New-York tribune., 1903-04-26

American cities which maintain concert orchesuas
have brought their meetings TO close anu -
nossfhle TO take a retrospective glance at tne
.aaxon,s activities The disclosure is a highly era
ryfny one, and speaks eloquently OF the pios
which musical culture is making Throughout u
United States Scores of cities have ENJOYED ms"
class orchestral music in the course OF the las' N
months where a single city was thus prlNIeseu
sozen wears ago Before the foundation OF the bos-
ton Symphony Orchestra by Mr. Hgghhson piao p,.
caIlv all the impulses toward orchestraI ou''0
vent out from New-York. and SO far as theS pro-
duced results they were due to Nj. AHeo t.e
Thomas How little was known about the cO!sH'
tion character and mission OF a concert .s~.
outside of the principal cities of the couh.is -
years ago is illustrated by an anecoote wiz -
Ssosche. who was Theodore Thon1as ; pUs. '@-
ager tn the early days of his artistic itneFahcS'
used to tell. Mr.. Thomas had ORGANIZED MS Ss4"
-,hony orchestra and desiring TO provide INUi - IN
rlor-oent for IT than New-York offered 1oscHe "
cent out to arrange concerts IN so1ie "a ~ - >.
a. Nev-rnxiand The enterprise was novel. ana III
one of the first places visited the manager -.
upop the editor OF the local newspaper 10 eii -
interest and help. laying particular stress uf0A -
large number Of men in the orchesIa' 'Ne
- 20 r,psfc which would be performed and the
xrfI ~ the conductor. This done he asked 'he
editor whether or not he deemed II aun .,s.
make an essay in his city. Well SAID 'he eui.o,,
..sortv men is pretty big troupe and guess II
= 90 ,-o,,xe got good end men" And this IN a
university town. Within five or six years OF Lhdt
time Mr. Thomas giving concerts as lar "e
es the Mississippi River and planting the seeU
which has brought forth the culture now en9oyeo os
such cities as Cincinnati ana Chicago Ihere Were
brave men before Agamemnon. conductors oeiofe
Thomas and travelling orchestras oeioIe ms o
.h.v were all ephemeral. What they leI1 IN ile
way Of fruit and influence vas centred IN New"
York and Boston. All the noteworthy concert ol-
xbAstrss in the country to-day. with the eAcepuoH
Of the New-York Philharmonic Society are OF COM
vsrstiveiy recent origin and the men "io Naiie
.b.1 into existence are still actively interested "
---l-gr1 fnrS
c.rts Of the kind which II now enjoys fully t"eh.E
five years ago. but. except during the ofle4 Pe
Of Mr. Thomas's sciouTn there as muslcai "iie
f the College Of Music its activities never resch
= higher plane Inan those which may no" oe iie0+u
g. soze,, cities in the United States-let us say
Washington. Cleveland St Louis De'fo' "@H
Francisco New-Haven. Buffalo and lnuiahapolis' !"
ALI Of which places the orchestral musicians are
brought together annually for the purpose ot giving
TN or more concerts Such concerts are given At
she cost Of large sacrifices the part Of their con-
ducfors and their promoters, and in no Single CASE
have they yet acquired a stable founoatoh
The six real centres q orchestral music are NV
--o-s Boston Chicago Cincinnati Pittsburg ana
Philadelphia. Here are located What Win d 'a-
rietv Of meanings. are called permanent oi
rl,es+ras The term Is denied to New-Hork. not
.,f.hstandre that its principal concert lnsttntloh
:, s,,,.-o,,e wears old during which period II has
given a series Of symphony concerts every season
and is organized on the only basis WHICH So & al
+oae nermaneDcv outside of an endowment. There
-
,,,,,lar beliaf has IL that Mr.. Higginson has set
apart So09co0 insure the lasting existence OF
the Boston symphony Orchestra but the pellel Is
wholly unfounded in fact The Boston OIchesua
IS Mr. Higginson's private enterprise naIhtaAileu
,- hin, for the sake of the art which he loves and
the people whom he wishes 10 serve But IL mas no
endowment. II easy to believe that ne mas Sc
cretlv made provision for its continuance after his
death but he has not yet publicly endowed II II
g. kent ailye by His Will from day to day. Ihls
season however he has consented TO the estao-
1isbruent of pension fund ior its members. on the
lines followed by the orchestras Of Germany whlch
Is proof in addition his known intentions. that
the organization Is TO be perpetuated The Chicago
Orchestra has lived twelve years on the PUBIC spr
,ted generosity of body Of men which had 10 pe
recruited annually, and its future is now IN the
balance Its guarantors have cheerfuIly pald an
annual deficit averaging about $4,000 during TINS
long period but have now decided that unless an
endowment fund of $4,000 is raised, 1t shall be
.7istauded Unfortunately. the provisions set down
tv those who the subscription do not appeal TO
al the wealthy lovers of music in Chicago. and the
result of the effort is still in very grave doubt Inc
fund If raised the proposed lines, is TO be af-
rIied not to the endowment of the orchestra, but
to the construction Of hall, from the income
of which is thought by the movers In the enter
prise, the orchestra can be maintained some OF
the stanchest friends OF the orchestra, however
are interested the Auditorium, in which the
concerts have thus far been given, and they are
quite naturally unwilling 10 build up an opposition
10 themselves. From dependence upon the men OF
wealth the orchestral association mas now turned
20 the public large but the needed is large
and the fund grows but slowly. There is another
factor in the case, moreover. which is doubtless
largely influential though public discussion of It
seems TO have been studiously avoided. Personal
equation has ever been a significant, even a con-
trolling element all the enterprises in which M
Thomas has been concerned There can be no doubt
that nc strove honestly TO build up the Chicago
Symphony Orchestral but the organization has been
from the beginning, and still is, the Thomas Or
Mr. / e
ttn October II next, he viii celebrate the sixty
eighth anniversary Of his birth. He has worked
hard and Is in a position enjoy whatever period
of rest may be Vouchsafed to him. His intimate
friends know that he would willingly have laid
aside his baton some time ago had he not feared
the act would disrupt the orchestra He is
now willing that the orchestra shall go out of ex-
sstence unless the proposed fund is raised. He has
gone to his summer home in Massachusetts, and
evidently is letting the project work out it's
own salvation destruction Meanwhile the or
chestra is giving concerts outside of Chicago under
the direction Of musician named Frederick Stock.
Cincinnati has had a concert institution, sup
ported similarly by guarantee fund subscribed by
public spirited men and administered by energetic.
music loving women for nine years Frank Van
der Stucken is the conductor, and its concerts
command the respect Of the critical The Or
chestra however. is not exclusively in the employ
Of the Orchestral Association which until two
years ago. the wife OF the Governor General of the
Philippine Islands used TO preside. The ladies
who assumed the task of keeping up the concerts
seven or eight years ago. when they engaged Mr..
Van DER stucken. have Iabored diligently in the
face Of great discoura genents and seemed almost
at the end Of their tether some two years ago. ct
the expiration of the conductors first contracted
term. At the lowest ebb OF their fortunes, how
ever Mrs Charles P Taft came TO the rescue with
g subscription of 5000 year be applied the
salary of MI Van DER Stucken for a new term and
since then al TO go well, though the annual