and Others, and are ever ready to enjoy
Moore's and Schiller's works-we are
startled by the holiness OF conception
and execution of Hans Makkart, but
will gladly feast our eyes on tho
heaven born paintings of Raphael.
The Goddess of Liberty in New York
harbor-this colossus OF modern sculp-
ture-or the Eifiel tower, surprise and
astonish us with their grandeur; vet
our finer feelings will be easier satisfied
with the life-like statuary of a Michael
Angelo or the architectural designs of
Erwin, the designer of the muenster at
Strassburg. And then when our nerves,
which are affected through the ear, have
had all they can stand of the works of
the modern musical Titans, then do we
feel like sitting down while with
Mozart, and listen to his pure, unaf-
fected and good music, which, after the
storm of the moderns has passed over
US. will clear the sky and throw it's
balmy and healing rays over our
troubled feelings.
Such is the treat in store for you this
evening. The ladies and gentlemen who
will take part in the following numbers
of the programme have undertaken this
without hope of pecuniary reward, but
from feeling of local patriotism partly.
and partly from sense of piety.
Today in all the musical centers Of the
inhabited globe will arise skyward peans
of music and words in praise of Mozart.
The musical world of today will, in a
small way, try to make good the neglect
and shortcomings of century ago, and
we, too, of this fair city in the aouthwest
, corner OF our glorious and appreciative
country, desire to do our mite towards
the glorifcation of the name of the i'm
, mortal musician: Wolfgang Amadeus
Mozart.
Newspapers Endorse.
: Educators are certainly the greatest bene
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