New-York tribune., 1906-04-15

! cussion- There was no want of encoura gemsnt
/ IoF American composers of native or European
! birth in the season. In fact, there were times
/ when II seemed as il the promoters OF the Amer
! lean movement would be obliged TO whistle
| down brakes for the good Of the cause The
results disclosed by the seasons activity IN this
! department were full Of promise for the futlre.
! Paraphrasing Grillparzers epitaph on Schubert,
/ II might be said OF the season that IN res pect
| 10 American music IL brought forth rare
| treasure, but yet more brilliant hopes.'' Mr..
! Thomas, Mr.. Walter DamTosch and others paid
/ ample attention To the claims Of American COM
! posers IN this and the following seasons as the
/ appended list Of first performances already re-
| fGred 70 VIII show. Mr.. Seidl in the summer
! Of 1889 in his Brighton Beach concerts devoted
much time 70 American composers Twenty
five of them, native and foreign born. found rep
/ reSentation on his programmes. among them Ar
I thur Bird, Slas g. Pratt, Robert Thallon, George
I +. Bristow, +. G. Phelps. Harry Rowe Shelley
/ Charles kurth. Jr.. T. y. Arens and Julia Rive
/ King. ON April 10. 1891. The Tribune celebrated
its ffueth anniversary IN the Metropolitan Opera
! House. All the music provided by an or
! chestra under the direction OF Walter Dam
! rosch. and the programme, arranged by the
NrlteT. contained compositions by Paine, Chad
! Wick. T'ote, Van dor Stucken. Buck and IIuss
Meanwhile active propaganda was also max
Ing abroad for the American composer though
the impulse always came from this side OF the
ocean. 1t the Paris Exposition Of 1879 Gilmore
gave one Of his usual concerts in the new
! Trocadoro. and moved Edmond Stouug 10 the
/ pTonounceneut II ny a point de rnusiQue
American" C'There IS no American nusior)
| Ten years later AIr. Van der Stucken gave a
| concert ~ tho Paris Exposition. IN Berlin and
elsewhere, At which he played music by Foote,
MacDoweu, Chadwick. Buck. Paine Bird Huss
Margaret Lang and himself Concerning this
! concert Alfred Bruneau wrote an appreciative
notice in the Revue Independante" from which
! the following extract IS taken:
Behold a surprise. ". Frank Van der Stucken
comes from the United States at the head OF a
small army OF composers already well equipped
! for battle. We all thought that America would
never he q fertile field from n musical point OF
View. We were mistaken; we have had another
Illustration u the musical influence OF the mod
! ern movement Mr. Van der Stucken has estab-
ished concerts beyond the ocean. at which pref
ereace is given TO the music OF young composers
He IS admirably well acquainted with the new
French school. and has for all OF US even the
most Ignorant or the Paris public. certain sure
ness Of judgment that IS astonishing The ma
Jorty OF the composers whose music was heard
az thls concert are ~ tho beginning OF their ca
recrs They have n noble aim before then1-fo
create an art IN their country For this alone II
cor nothing else they would deserve orIr frafs,r
nal sympathy and applause. In originality com
UleteHess Of orchestral control and technical
dcftness they are d trine deficient, but this Is
American school has left its cradle. It's efTorts
VIII certainly tend toward the search for ma
uonM personality. local color and a character
istic ideal
3 have
encouraged Mr.. Franz Xavier Arens to a similar
effort During his sojouIn In Europe in 1891 and
1882 he gave concerts in number Of German
cities. finally reaching Vienna in the summer OF
the latter year and giving an American concert
"a, the Musical and Dramatic Exposition. He
played music BY himself Paine. Chadwick
HacDoWeIl Bird. Van der Stucken and Schoene-
i"ld An article on these concerts printed In
The Tribune on July "a 1892 had an amusing,
sequel Mr MacDoweu wrote q communication
10 "A trade journal in which no stoutly rebubed
The Tribune for failing to give the encourage
neHt to Mr.. ArensS enterprise which its pafrt-
otic ana artistic purpose entitled IT to some
years later he came to New York as professor og
music at Columbia University. and n soon he
came apparent that his views had underrona n
change. 70 a committee of the National Con
federation Of Musical Clubs he wrote a nrotest
against the giving Of concerts composed of
American music only. and 10 The belief thai con
corts are futile and undgnified he has adhered
ever since grieVing his friends three years ago
ny writing Il most discourteous letter TO Mr.
Felix Motu for including his name on n nro
graInIne Of American music at a Metropoiitan
Opera House concert. Mr. Motif had o. -,
doubted right to do as he had done, bnt ho
changed the programme at the eleventh how
though it caused him great enbarrassrnart
singular feature OF tho letter to st I,ouis was
'hat while Mr.. MacDOwell opposed the s,IIyIpor 20
American concerts he also objected 10 Tho o,o
concerts. " anu
II will surely be interesting to see what has
oeen done IN the way of helping American
music III lhe course or the last twenty yearu a.,
New York. The following list Of first perform
ances Is submitted a help in that direction
IL l6 drawn from the records Of the writer no %.
forth In The Tribune That 1t is a cornnIata ,,o.
OF first performances is not claimed: It IS n rst
OF such performances as came under the nar
sonal notice OF this writer. In the case or OH
composers like Bristow, Buck, Paine and otbers
there IS no doubt that performances had nra-
ceded those recorded here. But for the younge-
men the list may be accepted as AUTHORITATIVE
Operettas. songs and pianoforte solos o
omitted. and the compositions Of foreign horn
composers have not been considered:
AREtNS. F. X.-"Salve Regina" December n 500,
Musical Art Society. f. Damrosch. ~ 4'O''
ARNOLD, Maurice. - American p1aptarou
Dances" February H 1895. American symphonv
Orchestra, Sam Tranko.
bel" December 10. 1850. Manuscript Socisty SAM
BECK. Johann-Sextet for strings November q
1887, American Concert, Frank Van der StIclen' '
BIRD, Arthur-Symphony in A November g 1909
symphony Society, Walter Damrosch; "Carniyai
Scene" April .. 1857. Symphony Concert Van
der Stucken. van
BRISTOW. CT. F.-Selections from 'I2In Van WE,
kle,' April "a, 1883, concert of II r. Humnhrtas
the composer; overture. THE Jibbenainoaa,S =
March s. 1889, Harlem Philharmonic Socetv ~
composer; overture, Columbus" Aug1ist ,eoo 500
brighton Beach, Anton Seidl ''
BROCKWAY Howard -Sonata for Pianoforta on |
Violin January Is. 1891, Bendix Quartet ~
BUCK. Dudley-Overture ''AIarmion" March .,
1885, Concert of American Music, Van der StucLt,
en- romance for four Horns and Orchestra