New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-03-29
MUSICAL COMMENT.
MRS BEACHS SYMPHONY-WoMhN w"
pOsERs THE oRATORIo SOCIETY
-. r,t,, r,t-pT IT, SCHOOLS.


,.,t,,to NJ Arts and Sciences. under whose h"'''
tho concerts of Mr.. IIigginsons orsa"'"''o" 90
,,ven I'm our sister city. TWO hu''o'' ',.,,no
tnto the list for The obvious purpose u -.
cu,ioiq attention. One was concert
:, - phor,s a citizen OF Brooklyn. and the o'he'
. svmnh5ny in f minor. by Mrs H. II. ~ ,,S,
- nI,,on Mr. Psur does strange ana lneHp''o"D
thtncs Union compiling his programmes anu ~ "','
i,s,arce he associated the new Worh WI"
trIyiaiities from the pens OF s'a"ua'' 80. .be
that no apoogy not even the one imp'e' o' .,
ar,o,,ncement mat the overture was dedicateu "
h rer,orv Of the founder OF the institute anu INC
evmphony was the composition OF an a.
,onon ybo WAS expected to be on hand 10 near u,
no., ,ecessarv TO Justify the scheme o'e''"'' az"
svp,nhonv were fully as Interesting a. ''' -
cribed Hungarian Rhapsody by lhsZt' ei'''"eu
thor Carnaval" or the Rondo Tor vo'ohce"o' W
q by Dvorak which Mr.. Leo Sc"ua~ P pc r,our
thoroughly admirable fashion. Possibly MI "ui
~ kird,v nurpose In selecting these pieces
,,,shing m save the music Of Mr. Phelps ana Hi's
Peach from comparison with the mast,
classical and modern writer's whicn are lne ''"P
Of orr concert programmes. but he heeueu my '
dome IT, The listeners were not many anu t"eI
tr1e toward the music conventional. MI r"r'Ps
ras IN the room and heard his music put tna'
circumstance did no. seem to concern ahyoouy' "o
was there apparent any curiosity TOUCHING VIZ -
sonalIty Of the composer OF the symphohy' '"o"e"
Mrs Reachs music was received with the greater
served for in scholarship, in idea, in variety anu
ingenuity Of treatment and in orchestratlon' the
symphony IS far and away the better "oih Vi u
two Mr.. Phepss overture ampies con'e"''"s
along in old and wel-worn paths and never reaches
ANYTHING approaching distinction. All the compos-
ers who have lived since Beethoven have HVed IN
vain so far as their influence IN his manner OF musi-
cal thought is concerned Mrs Beach has not only
"A livelier but q original fancy Though she
did not venture far away from the symphonic pain
she made many pretty excursion into the roman
tic wildwood through which It runs, and always
came back with a dainty and fragrG..t trophy OF
one kind or another II the themes of her WORK
were half interesting in themselves as her treat
ment Of them, especially the instrumentation Win
which she has clothed them. the symphony would
merit taking out OF the category Of works which
have chiefly interest OF curiosity and perform
Ing for i,s own sake. She has called 1t Gaelic
and justified the epithet by the use or some melodies
with Irish rhythms and turns but the task OF
stamping the whole work with spirit which would
be recognized as Enthusiastically Gaelic seems 10
have been beyond her powers. In this respect. as
we'll In the development OF the national material
the symphony falls short OF Or. Stanford's sym
phony called ''Irsh'
There are many organizations actively engaged
at present IN the development Of musical knowl-
edge and taste throughout the country that will
feel keen interest In Mrs. Beachs ambitious effort
which Is certainly the most interesting and the
most successful in IT'S way that this country has
yet seen. The organizations in question are the
womens musical clubs. which I'm some OF the
larger cities Of the West directing musical
thought and controlling musical activity. The
question of woman in music has been much dis
cussed in these clubs OF late and evidences Of Gre
alive activity among women diligently sought
after and exploited Concerts at which all the
pieces performed were the compositions Of women
have been given. and there can scarcely be q ques
ton that the number and zeal of these clubs
a. tn ling hnr
ade, who is the most popular OF women composers
to-day 10 arrange tour through America next
season at which she will play her pianoforte com
positions and accompany her songs, The genre 10
which the talented young Frenchwoman has de-
voted herself IA less ambitious II also is less
trying than that in which Mrs. Beach has adven-
tured In respect of the formal scope OF her
positions the American woman's French prototype
Is Mile. Augusta Holmes. to whose extraordinary
talent contemporary criticism has paid ample trib-
ute in Europe Besides this symphony Mrs Beach
has composed for voices and orchestra and
a festival tubilate for chorus and orchestra. The
mass was performed in Boston by the Handel and
Haydn Society, the "Jublate' in Chicago under
the direction OF Mr. Theodore Thomas, at the ded
cation of the Womans Building at the Worlds
Fair Mile. Holiness compositions include an
opera. Hero and Leander": at least two sympho-
MES "Orando Furioso' and "Lutece," and two
symphonic poems. orlando" and "Pologue." but
she has been composing almost as long as Mrs
Beach has been living.
The burden of what has been said the sub
ject OF womans achievement in music Is to the
effect that while at least ranking with man
interpret executive artist. she has fallen far
below him I'm the department OF creation that Is,
a composer. IL Is not clear 10 the simple mascu-
line mind why the women of to-day should not
only take issue with. but resent the teaching OF
centuries but the fact remains that they do. Theirs
is no small ambition: they must not only be better in
all the things in which nature provided them with
superior equipment, but ut least az good as man In
departments which history would seem 10 have
indicated as peculiarly his.
Only a few days ago a most amiabe lady passed
the history OF music IN review for the edihcation
OF an audience or ladies in New-York and, 10 Judge
by Il newspaper report came to the conclusion
that as It mad taken man thousand or fifteen
hundred years to develop the art (as she under
stood the books woman had had no trial as
COMPOSER and no man had right TO say she
was slow. or course. no man Is going to be so
ungalant as say So even II the singular argu-
ment drawn by Mrs Sutro from musical history
proyokes his amused smile. woman wrote an
opera two centuries ago. and women have written
oneras and other musical compositions In the larger
forms ever since. and doubtless they were every
bit as good az the average OF mems compositions In
the same period. But ii should not disturb us
or the women OF clubs that Bach, Mozart,
Haydn. Beethoven. Schumann and Wagner were
men and that the women composers OF their
d,v did not reach their level. There were also hum
dreds of thousands OF men who failed. AS TO the
reason. Rubinstens speculation Is as considerable
and interesting as any. Said he in his "Conversa-
ton on Music
Woman is wanting IN two principal requisites
for the executive art well as the creative: sub
iectivty and initiative. Women cannot raise them
selves as executants above the objective. l. e. inl-
tiation for the subjective they are wanting IN
| courage and conviction For musical creation they
| lack depth concentration, the power OF thought,
| breadth OF feeling, freedom OF stroke. and 80 on.
! II is enigmatiCal to me that exactly music, the
nobIest most beautiful, most refined, soulful, low
! ing ART that the mind OF man has created. Is so
| unattainabe to woman, who IL still combination
OF ali these qualities In poetry literature, paint
| ina and all the other arts-even IN the sciences
! she has accomplished much. The two feelings most
| horh nr love FOR and her tcnler-