The San Francisco call., 1905-08-20

. -NSe1ai conductor, Theodore Thomas
VINO oieo suddenly on january last,
ana the account of whose life work.
called Theodore Thomas, A Musical
autobiography" is now published, not
only to the delight of music-lovers, but
70 the pleasing OF all those readers who
IKE a biography of a man who achieves
something unusually worthy by un-
usual persistence and energy.
In the poem Henry Van Dyke tells
Us OF how the power of architect,
painter and sculptor and bard lives
forever in temple and picture and
statue and song, and then reminds us
y contrast Of how the works of the
master Of music vanish away, "the
WORKS that he wrought in the air as
palace of dream" but now gone-aii
gone, like the light on the cloud at
the close Of the day" He tells of how
the pl4ows Of musical soand followed
H-s WiA as the sea was ruled by the
prophet Of old. but now mute are the
shores where the mystical harmonies
RoAeo After he has made us deeply
regret this transiency, he comes to us
IN Lhe last stanza with the consolation
mat the music has a permanency in
fhe effect 1t wrought:
Sey but still are the hearts that were filed
With that marvellous sea;
<orer and deeper forever the tides Of their
sounding with echoes of joy and of thanks o
Master TO thee
Music Immortal endares in the depths OF the
human soul.
Many great musicians we have had
and individuals have their great music
masters, but the unique position
Thomas held made him the music mas
ter III an especial sense, OF the ma
.uon-the instructor of the American
people collectively. 1t was his high
5r--rT Tfr~- l.. II
success in the role, that will make his
memory most widely esteemed by his
countrymen and cause history to give
him a singularly prominent place
among the human instruments Of our
artistic development On the long
road-a whole half-century long. over
which he passed in the struggle to
achieve his purpose. there were many
times when he was despondent. almost
'despairing. So we may easily com
prehend that he spoke not only in sym
pathy for others, but out of a personal
experience in the words:
The power OF good music. Who among US
many hearts II has soothed. how many tired
brains it has rested, how many sorrows it
has taken awsy2 II is ike the power of con-
science-nnightys immeasurable.
One OF the most entertaining passages
OF the book is the account of some of his
methods Of thus being music master 10
the people collectively and training them
10 appreciate the best art. He did not
wish merely 10 make them like music for
aEuusement's sake but TO instin into them
a. sincere love for good music deep and
earnest regard for the works Of the mas
ters. He would attract the people to at
tentiOn by playing them light and popu-
lar melodies. and then he would sandwich
In something finer, but more difficult for
them 10 appreciate Presently there ap-
cd arr
by Raff, Spohr, Schumann, Schubert or
Beethoven, repeated over and over in
connection with the light stuff also re-
peated over and over, until the people
found the latter did not stand repetition
like the former. in which they discovered
new beauties at each performance" Thus
he went about his great undertaking on
the principle Of persuasion. He adapted
to his art purpose the widely useful pro-
cess in all science and knowledge OF de-
veiOping the unknown from the known
How intense was HIS conviction that
the American people needed to have their
sense OF music developed from the con-
dition IN which he found IL TO where they
could enjoy the finer forms of it, and
that he had a great mission in training
them up 10 those delightful yet undis-
covered heights, may be Eathered from
the enthusiasm OF q few Of his SEN
tences. Thus: q" The man who does
feen under his spell has not half lived his
life The master works of instrumental
music are the language Of the soul and
express more than any other art. Light
music, popular, called, is the sensual
side OF the art and has more or less devil
IN it In a letter TO Mr.. George P. Up
ton, who is the editor Of the autobiog-
raphy. he says: =" It is also a great
drawback in this country that the mu-
sical public is either too busy or too
phlegmatic 10 treat music as an art, but
look upon it only as an amusement or a
pastime"
Although the work fills two large
volumes, the actual autobiography is
little more than one hundred pages.
The larger portion of the first volume
IS taken up with "reminiscences and ap-
probation by George p. Upton. These /
are exceedingly good and very neces-
sary, for Mr.. Thomas is so modest and
so brief that what he has written of
himself would not nearly suffice us
The second volume is entirely devoted
TO his concert programmes. The men
ton Of the word programme" is a re-
. minder Of the joyous way this great
orchestral leader exulted when he
reached that stage in his successful
career when the attraction was sudi-
cient to Justify me for the first time in
nay life in making programmes without
making allowance for ignorance or
prejudice.s The occasion was when he
was familiarizing the public every
where with Wagner's music, in 1878. |
He had in combination with his con-
cert company the two great instrument
talists. Rubinstein and Weiniariwski, |
who Were brought over to America by
Maurice Grau. Programmes of works
OF the highest standard, rendered by
''7uch artists and such an orchestra, l
we're revelation everywhere and
made a lasting impression. They gave
this country the great artistic impetus
for which IL seemed at last to be ripe" |
The brief one hundred pages Of au-
topography are yet sufficient to give
us one OF the great stories of American !
history, the narration of a highly gift :
ed mans right use OF his talents, big
ambition patiently and strenuously per- I;
sisted IN for fifty years. till at last the I
alsn or his life was achieved-and that /
ain one Of national Importance and in !,
me arts high behoof. This with the i
human touch Of telling of the strain