New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-09-23

CONCERTO ny 4 YOUNG vIoIINIsT OF BOSTON
FEY TELEGRAPH TO THE rRIBuNEl
u,o,ca.,.r Mass. Sept 22-Two concerts were
oven a. Mechanics Hall today which put the
s.smp OF artistic sincerity and worth upon the io'
,ieth festival Of the Worcester County musical az
ISOLATION Enthusiastically. and which. togeHei VIZ
that planned for tomorrow afternoon VIII 80
for al the shortcomings likely TO b" d'sc'ossu -
the remaining meetings OF the week Inc auu,'o
heard rood music. music worthy Of a fesii'a "''''"
.nlr,sto dignity in nearly every number Of the TWO
p-ogramInes and heard much OF II hneiy PERI NJ
The only weak spots were the solo pieces @ ~,
william J. LAWN and Mrs. Katherine b'oOu9o'u -
the afternoon. , ,rta
~, counod begirning Send your AID Wh'ch
has done service here for years. ana inc 'i'''' 90
anonymous thing written by Bemoerg III ',ii'.a -, -
Gounod entitled. La Mort de Jeanne - Az,
s,,ivos and struts but comes TO naughi ana mas
been adopted by Mrs. Bloodsood ana also NJ. W!
nan I mink chiefly because il lies very pfe''Ly III
,,.- lovely voices But IL is sorry stun scdiCe'!
worth the attention of an idle moment anu '0o
xishy-washy TO be included in festival scheme
The Worcester audiences dearly love sentimental
,tv Time and again have seen them moved almost
,o.-. nv Faure.s Palm Branches" but dose OF
sentmentaIity like the ugubrious story OF the oea'"
az the Maid OF Orleans ought to have heeh s"sa
coated with the veTnacular MIS- Bioougoous oAu'-
citation Is indstinct at the best ana she "ouIu haNo
her
stead Of French. That conclusion draw from me
difference in warmth and spontaneitv between 'he
applause which followed her French arloso ana the
English ballad which she sang on the recall.
Mr. LAWN sang his air with much suavity ana
purity OF tone, but seems TO have gCAe h'''e 100
far in an effort laudable enough at the outset u
overcome the tendency 10 rude forcefuness when
b,s singing used to have. AT any rate. his voice
came out in tiny tricke OF tone in the Gounod
scena so tiny as 10 be almost inaudihle at the be-
ginning of the air He. too was recalled ana
added English song.
But there matters of greater piin to talk
about than these solos or even the performance by
the women of the chorus. assisted by Mrs. Blood
good of the Spinning Chorus from wagner
Flying Dutchman," which ended the afternoon
concert, and the performance in the evening. pre-
vious to the choral work. Of concerto crosse for
strings by Handel put together and revised by
Bachrich which Mr. Kneisel conducted or the
more significant things prefer 10 speak.
The English Gus: Jm of making the annual choral
festivals occasions for bringing forward new COM
positions by native composers has found some en-
enlargement at Worcester OF late years. though
the festival association has. unhappily never been
In a position TO carry out the idea 10 the extent OF
specially commissioning works OF magnitude AS
is done at Birmingham. Leeds and other festival
centres in Great Britain. The result OF the more
modest endeavor is nevertheless exceedingly graft
flying this year In the TWO schemes OF to-day
there were three works OF real dignity, two COM
posed by musicians born in the United States and
one by young German. who is a member OF the
Boston symphony Orchestra. Concerning Ny
Strubt's concerto for violin. ! shall have some
thing to say presently. OF Professor Parkers ora
torio 'Hora Novissima" I have SAID so much
In the past (when it was performed for the hrst
time in New-York. in May, 1893 and again at the
Cincinnati festival Of 1924 that can well anord
10 let II pass this time with little else than
simple expression OF the qualification and pride
arin Of
work is bound to awaken In the heart of every
patriotic music lover. 1t is not impeccable. OF
course. A veteran listener must detect in 1t some
fncongruties of style and some traces also OF
older composers. who. consciously or unconscousy'
were increasing their characteristics manners upon
a writer still too young 10 have achieved marked
individuality for himself. But the models are good
ones and have often thought and SAID that me
advent OF a distinctive American school CT musical
composition would be FASTENED instead OF retarded
II American composers would keep their minds
more oien to the nationalistic evangel which
Dvorak twhose voice occasionally hear in Pro-
fessor Parkers oratorlo) preached by word and
deed while he with US in New-York.
= IN Professor MacDowe's second suite. the third
of the novelties Of the day, did not hear the
voice of Dvorak bur recognized the fruit Of his
earnest admoniton. Professor MacDowelrs friends
know that hitherto he has held himself somewhat
aloof from efforts 10 secure recognition for Amer-
can composers such. He has insisted that
natlonansm ought NOT 10 ne eNPol'eu' o. az any
rate that music should be judged simply on it's
merit and that concerts of American music ex-
elusivey were likely 10 do more harm than good
On the whole his position was undoubtedly correct.
but il is a fact that ought never 10 be overlooked
that performances of musical compositions In the
larger forms especially chose requiring an orches-
ira a chorus. or both are as essential TO the
development of a composers talent as they are 10
his attainment Of popular recognition and in view
Of this fact It and mayhap still is, wise 10 give
concerts of American music have lived TO see
fairly generous recognition given 70 the talented
young men of this day, and can testify 10 the
benefit which has accrued therefrom rot only 70
American music but TO music generally-"uber-
haupt" as the Germans say. This is worthy OF
record, but quite noteworthy is tie fact that
with the growth Of this encouragement there has