The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-03-12
IN THE WORLD OF MUSIC.
GROWfNG POPULARITY or CHAM.
BER CONCERTS.

The operadc stars have disappeared
beyond the pale horizons lucent verge
They have swept proudly ont into the
lambert East, where their magniudes are
altered by the spying Of certain lea rned
pundits at the lower ends Of journalistic
telescopes Swans in New York are seese
in Boston, good old Boston where 10 sing
out Of tune is the true why 10 be dramatic
and where Ros,ini ia q better musician than
Schumann.
Now tho concert eivcr reioices In that
there IL room for him ~ breathe In the
marrow world which was so le-tridden
by these huge Colos-i 81 song Now may
the humble salon singer, whose voice II not
big enough TO shake the rafters in the opera
house. come forth from his winters OBJ
bcurity and toy with the songs Of Schubert
and Wolf and Strains. Now may the
parlor pianist give recitals and distribute
tickets among fiends who have not the
seductons Of Aida or "Cavaleria" 20
lead them from the true faith.
Now chamber music organizations spring
up Ike mushrooms and people are asked
to sit in solemn silence and listen TO the
trios of new composers. dug up from the
fields OF Europe orto the quartets of Beetho-
ven anu DIuilIlNt NIAIL llhNf dltFI All if'fl
tolerably well performed even in operatio
months by Franz Kneiae and hts ssoci-
ates
7 he desire TO slime in the performance of
chamber music liz altogether human Ever
one has been told that this is the most IA
fined and exclusive form Of the art Every
one feels that to speak with emotion OF
performance Of Beethoven quartet or Il
hu R-. tyr,a 10 IN, al
fitness for a high seat among the inner
brotherhood
Therefore at this time OF year It Is COM
mon to behold numbers of aIniable persons
Glad in bright raiment sitting at the receipt
Of chamber music in halls which throw
upon the performance of such works the
chill Of cold and deadly artifciality. 1t
would be almost true to say that there is
not a satisfactory concert hall In New
York. 1t is beyond question that In none
Of them are thu conditions ideal
In one large auditorium, much occupied
with Jumbo piano recitals and orchestral
performances. the icy blasts Of air which
sweep necessarily over every head make
listening To music feat Of da ring and en- /
durance. In another resonance entirely /.
too great for anything but a string quartet (
and a deadly coldness in the surroundings {
ara deterrent elements But after all
when 1t comes to chamber music, II may .
well be questioned whether any hall would
permit OF entire satisfaction.
The truth is that when a quartet is perohed
on platform and the intan gibe barrier
of sta ge, separation Is erected thus between
II and the hearers one OF the greatest OBJ
stacles 10 perfect chamber music en- 10Y
ment Is created. To hear chamber music
properly. to sAturate ones self with it,
one should be able TO swim In Il. One
should be in its atmosphere. Set quartet
on stage and you at once isolate its atnos-
phere just as thoroughly il II were a
planet floating through spaos.
1t il true that the light of the planet
reaches Us and that il is mild. refulgent,
beautiful. But go out on a spring day
and battle yourself In the light Of our sun.
and then compare that bath with the one
you get when you bask in the rays Of Venus
on summer night The difference IS
like that which exists between hearing
chamber MUSIC that reaches you from
a stage in rectangular hall and hearing
ii in small room where you are immersed
in tho atmosphere.
The ideal CHAMBER music hall is not q
hall at all, but a chamber drawing room
or small private art gallery where the
surroundings are entirely artistic and al
together moulded into the whole The
performers SHOULD b. situated so thai the
bearers can seat themselves in a natural
and comfortable disposition about the
room, Ii Is not essential that the players
should be in the oentEe Of the chamber
Their plaos should b. chosen with two
things in mlnd-hrst, the best possible pro-
lection Of tone, and second, the most per-
feet harmony of feeling between the per-
formers and the hearers.
There should be nothing brilliant or
garish in the room. Low tones should
prevail. Half hRhts should burn every
where, Only the players should have
enou Oh 10 enable them TO read their parts,
but these lights should he screened. lamps
or yelled electric lights should DO in the
place, not yellow and Pickering gas, Ihere
should be no carpet on the hoor only a
few rugs carefully distributed so that they
would not cloud the instrumental tone.
There should Re some flowers, not highly
spioed, but dsloately perfumed.
Tho men and women Of the audience
should be appropriately CARRIED in elegant
ease and simplicity, and they should ba
most comfortably seated. Then should
10 no sucn tmnB as a sun backed chair.
There should be no semblanoe of the deadly !
Erinning row Of the public auditorium.
The hearers should sit about in admired
disorder they might at a mere conyer-
sazione Smoking should sssuredly ba I
allowed and even encouraged. The sooth- /
Ing influence of tobacco should be permitted
TO invite reflection.
Above ALL the hearers and the performers
should be personally acquainted The 7
idea Of the hired player entertaining an
audience Of ticket buyers ought to bs hurled I
far out into the blackness Of night. Sym {
PATTY and mutual respect should prevail {
In such conditions, If the players are real ]
artists something can be done. Haydn, i
for instance, may be enj Dyed as no was T
by the Vienneso in tho days OF his living i
popularity. Ha was their musical bon i
perc. the charming old gentleman who L
owered upon them sweets Of mslody and
boa med upon their pleasure. c
Who cannot appreciate the intimate i
felicity Of those musical days in which the L
Mozart children figured? How shall we c
mOderns with our rigid concert halls and I