New-York tribune., 1907-11-28
MUSIC.
MR.. FRANKO'S ARCHAIC CONCERTS.

To Judge by the size of the audience in Mendels-
sohn Hall last night. Mr.. Sam Franko's Concerts
OF Old Music not acquiring the clientele which
they deserve and which is necessary to their con-
tlnuance The circumstance is not difficult to
plain for those who know something about the real
relationship between musical appreciation and love
and musical fad and fashion in New York; but
neither is it complimentary to the musical public
Of the city. These Concerts of Old Music
little in advance of their time they the heralds
of the reversion old ideals which has been fore
shadowed in many ways for decade past and
which will be in vogue some day when it will be
the proper thing to talk ecstatcally about Stamitz
and Locatelli. and-who knows?-perhaps even
about the composer whose uncouth name occupied
the middle of Mr.. Franko's scheme last night.
This composer Conrad Friedrich Hurlebusch,
who filed considerable and somewhat fantastic
role IN the musical history of the second quar-
ter of the eighteenth century. He received men
ton by Forkel, the first biographer of Bach. but
only because his arrogance great
TO lead him. after call upon that great master,
to leave of his music with him, with the
solemn admonition to his children to devote them
selves assduously to its study. Since the old
cantor was at the time writing great deal of
music which has since received the stamp of i'm
mortality, for the education Of those
vellous children. the incident has been set down
amongst the humoresques of musical literature.
There let II remain it does not interfere with the
fact that the publication of his works by the
society which Is doing a vast and beautiful work
4Oi IN bavaria, Is enabling latter
day and sef-sufficent generation to learn that
there were other kings even in the day of Agamem-
non-Bach. The work by Hurlebusch performed
last night at Mr.. Franko's concert was a concerto
1or orchestra and two claviers. The programme
SAID planofortes and the cavier parts were played
upon those instruments by Carl o. Des and
Nharles e. Spross; since their voices were not
much In evidence this may have led to some con-
fusion or judgment touching the composition. It
was IN no sense music designed to lift the piano
toIte INTO notice as q solo instrument, and
Hao Mr. Franko reproduced the old forces-a
SnlalI band of strings and two harpsichords.
WHICH instruments to be had to prove that
revival OF archaic things in music is in progress
Uhere can be no doubt that the effect would have
oeeh much greater. AS It was. the weight OF the
strlhs-tone made the pianoforts parts sound like
niue else than harmonic filing Nevertheless
Ihere was much to rejoice the soul OF the musical
connolsseur in the freshness spirit Of the old
phony Of lamentatton in minor by Locatelli for
strings and orchestra, which opened the concert
with Mr Spross at the organ), II there had been
agreement in pitch between the organ and the or
chestra But in the matter of ntonation the con-
cert halted painfully throughout its first half and
the ears of the listeners had 10 suffer much to
gratfy the praseworthy curiosity Of the lovers of
the archaic. The rest Of the concert was smooth
sailing: four dance pieces by Rameau. which Mr.
Franko has played before. and Haydn's familiar
Symphony In G (No. 49,.