The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-02-23

encyclopedias with little SmatteringS or
biography in them, treating in almost
ludicrous conciseness, of the lives and
works of the great composers. OF text
books, too. there has been an all-suf-
fcient quantity and variety. But for
the reader of moderate means and OF
only ordinary scholarship, there has,
until recently. been available sur
prisingly small number of books of ac-
curate and yet not pedantic authority,
dealing fairly and satisfactorily with
the careers of the master musicians
and illumining their pages with ade-
quate selections from the published
works of these eminent manipulators
of tone. 1t gives us pleasure. therefore,
to welcome from the presses of the j.
Il. Millet company, of Boston, the
prospectus and specimen parts of
serial work of unusual merit and prom
Use, called Famous Composers and
Their Works." for the examination of
it which has been permitted us con-
vinces us that it will bring into many
families ain amount of instruction, en-
tertainment and delight hitherto from
necessity, absent from those homes.
The plan of this desirable enterprise
is, as its publishers explain, three-fold;
being first to give concise and authen-
tic biographies of the famous compos-
ers whose works are already familiar
TO the world; second, to give descrip-
tions of the works of these composers
from which may be formed an intelli-
gent estimate of their genius. their in
fuenCe on each other and their posi-
tion in musical history; and third, to
give series of essays on the develop
ment and cultivation of the principal
forms of musical art in Italy, Ger
many. France, England America and
other countries. The scOpsIof the work
may be Comprehended when 1t is said
that there will be $50 large quarto
pages of handsome letter press, 4SO
equal pages of clearly printed music
and many portraits both old and new.
OF the biographies there will be one of
the Flemish composer Lasso; twelve of
italian composers, including ROssini,
Bellni and Verdi: twenty-One of the
German, including, Of course. Handel,
Hadyn. Mozart, Beethoven. Schubert,
Mendelssohn, Schumann, Meyerbeer,
Strauss. Brahms and Wagner; fourteen
of the French. including Auber, Halevy,
Gounod; five of the great Slavic COM
posers namely Chopin, Dvorak, Glln-
ka, Rubinstein and Tschaikowsky: one
of the Hungarian, List; one of the
Norwegian Grieg; one of Gade, the
Dane, and nine Of the English, includ-
ing Field. Balfe, Sullivan and Macken-
zie. Seven essays are announced; one
on the Netherland masters and the de-
velopment of the counterpoint one on
music in Italy from Palestrina to Verdi;
one on music in Germany from Bach to
Wagner; one on music in France from
Luly to Gounod; one on music in Rus
STA Norway, Denmark, Poland and
Hungary; one on music in England
from the Sixteenth century to the pres
ent time. and one on music in America
during the present century. Among
the contributors of these essays and BIZ
ographies are Adolphe Julien. Arthur
Pougin and DR.. Phillip Spitta, of Euro
pean renown; and Mrs. Ole Bull, Henry
IT. Finck. Professor John Fislle, Arthur
Foote, Philip Hale, W. ], Henderson,
H. L. Krehbiel, Leo r. Lewis, Howard
VI. Ticknor, George =. Upton and Ben
jamn E. Woolf, each renowned in this
country for critical acumen. The edit
ing of this immense mass of materials
has been entrusted to John Knowles
Paine, professor of music at Harvard,
while the eminent conductor, Theodore
Thomas. will edit the selections Of
music and Karl KlauGer, the illustra-
tions, of which many are copied direct
ly from private collections in Europe.
We have summarized the promis-
sorry features of this work at consider
able length in order the more clearly to
bring it's obvious merits before our
readers. Assuming that the parts to
follow shall equal those which we have
been privileged to examine. it needs no
extended argument to convince one
that here, at last, is a work combining
honesty of scholarship With a sufficient
popularity of method to bring it down
to the level OF the American family Of
average culture and income Me
chanically, the parts before us are Of
exquisite design, with type beautiful to
, the eye and clearly read; and with sub
stantial white paper not skimped at the
margins. The publication OF such a
work In serial form insures an accept
able distribution of its cost and also en-
ables the reader to digest the intelli-
gence conveyed in it without peril of
laundering. We have here spoken prin-
cipally of the scope of this admirably
conceived work. 1t shall be our aim
upon another occasion to have some
thing to say of the manner in which
this prospectus Is being realized.
t., H., ,c a1i pI I-y
the now raging Napoleonic revival APP
pears a particularly handsome folio
compilation called "Napoleon's Mar
shals" published by Lorillard Spencer,
New York;. The compiler, William =,
Walsh, has selected the best of the ar
ticles and Illustrations that recently
formed Napoleonic serial in Mr.. Spen-
GERS ILLUSTRATED American" and has
grouped these in a manner tending to
materially enhance their value. The
portraits and battle scene photogra-
'vures in this volume are particularly
Interesting and valuable; and the let
ter press. II not especially comprehen-
siye or judicial in tone, is at least vivid
and effective. Napoleon In his perihe-
liam Is described with moderate ac-
'curacy, but very readable Is Mr.
Walsh's chapter on Napoleon In defeat
He pictures to us, in sharp. bold
strokes, the innate selfshness and al
most superstitious fatalism of the
democratic emperor when, after Water
loo, he fees sullenly to Paris although
he had still the nucleus of a f1agnih-
cent army alphabetically hesitates to
solicit in person new subsidies from the
Deputies, and after a season of fairly
imbecile dilly dallying, makes the su-
preme mistake of throwing himself, a
volutary prisoner, into the hands of his
inYeterate enemies the English Ma