The herald., 1897-09-26
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phlet of thirty pages entitled woman In
Music" III which he claims that there
would be little or no difficulty in dis
proving all the arguments ever ad-
vanced to show that woman lacks the
creative faculty in music, and why.
POSSIBLY he may be right" continues
the Post contributor. 1T is impossible
to explain satisfactorily why no woman
has ever composed immortal music, but
the fact is undeniable that no one ever
has done So"
In this pamphlet Mr.. Tower gives
twenty-seven-page list of women who
have devoted themselves to music, in
former times, and in the present; the
list includes women of America, Ger
many, France, Great Britain. Italy,
Russia and Sweden; but in all the
names mentioned those Of Chaminade,
Augusta Holmes and Mrs. H. H. A.
Beach are almost the only ones that are
at all known to musicians in general.
Leaving aside all gallantry. which is
out Of place where women enter into
competition with men, the only DEPART
ment of music in which women have ever
eQualed men is in singing. There have
been prima-donn quite as great as the
greatest tenors and basses. But In in
strumental music the best performers
have been far inferior to the best male
pianists, violinists, etc., and as for COM
position, there Is not the slightest indi-
cation that woman is coming forward.
An interesting point bearing on this
controversy is brought out in Prof.
Kashkine's "Reminiscences of Tchaik
owsky," which appeared in the Russian
Review, and of which the London Musi-
cal Times of July prints translation.
1t appears that while Tchaikowsky was
instructor at the st. Petersburg con-
Eervatory curious fact came to light
there, witnessing to the difference in the
capabilities of the two sexes. Both
worked side by side in the class rooms,
and in the lower grades-elementary
theory and the first harmony course, in
which attention and exactitude are the
chief requisites-those who stood high
est were the women; whereas in the
secondary harmony course, where pu-
pills must exhibit certain independence
In their work, the men triumphed. AS
this happened regularly every year, it
strengthened the young professor in his
suppositions as to the capabilities of
women in music.
Another authority on this subject,
whose opinion is Of sufficient Importance
to be worthy Of quoting, Is Henry E.
Krehbiel, Of the New York Tribune, who
says:
"It is ungracious perhaps to say so,
but it ought to be said, out of respect for
the intelligence and earnestness of the
majority of the women interested in the
subject that they have done and can do
n him Srod fol n. mn 70 ao Of mi
sic by recognizing what woman has
done and is doing in lines Of tremendous
potency, and working on those lines,
than by discussing her accomplishments
and capacities as composer No arti-
fetal barriers have ever been devised and
none will ever be devised to stand
against the need Of utterance felt by
creative genius.
'ThOse who are commissioned to
make proclamations in art will make
them. When the relations between the
sexes are completely changed, then it
may be that men and women will enter
the musical field in even numbers and
equally equipped for the prizes of money
and fame which fall to the lot Of the
composer
Until then nobody should be sur
prised that the one Bach who has lived
was a man, also the one Beethoven and
the one Wagner What proportion is
this to the thousands Of thousands OF
men who have devoted their lives to mu-
sic? When we know how much woman
has accomplished in the musical fields
that are hers, IL is pitiful to see even a
portion Of her energies frittered away in
discussion which cannot change the
past, does not affect the present, and in
the future will only lead to the eleva-
tion Of the commonplace and the dis
regard of the supremely good"
+ + =
Miss Alice Beach McComas, daughter
of Judge and Mrs. c. c. McComas of this
city, has been winning laurels for her
piano playing in the north. The last
number of Town Talk says: "Those who
heard Miss Alice Beach McComas play
last Tuesday afternoon feel satisfied that
hers is a soul indeed full Of pure music.
and that the much abused piano is still
able, when given proper treatment to
fire the listener and bear him along into
poetic fields. Miss McComas made love-
dream out of the Rhapsody such as the
vehementy passionate gypsy nature of
Liszt conceived. She gave. it that noble
and sincere feeling that Liszts pieces
demand, and not the shallow and mere
technical rendering in which many play
ers Of this day indulge. We hope for Miss
McComass early re-appearance In con-
cert, and we predict that she will be a
great favorite with San Francisco au-
diences."
The Musical Age says: 'Syncopated
Sandy is the title of very excellent coon
song, written in what Is familiarly
known as rag time by Mr.. Ned Way
burn and Stanley Whiting. 1t is ex-
tremely clever throughout and has be-
come very popular all over the states u
The Orpheum patrons have enjoyed a
personal acquaintance with "Syncopated
Sandy" this past week, and are ready
to endorse the foregoing criticism. 1t is
one of the most infectious, Irresistible:
coon songs before the public and makes
one inclined say There's no time like
rag-time"
The Euterpean quartette, which will
be remembered as having been an active
musical organization here several years
ago, has been reorganized for the winter
The personnel Is j. P. Dupuy, first tenor;
+. T., Nay, second tenor; s. E. CogsweH
baritone, and F. w. Wallace, bass.
Music at the Ch,1rches