The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-04-12

, out by scratch orchestra.
II Is true that many Of the men who play
IN the Philharmonic Society's concerts are
70 DO found In these scratch orc crs
When Frank Damrosch gives a concert
the leader OF the first violins 10 David
Names. q competent player. but one who
does not play In orohestras at any othertime;
When Herman Hans Wetzler gives aerial
demonstrations with the conductors baton /,
| the concert master Is Max Bendix an artist
and an most excellent soloist. But he, too,
! aupears as an orchestral player only At
such times.
! These are detached illustrations OF the
state Of utter confusion brought about by
the absence Of a permanently organized
orchestra In the metropolis. II Is unds-
niably true that one permanent orchestra
would not be able to supply all the de-
mands for orchest raj performance. for there
would be occasional clashing Of dates.
just as there always has been and always
will be AZ long az musical managers con-
tinue to be unable 10 discover what other
musical managers are doing. No one has
ever learned why they cannot find out,
but II seems that they cannot.
Walter Damrosch's plan for the trans
formation Of the Philharmonic Society into
q permanent orchestra was dest ined to
failure from the very outset. MIR. DAM
rosch asked the conscript fathers to con-
their orchestra. In other words, the con.
ductor desired to clear out some OF the dead
wood.
Every one who knows anything whatever
about orchestral playing knows that there
are several performers In the Philharmonic
who cannot play in tune under the most
pressing need. and whose tone Ii vitiating
to the general body Of sound, even when IT.
Is faithful to the pitch. But most Of those
players do not belong to the corps OF extra
NkA~. .txx.~ NJ hx. lot
Why should they vote for any proposition
looking to their retirement into we'll
earned obscurity?
Again the proposed plan placed the gov
eminent OF the society In the hands OF d.
rectors not members Of the organization.
It was hardly to be expected that the mem
bers would agree to this. There were other
details which need not be mentioned, but
one thing must be said. II Mr.. Damrosch's
plan had met with no opposition at all.
come. It would have been worse than
useless to try to revive the faintins fortunes
Of the society by bostering II up with a
guarantee Of S25 900 a year for four years.
At the end OF the four years the 500 900
would have been spent and the Phiihar.
for means Of sustenance. This may be
said with confidence. because such has been
the history OF every similar plan that has
ever been tried. Mr. Damroech tried IL
himself once with his symphony orchestra.
and the Chicago Orchestra has been sup
ported by the yearly contribution plan since
Its inception and II is now face to face with
catastrophe.
There ia only one way to make an or
chestra permanent, and that Ia TO make the
endowment on which II rests permanent.
II the annual income cannot die, the or
chestra cannot. II the annual income can
become tired, the orchestra must lie down
and 20 to sleep. Does this mean that
frst-class concert orchestra is not and ran
not be a paying Investment, Well, that
is pretty near what lie meant. II IL said
that the Boston Symphony Orchestra is now
self-supporting, and that the fund OF 81 ,000,-
900 invested by Col. Higginson for It's sup
sp 1i y no in Boston,
York and Philadelphia are profitable. but
those given In some other places are losing
ventures. They have TO be given In order
to fill out tours for the band when 1t goes
away from Boston.
II will readily be understood that the
profits on the concerts Of this orchestra
are not large. It's conductor gets . sub
stantial salary; many Of its performers are
high-priced men. When the Boston Sym
phony Orchestra needs a new obost. for
example. some one is sent across the sea
to find the best oboe soloist In France
the nursery Of wood wind players-and
brings him here. Perhaps he is playing
In the IAmoureux orchestra in Paris. That
does not signify. The long arm OF the
endowment fund just reaches over and
takes him out and gently deposits him In
his proper place In the Boston orchestra.
That Ii the way great orchestra IL made.
Now. the entire philharmonic idea Is OPP
II an organization Of orchestral players,
formed for the purpose Of giving concerts
OF orchestral music. The members direct
their own affairs. engage such extra play
ers as they require and hire their own con-
ductor. Consequently, II this player or
that proves incompetent II is not simple
matter for the conductor to get q better
one, while the thought OF securing the best
in the world never enters the head OF any
one connected with the organization.
The bald truth about the philharmonic
Society is that either it's members do not
know what really good orchestral playing
is-which is quite unlikey-or they are
content TO stumble along on the good
enough principle. The latter seems to
be the real state Of the case.
Good enough for whom2 Good in the
frst place for themselves. They nat
urally are not going TO become dissatis-
fed with their own performances TO such
put better men In their places. Again.
their work seems to them to be good enough
for a considerable number OF old sub
scribers. who have formed all their ideas
OIL OTCnebtTdi ~
concerts and whose opinion Of such playing
as that OF the Boston Symphony Orchestra
, In based on radical misconceptions.
These are tho well-mt aiming ps ople who
have st adfastly opposed the movcmo mt
to found y rmanent orchc stra In this town
and who fore d the prof ctors Of that
movem' mt into the attempt to transform
| the Philharmonic into paid orche stra
| on a permans mt foundation. Estimablc
d ople they CERTAINLY are. but utt rly mis-
| take as TO what would work for the best
| int n SITS of musical art in this city.
There are in this city score OF men,
more or less intcr at, in artistic matt RI,
who could give the entire million NJ. de-
! to found a pe rmanent orchc stra without
| missing Il. Every one Of them who has b. en-
| approached has alrs adv been bound over
| by fricnds OF the Philharmonic to keep
| the p Acc,
Nj awhile Mr.. Damrosch politely tells
| the conscript fathers that. notwith-
standing tn, ir " al and devotion. It is i'm
possible for them ito mot the high. st
standards set for orch stral playing In this
| city And also m awhile II is impos-
! sible for this city, OF n arly four millions
4 Of inhabitants and untold w alth, TO COM
! pete In orch stral p rformancc with q city
Of half a million inhabitants. We have
no n cognivd fountainh' ad Of instru-
, mr. ntal art. The b. st things we have are
q choral organization which gives two con-
certs W ar and an orch' stra and quartet