The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-06-30

to which the ehoirs had devoted them selves. and gave them directions as to how they might better accomplish their task in future. The emperor spoke as follows:
 Gentlemen. have called you tOgeth- CT first of all to express my qualification that so many chOirs accepted the inVi- tation to compete This fact proves the interest that is taken in Germany in singing. I must, however, draw your attention to some points noticed not only by myself, but by almost the whole audience. The principal object of your chairs should be to cultivate the 'VOlkslied.' Now the compositions pre- scented by you have had very little to do with the 'VolksIied' so deeply rooted in our nation. Your choirs approached rather colossal tasks, which, I admit, have in part been accomplished quite admirably; for We have all been aston ished to see how so many hundreds of hard-working men have succeeded by means of unselfish devotion in over coming such difficulties as must have presented themselves in learning the p4tCSS pcILDT1ISu uSIG.
 T must urgently warn you not to go on trying, as you do, to emulate the philharmonic choirs. Your male voice societies, as have already remarked, should have another object in view; namely, the cultivation of the 'Volks- lied Of real 'Volkslieder' you have given us very little. Why did you not let us hear those dear old songs, Who built thee up, oh beautiful forest or I had a comrade once or Three lads wandered over the Rhine,' which all of us would have been delighted to listen i to?
 But it was not only the musical part of your songs which failed to satisfy men: the taxt of your words, also was unsatisfactory, through being too long.
 It is all very we'll that you should, as you do, take your text from Old Kaiser Sagas and similar themes; but the mu- sic and the words must harmonize to- gether. Do not attempt tone coloring' or to initiate orchestral instrumental tion. On the other hand, you must not be too lyrical. The Germans soul is sentimental, but yhen your songs deal with manly deeds, sentimentalism is out of place. You will have remarked l that when your songs grew more ener- getic and manly, you instantly received
 great applause. You will be interested 1 to hear from the judges of the compe- tition that almost two-thirds of your choirs started their songs too high, and
 ended them flat, by as much as tone
 and quarter. It was quite a pleasure now and again to hear choir starting
 so low as to produce the impression that there was an adequate reserve of voice.
 Well, shall try my best in future
 to improve all this by having a careful l selection made of all German national
 songs written in Germany, Austria and | Switzerland, no matter whether by 1 known or unknown composers. I shall | have this collection catalogued and sold 1 to your choirs at a cheap price, so that
 you will be able to make a good selec- | ton of songs. We are on the Rhine, and not a single choir has given us typ ical Rhenish songs. 'Dret Burschen, l Joachim Hans yon eiten,' or 'Freder- 1 icus Rex.5 We have composers of
 songs like Mendelssohn, Beethoven and
 Apt; and yet no composition of theirs
 has been heard. Here we are at Frank
 fort, and yet the famous national song composed by Kalliwodia, that son of Frankfort, mean 'Das Deutsche Lied,'
 has been passed over. ..
 '''I have also deliberated on the sub- I ject with the adjudicators, and the
 chief of my civil cabinet will presently
 read out the conclusions at which they
 have arrived, and they coincide with
 mine. Gentlemen, expect you to fol-
 low my advice. I have gone through
 the lists of the members of the various
 choirs, and rejoice to find so many
 real workers among them. But it must
 cost them sleeoless nights to study all
 these difficult songs and to perform
 them so admirably. No doubt high
 musical talent attaches to our people; | but be sure that you will yourselves have much greater pleasure in singing l if you adhere to the 'Volkslied' proper" I After the ernperor's speech, the em-
 press proceeded to distribute the prizes, | -