The herald., 1895-06-02

Yet the house was not full there were
many vacant seats down stairs as we'll as
up, and those who were present were to-
the most part people VINO could not get
seats Friday night. OF who came in from
OUTSIDE points.
That same night was the third and last
concert. Again the programme was ex-
ceptionaly fine and again there were
many vacant seats, and the audience was
made up apparently OF people who. for
some reason. had been prevented from
attending the other two concerts. There
were probably not over twenty-five or
thirty people in the house who had been
present at both of the other psrforman-
ces.
The best musicians were there at all
three They realized not ,nly that it was
an opportunity to hear and enjoy the
but they knew what an educa 'ion it
would be to them, and they took ad-
vantage OF it.
Of course the argument can be and has
been advanced that such music is be-
yond the ken of the masses. and cannot
be expected to draw like circus would.
All very true, but what on earth will ever
teach such people to know and enjoy
good music il they don't go ana hear it
when they can.
70 hear NJ. Ysaye play his three pro-
grammes would have done more for the
education of the thousands of musical
students, men. women anu children, in
Los Angeles, than months study with
any teacher here.
In Europe the masses and children
know the best music and love it. Why?
Because they hear ii on every hand all
the time, and for almost nothing We
can't have such advantages here hus
isn't it all the more: reason why. when
the opportunity comes. it should be made
the most of. even though some LITTLE
luxury, or even necessity. be gone witt
out to accomplish it?
Aside from the real an | practical good
that such concerts could have given MT.
steal students. large or small. who were
the cultured eastern people who are
supposed TO make up large proportion
OF the population here? They may have
gone to some one of the concerts. but
they certainly did not go to ALL for the
same faces were not seen at all.
Boston men, women and children went
to New York to hear Ysaye play after he
had played in Boston, and New York
men women and mu ms fo. owed him
to Boston alter he h.. liayed in New
York. But some of the cultured Los
Angeles people didn't even to go the
theater to hear him and mighty few OF
them went more thar once.
When Warde and James were here a
few months ago they gave nine perform
ances in one week. the house was packed
for every performance. That vas as high
and classic in its way as Ysaye sconcerts;
peop found money for the former. and
they profess to have a deep and abld-
theysgo to the latterp
One reason given has been that the
programmes were too classical. Anybody
can play comr onpIace music, and it is
heard here in nauseating abundance all
the time. Why should not a great artist
r,laxr T,,,1. .,..D rs
$4,000 people aren't there enough to fill
small theater for three performances and
be glad and grateful for the opportunity
to hear only the best for those three
times?
Again, those audiences gave Just as
much applause to the piano solo as to
those of the VIOLIN and while NJ. Lach
aume is a satisfactory accom- panist. he is
very far from being great pianist, and
he knows it himself and SO does NJ.
1saye. The piano numbers were put on
the programmes only to vary it frCm too
much violin, and when NJ. lachaume got
as rapturous applause as did Nj. Isaye
he must have been very much surprised.
Indeed. at the END of the glorious Kreut-
zer sonata, Saturday afternoon, man in
the audience turned to his wife. pulled
his watch out of his pocket ana louking
at it remarked THAT took MIN 40 min
ute, to play The same afternoon a
way out how she had enjoyed the CON
cert, replied 'she thought it was Just
grand. especially the pianis t.
Such an artist as NJ. Isaye has q SEN
| sitive ana acute perception, he sees and
knows the various flaws, and delinquen-
cies in his audiences. He must have re-
| cognzed instantly here the musical
pulse and it's intermittent beating is
reasonably sure to have denoted TO him
u valvular difficulty in the musical heart.
1t is very futile performance to be
sure, to cry over split milk; but an object
lesson is an object lesson, and wise men
and women profit by experience.
EVA MITCHELL COOK.