The herald., 1897-05-23

York critic, who has for ten years been
teaching on the lecture platform and in
the classroom the history and develop
ment of music, writes in the New YORK
Times of May 8: How can a communi-
ty be musical which is so utterly ignorant
of music? The answer will. of course, be
made with another question: How can
a community be ignorant when there are
go many thousands of students of mus
ic?' For this reason: Because two-thlrds
Of the instruction given is Of the most
superficial kind, and that is so because
the people turn and flee from the man
or woman who offers them anything
else. They Go not wieh to understand
music. They desire only to hear It,
They care only for its purely sensuous
side. They abhor It's intellectual as
pect. They refuse to trouble their minds
with sufficient thought to detect the evil
dences of design in a work. Music is re-
duced to the level of confectionery. The
sweetness and the flavor Of 1t are all that
the people love. They take 1t as the
school girl takes her novel. II the end
ing ie happy, what cares she for the pur-
ity of the diction, the picturesuueness of
the descriptions the fidelity Of the char
acter drawing, the profound insight into
the meaning of life?
-Four fundamental qualities of music
present themselves for consideration in
respect to their effect upon the hearer,
and it is only by the presence and amount
Of influence of these qualities that the
artistic value of a composition must be
estimated. These four fundamental at
trf1 hit 80 ct <I1.c .
Intellectual, the Emotional and the Aes-
thetic.
'The Sensuous embraces that part Of
music which appeals solely to the sense
of hearing. 1t 10 that which, in common
parlance, 'tickles the ear 1t affects
hearing as the flavor of food affects
taste, and the enjoyment of it is analo-
gous to the enjoyment Of edibles, with
out consideration Of their nutritive quail
tiles. The sensuous part of music en-
braces all that first appeals to the ear
rhythm, melody, harmony and tone
color. In and of themselves these fac
tors are simply eensuous. Unorganized,
Undersigned, uniformed, but employed
simply to fascinate the sense of hearing,
these factors Of the sensuous descend to
their lowest use, and music SO composed
can hardly be said to be composed at ALL"
One of the features of the Utah Jubilee,
to be given in July in Salt Lake City, in
commemoration of the arrival of "The
Pioneers Of 1S47," will be the musical and
band contests which will take place in
series of concerts to be given in the tab
ernacle. The prizes offered in these con-
teste are substantial
The male chorus contest will be open
to all comers. The chorus of not less
than Is and not more than 25 in number.
giving the best rendition of any piece of
their own selection, will receive 800.
The same conditions will prevail in the
ladies' chorus contest
The vocal solo contests will aNso be
open to all corners. To the gentleman
tenor, basso or barytone-giving the best
rendition Of THE Holy City" (Adams)
$40 will be awarded; second prize, IS.
To the lady-soprano or alto-giving
the best rendition of For All ETERNITY"
(MascheronD SO will be given as first
prize; second prize, IS.
4 +
-~>@A ONAA w oitHcl, the belgian XlOl1n-
ISL, VINO was one of the soloists in the
Apollo concert last week. will give two
concerts here in the near future in con-
junction with Herr B. Holub, pianist,
and Miss Effie Elaine Hext, dramatic
and character reader. The company
bring valuable press notices from var.
ious parts Of the world where they have
appeared and the entertainments prom
Use to be of unusual interest.
In appearance Herr Walther is tall
and 1.-THE, with sensitive face crowned
with iron gray hair, and he resembles
the great Sarasate both in his looks and
the demonstration of his art. In his
playing last Wednesday evening he dis
played great purity and clarity of tone:
his bowling was free, his attack sure and
incisive. His harmonies, as we'll as his
scale notes, were faultless in intonation.
and In both technique and intelligence
Herr Walther gave evidences of virtu-
osity that 1t will be a pleasure and an
education to have exemplifled by fur
ther hearings.
Miss Alice Beach McComas, daughter
of Judge McComas and Mrs Alice Moore
McComas of this city, graduates next
Thursday from the Conservatory of Mu-
sic, University of the Pacific. Thurs
day evening, May 9Th, Miss McComas
gave piano recital at the Conservatory
Music Hall, and the press is unanimous
in giving unstinted praise of her per-
formance.
Music at the Churches
At the First Presbyterian church this
morning the program will be: Morning
song. ITO Thee We Cry" Wayne; an
them, Rock Of Ages" Shelley; offer
tory Praise Ye," Verdi; Gloria Pa
tri," Buck; closing, Come Unto Me-"