The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-01-15
OUR WOMEN yIOLINIsTs.
AS soloists They Are More Numerous
Than Men in This Country.

AS SOlO1stS They Are More Numerous
Than Men in This Country.
From the st. Louis Post Dispatch.
A peculiar sympathy seems to exist be-
tween a woman and violin. Both are
dainty, sweet and soul-inspiring, and
both appeal strongly to our sense of the
beautiful. Yet it is very possible that the
enjoyment they afford US is chiefly spec
tacular, for woman, as performer upon
the instrument may never hope to COM
pete with man. There are many who will
disagree with this statement, but its
truth may be proved without much
difficulty. The violin is essentially
a masculine instrument. To be played
properly it requires a mans vigor, force
and grace. In the overcoming of the
mere technical difficulties, which are met
with in every branch of musical art, the
man is not much, if at all, superior. In
fact, women have displayed in the matter
of violin playing an amazing earnestness
in mastering details, feat which is not
generally accomplished by them in other
walks of life, If common report is to be
believed. But in the more serious part of
violin playing, in careful study of both
master and manner, the male sex may
fairly be said to be ahead.
1t is the more surprising under these
circumstances, then, to find that out of
the total number of violin soloists native
to the country the great majority are
women. The reason of this, however, is
not hard to find. America is well stocked
each year with the finest of foreign vir-
tuoso, men whose playing leaves nothing
to be desired and into competition with
whom no local artist would be 80 foolish
as to enter, considering how ready we are
to bestow our affection on visitors from
abroad. On the other hand the Ameri-
can young woman finds fruitful field for
her labors in this country. She is en-
abled to take advantage, among other
things, of the s'isn't she lovely'' senti-
ment, which privilege is denied to man.
Moreover, the American man violinist
prefers to devote his attention to orches-
tral playing and teaching, rather than to
travelling about under the guise of SOLO
list. In this he shows his good sense, and
also true devotion to his art. The best,
the most practical part of violin playing
is found in the orchestra. There individ-
uality Is entirely suppressed, and the
player, whose mind is thus diverted from
himself, is able to devote it to a full con-
other hand, subjects everything to him
self. He is the interpreter, the one upon
whom alone rests thelsuccess or failure of
the performance, and he may properly
employ any conventional device at his
command to increase the pleasure of his
hearers. He may be both artistic and
artificial.
American young women began the GUS
tom of going to Europe to study the vio-
lin about thirty years ago. OF late the
number who are annually graduated from
the Conservatives at Paris, Berlin, Leip-
sig and Brussels has greatly increased,
and it is also remarkable that the quality
has kept pace with the quantity, as re-
suit of competition. There are at present
quite host of these young women in the
United States who have come to their ma
tive land to reap some of the benefit which
years of hard. steady devotion have .enti-
tied them to.-St. Louis Post-Dtspatcb.