New-York tribune., 1901-02-10
A LOST ART REVIVED.
MIR ARNOLD DOLMETSCH'S TREASURE
THE LAST OF THE Lutte PLAYERS
London. January 81.

in a hanson Bayley-st. Bedford Square, and
to look for tn number seven; and when Il sh
ling is paid 10 the cabman, the door is closed
upon the garish, humdrum twentieth century
outside; and 10 the soft notes of the lutte and
the gentle tinkle of the citnern and to the
compartment of viols. virgnals and harpsichOrd
one trips lightly down the corridors of time
II is the home of ideast and dreamer. to
whom the new tangled day and prosac gener-
alton are dull. indeed. and for whom there
unceasing delights in the glorious past when the
world was filled with real melody. To Mr..
Arnold Dolmetsch the music of medieval times
is as the breath Of life. The Christendom of
which the newspapers take note this morning.
with a terrible dragging on, with European
diplomacy ebbing in China, and with the pulses
of every market and capital in the world 10 be
felt from hour to hour. does not interest him.
His heart is among the old instruments his
walls, and among the music books and scores in
his library The newspapers may have their
daily jottings and gossip for a duh and empty
world. hut he is content sing the songs Of
Shakespeare's day and to play the older music
of the Nenetans their own instruments.
What was lost art n considers that he has
stored with unremitting labor and love, and FOR
him this is what makes life worth living.
Mr.. Domctsch is man in middle life, short
OF Win stItti'Sl tld>Sl'stl lt'il
ures with crown of dark. wavy hair tinged
with gray and a noble ana beautiful face At
first glance he would be taken for a quaint old
fashioned musician Of German or Hungarian
d scent. In reality ne was born in France Of n
long line of music ,ians and makers Of musical
instruments His father. grandfather and great
grandfather We're violin players before him. and.
since heredity had its due he. too. one.
LEARNING music when he Was boy, he was in
carly manhood violin player and teacher
From France ne came TO England with his violin
about lss;. and settled in London as music
teacher. ultimately becoming professor of music
at Dulwich Little 10y little he interested him
self in the musical methods Of a forgotten age
ami became convinced that there was a lost art
which might be- revived. The old Instruments
were no longer made and few Of them remained
in the curio- ity shops Of England and the Cont
nent He began 10 collect them. and learned how
To- repair tune and play them one by one. The
scores had disappeared. but h. searched for
them in the British Museum and In bo"kshols
and picked up here and thor" lutr book and a
cithern scroll and learned the music. After Dc
voting himself for several years to this lost art
ne gave in 1891 his FIRST series of concerts with
antique Instruments. and for ten years he has
continued bring to light long neglected com
poscrs ana to present their works with the orig
inal scores and instruments in various cities Of
England and Scotland and the Continent. y"
fewer than 2s0 English, 10 French. l01 Ger
man and :! Italian works have been performed
at these concerts which have Interested Queen
Margherita and the Italian Court. IN" Princess
Louise and many circles Of musicians and
scholars.
Mr. Dolmetsch's dark eyes flash with fire and
his handsome face fushes with intensity Of in
terest when his visitor asks the first question
about a lutte That is the open sesame" to his
heart and he is ready to display the gems Of
his treasure house. The world is old but there
il for him only one period of its history which
IS worthy Of serious consideration That is the
period when the lutte was played in perfection
from 1850 10 l6Sn. There then real music
in the world and when the lutte hung up
there came degeneracy. cheap imitation and
vulgar sensationasm. The lutte to him is the
most beautiful and glori of objects If he
lutte in an old print il is high art, and he
must have the engraving. whatever may be the
cost, The scenic setting of modern play
means nothing to him; but when ne The
Merchant Of Venice the other night at the
Comedy. with the curtain rising upon Portia
tuning Venetian lutte. that Was really great
drama, He gances with something like iiola-
try at the precious utes hanging upon his walls
and when he takes one down il is with reVcrent
aand. though NJ were touching something
almost divine The first which ne showed