New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-06-25
MUSICAL COMMENT.
A CONVENTION OF THE MUSIC TEACH.
Frs NATIONAL AsSOCIATION-THE
SAENGERFEST IN PHILADEL-
PHIA-A CONTEST BETWEEN
MANY SOCIETIES
MANY SOCIETIES.

PHIA-A CONTEST BETWEEN
MANY SOCIETIES.
year ago the Music Teachers National Asso.
citation seemed to be dead beyond resurrection II
had been fading away for years and IT'S oldest rnen
beers and most faithful friends puzzled to find
reasons for It's further existence beyond ther a.,
fecton Tor IT, ana were utterly at 20 methods
for restoring 1t TO animation 1t was In a splr, %
desperation that Hubert WILDER Greene. VINO had
been most caustc in his criticisms OF Il at tho
meeting held In Denver, was elected president ana
saddec with the responsibility OF arranging n.
nineteenth convention. II Is much too early 10 me-
dict the results OF the efforts made by him and hs
associates on the various committees 10 reytal,,.
the institution. but II Is only matter Of slrnuls
justice to gay that the beginning made at the one,
ing or the nineteenth convention in the Grand Con
trail Palace yesterday was calculated 10 as,o,,s,
those VINO nave attended the three or four neef
irss Immediately preceding. So at tho oy,so, ..
wat must be understood 20 be not a renor, ~ 80
proceedings but hurried commentary nm so,,o :.
us FEATURES NJ. Greene and his heIoers dos.,,.
praise Tor what they have done The convention g..
strange thing hotch- potch. and some features
""cp nave always threatened danger 70 and mill,
tated against the dignity Of the associ,,io, .r.
again hagrantly In evidence but f. beoa, ,,.s,o.i.
in a manner that justified hopes Of a nevy s,l ,..
life For many who have come from otaor ,l,oo.
TO attend II 1t will provide a season ~ ,rs,r,,o,o
ana p'easuFe The attendance Is large the NOM
D''' '"''"ei Tor me meeting. according 70 Mr.
Greene heing LZo For their edfcation and arn,so
meht programme Of great variety has been A.
ranger. Ihe"e are meetings for discussion ~ oras
tons connected with musical Instruction. c,,r....
ana recltals or many kinds; practical demone,ra
lions OF Methods and pedagogical helms. snoci,i
cnurch services. Jew and Gentle. Catbo,ic an.
Protestant; an exhibition OF !nstrurner,s (,htlo
panoiories). books music and co,,fos,,fo, 49,,
a womans department. in which an .oor. La, ~. 1-'a
Hahe % eNemp'fy Of the 9chia,..,o,,. :.
women in the musical art. For all this ,,,r.I -.
ana nnititorm energy the Grand Central palac.
provides ample house-rOom. and IL II v,aro ~. -
the lact mat the auditorium revcrborafes III, .
hundred hambercd cave. and seems ~ ia .ho IS"
OF oaoel or outside noises (much ~ r. tho vil,,,
product OF the pianoforte Dangers in the trades a
position, 1t might be described as an IDEAL rlac.
for such gathering '
Errors ard omissions excepted this IS a .rr.
record OF Things that were done, seen and endured
al inc convention yesterday. In all five hundred
PERSONS or more were in the Grand Central Palace
ror an hour or more the great majority OF these
attended the opening meeting which took placo IN
the auditorium and began nomlnally at ga oolocl
but actually at about TO- When It was found how.
ever, that 1t was impossible TO hear what tbs
| SPEAKERS were saying unless sat close 10 the
stage half or more Of the visitors began a tour ~
| inspection OF the rooms set apart for the convar
''oN Iheir appearance I'm the Music Trades Ex-
|
pianoforte exhibitors to set their players at vorJ,
and the confusion that had driven the visitors on,
Oh tne auditorium soon became worse COMPOUNDED
so tnat the speakers must at last have wondered
whether they could be heard by any ears beyond
those OF the persons on the platform. In the nds,
| or this huboub Professor Franklin w. Hooper d.
rector Of the Brooklyn Institute OF Arts and
Sciences. opened the convention. after the Metro
| politan Orchestra, under the direction of Adolph
Neuendorff, had played Webcr's Jubilee" over
ture, which, with its name and its Of the mel
| ody OF the English national anthem must have
sounded TO the ina gina ton like an echo from, Lon
don A general welcome 10 the city was spoken hy
| the President of the Board OF Aldermen who ~.
sumed a duty originally placed upon Mayor Strong
Mr.. Jeroloman's welcome was TO a large extent a
| defence OF woman composers. who were non-exfst.
| ent at present. so he contended. because man had
| monopolized the field. But woman had served no.
tice that She too. would create music and I'm view
| of her fidelity. ambition. determination and
strength Of will, composer would better be-
| ware. Then specific welcome extended by
Dr. A. T. Schaufiier, one OF the Board ot superin-
tendents OF the NewYork public schools who pro-
tested against the Misrepresentation Of what is do
ing In those schools in the matter OF musical IN
| strucion. Mr.. Dudley Bucks overture entitled
| "Marmon" played. under Mr.. Neueudorfs
direction. Mr.. August Spanuth music critl, OK
| the "Staats-Zetung," played LISTS first plano
| forte concerto Mr.. Greene president OF the asso-
| citation. delivered annual address, of which a
| portion shall he Given in a subsequent paragraph
| The Rev DR. Edward Judson spoke on The Edu-
| catonal Purpose OF the Convention" Miss Mar
| guere Hall sang two songs by A. Goring Thomas
with orchestral accompanment-",Ild au Village"
and Ma Voisne." Professor s. S. Packard read
an address Tho Place OF Music IN a Liberal
| Education" while the musicians, whose patience
had been exhausted, discussed the question with
| Mr.. Hubert Arnold, volinist, whether not tho
integrity Of the programme should be preserved 10
extent of giving performance OF a violin con-
certo composed by Mr.. Homer n. Bartlett Mr.
| Arnold thought that the number would better be
dropped. for obvious reasons-the lateness Of the
| hour, the noise and the dwndling audience-and
the orchestra accepted the decision with great
cheerfulness. winding up the session with festi-
val march composed by II. X. Hadley, OF Garden
| City.
| Thus was tho beginning made Before the session
was over the special sessions had already taken a
| start In the concert hall on the seventh foor OF
the monstrous building, where method OF instruc-
| ton In sight reading exploited with the help
| of school children. At 2 o'clock there
| ference on public school music in one room,
pianoforte recital by Miss Florence Terrell in
| other and song recital by Miss Ellie Stewart n
still another. Miss Terrell had TO cease playing for
a space because OF the disturbance caused by some
of the pianofore exhibitors In the OF the audi
torium At o'clock Mr. Edward Baxter Perry. A
blind pianist Of Boston, gave a panoforte recital
and at o'clock there was a concert by the Can
| tata Club, womens voices of Brooklyn. In tho
| evening Mr. Sas G.. Pratt played variations in
| many styles of THE Old Kentucky Home" showed
stereopticon pictures, and gave an illustrated COM
| ment on music and pictures, which he called The
Soul OF a Song" II used TO be called metempsy-
| Ghosts Then DR.. II. Holbrook Curtis made music
visible or rather illustrated effects OF vibrations.
| by means OF stereopticon after which there was
| a social meeting OF the teachers at the Murray III!
| dor ho n Laura seag-
| wick Collins. chairman OF the Reception Conn
I,,ttt