The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-06-19
TIMELY BOOKS TO READ
Librarian Davies Offers Some
Valuable Suggestions.
AS TO SUMMER READING
1t Should Not Be Confined to the Lighter
Grades of Fiction-Works Concern
ing the Fine Artist Music
and Musicians.

Librarian Davies in his weekly book
| review writes as follows on Books
| Concerning the Fine Arts and Recrea-
| tom
! As the warm days of summer come
upon us, there is a call at the libraries
for books suitable for summer read
ing, and by summer reading too many
| people mean the lighter grades of fic-
| ton. To considerable extent the plan
OF devoting the majority of the year to
the study if solid literature or technical
4 treatises and perusing in the summer
such books as require but little thought
| cannot be objected to. But the fact re-
| mains that the closest student will ac-
| complish more of value by mixing some
recreation with his winters work, while
| no intellect is benefited by two or three
/ months absorption in trash or what
4 may be trash to the individual. If we
| must let up during the summer, let our
| relaxation be, to a certain extent, in
| the method rather than in the kind of
| reading
With these thoughts in mind we Of
| fer to our readers a few comments on
our recent additions to the literature
combines the delights of literature with
information of unquestioned value.
/ suppose now that our patron has spent
the winter months in systematic and
carefully analytic study of some branch
of this delightful study. The work has
! been enjoyable, but in the effort after
the veritication of fact and the con-
struction of theories, the literary flavor
| has been almost entirely lost. Now for
the summer, if one can drop the student
point OF view and read, even the SAME
books, without thought of theories or
controversies, a new pleasure will be
| discovered, accompanied with a new
sense of acquisition. But if one prefers
| to avoid the old books, we have to offer
| to-day an unusually attractive number
OF new publications.
| We mention first a few books about
| music, and begin with that which we
believe will prove most attractive to the
| average reader
| A connection of several years with
the Boston Symphony company has
| given William Foster Apthorp at least
a national reputation among musicians.
| His collection of essays, Musicians and
| Music Lovers" which was published
| five years ago proved that he was also
| literary artist of no mean order. But
| 1t is not eXaggerating to say that the
| two dainty volumes, published this
year, and which he calls by the Way
|
| friends. These volumes are made up Of
comments. which he has contributed as
| editor, to the programme book of the
Boston Symphony company during the
| last seven years. Besides containing
| original ideas on music and art in gen
eral, they are incidentally the best kind
! of a practical history of this decades
| career of the famous company with
which Mr.. Apthorp has Joined his for
I tunes.
Camille Ballaigue is a French critic
! and his literary style has the pleasant
| touch which is characteristic of his ma
| ton. His Portraits and Silhouettes Of
| Musicians is devoted mainly to en-
| joyahe essays on the great pianists
and composers.
| We have had in our own library q
| larger demand for books about violins
and their masters than we could sup
| ply. A. Ehrlich's Celebrated Violin
| lists, Past and Present." will be well
| coined by those who are interested in
| this subject.
Our collection already contains ex-
| cellent biographies Of Charles Frederic
| Gounod. the author of the opera
| Faust" But an autobiography of
genius is generally preferred to a bio
| graphy, and hence Memoirs of An Art
| list Will find a welcome place.
NO more important book will be men
| toned to-day than The Orchestra and
il.
son. The orchestra has assumed so i'm
| portant a place in modern music that
| a popular understanding of the outlines
of its history and characteristics is nos
only desirable, but essential, and this
! information is presented to us by the
popular musical critic of the New York
Times.
We have two important books on our
list this week by Albert Lavignac, who
is professor of harmony in the Consep-
vatoire at Paris. These two volumes
are rather more solid than the other
musical books that are mentioned in
this article and the reader who selects
them for summer reading will be SO
much more of a musical enthusiast But
the books are both of more than ordir-
airy value. Music and Musicians is
one of the most comprehensive treatises
we have examined. In compact form,
there is much that will appeal to the
student of the history and theory of
music. "The Music Dramas of Richard
Wagner and His Festival Theater at
Bayreuth' was originally written to
advocate the merits of the great mas
ter among the French people, who have
been even slower than the English and
American public to recognize that gen
ius, who has revolutionized the 18th
century concept of grand opera
The Masters and Their Music" by
w. S. B. Mathews Musical Studies"
by the late Elise Polko, THE Makers of
Music; Biographical Sketches Of the
Great Composers. With Chronological
Summaries of Their Works." by r.
Farquharson Sharp, and Music; How
1t Came to Be What 1t Is oy Han
nah Smith, are other books on this sub
ject by popular authors, which will be
highly appreciated.
Only less attractive than music to
those who wish to combine entertain
ment and instruction is the study of
the history and productions of the
great painters. For such of our read
ers as desire general and condensed
presentation of the topic, we can rec
ommend THE Worlds Painters and
Their Works" by Deristhe L. Hoyt
For those who prefer special treat
is.ns -. /.