Los Angeles herald., 1906-10-19
PAUL De L0NGPRE PLEADS
FOR GOOD MUSIC OFFERINGS
HOPES TO BRING HERE FRENCH
MASTERPIECES
Speech at Long Beach In Favor of It's
Band Hints at a Plan He Desires
to Garry out--creat Works Never
Heard Here

Paul dc Longpre is evolving a plan to
bring to Los Angeles some of the great
French and Italian operas never heard
here or in the United States. He has
been I'm consultation with L.. E. Be
hymer about II and hopes to be able
shortly to present details OF his plan.
NJ. de Longpre limited at this i'm an adj
dress he delivered I'm Long Beach the
other day when requested by it's cit-
zens TO give his views on music, which
speech follows:
Ladies and gentlemen and friends:
] have always thought that music is
the highest expression of human
genius in this world, and is what helps
us to forget for a while the too prosaic
side of life and the so dull routine Of
every day. 1t may be that | will hurt
some feelings, but / want to say right
here that | sincerely hope that the
people Ond Of music In America, will.
little by little, give up that so cheap
class of noisy ragtimes or other mean
ingless songs that one can see filling
all the space in most Of the music
stores, with the most common stupid,
glaring covers of green, red or yellow
atrocities, and with the inside worse
yet; kind of music which is made
by the United States; that kind Of
trash is running the popular taste and
bring only common and vulgar
thoughts to the mind.
Nothing In the world Is nobler, purer
and more elevating than good music,
1t Is the poetry of the soul.
1t is an ideal rest for the tired brain
worker, and brings cheerfulness in life,
especially Italian and French music,
which, most of the time, is composed
of pure melodies, so simple and easy
to understand and remember.
Now, that Is just what you get by
keeping fine band as this one; It is
inn fort tH1a ma
Such music will little by little bring a
happy change in the home, and then
the cheap dirty, suggestive and vul-
gar stuff, which is more than ever
flooding this country, will die OUT then
will come the happy time when the
most beautiful gems of all the great
Italian. French or German MASTER
pieces will be seen on every piano. The
American people do not know what we
have in Europe in that line; q large
part of the Italian music has never
been heard in the United States. The
greatest French masterpieces have been
given 1000, 1900 or 1000 times at the
great opera house and the opera
comique of Paris since number Of
years; and yet they are absolutely un-
known in this great country of ours.
Cheap music, after all, is just as ex-
pensive as is good music, but how diff
ferent in it's effects! Cheap music ap-
in the human nature; 1t is, as a rule,
written by SO called composers who
have only in their mind the dollar, and
who do not care at all how they get
1t; and their kind of music brings more
immortality, more vice In the homes
than anything else; and / ask you
what pleasure can be derived in listen
ing to 1t. For instance, one day is pub
lished you and My Rocking Chair"
the next day the imitator comes out
with "The Rocking Chair That Does
Not Rock and next yet comes the
Rocking Chair We Broke by Rocking
Two in IT. then, am told, two great
new successes now are 81 Love a Girl
That Chews Tobacco" and the other
81 Love a Coon With Red Nose"
How immensely different is the high
class music written by great gehiuses,
recognized all over the old world
great geniuses that spent their whole
life devoting all their brain. all their
love in writing their cherished inspired
compositions, gems of high art, which
more than anything else brings poetry,
artistic taste and refinement to the
human mind.
Those great geniuses most of the
time, it is true, were living just for
their great art, seldom thinking of
money, and too often poor, very poor,
but leaving immortal masterpieces
known in all countries
What a contrasti And how different
with the writer of so-called popular
music here who turns out every day
music at so much the yardt
1 sincerely hope that Long Beach,
that must have at least one strong at
traction, will have it artistic; and will
understand that of all attractions, in
every way, and by all means.
1t is fine band, giving high-class
music.