Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-28
FORTUNES IN MUSIC
New York Leads the World in
Great Sums Spent.
1T HAS $1,000 MUSICIANS
This Season Manhattan Will Spend
at Least 100000.
WORLDS BEST TALENT SOUGHT
In Addition to Imported Musicians,
New York Annually Educates
10000 Students.
1T HAS $1,000 MUSICIANS
WORLDS BEST TALENT SOUGHT

Six million dollars for serious. high
grade music. the largest sum devoted to
this purpose by any city in the world, will
be spent in New York during the present
season. And even this does not include
the small fortunes spent annually for So
loists and choirs in the fashionable
churches, nor the more moderate sums ex-
pended for organists and singers in the
rest of the 1.166 churches of Greater New
York. For it's Sunday music New York
probably pays $4,000 a year additional
and employs an army of probably more
than 1900 musicians. 1t Is, of course,
also exclusive of the great sums paid for
lighter music at the comic operas.
For grand opera alone Father Knicker-
booker will spend 5000 900 Just for seats
and boxes in order to delight his soul with
high notes and the deep tones of the
worlds greatest sopranos. tenors. contral-
. tos, basses meZzos and baritones. And
this does not include the CroeSuS-like sums
spent on carriage hire. flowers. gowns and
jewels, that my lady of fashion may, from
her box, join in the battle of the eyes with
her social rivals. New York Is the only
city in the world which supports two
houses for opera and probably either of
these can show. during a single season.
greater army of stars of first musical
boast. For the rivalry between the two
musical rivals, the house of Conried and
the house of Mammerstein, has drained
Europe of its song birds. Gold has been
literally Shoveled out to procure the best
voices of the world and both opera man.
ayers keep clever agents in Europe vino,
almost like Pinkerton detectives. follow
up every clue which points to a new voice,
and then catch the bird in a cage of
American gold. AS a result, this year
many of the most famous European homes
OF opera, stripped of their best-known
singers have been compelled to turn
frantically to little-known singers, have
welcomed with rejoicing new Corners of
promise who would have been compelled
TO fight for a mere hearing before New
York purloined the big stars. Caruso.
Bonci, Zenatello Dalmores, Melba, Nor
dica, Mary Garden, Schumann-Heink, Ger
names as well known have come to grace
New York's musical feast and to share in
Americas musical Golconda.
Big Calaries Earned.
These two opera houses average to-
gether about twelve operas a week and
two Sunday concerts. To this must be
added ninety-six symphony concerts by
New YorA eight symphony orchestras,
the hundred or more soloist concerts at
which orchestras are employed the dozen
or more choral concerts. the oratorios. the
innumerable solo recitalS, the scores of
musical programs given by clubs and the
numerous organ recitals in churches. All
these musical affairs, in spite of the pinch
in financial circles, will be well patron
lied.
The salaries earned by some of the in
dividual musical performers are to be en-
We'd even by trust presidents. Caruso is
said to receive nearly $500 a night for
his operate performances in New York.
He himself declares that his voice will
nod
in America including about 100000 for
appearing at private muscales given at
the homes OF wealthy Americans. Mel
bas wonderful soprano is equally we'll re-
warded, and thence the scale ranges
down. When Adelina Patti was in New
York in the eighties. it was said that she
received 5000 a night, a figure which
SFather throws the present salaries of Ca
MSS, or Melba in the shade. But nature
mas produced jonly one Patti, and besides,
A>fhat time such stars were scarce in
fNeE York, While now the operate firma-
AmeIt is STUDDED generously with them.
Z TAe musical spirit of a city, however,
-eannbt be estimated merely by the num-
-ccr of dollars it spends. But it Is sig
niticant of a Lew musical spirit that New
York has over 10000 students of music in
its bouHdaries (who spend over $1,000 600
yeSI1n tuition fees. This does not in
clGS@ iOO,o 600 pupils in the public schools,
VINO receive regular musical training at
the expense of the city The result of all
american business man, who until recent
py. although willing to pay to hear music
Nor his own pleasure, did not appreciate
the real civiliZng influences of true musi-
cal education. As result, while the Ameri-
can business man gave lavishly toward
the endowment of universities and sup
port of Charitable enterprises. the higher
needs of musical culture did not appeal
20 his heart and purse. Hence, great
1<hools of music grew up to vie with the
gre4t Conservatives in Europe, which
are charge against the governments or
endowed personally by the sovereigns.
Training of Boys.
One explanation for this attitude of
New York men Is. according to experts
the fact that for SO long musical educa-
ton was considered undesirable for bows
and was regarded as an accomplishment
suited only to the feminine temperament
and graces. Hence only a very small
proportion of New Yorks boys were
trained at all in the appreciation of the
deeper significance OF music. and the vast
majority grew into manhood fond per-
haps. of musical sounds. but knowing
nothing and caring little about really
good music. Among the present genera
ton of children. however. there has been
a large advance in musical training for
boys-a fact that will. it is believed have
marked effect on the musical work of
the next decade
To what broad results this early NIL
steal education of boys may lead is in
dictated by the fact that the people of
New York's tenements now get for 10
cents a lesson. instruction by some of
the highest salaried musical instructors in
America because a New York banker
when a boy. was raised in a musical
home. Because of his early love for mu-
sic James Loeb has. given $500 600 the
largest sum ever devoted to music in this
city by an individual. to found the Insti-
tute of Musical Art. Mr.. Loeb's ambi-
ton was TO create In his own American
city a musical university which should
both give the opportunity for the thor
ough study of music and at the same
time create in America the musical at
mosphere and generally favorable artis-
tic conditions. hitherto found only in Eu-
rope. Mr.. Loeb's endowment was imme-
diately supplemented by gifts from other
music lovers. which this year enable the
institute to spend on musical training in
addition to its receipts from its low tut
ton fees. the sum OF $4,000. The need
for such an institution is shown by the
fact that already. in its third year, II is
working 70 its full capacity of $40 stu
dents specially selected for musical abil-
ity and earnestness.
OF all the expenditures OF this endow-
ment probably the most picturesque Is
that which is devoted TO music in the
tenements. To provide a musical clinic
where. under expert direction. those who
are studying to become teachers can
practice instruction. the institute sends
H..