The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903, 1900-01-27
THE PASSING SHOW;
VILLA GATHER
The Pianist Of Pure Reason.

farther west than Milwaukee, SO you
have not heard him. He has been the
musical sensation Of the hour in the
east, and in Pittsburg he scored an
overwhelming triumph. He came from
Europe unknown and little advertised,
and he has made revelations to US about
the technique of the piano, about the
possibilities that lie in ten human fin
gers. When he first stepped upon the
platform OF the Carnegie music hall
here, general sigh of disappointment
went up from the audience. Here was
a little fellow, below middle height.
pink and white like girl, slender, with
look Of csllow and beardless boyish-
ness absurd in MAJ who was to wres.
tie with that old war horse OF the con-
cert stage, Rubinsteip's concerto in ID
minor. When he left the stage. after
the deed was done, he seemed a splen-
did young giant, youth with gifts
miraculous, boy with the technique OF
a master.
But the purpose of this article is not
to discuss Hambourg's playing, but to
tell how a Mdterialist, and AN Idealist
ard an Auditor breakfasted together.
1t was eleven o'clock when | arrived at
the Hotel Schenley that stands in big,
windy Bel!etield square out by the Car
negie music hall. Outside, the weather
was doing everything disagreeable that
it could, showing and blowing and spit
ting fine frozen rain. The mud and
slush were ankle deep and the gray
fog ate into your bones. The instan-
famous transition from this gray and
wet and cold into the red Turkish
breakfast room, where the palms grew
in a soft, even heat like that Of a
Polynesian summer, was not disagree
able. The clang Of the cars was not
heard there, all those pale, anxious
faces in the street were forgotten, and
the long, serpentine parade Of black
umbrellas. The carpets were soft and
red, the linen was white, Nevin and
Hamburg were waiting for me, ready
10 order breakfast. In the breakfast
room there was an air OF ease and leis-
ure. and feeling of the deliberateDess
of art 1t was the morning after the
concert, but Hamburg looked as fresh
as school boy. His twenty-one years
and his boyishness were so manifest
that it was almost impossible to recog-
pize in this the hero of last nights tri-
umphant assault upon the piano 1t
seemed out of the question that the
arms and hands OF this young fellow
we're capable Of such thugs. Meeting
him casually, out IN the world, one
would glarce at his head and figure and
say that he was student. possibly with
a speculative bent. His shoulders are
very broad for so slight a man, and are
the seat o. much o. his astonishing
lower. They are slightly stopped.
which is the mark of the student, and
his head is of the kind that nature
models carefully and for purpose
large and well-developed all over, broad
of brow, with heavy name OF chestnut
brown hair that falls back over his coat
collar. His eyes are brown as sloes,
shaded by long, light lashes which give
them peculiarly kindly and gentle
look. The rest of his face is by no
means gentle; he has big, strong mas
teruif nose, square jaw. and hard,
Young mouth. 10 spite OF the energy
ard ambition and intellectual alertness
stamped upon it, one wonders where a
man with face so boyish and und sci