New-York tribune., 1896-11-01
MUSICAL COMMENT.
FESSOR OF MUSIC AT HARVARD I'M
VERSITY-JOHN X PAINE-WAGNER
AND TIE HIDDEN ORCHES-
TRA-NEWS NOTES.


cations of Europe. if it docs bear down little
harshly on the American newspaper and its Ger
man" critic. But i; is TO be feared that Mr. 'hamp-
Inns article Is bcaied publication. It's point OF VIE"
in some particulars s that OF to-day. but OF sew
cral decades ago. Moreover he does not yet seem TO
grasp the essential differences between the cultivation
OF music in America and Germany: and he largely
over-estimates the number OF Americans VINO place
themselves on the artistic footing, 50 far as edu-
es:an and Tanns 90 as hai ,n olsnpa 'S out @ of
his opera houses ana concert rooms heciuse OF the
IN Iad bv German conoosers German conductors
and German critics. In order 10 arrive AT properly
Intelligent comparison ne ought to consider the num-
Der Of let us say German students at German con
servatory who in after life get no further along IN te
path OF glory and prosperity than tnelr Aner1.h 10,
colleagues. The European who has graduated win
merit goes home to renewed honors ana 10 enfbe, n
position in some royal or Imperial conseIn ndlof9 "vo
a good living T. assured him with leisure i0r COM
ianty that his works Wi. be given conscientouSi i
hearing. and that. If meriiorious ms an3illon , VIII
truly, Bur its realization would require the estab-
shment Of conservatores ana scnools III @ me ''i-
man Empire at the rate OF about lV per year
Mr. Champn should have taken a look into
German conservatory catalogue before painting MS
lovely picture Of III" rewards which foreign pupils
meet in their own lands Any one would nave SUI
feed but since only is handy we open the
tenth annual report OF the Royal Music School at
Munich covering the year 1854. The number OF
students in all the classes was about 2", OF whoh
lSs were Germans. The entire American colony
consisted OF three young women who studied inc
pianofortc. young man from columbus VINO
studied the violin and four young musicians VINO
studied counterpont in addition TO the pianoior'e
that is they were on,eInpiatiny thr pracsict oI
composition. These young men VIZ ii'sas III rd
Huss Howard Parkhurst. Horatio W; rarker ahd
Arthur Whiting The mere menuon o., m .n,9e [ ids
Will suffice to call up the suspicion IN SOM minus nus
that not all OF the Americans IN that class nave
fallen far behind their foreign fellows IN the race
for success AT the conservatory thry gave a very @
good account OF themselves. MI fusH Won 50"
TWO "xaminaiion concerts two OF the three stu
dents who figured In the list OF composers W., az.
given bv the Conservatory. eight students We're rep
resented and four Of h,i,n mem were
Now. as 20 the subsequent career OF the members
% the class Of lss1-Si IIorauo W. Parker Is pro-
fcssor OF music at Yale University. M"ssrs. h"SS'
whiting and Parkhurst are teaching IN '"-i''N
CIV and composi,ions by every one OF them have
ho.n performed AT concerts OF hrst-class I'M
| ,or,oncc or tho four foreigners VINO counted as
| honor men ri Munich. one has made reputation
in Europe Ic IS Alberto franchotti. whose opera
| "Asrtel" WIS head here at the last German Sea-
son I'm the Metropolitan Opera House. Mt. ran.
chc;i is a talented young musician pui We e, iaCt &C,
that he IS scion OF the house OF kothschild II n.y.
without bearing OF the proiI,llg oa ,,.s' ~. ~ n
(Which have. ncV"rih"'ss' n9' p''r III ~ ~ ober
fcv' Italian and German elites Two OF th, o,mo' %
foreign honor men are c,.Ns no~ l'hosh accordne to
! Nr Champlln they ought TO h' harNrslis ann @
! nf.t ,.
| ~ pa;zot ana Johann Mlerscn ihc v,oln.S
| r'l,ns six OF the eight honor men oi IN" MuI.''"
| ri.ss ~ 1881 are American musicians "s ma
,'rso 60, rholce. and We have heard compositions by
MI Of ,h.n in public ~ncrra. o., ,sch,tt m en we have
/ bcrs OF the class. save Alo'i'o r'""'"'''' " ''
/ never heard Il W"Tn
<o Intelligent reader of The Tribune vii need to
he told al this day that Amcr.tan composers are
M, dop,cciatcd rs This Journal ~ is pity how
over that ever and anon It bccoTn"s duty TO the
r, and g, duty 20 American artists 10 direct att'n-
,iou 10 tho wan, % wisdom which is 30 o'''h 7Ho"
! bv writers who wish TO figure az champions % '''
! American musician. Too often they are 'h'''"'"S
merely OF preientlous medocrit, ana pr''''''"s
modiocrl,y IS no more pardon"hle III N"'i''''s
,ha, I'm foreigners 1t L. not true that foreign
-. ,-. ,c-forrnee here because they are foreign
,d ,ha, "oir audience educated "a foreign meth
oA h, foreign rrigiriars and ~ a measure ALSO "F
for.len criiies-for the music columns oi on' "'"S
napcrs are largely in tho hands oi ''ri"''s "''
taught to applaud them ana 20 d"prr'!"'' "'F INNS
.,o,ric,, Nc!thor T. II true that v" produc" the
works OF Russlaus. Norwcgians and Ee's'"is' VINO
nursued their studies ia the schools oil Germany
-, -. stto with Americans" almost 10 the "N'lu
! to, ., American competitions j. would no' pe
r,eh 10 sav that every composition hv young nus
| sim Norwegian and Belgian given }" ''' YIN
| rooms of Now-York Boston ana 'hl'hFo ~ ''''"
years IS matched hy AZ least one '"n'p"f''''" '' "
| ,.,,,.. American composer. The ctn-" "i """f'
-, g.. o,,i,, injured hy such Wild talk. ana us "i-
, ,s deulonstrs ted IN the fact that the talented
| ,ouuoaors OF America arc year hy year tl"".'s
more av,rse TO concerts devoted 10 inc '"Io'' '
., American music as such. II II Is easier 'o' ="
| vo,r, COMPOSER In Germany 80 secure th' P'''''''
| ~ -, ,t. works than il s for an American "t
hon. the reason - plain; ana u II not 'n' '"u' "
Mr. seldl Mr. Damrosch. MI f"r. MI I"o''"s VI
A. tt,rcrik who must be- the German conductors
,f.rred 10 %ciihcr is II the fault of the my
| German critics OF tho American nc"spape'S' "o' %
tho German education OF American h""''"D''' "
| cb,nplin TO his credit be II s"il, Sl''"h' ~
en,ly Of compositions In the higher Iorh's i'' 80"
,.,o,na,ce of gn n hlgh-cass orch"str'S "re
uecessarv Mr. Champlin thinks mat We "''
many such lie ought TO have tod wh're "'"' a.
49, ;, .o,,,d Where America has one band caphp"
| -, ,,or,oruinc n symphony Germany has al ""''
nr,v And such orchcstras as We nav" arc 'o'npo'''
IN the extent Of nine-tcnths OF German h"S''''''
II , a. vel impossible for Americans 10 s'u''s I
as a profession In the sense tla' '''m I'd
hs - .,.,,,,au do We are too much concerned
,,t other things. intelligent love l"l 'H' a. = -.
GO yci,icsuread ~ TO produc" among us ', , ~ .r
80 WIZ wiz, ii'tn her of men and women VINO are
dr.,vn o art for arts sake, ana our hr,'S'i, ~ 49,
i,,, a. - lines g. as a mcre means OF HvcIh"ou.
,ybo az IN. men whose cause mas pee" nan, 90
~ ,hc american composer wouid De Min, h alo
oi ~. hrn,,rh a conservatory course and men ,ahc
a Mace In an orchestra? fct pNor"n "' ~, 80 ,corc.
and Gcricke and Nlkisch ana M"Sheh"ir MN am n,o,d
anu " ~ sr,,,, musicians whose fame Is now worm
u.id, wen, through that experience - u IN ,,,
,ho sahn , ~ dcaI Of foolish talk Tho American com
sar ,rbo is WORTHY OF the nam" ~ taxing N'Is 80
sre Of himself He Is not AYERS. To eico', 20 10, nc
a.. ~, ,o.s not want II at the hands OF ,nos" WI
.nats, ON classifying him with the nan. phh'u a.,i'
,.lents who are crying for Il hett's '' pD ,or bS
.ai'n.o td :" he horn In the United state ioi ~
,rrs maj ne will never profit ny n IoWcrlns "a ~
'iandard of intelligence and taste ,s h d,f
, ,rore taken we warrant that IL "ouin pc u''
CT, ~ md a real American composer VINO ,on, Mou.
,cc his hand on his heart ana say t'a ,ile " - - - ~
pi,,oe pi mis nr Frenchmon Italians or Engiishm,r
-, ris conservatory class had dsihhccn mn mn ~ -,
~ co FOR nopular recognition We mus, iaNe ,' ..,',
~ ,.t,,o's before we have III" stlho u'Si-
-, nr, c,lfire that they enjoy in Germany, anu & W a.
many is not closed 10 American rnosa uho ar,
Mr. 'hiinp"a ,he hest are also known there. II