Omaha daily bee., 1896-12-27

/ llmcet ignorance. whCn muucy ,aias 1t save
/ kind thlOgs
| During the prrscut season several musical
! enterprises nave bccu started In THE city
! which depended upon public appreciation of
Music for their existence. ny the greatest
amount o, EFFORT people were driven into
the thc0ters but not enough to- pay oN-
ptnstS. II Is said hard times Is the reason
for this lack OF support, but there are not
Goa 'crts enough given Inv this city TO make
that an excuse. The Omaha Musical So
b Cirty has given Two concerts, the symphony
I orchestra one, the MoNdamiu Choral society
one, Godowsky one, all eincc November l.
Just think OF a. Five concerts In two
. morthS, What an avalanche of art, what a
dolugr Of musicl \ concert once IN two
weeks Is fearful p,werSion OF public in
tcrcst and wealth. surely, especially when
with one exception the wealth was 10 buy
bread and glrc tho comforts OF life TO tho
local musician II u.2y seem strange. hut "
/ Is actually tue that thccc Is as much
enjoyment In listening 90 good perform
ance as to bdu ou'. 5ud 1t js not true that
the only people who can play or sing well
live In some other town, Those who know
nothing like nothing. aud II they wait to
like before trying TO knoW they will prob
ably be waiting when Gabriel plays that
trumpet solo N the last act OF Tho Uni
verse, aud they wont like 1t. Poor
Gabriel!
Free concerts arc fee only % those who
hear them No concert can be given that is
not an expense 20 somebody. \ free concert
is a charity. Whoever gives it Is willing to
contribute its cost in time money and labor
to the general good. The public Is the
beneficiary, and. II it accepts that which is
given to II. 1t becomes morally obligated To
that extent This obligation should certainly
be respected, and. when an opportunity Is
presented. II should be discharged such
an opportunity consists In attending and
supporting concerts that are not free. Music
is often made into sort of pack horse to
carry the troubles OF churches and other
organizations short of funds. Programs OF
questionable merit are thrown together by
persons who have few, II any, OF the peculiar
qualifications of 4 program maker, the words
Grand Concert" are written over II and
the public is humbugged. That sort of
thing brings music Into bad rcpute and
affords an excuse. to those who seek for one,
to turn up their noses at concerts in gen.
eral and refuse to assist In building up the
musical resources Of their city. a great
chorus, a fine orchestra, Is criterion of the
real civilization OF a city. In Africa there
are none, and the further removed city Is
from the barbarism of such a country and
people the more 1t values art and the better
1t supports it, Music is one of the refine
mcnts of civilization. 1t is the outgrowth
of tho worlds progress through all the ages.
1t has been found to be worth while, 1t
repays these who learn 1t by giving them
limitless field of pleasure 1t shines into
the heart like a flood of heavens light. The
world Is better for it,
Some of the orchestra musicians have eug-
gested the idea of giving series of con
certs Sunday afternoons. For some years
past Mr.. Taber has given organ concerts
Sunday afternoons and they were well at
tended. This season he is not giving many
of these gratuitous performances. although
one is announced Tor today, and has left an
open field for other musical work of an
educafiye character. OF course, orchestral
concerts would have TO be held in theltcr
and there are some who would not think
it right to go into a theater on sunday. 1t
seems to the writer, that from a religious
point of view, it Is much more consistent
to give and attend a ConcHrt upon any day
in place dedicated and devoted to such
purposes Churches are dedicated to the
worship Of God ard are looked upon-or
should be-as sacred places and to be used
for sacred purposes only. church does
not make concert good one; If II did
church concerts would not be so uniformly
bad. If "the sabbath day was made for
man" and he is not to use it for his intel |
lectual and spiritual development there can |
hardly be found any serious objections to !
well managed orchestral concerts upon Sun
day afternoons, for good music is certainly |
good food for mind and soul. Music by an |
orchestra is no less worthy of Sunday per- !
Torrance than that by an organ. Indeed !
the organ is but machine constructed to /
initiate in tore-color an orchestra and the ,
real thing is generally considered better |!
than an imitation
or course no orchestra concerts could be /
given without stated price of admission. /
MIR. Taber's recitals have demonstrated be |
yond a doubt that if the support of a must
cal undertaking is left to the generosity or
app eciation of the audience-pennies,
nckcls and dimes are the measure |
of it. Penny concerts should be
given only for paupers. If it is
a sin to pay for good thing ii must
be a sin to pcsses2 that good thing at all,
and as good thing can, in justice. come !,
into ones possession only by paying for it,
concerts given for a collection to which the /
contributions are too small to support them
are decidedly wrong. a series of Sunday
afternoon concerts supported by the we'll
to-do, who should occupy the lower part of
the theater could be made of great eduCa-
tional value to the poor and unfortunate by
distributing with discretion free tickets to
those who cannot afford to buy them, and
devoting the balcony and gallery to this use.
This afternoon at $3.50 Mr.. Taber Will give
another of his free organ recltalS in the
First Congregational church. This is the
first time the public has had an opportunity
to hear Mr.. Taber play on this organ this
season and no doubt he will be greeted with
a crowded house. Mrs. c. L. squires will
sing.
The following program will be given;
PART /.
Allegro Appassionata.. Guilmont
Song Without Words. ...............,. Thorne
' orspicl-Lohcn6rin .................. Wagner
Transcription-On Wings of Song........
neutrality-suspicious.. Mendelssohn-W Whiting
10 Third Act-Lohengrin..
PART II.
Dfcrtory on Christmas Hymns .Guilmont
Solo-Save Me. O God. .Randegger
Mrs. SquiTGs.
Communion I'm Jl1tigti |