New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-11-20
MUSICAL COMMENT.
A QUESTION IN MUSICAL ETHlCo- iiD
FENCING MASrER"-CHAMBER MUolO
NEWS NOTES


roncng Master" is success with the public out even
q greater success with the musicians Ahs ''"'"
may be said Notwithstanding that these same "''
s,cians are considerably exercised over queouoh Va
- me,,mp and "tuum" which has been raised IN con
rcctIon with Mr. De Kovens music. on ths point
n few words may not be amiss since MT De ho|oi
brought out "The Begun" In 1887, he mas conPoscu
,orr o,erettas "Don Quix0te" Qs60) "Robn HOOD
1900. "The Knckerbockers" written for 'Ae Dos
tonlans but not yet performed) ana i"o r's
MASTER first produced in Buffalo on ocP'e."Dei
of this year. OF these i've WORKS inv N''' M"
second we're failures, and the fourth Is an unhho""
ouentlty: yet It must be confessed that Mr. lie
Kovcns record Is one calculated to provoke envy OH
the part Of woud-be rivals and admlrauoh from '"e
r,.t ~ mankind II has not been a common spec
tacc since the days Of Ofcnbach for operea writers
10 make 90 quick success ana 10 permit "orhs W
tread on one anothers heels In this manner Inc
tact seemed all the more remarkable since there were
comparntivcly few In the profession who were IN
clIncd to look upon Mr. De Kovcn as an edu-
cot.d musician They imagined him to
hcIonc TO that class OF "American composers
who whistle tunes 10 a German fiddler permit him to
write them ont, hamonze them ard set them lot III
struments and then enjoy the spectacle OF pilaie
of their names creative artists In this they ala
Mr.. DE Koven injustice. He has studied music In
stuttgart, Paris. oxford (while at the university,
frankfort and Vienna. and hi, studies, like those Of
II, 81 serious music students In Germany, embraced
panoforto playing harmony, ccunt"rp Int ana com
position. That he went to Genee to study methods
Of operetta composition after he hal brought fo:"nu
The Bcgum7 IS generally known Tor sine" tnen lie
has always been more or less In the publc eye Dc
sides the oI~rcttas mentioned he has put forth
arontclla cavo,te and Dause 1T Marche des Gnomes'
for orchestra all of which have been played though
they are not printed pianofore sonata, nocturne
for violin and panofortc little suite Tor panoOr'c'
about sixty songs aud some miscellaneous pieces
This IS Mr. De kOven's rec I'd Oh It's race Ills clucS
iprDpcriy enough II they have even "a suspicion OF
casr) hav" gone behind tho returns. and charged MN
with taxing the work Of Others and uttcnng 1t as his
own The charge grew ont Of the uoe Of Spanish
melody I'm THE Fencing Mastcr,' with which he got
acquainted 1T the Abb Club In Washington, whose
members Ind matte It club song after they had got
II from a naval officer
The ethics OF the case far the Spanish song IS
concerned do not to have been CORRECTLY s'd'eu
by either party In the controversy Inc AID 'iuo'
while 10 longer asserting proprietary interest III inc
song think that Mr.. DE kOven was guilty Oh as
courtesy In appropriating It without credit Mr. DE
Kovcn defend, himself with the contention that the
melody was common property and be did no more tah
10 follow a custom Of composers. The latter state
mcnt IS II little too sweeping Many composers
have Introduced the melodies # others into their
scores but ~ q rule they have done 80 either In Il
manner which made the Of quotation plain e. The
Last Rose Of sumner in FotOw's ." Martha ana
" Robin Aralr- I'm Eoiedieu's " La Dame Blanche" are
two familiar examples they have chosen fatona
tunes familiar all and used them 10 characterize INC
pcrs1nagcs Of the play, aS Moccker does In nj
Feldprcdigcr7 {" Black Iiussar'). In "LAmi'o
Frtx" Mascnrni employs two Alsatian melodies. but
he tnl,cs care TO record the fact In his published
score. These. fancy, are the only circumstance
under which one composer may use the melodies Of
another II the melody is not distinctly
aud universally recognizable. the composer owes
II to the original author. to the puohc
and 10 good morals 10 make the fact 81 quotation
known lie may do this Mozart did In " Don
Giovanni" where the dinner music consists OF operate
,ir, and Icporcllo calls out the names Of the
opcrns: Bravi Cosa rara :" Fra due Liigadu,' ana
when one Of Mozarts airs Is reached mon plu
audrai") "Questo poi 10 couosco pur troppc Ga Htle
too familiar, that" playfully abiding to the popularity
4 "Lc Nozze d Figaro In Prague. Tor winch city
No,ar, composed Don Giovanni; or he may 40 II
as Mascngni did I'm "LAmico Fritz lnaNmnch a.
the p,anotort. score 81 The Fclcine Mister Is not
W, published the plates being now In the lands "i
Mr. Sclrmcr's enravcrs. the case cannot be cloS'H
against NJ. DE Kovcn until the book appears Mean
while It IS 10 b. regretted thn he did not preclude
N. unhappy controversy by announcing the quota
ton on his house bills This might not have satisfied
the AllM Club on the question of courtesy due them.
but II would have saved him from the Charge OF
conscious pla giarlSm
The ball Of scandal having been set in motion by
the abb Club case. Il naturally Increased In mo-
mentum and as 1t rolled ana the charge WIS
made that Mr. De Koyen had used the music oil
certain Chicago musician, in his other operas. ana
mon specifically, that G"nec bad written "h'oh
Hoodr In whole or part. Concerning these charges
We are not In position 10 pronounce judgment
II is dine 10 Mr. De kovcn. however. To SLY that ne
has denied them point blank. and has issued 'haI-
lemgc which ought 10 compel III, detractOrs 10 produce
their evidence, forever remain Silent Collat'rHy
the ques ion OF the extent 20 which "A composer HA"S
call In the assistance Of Others In his work, without
losing the right TO give II ont Is his own, ms Deem
moot,d. Here the question Is not 50 simple. In
many cases where the mu,ciHnship Of the original
writer cannot be doubt "a. II f. an open secret a"h
musicians That large share OF the tc'hil'"l "o'N
If composition has been done by proxy. Slr Arthur
sullivan did not orchcSratc all his operrtaS' neither
did R"ycr all OF his operas. The ability 10 sooN i"l
Orchestra effectively a git which Is quite distinct
from the ability to invent mel dies ANA hrm"hze
them. \ wonderful progress DaS been made since INC
day Of BcrlioL In the art Of Instrumentation l'ec"'
The art may be- said now To lc a Science Dut th'c
are stu many composers who cannot thlhA orch'3
traly bnt only fer the pianoforlc. 1t mas, there
fire become a custom among composers 10 write
everything for the panoiorc. and auerwnTu ID scoc
,. t, for orchestral This. lccvr /, the custom Of
,rlrg even when he Intends TO put forth compost
ton ony In orchestral garb. Moreover the puDhc
have never been aware how many Of the operas
and choral works which they have listened to have
been rewritten In their instrumental part at the III
stance Of managers, who adopted That means OF
escaping payment Of royalties when I'll" possession
Of the original orchestral parts WAS contingent upon
such PAYMENT The American people first heard " Car
men, In ,rch "A dubious rcdaction Nevertheless, "A
great deal Of Il composers individuality HES In his
treatment Of the instrumental voices ana there Is as
little question touching The dishonesty of proceed
ing like that lust mentioned ~ there would be II Il
composer had nched the Ideas Of another, or bought
them for cash ana then published them rs his own.
The question Is wholly enc OF good faith with the
pubic \ composer cannot be justly accused OF
plagiarism because he hires his orchcsraon done for
him. unless he specifically gives 1t out rs his own
work. In discussing Of THIS part of The oontrover,y