New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-05-17
MUSICAL MATTERS.
THE CINCINNATI FESTIVALCMuSlC IN
THE UNIvERSITIES-MR. THOMASS
SUGGESTIONS TO CHICAGO.

THE UNIVERSITIES-MR. THOMASS
SUGGESTIONS TO CHICAGO
Beginning on Tuesday evening of this week Gin
cinna will enjoy its twelfth biennial music FESTIVAL
rhera will be seven concerts five in the evening ana
two in the afternoon The schemes and the man
agement are like those of all the preceding aiIairs
since they left their experimental stage. ana an
unusual financial and social success Is reckoned on
from the fact that the festival will dedicate the
renodelled Music Hall. which Is hereafter TO be
known as Springer Hall. after Reuben X Springer
its most generous benefactor Mr.. Ihomas' II
whose suggestion the festivals were called ifFo De-
ing and who has conducted them all, VIII again
stand at the head of the musical forces HIS orches
ira will number 100 and the official programme book
contains the names of 406 chorisers. DIVIDED as 10
voice as follows: one hundred and nineteen So
pranos 1876 conraltos sc enors and So basses lhefe
will also be a choir of 10 boys to take part III
the performance of Tinels oratorio st FRANCIS Vi
Assist" The solo singers who Will participate l"
the festival are Lillian Nordica. Medora Henson
Klafsky and COrinne Moore Lawson Sopranos
Marie Brema contr2lto; Ben Davies and George D.
Hamlin tenors: Watkin Mills Plunket Greene anu
Trfrangcon Davies basses. Mr. Arthur Mees. who
annotated the programmes. VIII be the oreams', i.
is the expressed opinion OF The Muslcai courier
that this will be the last Cincinnati festival which
Mr. Thomas Will conduct, the reason given beng
that the Younger element is in the ascendant
I'm the c,tv's musical affairs. which fact makes IL
imperative to abandon the methods OF the pas.
There is no doubt that musical matters III the
Queen City are In state of fiux Just now anu
that the changes accomplished since the organiza-
ton OF a permanent orchestra with Frank Van der
Stucken az It's head are tending toward better
ment of things artstically. but better guess thah
THE Courier's' would be that the last fes'lVal
which Mr. Thomas conducts will be the last OF
the Cincinnati festivals With all their faults IN
execution the high purpose of the festivals has
otptaf al tsith
this has been due to Mr.. Thomas and the fidelity
TO him Of the men in the Festival Association, VINO
have done the hard work demanded at each meet
ing II does not seem likely that these men would
continue their labors under new conditions, but
this question Is that can be discussed more
ntelligenty week from the festival city ITSELF
The principal compositions in the programme are
selections from Handels Judas Maccapaeus,,
Tiners st Francis saint samson a ,ba
Skyiark" selections from Wagner's "Waktre ana
'Gotterdammerung" and Bcethovens Choral sym
phony.
The comments which have been made on Mr. f.
A. MacDowell's appointment as professor OF music
at Columbia University have been extremely COM
plmentary to that most admirable man and mu-
stefan. 1t appears that his appointment had been
under consideration for nearly. II not quite. four
months before public announcement was made or
the endowment OF the new chair by Mrs. Ludlow,
a circumstance which accounts for the rather sum-
mary dismissal of the applications made for the
chair by other musicians paragraph In the
magazine Music" published in Chicago. also indi
Gates that an effort has been making to secure an
endowment for the Metropolitan College OF Music
as a department of Columbia University. This cir
cumstance is interesting In view OF the results
which have attended the efforts of Mr.. W. 5 H.
Mathews. the Editor OF Music" TO bring out an
expression of opinion from prominent musicians on
the subject Of the relation of music to college edu-
cation. Naturally enough the idea occurred 10 him
in connection with Chicago University. concerning
which Mr. Mathews takes 1t upon himself to say:
President Harper believes in music and means TO
do great things in this direction whenever ne can
get the funds. have no doubt II would suit him
admirably If some philanthropst would give a
million Of dollars for "A music school, with the pro-
| vIso that Mr.. Theodore Thomas should be at It's
head President Harper hnk 5a h M Mou Or as
would be great school OF investigation In musical
| ciples upon which the instruments might be i'm
proved, the musical scale made ,. more perfect and
| ing an art ought to form any part or its work.
| This plan Of President Harper, (Which can
| fancy was a little broader In the original state
menO does not suit Mr.. Mathews at all. who. being
conversant with the splendid results which have
attended the labors OF Professor Stanley In Ann
| Arbor and Professor Rice in Oberl!n. naturally
wants to see complete music school and not
merely a chair OF music in Chicago He knows,
without saying SO. that the good accomplished in
the towns just mentioned is the fruit OF what
strictly speaking, intercollegiate labOrs, ana
springs largely from the music schools directed by
| Messrs. Stanley and Rice. Mr.. Thomas being
| the fountain head OF all musical thought in Chi
| cago, Mr.. Mathews turned to him for advice. Mr..
| Thomas promptly outlined plan for "a great
musical college. a National musical college Il you
like" and, as might have been expected the scheme
| is big as Chcago's own conception Of herself. on
| one point, however. Mr.. Thomas disappointed Mr..
Mathews. To the query: "Mr. Thomas. would you
think such a great school of music would better he
made in a department in some university. or he
| placed upon a separate founda;ion?' he replied:
| think 1, would be safer upon its own founda-
I ton. When you have to intrust such school 10
! the management Of men who know nothing about
| music you run a great risk. In a university IL
would largely depend upon the attitude of the presI-
| dent toward music and change of presidents
| might seriously impair the work of the school, on
the other hand. the university has It's ground and
| when there is such great beginning as we have
here in Chicago. | am not sure but this would be
easier than to establish entirely distinct found
| alton.