The record-union., 1899-07-16

QfSclpilne. Vhe low grade performer OF
the Blind Tom order merely initiate
the music they hear CASUALLY very in
correctly, instead of constructing their
own Interpretation from the notes It
has been suggested that the rphono-
graph. the pianola, and other auto
matte contrivances might advantag-
eouslys be used to avoid the necessity
for the tedious work of the readers
and perhaps this has been done in in
dividual cases. There is a good deal
of music, too, that has been. printed
for the blind, and the range of this re-
pertoire will constantly increase, and
music makes a valuable part of the
New York Free Circulating Library for
the Blind, located in the basement Of
ST. Agnes Church, in Ninety-first street.
The New York Evening POST says:
Several years ago one of the daily
papers published description of
library for the blind in a neighbOring
city. This called forth, some days later,
a comment on the fact that New York
City possessed no such library and a
suggestion that fund be started for
that purpose. The appeal was respond
ed to at once, and in November, 1896,
the library was formally opened for
the use of all worthy blind. From
small beginning of sixty volumes, the
first year saw the number increase to
nearly five hundred, with several hun
dred pieces of music for organ, piano,
guitar and violin, arranged for the
blind. There are now 1,154 books and
$40 pieces of music in the library. The
number of regular readers is about one
hundred and fifteen"
Musical Age: No artist of modern
times, perhaps no man of his day, has
exercised such charm over women
as Paderewski. His greatness as
pianist, his romantic appearance, his
Difference to women, the great halo of
golden hair, the dreamy blue eyes, the
soft, sweet voice and the air of sadness
and delicacy have made him irresist'
ible, and he has been fairly mobbed
by women in every big city in this
country. Time and time again it had
been reported that Paderewski was
about to marry, but his friends said
that he would never marry again; that
the memory of his dead wife was al
ways with him. His fame came to him
when he was 80 years old. He was
married before then, and he and his
wife, to whom he was devotedly at
tached, suffered many hardships. She
died of consumption, lacking many OF
the necessities of an invalid.
The musical writer of the Philade1-
phia Times makes these. pertinent
suggestions concerning pupils recitals:
"The teacher has to bear the burden OF
70 nd
is disappointed at the outcome of his
or her efforts. More than this, the ef-
fects of such appearances upon the
career of the student, provided they
have ambitions in that direction, are
burdensome. Their unripened efforts
are remembered, and it needs more than
an ordinary success to obliterate first
impression"
Discussing the same subject, a West,
ern scribe writes: while the writer
admits that there may be some excuse
for graduates, he can find no convinc-
ing argument for the exploitation of
pupils of a heightened term of study.
There are exceptions, of course, but
they are few. The judgment passed
upon the ability of the teacher based
upon the art of the pupil, or the lack
of it, is not only unfair, but mislead-
ing, except where deterioration is man.
ifest, for the reason that comparison
of results with the work of other teach
ers cannot be made with any degree
of certainty. Teachers are molding diff
ferent material, and, while one may
be fortunate enough to have pupils Of
talent, the eTother teacher of equal abil-
ity may be laboring with mediocrity.'