The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-12-18
AFFAIRS
Some Local Teachers-Es-
says Of Sidney Laurier.

Sidney Lanier's Music and Poetry
Essays upon Some Aspects and Inter
Relations of the Two Arts" published
by Charles Scribner's Sons, constitute a
volume of curious and not untimely in
terest, even though most of the matter
was written between twenty and thir-
ty years ago. Some of them had ap-
peared in various magazines and news
papers, but one or two are now made
public for the first time.
The legal training of the lamented
Maryland poet is shown in the reason
ing of his polemical writings, notably
when he proceeds to wipe his contem-
porary litterateur and music critic,
Richard Grant White, off the earth,
and demonstrate that Mr.. White is or
rather was hopelessly ignorant of the
first principles of musical art and sci
ence. Time was when Mr.. White rep
resented the know-it-all type of the
American writer more conspicuously
than any other man, and therefore
those whose interest in music dates
back twenty-five years, will find am
usement if not satisfaction in Mr.. La
nier's essay on THE Physics of Music"
There is no questioning the essayists
sincerity and devotion to art. He has
studied and thought. Yet he was not
merely theorizer for he tells us of
playing in the Peabody orchestra in
Baltimore, under Mr.. Asger Hamerik
and Hans Won Bulow. 1t is interesting,
therefore, to read his description of the
growth of art, and his reasons for the
fact, that sculpture was logically the
characteristic art of the ancients, paint
ing that of the middle ages, and music
that of moderns. He also undertakes
to prove that the much decrfed program
music is sensible and indeed natural,
if song and opera be considered so. The
flaw in his argument is his blindness
to the difference between instruments
and the human voice in the application
of music to the expression of concrete
ideas To him, there is no difference.
The other essays relating to literature
in various aspects, need not be consld-
cred here.
The second section of The Musical
Courier has appeared emblazoned with
battleships, the star spangled banner
the GODDESS of liberty and a singing
school. 1t is a very attractive num-
Der. dealing with music and musicians
of many American cities, and OF course
Worcester is featured with the others,
Inere is a snort Dul app GtleillNC Nv
tice of the city, and there are portraits
and biographical notices of William A.
Rowland, c. p. Morrison, Miss Harriet
L. Ellsworth r. J. ClOutier, the violin
list. Miss Annie A. Peabody, and Miss
Stowell. In these the reader will learn
some things he did not know before, a
fact which speaks much for the fresh
ness of the literary matter. The Wor-
cester article is headed with a half
page photograph of Mr.. George N.
Morse and his pupils, but without
their quadruple quartet of pianos. Nat
urally, there is also an adequate notice
of Mr. Morse and his Mechanics Hall
recitals.
But there is much also of general in
tercst relating to music. First of all
comes a valuable sketch of the history
of opera in New York, with portraits of
Malibran, Sontag, Alboni, Grisi, Mario
and other artists who once amazed the
world. The article is brought down
to today, and there is little not con-
tanned in it that the reader would want
to know. Several important cities in
the country are similarly exploited, so
that the second part of the national ed
ition is a worthy companion to the first,
and is, as it purports to be, useful
compend of American musical history.
New York joins Boston in warmly
praising Franz Kneisel who has acted
as conductor of the Boston Symphony
Orchestra, during the long period of