New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-06-19
MUSICAL COMMENT.
NOTES ON RECENT PUBLICATIONS.

Mr.. sEIDL AND PROFESSOR PAINE ON AMERI-
CAN OpERA-MR. FOOTE'S QUARTET
COLLEGE MEMS SONGS.
The last two issues Of "The Forum contained note
worthy articles on music by Anton setd and Professor
John X Paine, OF Harvard Dir. Scidps paper treated
OF the extent and character OF musical culture that he
has foind In the United States and concluded with
some sound advice touching the future II is Mr..
Sedl's oplGon tint the Americans are musical peo-
ple with naturally good tastes. What they have al
ready accomplished he considers remarkable, consider
ing the disadvantages under which they have abored-
chief OF which he 10 think IS the fact that they
havo always been Obliged 10 hear their operas sung IN
a foreign tongue. In praisins the compositions Of
American writer's he SAYS that the works OF Mr. E. A.
Mcdowell seem to him superior TO those OF Brahms
which every one will recognize daring speech no
matter how good his opnion Of Mr.. Mcdowell may be.
The great need Of the country, Mr. Seadl says, is
American opera given under American Influences
There Is good material enough in the country TO mako
such an institution feasible; but 1t peedS training ana
TO thI, end Mr.. seidl would like TO see school
for opera. In this school not ohiy s"esS,
INT musicians who desire 10 become orchestral
PLAYERS and conductors, should be taught snch an
institution supported by guarantee fund ana con.
trullcd by persons having the good at heart "ouia
surely be success.
Tins far NJ, seidI whose essay in the May number
n, aTbe Forum was followed by discussion OF the
question ashaI We Have Endowed operaf" by Pro-
'cssor Paine The two articles are mutuaiy c~n'
Elementary. Mr.. seidl and Professor PANE e'e "s
In their conviction that America shouia Nave
permanent opaauc establishment In which the works
of all schools should be performed In the vei1iacua'
Professor Paine would have the institution carried on
on the German system with long season. permanent
engagements, moderate salaries and pension ~ 'ne
end OF singers usefulness TO take the place " ue
present London, St. Petersburg and New-forX pan
OF brief seasons high-pricd stars and poor ensemble.
n snch an opeu were established the plan that
bay. Indicated" he says, "a native school OF music
vod In course OF time grow up. and we snonid nave.
American opera given chiefly by Amercah afo's.
Professor Paine also takes look Of the paE1ca s'ue
OF the question. He thinks that capital OF @2ooo'-
900 would place an operate Institution on hrn
basis and maintain It and that Sooo'"V n"e
would buy or build an opera house. The seat OF aas J
Institution should DO New-York Boston or chicago.
II Is needless to marshal the arguments advances
by these distinguished musicians In favor OF tcrs
contontioh Until we have an operatic INSTITUTION \
sufficiently endowed 70 lit II sIovo popdi"r wnfm
or the ordinary vicisstudes Of business opera VIII
be an exotic In America and orr singers VIII nave |,
20 90 abroad for engagements or devote themselves
TO the indigenous form OF comic operetta The most
arjevous thing about the substitution OF italian and
French opela for German ut the Metropolitan open
House was not the change In language and personnel
or even OF reperory-it the postponement to an
Indefinite time Of the establishment OF opera in Eng
fish on permanent basis such consummation
was the logical outcome Of the German enterprise.
The discipline 10 which German singers are aceus-
toned their readiness to turn their lents 10 account;
their willingness to learn new works-all these things
would have been factors which would have worked
in favor OF national opera OF tile highest class Of
excellence There would have been no need Of
lowering the standard Of performance. In few
ns,nAr uv.atT
OF doing Justice to nearly all the operas in the list
aud meanwhile, and for extraordinary OCCASIONS tho
singers OF Europe could easily have been persusdse
To add English 10 their list OF languages Cnd@
what is called tho Italian system IN London ard
NewYork this is. Of course, impossible. opera IN
the United States Is again matter OF chance inc
play thing OF a few weeks, unstable and unWoductve
Of good IN the development Of musical love- taste "
culture. n ali the stockholders Of the Metropolitan
Opera House Company really concerned ABOUT
the advancement Of one Of the most potent OF AL
means for popular refinement. Professor Paine's plan
might easily DO carried out. There Is Significant
stirring in all departments OF music In the United
states. our young composers are winning their way
10 recognition at home and abroad. our music
schools arc growing stronger ami wiser every
year The standard OF judgment mani
tested IN concert room and opera house Is steadily
moving upward. The time is ripe for a National
opera and National school for opera Why should
not Ncw.yorlS have theml
Among all the music publishers IN tho United states
the one who has done most to encourage native COM
posc-s TO cultivate something better than ephemera
ballads and pianofcrte tribes Is Arthur p Schmidt u
Boston. inst liz Mr. sc,dl and Professor Paine are
directing attention to the capacity Of the younger
school Of American writers Mr.. Schmidt comes fof-
ward with practical demonstration Of the correct
Of their estimates II Is quartet for pianofore
and strings In c major composed BY Arthur fo0te' I"
Boston, which has been published in score ara parts
II shows Mr.. Foote'S gifts In most engaging hsn'
The melodies agreeable. flowing and plastic tne
part writing effective, and the form clear ana "on
knit. 1t is gratifying TO observe that young COM
poser can cling to hts Ideals when there Is SO much N
the rush and scramble and ffvolity Of our ufe " us
tract him. II Is also gmtifyng TO see such an one
seriousness and devotion encouraged by pnons'ef
To the Psi Epsilon Fraternity belongs beyond al
peradvcuturo the credit Of having put forth the oeSe
collection Of college printed In the ohtea
states. 1t was interesting eonedence may ~, otS s
songbook simultaneously with number q e con-
man viertellahrssehft faer Musk wsseise ansesUt
volume OF German songs SompisS by var. S'"a Sso
Sontr SRiS to e" the history Of coles. sSs
the German manuscript Is Of course ncarnapy NY" rs
valuable than the volume pr recently ntp Pratsrn but
to w the os, s to MD
ssss and S' %o1s aSst has place student
life during tho centuries The German aivtS S
is pepporcd with songs whose naunting oes'''s
proved DO embarrassing evan TO the writer III q
scientific journal. In celebrating the exuberanee %
spirit the love OF good fellowship and the patriotism
characteristics Of college students the world over o
modern book does not fall short OF tie old Codex yse
all this and moe is accomplished without s snsv
song book contains 256 pages and no less than !so
scns' Of which the words Of thiry.l1ur ana t tSs
myc OF TWENTY-FIVE were expressly wriItcn mx ana
edition. Though no distncvey chapter songs Az
Included every chapter In the fnternits except ~
Youngest, Is represented In the list N authore my
book rejects great credit on the musical zeal ana
taste OF the fraternity and the judgment Of the editor
Karl T. Harrington, Xi 1882