New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-02-02
MUSIC.
PEOPLES SYMPHONY CONCERT.

At the third concert for this season Of the Peo-
Pies Symphony Society at Carnegie Hall. last
night "a repetition OF that given in the hall OF
Cooper Union on Thursday evening", Mr. Arens
Drought forward two American compositions, had
an American violnist Miss Anna Otten) play the
SOLO number OF the evening. which was Mendels-
sohns violin concerto. and made plea in the
course or his explanatory comments In behalf Of
the society on the ground that It was doing work
on behalf OF the American musical composer
ana performer The first Of the American
compositions presented was Mr.. Chadwick's
overture entitled ''Melpomene' a piece OF tragic
music that long ago established itself in our con-
cert rooms as one Of the finest products OF native
musical genius. and one that needs special plea
OF appeal 10 patriotism TO keep It alive. The other
work was an adventure into a more distincttvely
national field by Mr. W. H. Humiston. newcomer
INTO the concert field. Mr. Humiston is a native Of
Ohio' but OF Southern antscedents and his com.
position. which he called Southern Fantasy e
frankly avowed effort to utilize some OF the
spirit as well as the musical material found
IN the slave life OF the plantations in
dignifed and extended work based on
artistic forms. For both spirit and mat
ter he invoked chiefly the songs Of Stephen c.
Foster. though he made thematio use OF q motive
from the melody OF baptizing hymn which came
from Boone County, KY, and was noted down for
private collection of musical foIk-lorist in this
city. This theme is more valuable for it's inter
vallc charm than for its rhythmcaI (the propusive
syncopation at the beginning of measure in which
Is found tho germ OF the much abused rag time J,
but that fact becomes apparent only when It Is
taken In connection with the melody Of which It IS
part-a fact which may have been unknown to
the composer Of the fantasy. Nevertheless. Mr..
Humiston put IL 20 good use, he did also mo-
tive borrowed from the instrumental introduction
to one Of the least familiar OF Fosters songs The
one sustained melody IN the composition. an orig
inal one. is a good and sufficiently characteristics
tune, but II IS fair surmise that il would neither
have come into being had Foster not written The
Old Folks at Home" nor been sung by the Eng-
ish horn with it's attendant harmOnies had
not Dr. DvOrak written the slow movement OF
his New World symphony" But by this
1t is not meant to say that Mr.. Humiston hIched
from either Of his predecessors The relationships
are spiritual and there is nothing of moral OBJ
nquity in them There is fine spirit OF intelligent
striving in Mr.. Humiston's composition, though
occasionally Creaking mechanism and cracks in
the structure betray the prentice hand. His
Fantasy is an interesting experiment in a field
which deserves 10 be cultivated and which can
yield good results DR. Dvorak has demon
strated, The music delighted the people who
heard IT, and the composer was called TO the plat
form than once to acknowledge the applause
which il called forth. After the Fantasy Cireg's
Lyric Suite" which figured on the programme OF
the last Philharmonic concert, was performed.
H. E X.