Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-07-05
THE MUSIC WORLD.
A Glorious Fourth Recalls How the
Youngest Nation Has Made
PROGRESS IN THE YOUNGEST ART.
Worlds'Fair Plans. Msscagni at Berlin and
Clarence Eddy Here.
SOME GENERAL NEWS AND COMMENT

augmented In comparison with previous
| celebrations Out at the new Schenley
park, which the newer bridge makes so
easily accessible, there was music galore,
sandwIched in among the speeches, the
sports and the fireworks. Four bands were
scheduled for the whole day in the various
sections Of the big pleasure ground
In the mornings formal programme
every other number was given to the May
Festival chorus or the Great Western Band
Only about one-third of Mr.. Retter's singers
turned out, but they sang sweetly the good,
old national tunes that expressed the senti-
ment Of the day more completely than the
most eloquently spoken words could posi-
bly, do.
The glorifcation of our free institutions
and their founders and of our great material
progress formed, of course, the dominant
strain in the speeches. The gifted orators
seemed to know, however, that in music
the Fourth" is only the sub-dominant, and
therefore said less about our advancement
in this and the other arts
Maybe that was wise. The fine arts are
the product of a nations maturity and we
are too young people to be able to court
comparison with our older brothers as to
our absolute achievements in this depart
ment. Nevertheless, even in the youngest
OF the arts this youngest of the great nations
has advanced with longer strides than any
other, albeit she has not yet got quite SO far
along.
We have already produced some COM
posers Of whom we need not be ashamed
Such names as Paine, Bristow and Buck,
among the elders, and Mcdowell and
Chadwick, among the younger men, occur
instantly to mind. Musical writers like
bill stand to our credit. Our ar
fists, especially the singers, now
occupy q large share of the worlds atten-
tion. The field of musical education is be-
ing more and better cultivated, until now
our teachers rank with the best masters of
Europe for most purposes. Among the
steady stream of foreign musicians and ar
lists attracted hither BY the round dollars
in which we SO literally express our mu-
sical appreciation, we have kept for our own
such men as Seidl, Thomas, Damrosch,
Zerrahn, Rummel and Joseffy, and
our next season will find Xaver
and Philip Scharwenka, Jadassohn and
Adolph Brodsky among other famous musi-
cal activity are constantly increasing, and
throughout it all runs more and more the
trend toward distinctively American charac-
teristics
Even such hasty generalization as the
foregoing paragraph shows clearly the exis-
tance of a musical culture altogether mar
vellous in nation which in less
than six-score years has established
its independence of foreign rule,
confirmed its stability against internal
attack, and made good its dominion over
the boundless natural resources of this
great, new continent. Under such condi-
tions the mere struggle for existence as a
people and as individuals would seem to be
enough, the creation of our entire material
civilization much more than enough, to
occupy that brief space of history-leaying
all that we have gained in music and
kindred lines, which can only flourish after
all these other things have been done, to be
accounted as just that much beyond all
reasonable expectation.
Nv.
Music at the Columbian Exposition.
This connection is an appropriate one for
considering the plans for the musical feat
ures of the Worlds Fair, which should be
worthy celebration and exemplifcation of
all that has been accomplished on the conti-
nent whose discovery 400 years ago is to be
then commemorated. The opportunity is
great one for musical America, and many
suggestions have been made. The ideas ad-
vanced by Mr.. s. G. Pratt, indorsed by the
authority of Mr.. Theodore Thomas, under
whose actual direction the music at the fair
will be, are thus spoken of by Chicago
Presto:
Mr.. Pratt's principal suggestion is that
singers should be brought from each State
to form national choral union and that
each State should have its own choral
organization complete and intact the Gov
ernor of the State to be the honorary Presi- |
dent. He does not think it advisable to en-
sion. Mr. Pratt further advises that a |
national chorus once formed should |
be maintained and great festivals of |
the be- as aTes az Th tS
Worlds Fair, be held trienniaIly or decenni- |
ally. This, at first sight, seems to be for |
midable proposition, but as the plan for the |
chorus at the Fair develops it is possible |
that permanent chorus Of this kind will |
not be so difficult to organize and maintain |
as it seems. There is great need in the
tainance of choral organizations, which |
have a powerful influence on the national |
character, and it is quite possible that the |
organization Of a chorus for the Worlds |
Fair will give an impetus to choral singing |
in the United States
Then the Boston Herald says: OF the many
rumors that have flown eastward from Chi
cago relative to the plans for the Worlds |
Fair in 1892 none was more interesting to the |
student of national artistic development |
than that concerning the scheme for q mus |
fully settled upon nor even discussed in de- |
tail, but in general way it is safe to say
that prizes of some sufficient amount Of |
money will be offered for several musical |
instrumental works. a symphony and q
suite and two for choral, and oratorio and |
some lighter work, like cantata.
Though there is plenty of time
for completing arrangements for suit
able musical features, these two
ideas, which all will recognize as of |
first importance, are of nature that de- |
mands action at once. Such choral scheme |
cannot be organized in day; it needs all |
the time that can be had. The same is true
of the competition. There must be plenty
of time for the composers to learn of the
offer and then ample time for the best work
generally honored ON sight; the best works
have to wait for the spirit to move.
Good Music Need Not Be Hard.
DR.. George +. Root, addressing the gradu-
ating class of Chicago conservatory, made
a needed plea for simple music, music suited
to the appreciation of all. Here is fras-
ment that goes to the root of the matter:
"But," it may be said, 1--WE wish to give
good music, not trash" So you should but |
there are two things to be said on that sub
ject; first, there is the true and genuine, and
the crude, untasteful and incorrect, at every
grade, from the simplest to the most difficult |
There Is as much trash" at the Wagner
grade as at the lowests Not that Wagner has
given us trnsh-I hold him to be true and
genuine. Second, that " which is true and
the other is the trash, be it difficult or
simple.
Nf i