The morning journal-courier., 1908-02-15
WALTER DAMROSCH
Symphony Leader Son of First American Wagnerian
 Exponent.

A good deal has been said about Mime. Nordica in the press of the city preparatory to her concert here Monday evening and her fame justifes all the praise, but the great Wagnerian leader who is the soul of that great organi- zation the New York Symphony or chestra has not been adequately notic- ed. Mir. Damrosch is a son of the dis tinguished Dr Leopold Damrosch, who came to this country from Germany in 1871. Being the intimate friends of Wagner and Liszt, pr. Damrosch was one of the first to fight for their music
 thus. beginning the gre1. spreading of the Wagnerian gospel which Walter Damrosch has continued with such marked success Dr Dan. sch was himself composer Of great disiaction. While in conversation once with Anton Rubinstein, Dr. Damrosch complained of the narrow opportunities ther exist in in America. Rubinstein promptly urged him to found an oratorio society, as mode of broadening these oppor- tunities. Dr. Damrosch' quickly realiz- ed the value of the suggestion, and in 1874 the New York Oratorio society. now famous, was founded by him All this time Theodore Thomas was watch ing Dr. Dlmrosch through the corner, of his eyes and with something of scowl on his face: for Thomas wished no rival in America, and he thought that anyway, America ought not to support more than one orchestra, and that his own. He did all he could to retard pr Damrosch's progress, and SD furnished one of the most interesting duels in the musical history of this country Thomas's obstructions did not prove forb!1ding: for with the founding of the New. York Symphony society and the first great musical festival under his direction at the Seventh Regiment armory, Leopold Dimrosch gave a demonstration of his genius as con- ductor and organizer. His crown ing work was the founding of the German opera at the Metropolitan In the season of 1ss4-1ss5 The enormous lsbors connected with this proved too much. and he died before the complet- ion of the season in February, 1885.
 The first experience If Walter Dam rosch as conductor were gained as as- sistant to his father. b.; Leopold Dam rosch. Then he spent wonderful summer in Frankfurt with Hans Won Bulow, his ia ather's old friend--s sum mer that was the envy Of hosts of oth
 CT young musicians like Damrosch Von Bulow spent most of the hours of the day with his precocious pupil. going over scores of the Beethoven and Brahms symphonies That was the summer of 1888 Von Bulow became WalterDamroschs loya friend and nav
 CT let an opportunity slip theres fter to testify to the young mans artistic at tainments. On taking up his fathers work in New York Dr Dsmrosch en- dured the harshest and most unfriend- " newspaper attacks. merely because of his youth. There was scarcely a crit ic who did not refer to him as that young Damrosch." Tn the eyes of tho public. too it seemed incredible that any twenty-two-y year old musician could stand long on such pedestal
 It was secretly expected that he would fall of. and the distance being great. they looked for bad fall Perhaps that fight against big odds heped much to make him what he is to-day.