The Portland daily press., 1896-03-28

HERBERT. conductor OF the 22nd Regiment
Gilmore's Band, and composer of the
music for Prince Ananias, - 'sThe Wiz
ard of the Nile'' and other successes.
lie production and presentation will be
under the management of Duncan B.
Harrison
The Growth of Music.
Mr.. and Mrs. Kotzschmar have reason
to feel grateful at the very large au-
dienoe of musical people that occupied
all but very few seats in Kotschmar
hall last evening when Mrs. Kotzsch-
mar gave her illustrated lecture on the
Growth of Music" 1t was an enthu-
slastic audience. too, and not only did
1t applaud Mrs. Kotzschmar heartily at
the close of the essay, but, if it could
have had it's way, it would have had
more than half of the musical numbers
with which the lecture was illustrated !,
repeated.
1t is pretty difficult task to outline
the growth of music for 700 years, or
more, in the brief space of half an hour,
but Mrs. Kotzschmar did it gracefully
and we'll. She hegan by the statement
that the history of music is older than
that of civilization; that probably in the
earliest times, among the rudest races,
the savage mothers crooned lullabies to
their infants. The most savage races
had some rude musical instrument with
which to work rhythmioal divisions of
time. while among tho less savage there
were melodies. She touched upon the
music of the Chinese and Japanese that
has doubtless existed for thousands OF
years. She showed that the Hebrew
music, both vocal and instrumental, is
constantly referred to in the Bible, ut
We have no certain knowledge Of it's char
acter. The Greeks had music which
Pythagoras wrote about, while the Ro-
mans never made any progress in the
art and their music was but an echo of
the Greek. Roman maidens considered
1t disgraceful to be familiar with music.
In tracing the history of the art as it
exists in our own day we need only go
back to the Christian era. 1t was the
Christian church to whose fostsring
care the preservation and progress of
Gregorian chants were alluded to- But
in those early days there was no harmo-
ny, the most important element of mu-
sic. The people sang by ear. the lines
and spaces of the staff not having been
invented. The modern rotation was the
work of Guido Aretruo, monk, CEN
fury later. With the invention of the
staff rapid progress was made. and the
troubadours of the middle ages, the min
strels of the crusades and the mystery
singers of Germany were each described.
Then the essayist ran through the diff
ferent schools of music, English, Bel
gian, German, French, giving brief
and comprehensive description of each,
and alluded to the great composers and
song writers from the early English
down to the beginning of the present CEN
fury. She claimed for Wagner the title
of the great operatic composer, through
the grandeur Of his works on the Nibe-
lungen.
At the close of the essay, the long pro-
gramme. descriptive of the different eras
in the growth of music, published in
yesterday mornings PRESS, was adj
mirably sung by Mrs. Evelyn Day White,
Misses Henris tia d. Rice and Minnie
A. Plummer, Mr.. Fl. W.. Barnard, Jr.,
and Mr.. Harry T. Merrill, while Mr.
Kotzschmar accompanied on the piano.
Mrs. White was heard to especial adj
vantage in the two airs from the early
French school, Lully's "Bois Epais
Amadis," and Gretry's aria Orchard
Occur de Lion.'' Miss Rice sang Per
golese's aria s'Nina'' with much dra-
matte expression, but was particularly
pleasing in Gluok's lovely air 81 have
lost my Eurydice." Miss Plummer was
heard for the first time as a vocalist.
She has rich, mellow contralto of good
compass, she phrases well and she euun-
ciates with great distinotness. She sang
the Schumann song, "The Noblest,"
with much taste, but was exceedingly
pleasing in her rendering of Arkadelt's
''Aye Maria."y Mr.. Merrill has not been
heard to such good advantage since his
return from abroad. He sang Weber's
80, Fatima"supel bly,. and the aria from
Handel's "Orlando," with breadth
and dignity of style, and delightful
understanding Of the ford Handelian
music that created marked impression.
Mr.. Barnard pleased most in clark
Harkl the Lark, J" and in the concerted
music. The quartettes, trios, glees and
madrigals were all finely given, but
none Of them were presented with quite
the taste and finish that characterized
the singing of Arne's favorite quartette
"Where the Bee Sucks. " OF course Mr..
Kotzschmar played the accompaniment
with rare intelligence. Let us hope We
may have continuance of these illus
trated lectures. They are admirable
schools in the art of music.
Brown GIee Club.
The famous musical clubs of Brown
University will visit Portland, March
Both, for the first time in their history.
SO short sketch of their career nigh
not come am ISIS.
About six years ago the first mandolin
club was started at Brown under the d.
rectiOn of Segnor Bowers one of tho