Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1898-11-06
CREATORS OF MUSIC
IN AMERICA.
Paper Read Before the Woman's Musical
Club, November 5, 1898.
BY MISS LUCY ROBINSON.

The Woman's Club inaugurates its
fourth session this afternoon. with a
tribute to Americas creative genius,
not with affected patriotism, but be-
cause the American composer stands
to-day on his own merit.
1t is said that not by the brilliancy
of the organizations maintained by the
aristocratic few, but by the interest
and activity of the democratic many,
that peoples love for art ought to
be measured. and when this test is
applied to America the result is one
that need bring no blush to the cheeks
of her people.
Limitations this afternoon debar an
unwilling of this musical development,
which, starting from the three pivotal
points of the church, the theatre, and
the German Maennergesang, is such,
that at the end of the nineteenth CEN
fury this country is as ready to i'm
press the world at large in musical
matters as it is in everything else.
The geographical points, correspond
ing to the factors in Americas musical
advancement, are New England, with
Boston as the centre from which ema
mated choral music as the offspring of
the church; New York for the theatre
with opera and instrumental music as
it's fruit, and the Maennergesang prin-
cipally active in the Western States.
German influence is recognizable
throughout Americas musical advance
ment, predominating in the instrument
tai also. With few exceptions the
American composer, to which subject
this paper is devoted, has been either
taught in Germany or by teachers ed
ucated there. Because of this fact and
the composite character of this coun-
tryt civilization, distinct individual
ity or school is not yet discernible in
American composition, but of original
and characteristic genius are the late
Louis Moreau Gottschalk and the ia
nous march king, Philip Sousa.
Sousa was born in Washington City
and is seriously and delightfully."- known
all over the world. as the writer of
music full of striking rythm and melo-
die piquancy and which is always re-
ceived with the liveliest demonstra-
tons of approval.
Gottschalk was born in New Orleans
in 1929 and died at Rio de Janeiro in
1869. He embodied in his music the
rhythms and peculiar cadences of the
negro. creole, and Spanish nationalities
in the United States and Central Amer
lea. He was a melodist in the strictest
sense. and while there is a disposition
to undervalue his work, the responsible
ity falls more probably on the per-
former, to whom so much of the sue
cess of a composition tas regards pub
lie favor at leasD can be ascribed. AS
a pianist, with this same music, Colts
chalk himself created a furore. He is
represented on to-day's programme
with his well-known Last Hope" and,
interesting in this connection, is that
this composition was conceived and
improvised to soothe an invalid friend
in the ancient Spanish city of Santiago
de Cuba.
Another composer born in 1929 is
William Mason, third son of the late
distinguished DR.. Lowell Mason, of
Boston. Mason is distinctiyely a writer
of pianoforte music and has much clas-
steal elegance of style. With traces OF
American training, the general char
acteristic, however, is German. appeal
ing to the harmonic sense rather than
the melodic, though of his famous COM
. position to be interpreted this after