New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-06-05
MUSICAL COMMENT.
ECHOES OF TIE CINCINNATI FESTIVAL
THE pHoNoGRAPH AND FOLK Avslc-1hS "o'


The persistenoy with which community -" 81
It's ewes closed TO the real nature OF It's aruSn.
I,es and their relationship similar acnvities l" o
cities was strkingy illustrated the occnsioh VI ,'
tenth biennial music festival in Cincinnati IL ""' 49,
tho utmost difficulty that the meeting was D'o"e"'
about SIX months ago the Postwar Aeso''a"Y''
seemed 10 be laundering. The devotion OF u'e ""e''
the stnpendOus energy Of Mr.. Thomas, the he' VI
choir from which the worthless element haa pVo'
eliminated and constant appeal TO tie social anu 'o"'
ncrcaI pride ambition Of the ely were t'e "ec"
cics which saved the Institution from shipwrech vi"
corning the artistic features OF the week. Ihe
readers were Informed day by day In dspateheS' u'c
critical element Of which based 1ui" as
much on the local point Of view rs on that OF an
observer familiar with the musical dongs OF most VI
the larger cities Of the country This amablc sahdr1
was n tribute the long and metonOlis carver vi III"
Cincinnati institution Unhapply for the sooo Vi ,"c
art in the festival city, the public following the '| VI
he newspapers, refuses to recognize that "o'" INC
nineteen years which have passed since the les''a'S
were Instituted there has been mighty Change III
respect OF that phase OF musical culture In when they
,yerc once un,one The change has been twofold-
choirs have sprung into existence In other citieS ana
the Cincinnati choir has lost its pre- cmnehce III "
spect Of excellence To-day. In numbers and ma'er'ai'
il is surpassed by several organizations tha ""''
never dreamed Of acquiring national fame. In inc
regular concerts of the Handel and Haydn society OF
BOSTON and the Cratorio society of New-York twice
rs many chorsters are employed took part IN tiiS
festival Ia half dozen other societies there are NJ
least as many. A week or ten days before inc 'i'-
cinnati festival bcgan, the Apollo Club OF Ch'caeo
celebrated It's twentieth anniversary with festival ID
which 500 singers participated While the Cincinnati
festival was In progress indianapolis was enjoying one
in which the choir also numbered 500 In Chicago
the band was that OF Mr. Thomas. nnspolled, as hf.
Thomas himself would be likely to say, by the ahu'-
lion OF performers not regularly connected WIFI IT,
I'm indianapolis the band that Of the New.loIk
symphony SocIey-a better combination ot talent Oh
the whole than the Chicago orchestra OF MI. Ihomas
The solo singers Cincinnati were the most familiar
persons on NETWORKS concert stage, ana many OF
their selections have figured the programmes OF IN
season lust ended. All Of these things should nave
tccn known 10 the writer's for the Cincinnati newspa~
pcrs and might have been known. probably were
known to the great majority Of the city's music
lovers Yet they we're ignored in all public comments
on the concerts. The bcstinformed and cevercst
critic he OF THE Commercial Gazette in reviewing
The week OF song said that such concerts wer" i'm
possible In any other city on the continent and the
editor Of weekly journal gravey pronounced that the
festival had proven again that cincinnati Is inc
musical centre OF the world Why he chose so re-
srcted field when the solar system and the universe
were open TO him. does not appear.
II Is this reclcssneSs OF statement which Is largely
rcspon ble fr the present condition OF musical affairs
and performances The merchants AMI manufacturers
r the city are imp,riuned to purchase season tickets
in advance 10 an extent which guarantees The financial
.ucccss Of the enterprise With the artistic they nave
10 concern but their money being Invested they prompt
and encourage the popular camor about the superiority
4 the Cincinnati festivals 10 anything under the sun
There Is very larg, cultured element in Cinrinnaii
which Is not deceived, and which enjoys the good
cn,ures Of the festival because Of the local dearh a"
choral and orchestral music; but on the rest 81 me
community the festival, no longer exert the eiucatona
influence which they ought and which once they did
becauso o. the false Eight in which they viewed
and the Hirpant manner In which they are treated By
the newspapers. The prevalent spirit OF frNolty' OF
which mention was made in Of the dispatches to
this Journal stnkingly illustrated the morning
after the first concert Memberships Oratorio 81.
Paul. had been sung. and The Commercial Gazntfe'
celebrated the affair by SPRAYING design covering
xrrnt part Sof ATS first the central feature OF
which was ~ scroll bearing the notes OF "Ta-rara-
boom-de-ay' Under the circumstances the measure
Of artistic success attained most pIaiscworhy, ana
reflected credit in particular on Mr. Thonass desperate
aud the devotion of the spartan band OF
choristcrs II seemed aS possibly new lease OF
life had been Acquired BY the Festival Ass'ciauln.
This would be most desirable provided That the SSeAt
tendency toward Jumping all the music OF two years
I'm n single week night be checked 1t looks now us
II the Cincinnati festivals to be- put on the plane
o. cupi,,i by tho annual meetings at Worcester. These
have been In existence for thirty AMI With
little more wisdom In fhe adminlStraiion might easily
be made the peer from an artistic point OF view o, the
Cincinnati festivals Coming annually. they are more
helpful 10 musical culture than the Biennial meetings
In Cincinnati But the latter city ought no either in
fact or in preence rest the festivals for It's high
claes music Concerts OF the artistic grad" reached at
the recent festival ought to be heard two three
times each winter IN city Of It's population ana
culture: they ought 10 BE- the ordinary features ~
chornl culture they are In New York. Boston and
Chicago. Thon the festivals could lie mnde exira)r'
binary in scope by the works chosen for performance
and union Of the cors OF Cincinnati and the vicinity
\ the original policy Of chorus organization
Nou.d not only insure a large and capable land ~
singers, would aOlso the Interest OF non residents
and relieve the directors II the burdenSome task ~
lmportunations which they must perform IN odc'
10 make both ends meet hnanci,lly
The study OF Zuni music made by Mr.. Benjamin
Isis uilmon fIom photographic records taken bN
Dr. Walter Foukes Of which somewhat extended
mention was made In this journal Year ago, has
been honor,d by II critical discussion in the last
number OF the "Vcr,eliahrschrift fuer Mu>kwi>san-
,chnft,s published by Breitkopf und Iiaertcl, in
Icipsic The German reviewer Is c. stumpf, who
had previously mnde study Of Indian music Ills
conclusions touching the accuracy Of the phon )s''phc
r, production N the tones sung into tie funnel Of
il:e instrument are not essentially different nom
tloss uttered In The Tribune, and In r"trlnSc1nn1
the melodies in order to facilitate the study OF
their mclsdic and rhythmicnl structure. he docs not
hesitate occasionally 10 remedy what are doubtless
some Of the vngiliicS of the phonoglaph. The
prevalence II the most common harmonic intervals
and the adherence to t)nHlity which were ~
marked hy Tie Tilbuuc's reviewer IRE also com
mcncd on. Mr. tilmnD, II plain nOm lis
work I'm this now branch Of chronological >udN.
3. too much inclined t. trust 10 mcrhancS. ana
TOO little willing his ears. since FURNISHING
In of
u,nde photographic records and prescriptions az
som. Chinese m'sic made In New York. Now
thIn ,n music offers difficulties 10 the student
oi the science OF art Yet Mr.. Gilman acain finds
the tOnnl alterations which cauScl the 1ribuDcs
reviewer To suspect The accurncy of his notation
I'm tho case Of tie Indian melodies. Any one who
has listened to the wind Instruments Of the Chinese
.I... L.. .aaLt.d ataa