The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-05-04
THE WOMAN'S CLUB.

The most enjoyable session of the year
was held by the Woman's club Wednes-
day afternoon. There had been rumors
of surprises the music department hav-
ing charge Of the programme for the
day The calendar said May Day Fes-
tival," and that might mean a Queen OF
May, May pole, or just festival of
May songs. So there was a goodly at
tendance, and all assembled early all
in their spring attire. Pretty gowns and
picture hats were very much in evil
dence.
The regular business programme was
first disposed of. A meeting of the ex-
ecutive board was announced for next
Monday at the residence of Mrs. A. H.
Wethey 1874 West Granite. at o'clock
sharp. Tickets for the art exhibit were
given out to members to SELL The an
1ouncement that Mrs. H. J. Robinson
was too i'll to give her musical number
wa received with regret. Miss Marga-
ret Trask filled in that number, and
later Miss Shelley gave piano solo and
an encore. It was unanimously decided
that the club would in every way pos
sible aid and abet all efforts made to
entertain the ladies of the presidential
party.
Mrs Cora Copenharve, as chairman of
the music department., presided. The
> PAPER of the afternoon was read by Mrs
Copenharve: johannes Brahms His
Relation to the Music of the Future"
She commenced by saying that with his
death passed the last of the immortals.
She told of the certain laws of art he
laid down and followed. She npoke of
his lack of clearness. his complicated
rhythm and general indirectness, his
Loo tno %Io e.
which SO many artists objected.
She spoke of the way Wagner and
Brahms We're compared that Wagner's
music and Brahms differed in every es-
sential. Wagner is theatrical, while
Brahms is anything but that, and above
all. he is a German. A chilly friend at
first, yet artists learn to love him in the
end. "FIe feels with his head and thinks
with his heart" one critic said The
reason his music is not oftener played,
Mrs. Copenharve thought, was because
ii affords no room for display. The best
preparation for Brahms she thought,
was course of Bach.
Mrs. Copenharve read extracts from
George HanschelFs experiences with
Brahms One young singer told
Brahms he could not reach GER
tain notes, and asked him If 1t
were ever permiSSa BILE for singer
to change a note. Brahms told him yes,
If the accentation did not suffer. And
Brahms also said there was no fame,
no results, without hard work. She de-
scrihed the ebony box given to Brahms,
with silver laurel wreath on it. and
Oh each leaf of the wreath the title of
enc of his works in curious juxtaposi-
ton. Once Brahms said he was sorry
he had not married. II ought to have
boy Of ten by now" he said. but
when I was young had not the incli-
nation. and now it is too ]@te." Mrs
Copenharve closed with a deIi! fstion of
his works. and their respective quail
ties and values.
The paper and its subject was dis
cussed. One member said that Brahms
lack of clearness was at once a charm
and cause for criticism. For that rea-
son, many thought Brahms music would
be the music of the future. At first.
like the school Of impressionists in art.
his work was almost ridiculed, but as
years passed it was more and more ap-
prccfated. Just as we have had a wag-
merriam period in music, so We would have
Brahms period. Another spoke of his
friendship for Schumann and Madame
Schumann. and told of Schumann's pre-
dictions for Brahms future. Other facts
brought out was that it was said that it