New-York tribune., 1891-09-25
MUSIC BY AMERICANS.
AN AFTERNOON DEVOTED TO IT AT THE
WORCESTER FESTIVAL.
49,, u,cpowEIr,s CHARMING AND ORIGINAL
sUITE--A DRAMATIC CANrATA BY Mr.
HERBERT-soME UNSATISFACTORY
COMPOSITIONS.

Worcester, Mass Sept. o4-Thc afternoon of the
third day of the festival which tradition sacred
thing IN Worcester has set apart as the climax OF the
ueea,s delights, was devoted TO the American com
poser. The Tribune has said so much IN 'he pas.
shout this toomuch pampercd and too-much neglected.
Individual that TO write about him in the aspect In
which he presented himself to-day is matter OF some
a,i,cacy =. In tho opinion of those who have not
realized with Emerson that consistency Is the
hobeobln OF little Minds Il am not sure OF tie
ouotatson) it might be embarrassing for one VINO
has long urged that the products Of our native
writer's be treated with at least much consideration
as those which como across the seas with foreign
label ca say now that IL possible 10 do as much harm
10 art by insisting upon special treatment for the
American composer as by ignoring him. The question
Is ono of intelligent discrimination, like the whole
uueSion so misunderstood in the past here, OF the
compilation of a programme for festival so largely
local IN feeling and purpose that of the worcester
County Musical Association. II the encouragement OF
the American composer Is to be understood to mean
the coddng Of the American composer regardless OF
the merit of bis music then ID were better Tor nun ana
for the believers In the future Of native school II no
be compelled to work ont his salvation in fear ana
trembling on the other side of the Atlantic So
too in the matter of infusion of new blood into
the festival lists. II TO give nc" "orAs
means to give works like some OF the
novelties in this years programme. it were oeter 10
stick TO the old The advocates Of progress must not
permit the conservatives to say, BY your own con,
fesSon the new works failures CONFESS no" .'
vour contention was wrong" The worcester feSuV"l
confronted with problem which Is not TO be soiVeu
o.a =. NV a single word spoken ex-cathedrn. There
,,ust he change in conditions. and that change WILL
~ necessity be OF slow growth An effort to do rgho
has psculiarIy lofty virtue under the circumstances
which criticism is bound TO recognize ouo crI"elsh -
NOT absolved Of It's obligations OF honesty ana laii'
for that reason. ,, .,n
hv American
.or,.d to-day two had no claim upon performance
AZ auy dlcnided musical meeting. The first was d
mass for four solo voices. chorus. orchestra ana org
composed by Arthur Adams. The work Is seNet''i
wears Old Its author, who died about year ana u
half ago. was native OF Worcester County he
,a Il IN the expectation that 1t would be performed
nv the association His friends and relatives peaoeu
o., a.. ,,corroraticn in this years scheme Consdera-
.t,s 10 purely sentimental nature led the conductor
6 hoard of government 10 accede to the request TIC
mass has been sung 1t bored the audience uncoh-
,.icnahlv for full hour being hopelessly commonplace
h,dfashoned aud unnteresug from beginning TO eis'
II was heard in silence. Against The hours OF study
ana obears,l and the unhappy effect Of the perform
,oo nm be one side Of the festival account must Do
co, down the qualification Of the wishes OF few VINO
did not know that the performance couid not auu !"
che posthumous fame Of the composer The inspiring
motive of the performance may be said to nave Deen
o,,iahle fsome sentiments are sacred thngsl but IL
,rop,d have been better if the mass had been lett uh-
d,sturbed among the relics Of the dead which the
Survivors loved for his sake and the public respected
for the sake Of that love-
The second work was a song with orchestral ac-
commandment composed by c. Whitney Cooinos' d
voupg composer recently returned from Dresden VINO
has done some pleasing work in this sNle' III ,no
festival scheme it looked like signify oe-
yolongd form of the religious ballad, which,
few wears ago, sure prOVocadoh
~ heart swelling in the festival audiences but ~
was not good enough to associate with the orces'"
srite in Aminor BY MacDowell or the dramatic eah'@
nv Victor Herbert which were also on the programme
Mr. Corl Dufrt sang it we'll and the hearts which were
wont To melt under the warmth given out by Fauies
gponeouxs and Gounod's screen HILL" were touched
nv its sentimental naivetc; but the wenw1shers OF
American music sank into perplexed broodhg' anu
wished that 1t bad not been DONE
II was i'm anticipation of mesalhance Ike tlat re-
,,.aa 10 which made Mr. Mcdowell so Indifferent to
,or,nance ot his new suite that he did not attend
,h concert 70 hear IT, though invited to do so as the
c,est of the association. Mr.. MacDowell, l believe
does not approve Of the setting apart OF the American
oomposers as a class either for clubbing or coodihg'
Until a year ago he spent all OF his career Since nc
arrived at mans estate, artistcally, In germany.
lie has come back 10 his native land to hnd museH
recognized as one Of its most original and gifted COM
nosers and he s content TO take his chances with his
Transatlantic brethren In the race for fame and fortune
Dut the presence of his suite the programme served
on exoeIIent nurpose II demonstrated that the
American school could have good representation Ihe
sute which Is in the key Of Aminor and Is Mr. MAC
DoweIl,s forty-second numbered work, is as fresh,
charming original and excellent a composition
NJ its kind as has been heard in our con-
cert rooms for a long time. II Is set OF
,orr short pieces each Of which has designation in
dcative Of It's contents The first is called In the
Haunted Forest; the second, "A Summer Idyl'; the
third asong of the shepherds; the fourth, Forest
iv fhanC iypEf tn
that Mr. Mcdowell has drunk at the spring whose
tutelary deity was Joachim Raf, and this fact might
also be read In the music, which has much OF kan's
tanelfuness but differs from the majority of that COM
posers works in being remarkably contentious. Inc
four pieces occupy less than half an hour III the play
ing. In each case charming poetical conceit IS
stated worked out and dismissed without REDUNDANT
measure The music highly picturesque, the orchcs-
traton ingenious, the form wcllknt and logical the
melodies and rhythms captivating. Especially Is all
this true Of the last movement In which most oahty
fancy is paired with command of unique effects OF
Instrumentation that speaks el0quently OF Mr. Mac
Dowels technical requirements and native sense Oh
musical color The suite ought TO DO heard next win
ter in New-lork
Mr.. Herbert, who sprouted In Dublin budd'd
In stuttgart and blOssOmed In New-i2ras'
was TODAY classed with the American
composers lie could not be better recommended 70 the
guild than he by his oantata, Inc C4PuHe.
Inc %0rt tonS ~s rSc ss1 to omit one Of It's strongest
divisions because Of the inability Of The choir to learn
the music in tine; but despite these dfawbacNs, a
composition full Of dramatic vitality and beauty was
recognizable. The textual framework OF The cap
tive" Is Il German poem by Rudolph Baumbach, wllch
tells the tale Of prisoner condemned TO death whom
maiden wishes for her love- but who prefers
death 20 infdelity 10 his mistress. Mr.. Herberts
setting Of the lines Is ultra modern in form and style
The poem is largely narrative, and IN these portions
choral ballad manner @ a1ng tSs RoTeTeS for some
thing lIhe highly emotionazed or higher spiced,
operate expression In the portions In which direct
Characterization Is possible That is TO say, he sets
tI , vows supPOseu 70 Oe sPOhch DE tlN cdpuVe a1
individual elements, well the conflicting passions
OF tbe hero and heroine, have typical themes in The
score and these themes the melOdic germs Of the
work; In ule instrumental Introduction they ore
tteo 50 ~ ~ suggest the argument of the story and
al inc same time furnish sort OF thematc catalogue.
me freedom Of Mr. Herberts fancy does kind OF work
Nmeh would seem 10 belong 20 the domain OF reflection.
~ bs elaboration and, in spite Of the incapady Of be
NnVr, ne was made 20 feel that his composition had
NCelNc0 both al md