New-York tribune., 1902-02-05

MUSIC.
FLoRIzEL ANR MISS GATES.

| FLORIZELs ANR MISS GATES
The concert which Major Pond gave in Carnegie
| Hall last night was calculated like no affair of
the kind that can be recalled within two decades
! Of New-York's music life 70 arouse at once the
amazement and the grief OF the Judicious. II was
! an exhibition OF underripe and overripe fruit
and It's most grevous feature lay In the fact that
| the overripe product lad of ten years who
| gave evidence of the most extraordinary natural
| gifts that have been brought the notice OF mu-
| sical observers since the wonderful Brazilian lad
| Dengremont played in old Stenway Hall twenty
! one years ago The boy a wonder-he amazed
| the Judges and the laity alike: went TO Europe
exhausted his powers. and perished miserabIy
about the time when the world justified in
expecting marvels from him Other prodgtes
have since then come and gone. leaving trace.
One was almost violently rescued and is to-
| day a virtuoso and musician. His name is
JOSEF Hofmann. Whether the child FIorizel,
who was brought forward last night pos
sesses musical instincts in the same compre-
hensive degree be said here: but
there IS no question whatever that his
gifts are even more extraordinary. Frequently last
night his achievements in a technical way spread
something akin to CONSERVATION 1t made one ques-
ton the evidence of eyes and ears. Compositions
which tax the ability of technicians Of years
training than the boy has lived played in a
style which was nothing short of bewdering Yet
the effect was never cheering. Why? Because
there was nothing fresh and ingenious in the per-
formance. 1t full OF the artistic Viciousness
which IS too often found in the virtuoso of forty
The boy is wonder-unique. strange incompre-
hensibe. To single out feature OF his playing
it may be said that a brilliant staccato
has not been heard here since Wieniawski
departed. Nor have VieUxtempss concert in
major and Sarasates "Zigeunerweisen,"
which he played after it. often been attacked by
veteran artists with more dash and freedom. But
of the veterans would have dared plunge
ahead this child did regardless OF rhythm and
purity OF tone. 1t is not fair, OF course, to
pare boy of ten with artists three and four times
old; would IT be done II Florizel played like
a boy of ten. He is mystery. a phenomenon.
The consideration OF years is eliminated in his
case, only by the fact that his command OF the
mechanics Of violin playing is great that ap-
palling difficulties give him the slightest
pause, but also by the other fact that there is
hint Of the hesitation OF youth in his readings He
confronts Vieuxtempts, Bach, Paganini with sheer
audacity; he conquers what is conventional in them
with impertinent ease; and 10 this extent he dis
arms criticism. But, alas! he creates the impress
sion that as there boyhood before him, neither
is there the hope Of development into the amazing
artist which he might become had his natural
gifts been perverted. 1t is a strange a wonderful,
& mournful
Miss Lucy Gates, who is associated with Flo
rizel is a young woman with good natural voice
deficient in training 10 attempt in New-York such
music as some of that which she sang last night
For her there are beautiful possibilities.