Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-09-06
oitals and the Allegheny City organiss ap-

citals and the Allegheny City organist ap-
| pointment.
The lively discussion evoked by the
article in this department August 16 (since
which time the present scribe has been busy
resting), while it brought out many mis-
conceptions of the position taken, amply
proved the timeliness and public interest of
the question.
It is matter that will not down Until the
splendid opportunity afforded by Mr..
Carnegie's gift to the public shall be in a
fair way to be realized and the public's
pleasure and profit therefrom properly
secured.
Criticising the Bayreuth Festival.
The consensus of the critics seems to be
that this years Bayreuth Festival, while
peeuniarily most successful, fell below the
high artistic standards for which these
events have heretofore been peculiarly
noted. They speak of the wonderful stage
settings and the extraordinary care shown
in a great variety of details, but bewail the
increasing lack of that higher spirituality
that Wagner originally impaired to the
performances. This is blamed partly on
some young and inexperienced singers who
were unaccountably entrusted with import
ant roles, and partly on the peculiar notions
of Mrs. Cosima Wagner, who has ruled the
whole artistic enterprise with an iron hand.
The business management is also at
tackled. According to late cablegram
from Munich, sit is alleged that the director
reduced everything to a commercial basis,
and very sordid one at that. Tickets were
sold at premium to the villagers who in
turn sold them to visitors at profit of 300
per cent and over. In every other way that
could be devised the visitors were squeezed
and feeced. 1t has been decided to give
"Parsifal, 'Tannhauser" and 'tDie Meis-
terslnger" next year at Bayreuth, but the
peculiar privileges heretofore granted to the
managers of the enterprise are no longer to be
conferred upon them. The Government re-
fuses longer to regard the affair as q festival
actuated by the highest artistic motives,
and will hereafter demand that the usual
licenses be obtained for the exhibition and
that the usual proofs of the ability of the
managers all be furnished. The Government
realizes that if the reputation of the Bay
reuth concerts Is to be maintained and the
periodical pilgrimages to this musical Mecca
continued with resulting profit and glory to
the BavarianS the entertainment must be
supervised by officials who have no local
pecuniary interest in the heecing of visi-
tors"
Full light should be turned upon all
abuses, artistic or financial, that would have
a tendency to undermine the value of an art
institution that is wholly unique among the
nations.
About An Important Visitor.
Mr. Clarence Lucas in q recent letter to
the Musical Courier makes this interesting
estimate of the pianist whose advent
America is curiously awaiting:
have met Paderewski. His playing is
tremendously vigorous when occasion re-
quires. He is as delicate as a new born babe
at other times. He is . steam hammer and
an elder down cushion rolled into one. He
makes mistakes, many OF them. He takes
unheard of liberties with music of the Liszt
school. Trills are elongated into cadenzas;
the rhythm is distorted at times, because he
lifts his hand 80 high in order to get an Ly
accent that he cannot get it back on the
keyboard in time. He may overstep his
bounds sometimes, but he makes an extra
ordinary impression.
He is withal so calm and unconcerned.
In slow movements he has q habit Of shak-
ing his head in a most despondent manner.
Pachmann has q much easier technique;
dAlbert is also his superior in digital dex.
tertty; but Paderewski has q personal force
that seems greater than either of them.
Sousa on European Music.
John Philip sousa, conductor Of the
United States Marine Band, speaking of
the European trip from which he has just
returned, says:
I observed. as . whole that the French
bands are the best. l think the Garde Re-
publicalne Band, of Paris, is head and
shoulders above any other band in Europa
The lightness and delicacy of its playing
shows to very excellent advantage, but if it
has fault it is lack of virility and power,
and that is more apparent when it is known
that they number over 80 instrumentalists.
The German bands, as rule, are entirely
too brassy, and lean to the beer garden style
of music. The English bands are more of a
nondescript character. While not as COM
monplace as the German, they seem to lack
in eoloring, and suggest brandy and soda
1 think the reason Of inferiority of the Ger
man and English bands to those of the
French is that there is more attention paid
to the soldier musician than the artist
musician. In France, it seems to be differ
ent-the artistic side is first considered, and
the soldier next. All the bandmasters of
the French service are commissioned officers;
while those of the German, and with a
single exception, those of the English (God-
frey) are non-commissioned officers.
did not hear any orchestra in Europe
which would consider equal to the Thomas
orchestra at its best, and 1 did not see any
leader equal to Theodore Thomas, excepting
Hans Richter, who seemed to be giant
among the conductors of Europe. While
the orchestra he was leading in London
did not show the finish of detail that we
have learned to expect from our own crack
ho arf1 II oh
magnetism of Richter, stamped him in my
mind as the greatest living conductor. His
of Wagnerian, music would
certainly impress any musician. with his
keen insight into the intricacies and mean |
ings of the Wagnerian score. He seems to
be thorough master of all the possibilities
of this great German composer.
One of the most touching things that |
met with in Europe, and coming next to the
Difference which the average European has
for American dollars, is the average
English yeneration for vocal ruins. 1 at
tended the Handel festival at Crystal
Palace, and heard some of the magnificent
vocal ruins in the way of tenors and bari
tones who had seen better days vocally;
and while they sung out Of tune, and with |
little or no power, they were greetedswith
rapturous applause.
OF the many new works heard while in |
Europe, the two that pleased me most were
"Rusticana" and Sullivan s Ivan |
hoe" The former has made the greatest
musical success known in Europe for 100 |
years, and will have the same success in |
America While the story is very simple,
it holds the audience spellbound, and the |
music is simply magnificent
After careful review Of matters musi--l
cal, and especially the intelligent criticism
by the audience, am led to believe that |
within 25 years America will dominate tho |