New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-11-12
POPULAR OBSERVATIONS.
MUSICAL COMPOSITION IN AMERICA.
THE OUTLOOK AS IT APPEARS TO LIVELY COR

TO the Editor Of The Irlo IN o.
Sir: A writer IN "The Evening POST recently re-
marked that DvOrals presence here may oe 'he
neapS OF forming an|Ameyican school oil comPoSUoh'
While every musician In this country VIII cohSfatu-
late the cause of art upon the ac'esS'oh "a Ell.
Dvorah vet II must be conceded that a N"uo"ai
school Of art can never be formed on 'He p'in0iple
OF n stock farm. II IS quite impossible TO bring
pair Of composers to this country anu eAPect 10
generate composers for the Nation lhe eHt' alu
the power and the genius Ct composition already
exist here Just as the genius of literature ana pant
ing and the Kindred arts of this country have aready
made themselves permanent, valuable ara 'en''r"-
able factors In the worlds history
Long before Columbus discovered America uor the
purpose OF finding money 70 assist religious fanauoinD
there existed here civilization than which the world
has never known greater. Long before "er"i""F
land some of the New-York critics. shhl nave ciS-
covered American music, there uncouO'.Oy oASssN
a vein OF music which, properly WORKED shouu o!
this time have brought forth silver coinage mat
might pass for current specie. The musical mining
selds Of America are immense. For years the Ola
World hos been excavatng FROM them fortunes OF
which Columbus never dreamed
There Is now arising a small contingent OF musi-
clans In this country, who asH the PFl'nebo VI P'S
pectfnE Cd their own Claims why hs>e 'h'' 0' "p
.ronra,e cd tnese claims before Why have they not
aup Asener into the realm OF music Because as
aso,ors th.v lave been huulby sitting at the foot
stool Of learning and have been Wholly aos'rpeu oS
the food Of wisdom and pedantTy from lip0iIeo rps
which has washed the gold clear ToHi Tue gravel
styapd,pg the latter and pocketing the FORMER In
,h,s .o,ntrv we accept everything which bears the
xsup OF a foreign Enforcement We are "s oniiuie"
81. An NOT want "home- made dolls" Give US some
,,,n~ that can mix: no matter how bad the squeak
that results give us sin an imported sque"N. io''
we can make dolls, Just we make remarhaoie rims
and cheese and perhaps tinplate' OF !uS' as VIC
paint excellent pictures and write noeioo o0ONo'
no,. than any other nation Uhis latter IRON Inc
Tonoo, 11nes-) know how TO make the powers OF
nature rbservient to man .,
v,, con We make musiel It has been thought
en- some people even 60 so far a. TO say 'n"' We
nossess folb-yongs which equal TO those OF o'er
countries. On one or Two s,.al ot,.,nnt
Known secretly to set up public musical attempt
Of ninepins. which has been promptly eo"leu over
by existing powers and prejudces'
what # our National Anthem 1.-The StaTSpangled
Palmer is aid 20 be transcrpton OF an OH Hne
u.b drinMng song, by Dr. John Bull Is that any
reason for its receiving less respect than that accoue
th english appropriation OF Hnnoverian strain a.
atora, anthenil There is current story n regard
a. an FnclshmaH. who, as he wa salnIg up ~ ~,
Eay chance to hear the quicHeinht slf'l"9 G 49,
toDSnr near Is HAT the tune The old COW tiod Oh j.
10 replied ready witted AmsIIcan IN 'he p1r'S'
s@ha- Is the tune the Old bull cleo on - I'm
a urle more OF Tho National feeling ana we Sian
no an'".t filled with respect for ourselves Is Cere
oe cnse IN speaknc Of an American school OF Corn
sny, 5en rerianIy not Ar; is UNIVERSAL dig
lnggshed wrier On Am"in r in this country
DO the bost yGu, can ana inc u
VIII ne we grow hybrid roses they an invention
distinct form in themselves and not % De rog one
IN beauty a.. s[a'' We lave bicnded oarseycs with
the nations of the world and have yet rSte r Ve
nat,onalty we s nave ~ Hi bemac warp upon which
bread the Wooi o, their conrpuntol fantasy su' We
certainly pesess the gift Of making our own iao1" ia
., caysTinr a With an honest running pattern just
SO surely musical eompos0A / %an cn ~ pI IN
he near future nval Russia, France itaX ano
Eohcmia II Is cur urn in tDs sy IA invites 10
more conditions Of people than those OF negroes. IL
means as oppiirG 20 music an rhmh'lpauln VI " ~
sner,oritT Of foreign work demands national
dcre and tendency 70 help those who hsve os b n
for musical congestion in this conntcy &c there ) los
rroof Of 1t lies what has been accomplished In o'her
directions IN the past ,,.r.,
appreciation the public, shall We compose vgoro9Sy;
that Of Mozart was Italian that Of Meyerboer Ger
but II Will e. lsa;t BE- +in 'e soys aTcely
fasii1n The American putlc can row nec,n 70 Se'
this fashion, II they will "fih'l SHli"'
Now-YoTk, oct. >, ls'Z' >,
We are not quite sure that we understand Gil
tbs+ Mr. Smith has tried to say in his letter HIS
,no+snhors are a little confusing but it ia obvious
enough that he is patriotic. We do not apprehend
that any unsteady inclined reader of The Iroune
,riu .uspcct rs of being inimical 70 native com
rosers vet even az the risk Of such suspicion we
,,uS4 CAV that we cannot discern any preIndlce
AGAINST American music on the part of orr people
Az eur critics II foreign music Is performed 70
the exclusion Of American at our concerts. we I'M
ooine that il is because il is better music. we
have sqre very respectable composers on TINS sac
of the Atlantic but they are not the peers OIL uie
fo, great foreigners of the past and present. whose
r,oyks fill our programmes IL l. eSsentlel 70 ar
tietic nrhduc.iop that the creative artist rfceiVe
encouragement, but all the coddling in the word
will not transnute mediocre talent into genius
The people Of America have every reason to De sat
isfad with the present rate Of progress III lnuHcl
art II is vigorous yet normal 1t would ne a
tbousend mites If the critics who seem TO trouble
Mr. Smith. were to put aside the approves STANDARD
Of excellence and call the public - admire
,nusio sirpplv because it CHANGED 10 be American.
The public would not obey, the critics would lo'e
what influence for good they may possess. ana
the last state Of the composer would be wore than
the frst.-E6J
urOpn fNANITARIAN.