The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-04-27
BY E, r.

100 mas lily own cIldE
acter in regard to its artistic tastes. AS a
rule. it may safely be affirmed that com.
merce must be long-settled upon established
INES before art can thrive. Yet 1t is also
true that the artistic instinct must be i'm.
planted in the nature of a people if IT is
TO develop. Greece was an artistic nation,
irrespective Of commercial or military su.
premacy. while Rome was not. To-day Ger
many Is an artistic nation, while Turkey is
not. Here In the United States we have
been trying for almost a century to get rid
or the Inheritance of hatred Of all things
artistic which was beQueathed us by the
Puritans. 1t has been an uphill fight. and
victory Is not yet in sight. What love for
art there Is in us has come from an admix-
ture OF foreign blood. from travel and the
culture resulting therefrom. and from hav-
ing art thrust upon us, often against our
will. Otherwise, 1t remains as a fact that
the American people are not by nature truly
artistic. The ugliness of most of our cities
proves an inferiority of architectural taste.
There Is comparatively little support ac-
corded our native painters and sculptors.
Poetry Is at a discount, and the impossible
historical novel dominates literature. while
music is constantly fighting for life. How
ever. since the Columbian Exposition archi-
lecture Is making rapid strides, and in the
East-Boston especially-music seems to be
getting a strong foothold. Possibly a CEN
fury hence, when the large communities are
settled, all the arts will be so we'll estah-
lished in the affections of the people that
We may then call ourselves an artistic ma
ton.
So far as st. Louis Is concerned, the Sit
uation has been somewhat unusual. AL
though We have a large number of citizens
Of German birth or descent, they have sup
ported but meagerly musical enterprises
appealing to the community at large. There
are a large number Of saengerbunds and
bundeschors here, which have their own
circles. The Lie-erkranz Society, even, is
comparatively but little known to the ma
5ority of St. Louisans. The German-Ameri-
can element does not contribute as literally
to local musical enterprises as its number
would lead one to expect. II 1t did, the
THOMAS concerts would be thronged to over
flowing. instead Of being given to houses
half or t~hree-Quarters full. And Mr.. Theo-
dore splering would not have discontinued
his string quartet concerts on account of
lack OF sufficient patronage. If there Is one
thing the real German music lover is fond
Of 1t is the stringed quartet. But Mr.. Spier-
Ing seldom had more than 100 persons
present at his concerts. This Is difficult to
account for In a city containing so many
German-Americans, to whom the expense
OF the subscription would have meant little
or nothing. On the other hand, the great
A0JoAit vi OuE CitlzeNS VINO are not Oh
German birth or descent frankly acknowl-
edge that they do not care for high-class
music. Eight out OF ten Of the members
OF the st. Louis and Mercantile club, or the
Merchants Exchange, are never seen at n
concert. But a number Of them are willing
to extend their financial support to our
home organizations, or to pay their wives
or daughters subscriptions to them. These
men, together with a very few enthusiastic
music lovers. who lave given their :me.
energy and money, are the persons who are
chiefly responsible for such musical growth
as We have had during the past twenty
years. When this is stated. the mind re-
verts to the history of our St. Louis Choral
symphony Society, which is practically the
musical history Of the city up to the season
Just passing. The names of the few men
who have stood by this society in fair and
In foul weather should be given a promi-
nent place in the records of a future his
torian Of our city. And this society. so
often IN peril in regard to its mere exist
ence, Is now unQuestionably one of the
strongest (musically) in the United States.
With an orchestra at first composed merely
Of local musicians playing together in a
Heterogeneous manner, we have now a uni
He'd symphony Orchestra capable of inter-
preting the master works from Beethoven
10 Ischaikowsky In an eminently satisfac-
tory manner. The chorus work, also. has
800 SatOits dlu lIlio AAaS
been somewhat surprising, considering the
predictions Of the conductor,
Alfred Ernst, for instrumental work.
He has brought the chorus I'D to a rare
pitch Of excellence.
1t Is possible that this society may be
disbanded at the close of the present sea-
son. 1t would be aa wen for the commun-
ty to permit its greatest hardware concern
to make its headquarters in Chicago, or its
leading brewery to move to Milwaukee, as
10 allow the Choral-symphony Society to
disband. 1t would simply be bad business.
Ihis society has contributed to the reputa-
hon OF st. Louis in the East and in Eu-
rope to an extent unknown to those who
seldom leave the city. Those who care for
the good name of st. Louis cannot
permit 1t to disband because of
lnsun1cient receipts to meet expenses
new factor has come into the
musical lie of our city during the past
'wo years. and has aggressively gone to
he front. Mr.. W. Albert Swazey designed
md carried through the idea of the Odeon, |
lespite the Indifference and even opposi-
don which his enterprise encountered in
'oms quarters. But he erected one Of the
most beautiful concert halls in the land
md associated with himself a Board of
hanagers whose w~atchword has been
progress" The result is that this season
las witnessed greater activity in the must
life OF st. Louis than ever before. The
)deon management has brought here some
Il the finest musical attractions in the