Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-04-05
THE MUSIC WORLD,
Comprehensive Character of the Car
negie Library Scheme as at
Last Crystallized.
UNITY OF VARIOUS INTERESTS.
Many Advantages of the Site Now Assured
By the Action of tie Pittsburg
City Councils.
UNITY OF VARIOUS INTERESTS.
GOOD CAUSE FOR GENERALIZATION
An Interesting Budget Of News Items for the Lovers Of
the Art Divine.

Musical Pittsburg has reasons of its owl
for rejoicing now that Councils havt
at last rendered to the Carnegie Library
Commission the unrestricted use of th'
Schenley Park entrance, and have thus re-
moved what seems to have been the chic
obstacle in the way of beginning actua
work upon Mr. Carnegie's magni icent ant
much-delaYed gift.
Discussion of the library proper has Sc
occupied public attention as, perhaps, tC
obscure the importance of the Carnegie
scheme, in its entirety, to other than literary,
or bookish interests. Though, for that mat
ter musical circles have an especial stake
in the library itself, in that the only pro-
vision yet known to be made toward dlling the
shelves consists in the purchase of the kar
MerE Musical Library for that ultimate pur
pose With such collection in hand, already
ranking high among its fellows, and with the
more or less immediate prospect of import
ant additions that have been promised, II
is not unreasonable to expect that the Pitts
burg Carnegie Library will open with musical
department worthy of comparison with any OF
Its class on the continent, mat means much
TO our musical progress
The Need of Music Hall.
But, apart from the library proper, Mr.. Car
negie's comprehensive plans are of the first
importance in their direct relation to the
musical community. Our cry for large music
hall has steadily gone forth for many years.
What a drawback its absence has been, what a
need exists for it. what stimulusl 1t would be to
larger efforts for the musical eyangellzatlon OF
the masses-all this has found frequent and
fun utterance in press and conversation. Now
this aching void is to be filled. The Carnegie
scheme embraces it is understood, handsome
music hall, seating at least OOO people, with a
stage adapted for either concert or Operatic
use on the largest scale, and including su-
perb organ built on both sides of the pToscen-
ium arch so as to leave the stage clear
" hat vista of great choral festivals, or
CheStral concerts, opera seasons and popular
organ recitais is opened up by the mere state
meut OF this part of the plan!
OF direct importance to the musical side of
the matter is, also, the proposal to afford In
these buildings a commodious home for the
Academy of Science and Art, with much in
creased facilities for carrying out all its varied
lines of higher activity The academy at
large has from the start pledged itself to
foster music as an integral and essential
part of Its general activity and the Art
Society, which is the section of the academy
having particular jurisdiction over all the fine
arts. has within the present season more than
ever before demonstrated its enterprise and
public spirit Here, then, along with the un-
excelled material convenences and facilities,
will be found an organized body, well repre-
senting the best elements of our community,
ready and able to give the vitaliZing force and
the intelligent guidance upon which the
measure of public good accomplished must
largely depend.
A Center of American Art.
Nor is this all that musical folk are concerned
in. Mr. Carnegie's additional gift of $4,000 per
annum in perpetuity for the establishment in
the same suite of buildings of an art gallery,
chiefly devoted to native works, is bound to
make that spot a veritable head center OF
American art. Still another main department
OF the group is the proposed museum, with all
cal, artistic and scientific. Near by is to be To-
house house donated by Mr. Charles ]. Clarke.
Doubtless the now embryonic zoologi-
cal Garden in Schenley Park will
in time deserve to be reckoned among the
valuable scientific departments-to say nothing
of the more general, but readily-apparent ad-
vantages that will accrue to the whole scheme
through a situation at the entrance TO the
peopleis great pleasure ground, And it is not
TO be forgotten that every one Of these
branches-the library and the museum, in their
various subdivisions. the art gallery and the
music hall the greenhouses and the 200
will find among the various sections of the
Academy of Science and Art, its own partlcu-
lar coterie of students ana cOnnolsseurs already
organized to make the most and the best use
of it.
The comprehensiveness of this whole scheme
is stupendous; the ultimate correlation of all
its departments is remarkable. No single
branch of il could have anything like the same
opportunities for practical usefulness, were 1t
cut of from the Others All the highest ele-
ments of secular activity in this community
must, IN the nature of things, circulate around
such a center as this, when provided; and the
general public, which has already found its
way to the new park, cannot fail to feel the
drawing power of such an imposing aggre-
cation of higher influences.
The Value of Cooperation.
To preserve the completeness and solidarity
Of this noble plan should, in the writer's opin-
ion, form the controlling consideration in
finally determining the site and other Ques-
tions arising in its execution. 1t would be
charming if an acre or two of land in the heart
OF the city could be bought for the purpose
cheaply enough to leave ample funds
for erecting Suitable and sufficient
buildings for all the departments.
Since that cannot be DONE it seems
by ali means best to locate the entire cluster on
the land now freely offered apd thus be able to
devote the entire fund to the erection of build
ings sufficient to accommodate all the proposed
departments Tor generations to come. The
branch libraries will from the first bring to the
door of the great masses of people the chief
part of the advantages sought in their name
by those who have urged downtown site for
the library. The main library will, naturally.
be largely composed OF reference and
technical works; ii will be rather the
students than the peoples library and
Its location at such headquarters of studious
activity as above outlined will really secure
its greatest usefulness.
The value of cooperation among all these
branches of higher activity has already been
s-ed and proven in this first season of the
Academy of Science and Art, which was formed
by uniting the many different scientific and
artistic societies with that very end in view.
The accomplishment of tins superb plan for
an aggregation of buildings. books specimens
and facilities is butthe working out of the same
idea of mutual helpfulness upon a gigantic
scale and will form, in its entirety, a colossal
institute absolutely unique among the nations
-
NisnOmer in Opera,
By special cable from London last night
came the following:
The Royal Italian Opera. London will re-