The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-11-04

largest ever paid to any singer except
Patti.
or course n Of the interesting points Of
the winter will be the contest between
the two opera houses for the favor of the
public. Fortunately this II. a matter which
does not in any way concern the critic.
All that he has to do 10 to bisect himself 30
that he can be In both opera houses At once.
observe the merits ond defects Of the per-
formances in either place and record HE
Impressions For the information Of his
readers. Doubtless before the season is
over he will curse this war OF the roses and
sigh, like Mercutio, "A plague o. both your
housesl' Or. mayhsp he will psraphrase
the Unhappy Mime n murmur:
cOnrted und Hammersteini Hammerstein und
Conriedi
D. brAchten belde slch uni
But that is a matter OF. prof ound indif-
ference to the public. II the contest be-
tween h two houses should result in the
general Improvement OF .operatic per-
formances in this city every music lover
would be delighted. SO far as this. particu-
lar journal Is concerned il il here and now
promised that there will DO n complete and
careful record Of the doings at both houses.
and each will get its due.
Outside of opera the world of music will
be remarkably busy and It's doinss win be
absorbing. The Philharmonic Society OF
this city has returned to its former policy
Of employing one conductor. This was
inevitable. Europe is a considerable
tract Of land. but it does not contain an
inexhaustible supply Of star wielders Of
the baton. The influx Of guest conductors
in the last two years has been extraor-
binary. We nave observed the genu-
fexions and gesticulations Of all the
virtuosi Of the little stick-that 10. OF all that
could find excuse for coming over. The
Philharmonic Society could not keep it
up. Hence we are to follow its perform
anoes under the guidance OF a batonless
conductor. Well. the baton is none so
ancient. Even the interpreting conductor
is a modern invention. He Is something
OF a nuisance. too, at times. Put him be-
hind a screen SO that the audience could
not see him and two-thirds Of his impor-
tanoe in the world Of art would be gone.
As a matter Of fact. orchestrss should be
heard and not seen. hut that is an ideal
unlikely to be realized.
Taking il all in all this will surely be one
Of the most fruitful seasons OF music which
this city has known Of late. There will
be more than two hundred orchestral
concerts in this borough alone, while there
will be not less than two hundred per-
formances Of opera. Rosenthal, Gabrilo-
witch, Lhevinne, Olga Samarof, Fanny
Bloomfield eisler and half a dozen other
piano virtuosi will play On pianos made by
several different manufacturers: Cesar
Thomson, Petschnikon, Maud Powell and
more fiddlers will play on violins also made
by various manufacturers now dead and
therefore not to be considered, and several
dozen assorted r~eciters will recite songs in
several dozen assorted nj most Of
them bad.
The Oratorio Society, Peoples Choral
Union, Musical Art Society and minor
organizations will disseminate cheerful
thoughts by Gabriel Pierne, Handel, Sir
Edward Elgar, Palestrina, Lott, Vittoria,
Bach, Brahms and other masters. The
Kneisel, Olive Mead, ~Kaltenborn, Marum
D~annreuther, Boston Symphony, Names
and other quartets will play compost
tions for stringed instruments in four cor
ners or at times for bowed strings aided by
hammered ones. Adele Margulies Trio
will maintain the dignity and Importance
Of three cornered composition.
Somewhere appeared recently the state
ment that the musical season in this city
is beginning later and ending earlier zach
year. This cheerful misstatement requires
contradiction because Of its extreme diver
gence from truth. The musical season il
beginning earlier each year, though il
certainly does not last any later. This
year it began with a struggling series Of
concerts, which came as the scouts in ad-
vance OF the main body. The first OF these
were the unfortunate Leoncavallo enter
tainments on October 8, 10 and IA. Then
came Nine. Schumann-Heink's interesting
O recital and several other concerts
duly noticed Tor meroifully isnored) in
these columns. With the opening day
OF the present month we settled down to
the steady dow Of melody.
Quantity, however, is not all that de-
mands consideration. Even in these yard
stick and adding machine days quality
still counts for something. II any n will
a the trouble to compare the quality
of the musical entertainments given in this
city to-day with those given twenty years
ago he will have no difficulty In perceiving
what progress musical art has made here.
Some of the orchestral performances OF
those times would make the veriest tyro
OF this day gasp and stare. We were glad
enough to get them then. because in no
other way could We hear the works Of the
masters.
or course, we were not really hearing
them, except as through a long distance
telephone, dimly and in some distortion.
But sven the shadow was worth having.
Now We expect splendor and smoothness
of tone, finished phrasing, exquisite nuanc-
ing and infallible technic. We do not
always get them. but we grumble when
We do not. Twenty years age We hsnke
most OF the muses. at once IL the orchestra
managed to keep together and finish at
the same time. Piano playing has made
such progress that we regard extraordinary
technic as a matter OF course, and decline
TO be astonished by anything short OF the
prodigious feats Of a RosenthAl.
And now can be heard a questioning
voice asking: IF it is right that orchestras
should be bodies Of ~virtuosi and play 80
superbly, why should objection be made to
public prostradon at the feet OF the solo
perfomer7"
The ansvver tn thia In eadily made. An