Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-31

~ LWs!g2N Ns%zzsS<e) "
Allegheny stands alone among the cftfet
of the land, 1t is believed, in having created
| the municipal Office Of "City Orsanist" ant
| in maintaining series Of weekly free organ
recitals. This is. of course, the appropriate
mode of utilizing the fine concert organ
| which, with the library and music hall con
tanning it. MI. Carnegie presented to the
| city.
Or at least this would be the appropriate
mode, if the weekly entertainments were in
| fact, as in name, "organ recitals," and If the
incumbent were in fact O trained, compe
tent organist.
1t was mainly through political manipula.
tions of Mr.. Leonard Wales that the office
was created and the salary fixed at 81, 200 a
year (soon reduced so $6OO), and it was
mainly through the same means. rather
than because of peculiar fitness for
the post. that he became the first
incumbent. Last August upon Mr.. Wales
resignation and before his successors ap-
pointment had been. announced, a strong
plea was put forth in this department OF
The DISPATCH against further wasting the
splendid opportunities of promoting the
public's musical pleasure and benefit
through that unique office.
1t was then pointed out that the standards
of organ playing in this community were
pitifully low, although an extraordinary
amount OF money had in late years been in
vested in fine, new instruments; that there
was practically no opportunity of hearing
organ music outside of the churches and not
much worth hearing there; that the vast
maj jurity of the churches had to put up with
players who were either not trained at all
to the legitimate uses of the instrument or
too much busted in other lines to keep in
practice; that lhere was not one organfst in
in inf pf H.
tty, training and freedom from other activi-
ties, to step into that office and play prop
erly such weekly programmes as ought to
be given.
III was, therefore, urged that the original
81, 200 salary be restored and thoroughly
competent organist he hunted up and in
at the free recitals would at once delight the
public and set the sorely-needed standards
for ambitions local players, and whose
prestige and general activity as an organ
specialist would tend to raise that whole
Important branch of music in our COM
munity out of the very secondary, little re-
spected place it had so long been forced to
occupy.
That sad condition of organ matters in
general has not materially improved in the
past year. Nor have the Allegheny recitals
been placed rs yet upon the plane they
should occupy, though certainly they have
been somewhat better since Mr.. H. p.
Ecker's incumbency began. He makes
no pretense of having undergone the
IHOrOu1u COURSE Ol SpeCldl LnaC
is just as necessary to make an organ
ist us to make pianist. q lawyer or q doc
tor; nor could he for the small salary of $500
neglect his fiourishing business so as to per-
gramnes up to the standard The pro-
grammes themselves furnish abundant evil
dence of these facts.
Accordingly-in spite of strong personal
rea -ons that would incline the writer to keep
still, if such considerations had weight in
this department-the continuing failure to
reap the public good that should flow from
those free recitals has been frequently de-
plored in these columns. And so long as this
deplorable condition continues will its bet
terment be urged whenever occasion offers.
-
What tho Programmes Do Contain.
In line with the above were the brief gen.
eral comments which were made in speak
ing of one of Mr.. Carter's programmes three
weeks ago, and which were somewhat mis-
and zealously. if not politely.
in letter printed by a local
the following Sunday over the
name of Mr.. Joseph C. Breil. The greater part
of that letter is not worth noticing here;
this journal has no room for mere quibbles
or personalities OF this nature. But dis
tinct issue of fact, and one as to which the
public should be informed, is rendered in
the following sample fragments:
'Mr. Ecker has always had u due regard
for legitimate organ standards. With
permission of Mr.. Ecker's secretary, all the
of his recitals at Carnegie Hall
are placed at the disposition of anyone. .
In all his exercise OF the duty of city organ
ist Mr. Ecker has always been judicious
and has never descended to the common
place. The music rendered by the city or
ganist has always been of the good order
and with due regard for organ music"
Through Mr.. Breil's subsequent courtesy,
fully examined 81 out of 40 programmes an
nounced by Mr.. Ecker from August Is to
June l, covering the recitals numbered 6s to
l02 inclusive, excepting six, Tor which the
classifying the 376 programme numbers,
many including two or three short pieces, is |
difficult because of the indefinite |
and changeabie tiles used and the
recognized repertoire. However, with the |
Assistance Of a gentleman particularly well |
with the literature of the organ,
the following list has been made, including |
Iuite certainly every composition originally |
written for the organ appearing on those |
Programmes |
BACH: Postlude in G: Allegro: onertory.
5AT1srE: 5 March: Allegro. ! timss; March in G;
Aleoret,o; Postlude in e.
SUCK: March 'f Triunphant: IL N % Akorstto; March MIL
taire: bonanza.
LAIR 1scotson1: March Triumphant, Inaurur.-
tion March; March in G; March Commemorat,on;
)IENEL: Imdaate Espressfvo; Andants CON usoto.
ECKER: March Nuptiale; Postlude in q.
LIMERICK: Postlude in +.
iARRATT: March Triumphal
iARRIss: Romance in nat.
holmes: Lento con espressione.
4EMAIGRE: Cdpriccio. times; Andante con 1soto.
times; Idyne tEvening Benedictiou). twice;
Allegro.
Praeludium, t,oiee; Praeludium
No. 2;Andante.
Preludium.
iERkEL: A"aa"te ioM M"sas sons,, co" "0"; Andante
Andante:
link: Postlude in F; Postlude.
ALoME: Ofertory in d fat.
CoTT: March Triumphant.
HELLEY: Festival tTeltsde and PoStfuds: Prel,tds
Jrom Festival Te Deum.
TERN: Postlude in +; Postlude; Fan tasie in r.
ToURs: AlLe1retto Grazioso.
NEEGMAN: Fantasia; Fantasia minor-major.
yELY: Offertory, twice: Andante con moto.
tHervey D.; P.,rraphrase. Aud Lang
-
Actual Organ Music Soarcs
In this list, the benefit Of the doubt has
een given to the programme-maker. AZ it
tands it shows that pieces written for the
rgan appear on those programmes not over
I times at the most. The 26 little pieces
r1nted in italics were each bracketed with
ne or two others to mako q single pro- |
ramme number. Count them as 13 numbers |
nd the outside total of real organ music is
numbers out of 376.
The list shows s. different titles as printed
n the programme OF these at least eight
re- no doubt, really duplicates of others
iven with slight change of title; so that |
he entire organ repertoire drawn upon con.
lists OF Al pieces at the most. And of those,