The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-12-04

your Rosanthal delighted you, and ask
the instrument to drum it over for you,
this morning. You can't play many of
the good old hymn tunes mother used
to enjoy"
All of Beethoven, Schumann ana Cho-
pin will not be in the repertoire you
have bought, and you will want a
change from the few that are on your
list. You cannot run over a concert
program for your own pleasure or profit
at home either before or after the con-
cert There is no attempt here to dis
parage the automatics. They are very
delightful and very useful, but neceS'
sarily they have their limitations, and
one of them is that they cannot play
at sight" The music must be specially
prepared for them.
Any amateur who mas learned to play
a few pieces well, may get much pleas
ure from them for himself and give
equal pleasure to others, but his train
ing is very incomplete and he has hard
~ more than begun to taste the pleas
ures OF the art, if he has not acquired
a considerable facility in reading music
at sight
The first reading need not be artistic,
accurate, thorough or finished. but at any
rate the player should be able to get
the musical sense of the piece, much as
he would himself understand and de-
liver Understandings to others a pas
sage from a book or a newspaper. This
the automatic can not do, unless you
have The appropriate piece Of perforat-
ed paper in your cabinet. So long as
the automatics cost hundreds of dollars
apiece and the perforated music costs
other dollars Il roll, there will still be
a tempting field for the amateur who
likes to drum a little for himself or
to try new music
Furthermore, majority Of those who
study music employ a teacher, not with
the s5pectation of becoming remarkable
eXecptants any more than they study
art DR. literature with the expectation
of be&oming proficient artists or accom-
plisbed writers, but rather for the
igreater Breadth of culture and the more
Intimate and accurate knowledge Of the
subject thus to be derived.
Nevertheless, the automatics are al
together admirable in their place, and
they have gone into some of the most
musical and wealthy homes in Wor-
.cesteaE9itE and county
To SLOW the care and thought eXpend-
ed uSop these remarkable inventions, it
is only necessary to recall the fact that
a quarterly magazine is published in the
interests of this particular branch of
the musical art. 1t is not trade paper,
but rather text book. 1t is full of high
class articles written by such scholarly
critics as Henry r. FinCk of the New
York Evening Post and Henry e.
Erehbiel of The Tribune. Europeans
marvel at it. There are essays on Wag-
ner Beethoven. Bach. Mozart, etc, cri-
.Ucal analyses Of their works. hints and
instructions to assist the amateur in
understa nding The intent of the com
poser and the meaning and structure
of the music
This sort of thing is an education in
itself and 10 the extent that the au-
tomatoes intensity the personal inter
est in music and facilitate the under
standing Of it. music teachers and mu-
sic in general should profit rather thar
lose by ii. This is one of the favorite
assertions of music dealers and pro
fesslo na!s
The nigh degree OF artistic and pro
fessonal skill that may be attained by
an operator Of the automatics is vel
Illustrated by the plans that have beer
made for the Introduction Of one of the
best of these American instruments il
Paris
The Lamoreux Orchestra is as famou.
and characteristic an institution of thC
French capital as is the Boston Sym
phony Orchestra OF the New England
metropolis. Yet the automatic is t.