Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-04-26

| and piano." and then proceecs
mariiy dismiss the Whitney fanny o.
"tolerable musicians. VINO WIZ ~.
have sufficient merit to noia -ns $50
| consideration"
IL in one Of the mIsfortunes or the
| musician that the exigencies or news
| paper economy sometimes require the as
| signmeus OF concert reports 10 other
| members of the reportoriai stan than
| the regular musical critics. In whieh
case the society news man. the
| sporting editor, or the political re-
porter must manage as best he can
| with the limited knowledge at his COM
mand. IL is of the first Importance
! however, that one who would pose even
| temporarily as a critic OF instrumental
music should have some knowledge OF
the names and mechanical possibilities
| OF the instruments used and their places
and purpose in the orchestral harmony.
| With a little preliminary training In this
| respect and good memory Tor such
| stock phrases as badly out OF tune,
| '.uneyenly balanced" "lack OF precision
| want of attack" etc, even the "hght-
Ing editor" may cut quite figure as
a musician, and leave the impression
that he is used TO much better things
than those OF which he writes. But ior
Want OF this elementary information ne
is prone TO make unfortunate Teyeia-
tions OF his own incompetence. and DO
uniptentional and unforeseen mischief 10
the artists. as he does in the present
I instance by describing the instrumental
ton Of the evening as three violins,
yiollneelo, bass-viol and piano" sup
pose that In using the word "violincei-o
for "yioloncello." he may take refuge
behind the compositor and the proof
reader, and escape the censure he de-
serves, but as to the three violins.
y,olincello, and bass-viol." his case is
hopeless.
Let me say then, by way Of correction,
that the programme in question wac done
with the full Instrumentation OF the
regulation string orchestra, supported by
piano and harp. and that what the
Times man mistook for third vioin
was a viola-an instrument OF dinerent
compass and totally different quaIl'y
from the violin, though somewhat re-
sembling II I'm appearance. 1t would
have been mechanically impossible to
perform that programme II the viola had
been replaced by third violin, and an
attempt to do so would have been so
distressing to the ear that even the
bicycle reporter would have been shocked
without knowing why.
The blunder is the more atrocious from
the fact that the particular viola used
upon that occasion was not one
that could successfully masquerade
as a violin. II was rare old instrument.
that has done merltorious service IN
many famous orchestras for tina past
two centuries. and has such robust,
yet pleasing individuality that no one at
ell familiar with stringed instruments,
much Lose rpFOpniZA
It. For the further information Of the
amateur critic of the Times, l desire TO
state that the repertoire from which the
programme in question was taken was
prepared under the personal supervision
of one of the conductors OF the Boston
| Symphony Orchestra, that every note
upon the fnger-board and every stroke
OF the bow as well as every detail OF
expression and Interpretation was care
| fully marked and rehearsed by him until
| he looked upon his work and SAID IL was
good that this work occupied nearly u
| full year Of daily rehearsals, and that
the result OF II has since received the
commentator OF leading orchestral d.
rectors, and the press Of nearly the
whole country, as well as the approval
OF the public from the Carnegie Music
Hall in New York. 10 the larger cities
| in the far West 1t may be,
nerbaps. that after all this work
| IS still unworthy of serious con-
sideration," but II so. and II the
| Whitneys are to be relegated to what
| the long-suffering Signor Mantelini
| pleased to call the "demnition bow
vows" may they not insist that the
fatal decree be pronounced by one VINO
at least knows the common instrumental
| ton OF the string orchestra, and can
recognize the several instruments when
he sees and hears them2 May they not
with propriety decline to be loftily waved
to the outer-darkness Of obscur!ty by
| the society gossip" man. the baseball
editor or tho horse reporter, who can sit
| through a whole evening OF ensemble
| music and not even know the number
| of parts composing the orchestral chord
| TO which he Is listening and who
straightway describes the ordinary string
| ouintette as "three violins, vionnceilo'
| and bass-viop'? 1t would certainly be
| more in keeping with the everlasting
| fitness of things" If musician with
pair OF ears OF this sort should return
them forthwith TO the humble but
| picturesque domestic animal whose head
| they first adorned and suspend his must
cal criticisms until he could procure
another pair long enough to apprise him
OF what takes place upon the stage, but
az such a suggestion might be thought
| to transcend the bounds of literary
decorum / forbear.
I am not unaware that in thus rebuhlne
gratu!tous injustice l am provoking a
rejoinder, charging the Mozart Sextett'
with as many high crimes and mis-
demeanors as the author OF II can hnd
the leisure to invent and the high sound
| ing phrases to express, but i rebuke II
| arfh hfli4Niury that this nuCn Is
due to such OF the people as really en-
joyed the performance as well as 10 my
family and myself, and last, but mol
least, TO the Richmond Dispatch, which
characterized the programme as high
clasg' and admirably executed More
over, the musicale was private affai
to which the public were not invited
and at which this reporter was present
merely as a guest His publication was
as discourteous TO the society whos'
guest he was as 1t was unjust, unintel'
ligent and impertinent TO the artists
upon the stage. But ignorance anc
| discourtesy are blood relations anc
dwell together against the peace of man
kind the world over.
In conclusion. allow me TO say tina
with the exception Of this incident ou
visit to Richmond was a thorough plea
sure. We arrived on Sunday evening
and reserved the whole of Monday II
which TO view the historic treasures To-
which your city Is famous, and we tool
great interest in all We saw, from tbs
little SQUIRRELS In the park. who cordially
extended to us the right hands Of thei
fellowship land the left ones ALSO. TO th'
mansion OF jefferson Davis, on the hill
Tho battle-fields we left to the solitude
OF their voiceless glory; they were scenes
OF heroic devotion and self-sacrifice boil
| -. A.. -. - ,f tha Gray and the Rlne