Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-05-04

The well known Welsh magazine, The
Cambran," OF which Ap Madoc, ad-
Indicator at our last Eisteddf0d, is the
musical editor has the following art-
Gle In It's April Issue. Although Ap
Madoc conceals the'identity OF his cor
respondent Utah readers viii have no
difficulty IN detecting the ink marks
Of Prof Evan Stephens In the letter.
Some time ago / challenged brother
musician who has been. and Is now, on
a "trip abroad" who promised 70 keep
an eye on all musical doings In Europe,
TO report in such a letter as could be
used IN THE Cambrian Music Notes"
Just at the time ! had given up hope
OF ever receiving the promised report,
II came to hand with flourish. 10 the
writer Of these notes, nothing could be
more refreshing than the change by IN
PRODUCING the musicians letter yerba-
tim. leaving out his name OF course,
though the remarks are timely, and ex-
hbit the delightful humor and fearless
criticism that characterize the life and
work OF It's author:
Dear Friend ApMadoc.-M promise
TO write to you is like an elastic, being
stretched, in point Of delay almost to
the breaking point. But, at last l am
overloaded with things | want TO tell
you about so lend me your eyes, and
you shall "hear" on my pilgrimage |
have been busily forming strange opn-
ions of this and that and mixed with
my report to you, I shall fling them In
as the good wife does the raisns in "A
current cake, only little thicker.
My arrival In England was duly an
nounced in London by the whistle of
st Paul and London hearing, she
hastily got together her Royal Choral
society'--Q was going to add instinc-
lively "purveyor to her majesty'D TO
the Albert Hall. and that the two great
continents, America and Africa might
form two wings with Great Britain as
a body, to welcome me. They had the
dusky African, S. Coleridge- Taylor
lead the sweet tender. and beautiful
aborigines "Hiawatha" and Mime
haha" before me on the very night of
my arrival. You can imakgine how
charmed | was, The way this fine body
Of her majesty's singers rendered this
would have made a native Ute weep
out of pleasing sympathy with the no.
BILE buck" who failed to provide ra-
tions for his deer" Seriously. the
work is charming. though frail Flo
quent and yet efferyesoent At first
hearing II moved me deeply, and at
first sight IN the book, II thrilled me
with emotion But after few weeks
of acquaintance with It, II seems al
most weak, yet beautiful IL is the
modern way, or style. We no longer
grow oak forests, but attend TO land
scape gardening. The work Is fun OF
that freedom from the bonds OF "coun-
terpoin" that gave the old works such
a solid wool. or texture sun the aD-
sence OF which frees modern works from
stiffness and cOnventiorauty, at the
expense of weakening their power TO
last.
"Mnnehaha's Death" iss'Just love-
IT," While / confess 10 have enjoyed
II almost to weeping, | am not sur
prised that the glorious Nordica should
cancel her Birmingham Festival en-
gagement rather than sing it, insipld
soprano solos. OF course my landing
shook the entire United Kingdom, and
Il was only few days-three | think
before Dan Davies had his Merthyr and
Dowlais United Choir up in London
TO greet myself and others who would
pay two shillings and upwards to enter
Queens Hall. To take proper and
exalted position two musical friends
and myself went UP to the second ball
cony | seldom have anticipated more
and been correspOndingly disappointed
than on this important occasion, sixty
out OF the two hundred singers an
nounced. must have missed the train,
thus reducing the number on the plat
form 10 only about two-thrds filling It.
The absence OF orchestra with choruses
that require IL so much as Mendels-
sohns and the one Of Wagners they
sang made a sense Of amateurishness
crowd itself upon me. When VIII
Il dawn upon our Eisteddfodic enthu-
sasts that some choruses with orches-
trail parts, are about az complete as
q stool without legs, and that II Is mu-
scally criminal TO perform them In this
mutilated. incomplete stateg A piano
cannot fill the bill any more than | could
pose as professional beauty, The tone
color is all wanting. But let this pass
by. The program was decidedly anti
quated even to what the vulgar would
slang as being a chestnut" Hirwaen
Jones's one selection was the only ar
tlstic number OF the evening The ten
derness of his tone. expression OF words