The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-12-14
MASCAGNI AND PUGNO
FAMOUS ITALIAN COMPOSER AND
FRENCH PIANIST COMING.
Mascagni, with Orchestra, solofsts
and Chorus, to Give a Concert
Pugno's Recital Programme.

been heard here several years ago mao not
a railroad accident interviewed until it was
too late for him to play on the evening
specified. That he is an artist of serious
purpose and wide experience the compost
ton of the programme testifies:
Chorus, "Bedouin Love Song" .........Foote
The Philharmonic Club.
Prelude and fugue, F minor.........::. Bacn
Gavotte varlee major.-.........s d nanaei
Sonata, A major ;.......; ........;; Scariatti
Adagio sostenuto. Allegretto. Presto
agitato.
FESTIVAL in Vienna" op. s....;;schumann
Allegro Romance S,r sSnerzo' in'efme1A0
Chorus, silent Recollections" .......Pasche
The Philharmonic Club.
Eocturne, T sharp major. .......Cnopin
Waltz. A fat major.
Scherzo, b dat minor.
Polonaise, OPP p. fat major.
Rondo Brilliante, T. fiat major. ,Weper
Papillons, Eau Printemps" ............ .Grieg
"Serenade a Ia Lune" ....-...-..-.---.-Pugno
Rhapsody No. ......Llszt
Seats for the concert may be reserved to-
morrow at Baldwin's. The Philharmonic
Clubs enterprise In having Mr.. Pugno
come to this city Is commendable, and IL Is
to be hoped that the opportunity TO hear
the pianist win be taken by many.
xxx
The first peoples symphony concert OF
the season In New York was given last
Tuesday evening at Cooper Union. Herman
Hans wetzler conducted and w. ]. Hen
derson, of the New York Sun, made the
explanatory remarks. OF these concerts
the Sun said the other day:
Last season these entertainments were
ell conducted by Franz Arens, but he found
that ne could not AFFORD to continue the
work. He was doing il at considerable
sacrifice Of his time and was neglecting his
pupils. So this winter each of the series
will be directed by different leader. Mr..
Arens will conduct one concert, and IL Is
safe to say that he will receive a welcome
of the most demonstrative sort. He made
himself very dear to his lower East Side
audiences. II would do some of the at
tendants at uptown concerts good 10 go
down to Cooper Institute and see how in
terested and intelligent the hearers down
there are. Owing to the admirable explana-
tory talks of Mr.. Arens those who went
regularly to the concerts last winter pos
sess a sound acquaintance with symphonic
FORM At the close of the season Mr.
Arens was talking Familiarity to them about
matters of which some conservatory stu
dents are ignorant. 1t was delight to
watch the evidences of clear and sympa-
thetic pleasure in artistic music shown by
the Cooper Union audiences.
w. ]. Henderson, of the New York Sun.
has an article in the December Theater
about music criticism, In which he says:
average
out a moments hesitation that the musi-
cal critics are a gang OF rabid wagner
ties He will aver without fear that no
one pays any attention to what they
write: that they are ignorant, prejudiced
and without exception dishonest. If you
will question this average opera goer for a
time and with some Judgment. you VIII
critics are founded upon their utter dis
agreement with his own cheerful and indo-
lent views of the opera. He goes to the
- 81 10 INxvA a. t...ar
certain pretty tunes intoned by certain
beautiful voices He enjoys the fond ling
ering of the tenor upon high tones, and he
reyels In the Torture of the prima donna,
for which the dramatic action of the opera
IS interrupted, and during which people
on the verge of an emotional catastrophe
stand at gaze. like Joshua's sun in Ala
HE reads in the daily papers that the
music which he enjoys Is not well con-
ceived. He reads that the tenor sentiment
prima donna was out of tune in the ca
denza in the mad scene of Lucia. On
the other hand this opera goer prefers Mel
ba TO Sembrich, and he reads In the papers
that the Polish singer is an incompara-
bic artistic while the Australian has a
wonderful voice. dazzling facility In
ornament, and nothing more. Therefore,
the critics are ignorant, prejudiced or dis
honest, or, better still, all three. For this
man, then, musical criticism has really
no value
ITO tell the truth, / have come to the
conclusion, after a score of years in the
undesirable profession OF criticism, that
It has more value in the end for this kind
of person than 1t has for any other. One
proviso must be made. and that is that he
reads IL. All! there's the rubi The unmuscal
person does not, as a rule, read criticism;
but III he does his peace of mind is gone
He may rave. he may heap invective upon
the critic. he may call him fighting names
and declare that the truth is not in him
but he cannot escape. Like the devil in
Kipling's poem, the critic stands ever al
his elbow. and says: Butts II art?' Let
your careless average opera goer but once
undertake to answer this query of the re-
lentless critic and his peace of mind is gone
forever. His sloth and Incidence desert
him. He becomes Intellectually restless
He braces himself on slippery places e
puts new and heavier and bitterer en-
phasis on his repeated assertions that
Lucia Is greater opera than 'otello.
than Ternina. Some disagreeabIe parrot
who has read the newspapers and can re-
him 70 the necessity of finding argument:
TO support his proposition. He Is no longer
an average operagoer. He has begun Il
his own theory squarely in the face and Il
ask: But Is 1t art?' "
Pietro Mascagni and his company, con
sisting OF an orchestra of fifty. chorus anC
soIoists, will give a concert on Wednesday
evening at Tomlinson Hall. The first par
OF the programme will be OF miscellaneou:
numbers by the orchestra and the singers
The second part will be Mascagni's princi
pal opera. "Cavelleria Rusticana." which
will be sung I'm concert form, though tn,
cast and the chorus will be costumed. Tn,
soloists will be Signora Capelli, Signors
Farneti. Signora De Filippi. Signora De
Parto, Signor Schiavazzi. Signor BelIati anC
signor Frascona. Mascagni will conduct
The entire company is Italian. 1t will b,
an unparalleled opportunity to hear modern
italian opera, orchestral execution anC
direct vocal art The company and IL,
leader were unfortunate early in their tou
OF this country, and their troubles hav,
been extensively described from day TO da,
IN the newspapers. Signor Mascagni de
termined TO show that he and his orchestra
and singers were OF the right sort, and h,
found a new manager in Richard Heard
OF Boston. Their efforts have been enthu
eiasticaily approved elsewhere. and the tou
OF the Italian visitors now promises to 81
triumphant and prosperous. The followin,
interesting and concise sketch OF Mascag
mis- career is from George p. Uptons bool
on THE Standard Operas"
Pietro Mascagni who leaped into fame a
. single bound, was born at Leghorn Dec
]. h63. His father was baker and haS
professioc: but, as often happens. fate or
dered otherwise. His tastes were distinctl,
musical and his determination 70 stud,