The Topeka state journal., 1902-11-08

' L.
Cotton The Directorate" The Ma
tionable Fencibles," 'El Captain" THE
Charlatan," Hands Across the Sea-
The Man Behind the Gun" to bO
danced to, played and marched to until
they are in the repertoire OF every
whistler and everyone who playeS a
piano, mouth organ or mandolin by car
No director can hold aloft his baton f0~
an instant, bring it down with a jerk
and start his players into the stirring
strains of one of his own marches that
will bring round of applause from the
audience as soon as the first Identifying
strains of the number are caught. No
other bandmaster can put the life and
patriotism into the playing of marches
and national airs that Sousa can He
makes the blood of his audience tingle
with patriotism and even those with
rheumatism have to pat their feet in
time to the martial strains played
by Sousa's men, No other band can
play the Sousa marches as can Sousa's
men under the guidance of the oft term
ed ma gnetic SOusa.'i
And then it was Sousa who first took
the coon songs from the obscure depths
of cheap theaters and poor musicians,
rearranged them and played them in so
charming and simple a manner that the
people who decried them as unmusical
were surprised Other bands have fol-
lowed this lead In his concerts sSousa
always introduces something new and
original that pleaSeS. He has way OF
finding new ways of playing old themes
To say that all his concerts are decided
ly SOusaesque exactly describes them.
There is but one Sousa. but one Innes,
but one Sorrentino and one Santlemann
and each has his musical individual
isms.
Undoubtedly the most pretentious and
best executed number on the SOusa pro-
gramme was the first. LISTS symphonic
poem Les Preludes. The prOgram amme
explained the number as follows:
List was moved to the composition of
Les Preludes'' by the following pass
age from Lamartine's "Meditations
Poetiques:" What is life but a series
of preludes to that unknown song whose
initial solemn note is tolled by death?
The enchanted dawn of every life is
love; but where is the destiny on whose
first delicious joys some storm does o t
break? storm whose deadly blast as
perses youths illusions, whose fatal bolt
consumes its altar. And what soul thus
cruelty bruised, when the tempest rolls
away, seeks not to rest its memories in
| the pleasant calm of rural life? Yet
man allows himself not long to taste
the kindly quiet which first attracted
him to natures lap; but when the trun-
pet gives the signal, he hastens tc
dangers post, whatever be the fight
which draws him to its lists, that in the
strife he may once more regain full
knowledge Of himself and all his
strength"
Many such descriptive COMPOSITIONS
are beyond the average hearer. and the
charm IS therefore lost, but Les Pre-
ludes.' as played by Sousa could be fol-
| lowed and understood by all. Each SEN
tence Of the meditations was distinctly
described In a theme of the composition.
The arrangement was such and the
technique so perfect that the often mis-
! placed comparison with a mighty Organ
was applicable 1t seemed that the or
gan had a greater number of manuals
and more stops than any ever heard.
Sousa was the Organist, and he seemed
to be dreaming over the thoughts Of the
quotation and imDrovising. There was
not the slightest taint of the mechanical
in the playing, which is so often noticed
| The encore was hearty, and then came
! the first decided touch of Sousaesoue-
ness. The band played THE American
the martial Red, White and Blue and
! from Dixie into the patriotic '.Star
Spangled Banner" The electric lights
in the stars of the immense flag at the
rear of the stage were flashed on. an!
the audience arose and stood through
the playing of the piece Then came
THE Stars and Stripes Forever and
the audience was won for the evening
Arthur Pryor is still the trombonist Of
the country. Innes claims that when he
played the slide he was the best d He
might have been then. but Pryor holds
the honors now He is a St Joe product
and is so well known in Topeka and has
been heard here so often that the people
almost have a speaking acquaintance
with him He played Loves Enehant-
ment.'' and for encores played 1.-The
Honeysuckle and the Ree'' and The
Lower Flat" Both the encores were
played in the Auditorium by Bohumir
Kryl. the cornet soioist with Tnnes
Pryor plays so sweetIy on his trombone
that be has no close competitor.
Sousa does not go in for im9orted
singers with unpronounceab bic names. He
always engages some good musicians
who are up to the requirements Last
,ierl7f all 7
Brilliant Bird" with flute obligato by D.
A. Lyon. in so sweet and charming a
manner that she scored a %~eater tri-
umph with the audience than did any Of
the znnes imported soloists. In imitat-
ing a bird she followed the perfect tones