The San Francisco call., 1906-03-25
e1By Blanche

] found Jan Kubelik. fairy prince Of
modern music. standing in the corridor of
the St. Francis hanked by the gentle
giant, Hugo GOrlitz-who would doubtless
play the ogre in the fairy cast. At least
Air. GOrlitz has the fairy prince captive
II is he who for a certain tale of gold
holds the hours OF Kubelik in his hand /:
who says that thus and thus shall he do
and not DO; that here and there shall ne
go at this and that time and not there
and herein short Mr.. Gorlitz is the man
ager OF the fairy prince. He it was who
arranged that I might see him-for am L
not also Of the blood royal, a princess
OF the press?
Somehow one expects to find him taller,
this Kubelik who looms so large in the
public eye. It was. however, a youth
so he seems in spite of his twenty-five
years-counting hardly more than my
own small inches (64) that walked up
stairs 10 the mezzamine floor with me, 10
where the orchestra was doing up the
"Preislied" in very decent hotel fash
ion.
Little to the little" Kubelik laughed,
hitting himself TO the small chair by the
side Of my huge one. He pulled out
however, a cigar Of heroic proportions
and after a preliminary (and very pretty
Nay tipped II Will Gil dDA4AAeAAAN-s
accustomed air.
The "Preislied" grew insistent-tum,
tUm. tum. ta-tum. Kubelik smoked
calmly, half cooking an ear 10 the tune,
] giving an uneasy eye 10 the door.
1t troubles you, the music?" he asked
quantity.
And not your" I laughed.
Whimsically he put it-as the Little
Princess" would have put il: "Oh. II
1ar
IS, I hear the big orchestra all through
when this plays"
I confessed that my Imagination was
not SO strong and that 1 preferred my
kubeuk without accompaniment. Ac-
c0rdingly, led by the ever-capable Mr..
Gorlitz. we changed our quarters, with
marconigram from the Madame Kube-
Xix as Introductory incident
Hastily the slender fingers tore open the
envelope. ''GOrlitz, She is one day from
New York, will land tomorrow, will be
in Los Angeles" etc, etc, in hasty and
joyful German, grounded by good, bass
fatherIander from the sympathizing Cor
Iitz.
II was all very charming-edited or not
edited by the good GOrlitz. 1t gave me
time 10 note the elfish, whimsical face,
with the brow Of a Beethoven and the
chin OF a girl. And curiOusly il reminds
Adams. You get il Enthusiastically in the
delicate arched eyebrows. though the
piQuant, Willful life Of Kubelik's odd one
is in his left, Miss Adams fortune in her
right They look at you again with the
same half-wistfui, half-quizzical eye,
though Kubelik's are fine deep hazel, Miss
Adams fair gray. You get It even more
IN the mouth. irregular. flexible, sensitive,
gently cynic even in its smiling. oftener
serious, but always charming. And it is
an almost girlishly slim body that Ku-
belik owns, with hardly a suggestion of
the steel under its youthful leanness.
He was all smiles now. and first tossed
a quaint compliment to California.
i heard a great deal about Califor-
MIA before 1 came" he said, but 1 did
not--believe." He nodded an apology
for incredulity here. then added: In
America, you know, one hears some
times this is the greatest thing in the
world'-and it is not the greatest thing,
perhaps, so I wait when I hear Of Cali
fornia. II is better Cwise KubelikD to
expect less and get more, than TO ex-
pect more and get less"
And you got mOre:"
Yes" Kubelik acknowledged, Cali
fornia IS much more beautiful than 1
had dared to dream Of"
7 have wondered" I dared here, IF
you, with seemingly all things TO make
you happy, with all that you can do and
have won OF life, have anything to wish
for?"
Kubelik looked quizzical for a mo-
ment, little astonished at the cues
tion-no more than 1 wasi-then turned
his big "wideawake" in his hand with:
We'll, I do want a new hat"
But, seriously?" I ventured again.
Swiftly serious, then, the boy said,
nor ever looked more the boy: 81 am
very happy When I look round and
see so many that have not the hun
dredth part OF what 1 have must 1 not
be happy2 1 am very satisfied with
what my fate has brought Not wholly
so. II one were quite satisfied there
would be no progress-ist es NIGHT so?
But I am happy-unberufen" Slender
knuckle to knee. Kubelik knocked out
the charm"
There is wood here" advised.
I knocked on my knee" the violinist
laughed. poking rly fun at me, himself
and the charm. Like a Puck peering
through q leafy covert he looks So
II was concerning the music of the
future, no less, that we next talked.
What shall be tomorrow, or, rather,
what can be tomorrow, in music? Apro-
pos Of the limited literature Of the yio-
lin, the question arose, and incidental
also to the fear voiced by one composer
that music has already reached its
highest possible development, and is
now In the inevitable decadence.