Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-08-21
THE MUSIC WORLD.
A Few More Words as to the Proper
Thing in Organ Recitals.
POSSIBILITIES In LIGHT OPERA.
Promise of Great Things in the Programme
for the Worlds Fair.
BUDGET OF GENERAL NEWS ITEMS

After the extended statement with refer
ence to the Allegheny free ''organ recitals, u
at Carnegie Hall, printed in this depart
ment three weeks ago. it is needless to de-
vote further space to showing what are the
facts in the matter. However, since q
certain more or less musical gentleman
still persists in publishing his own satisfac-
tion with the sorry stuff, poorly played, that
mas sQuerades in the ''organ recitals," and
particularly because it is an unique and
should be an exceedingly valuable public in
stitution which is being so wretchedly mis-
managed, it is desirable to keep up the agi-
tation aiming at reform. There is some
times merit in parable, as it were. Let
US see.
The Phipps conservatory, about to be
erected in Schenley Park, will be, it is ex-
pected, the finest in the country, local in
stitution to which our people. will proudly
poin. as being unequaled elsewhere. Such
is the expectation, based upon the plans of
the building aud the amount of Mr.. Phipps'
generous gilt.
But suppose that, when the handsome
structure is finished, the powers that be,
instead of engaging an expert In horti-
culture, should place the whole thing in
the hands of some pleasant and polite
person, some estimable gentleman whose
knowledge of plants was gained chiefly
garden and front yard, and whose
other occupations would prevent him
from giving more than few hours
week to the new conserva-
tory Suppose that he. doing the best he
had learned how to do, should devote the
space at his command principally to the
raising of nice turnips, cabbages, tomatoes
and the like, with god many
weeds among them. a lot of pretty,
common door yard flowers along
the walks and even such curiosities as a
scraggy orange tree or sickly cactus here
and there. Let us also suppose that great
many people among the crowds frequenting
the park should find it convenient to go in
there out OF the rain or heat aud sit in the
grateful shelter to rest, meet friends and
so on.
How about our boasted conservatory
under such conditions? Would the public,
indignant at such q perverson of the spien-
did plans, be satisfied on being told, apollo
getically, that the superintendent was try
ing to do his best, and had really improved
during the year? Would botany lovers and
others seriously bent on learning something
OF horticulture be content ON being pointed
to the orange tree and the cactus and, per-
haps, few other ill-raised exotics standing
around?
and when the everyday folks, for whose
real benefit the gift is chiefly meant, should
come out eager to see and enjoy the floral
beauties snd rareties that they would never
be able to see except in such fine, public
would it suffice to say, ''Oh,
the people in general don't know anything
about horticulture: they couldn't even pro-
nounce the names OF the rare plants that the
professors rave over. What the people
want to see are the geraniums, cabbages,
lady slippers, turnips, dockweed AMI pam
sizes they are familiar with and can appre-
ciate. Why, lots of people come in here
now; what more do you WANT?
Nobody would be fooled by such talk.
Anyone using such arguments to justify
that state of affairs would convict himself of
knowing precious little about what con-
servatory ought to be-even less, perhaps,
than the hapless superintendent himself,
who might be we'll aware of his own unfit
ness and deeply dissatisfied with the state of
the institution which his self-constituted
defender was proclaiming to be altogether
Are the people really fooled by the same
kind OF talk about the similar state OF af-
lalrs at the Allegheny tree ''organ recitals?"
1t not, how much longer are they going to
tolerate the perve sion of that costly organ,
placed in the city's music hail so that
there might be freely given to the people
the beauties and rareties of good organ
music which they never have any chance
of hearing elsewhere?
All. how proud we are of having the only
"City Organist" and the only city organ
in the country, now that the Office and
the instrument, which might be Justly
celebrated, are in fact used to perpetrate
ridiculous burlesque upon the name,
'organ recital"