The San Francisco call., 1908-03-23
EDII oRIAL Pax T. MARCH 2a9
Park Band, SiIenced al Cahoun's Nod, Once
the Most Potent Factor in the Gty's Upllft
BY Walter Anthony

long ago SrelndOrH TecclFSo q AoeeSl
dated from Melbourne. The writer SAID
he expected to arrive in San Francisco
on or about a certain day. ION the
following Sunday" said the letter, y
shall be in your audience at the park
and it would give me great pleasure
II you would play on that day selec-
tions from Floto's "Stradella- They
were played. of course. and the visitor
personally thanked the men, This was
only one instance Of many similar re-
quests from all over the world san
Francisco's great park and band We're
regarded everywhere as an essential
part OF the activities of. the city by the
Golden gate.
1t is unfortunate that there appears
no way to prevent the United Railroads
from annexing the beauties of the park
as an asset. 1t is too bad that there
is not some way to force the corpora-y
tion to pay it's share toward support
ing the additional attraction Of a band
in the park-the need Of which Is so
apparent and It's lack so great a mis-
fortune to the city and its visitors
Fritz Kreisler refused at his last
concert here to respond TO encOres. He
played through an entire program and
did no more than bow in appreciation
OF the applause his art had won until
after his last number. when some pa
tient auditors sat in their chairs and
kept on wearing out their gloves for
more OF his exquisite music. He had
been liberal in replying to demands for
additional pieces at previous concerts.
and his reluctance at the Sunday after
noon performance to give more than
moneys worth was the subject of gen
eral comment.
There were two reasons, but. as
Kreisler declared after the concert.
either one was enough. In the first
place, he was suffering the intense
agony of an acute attack Of 1umbago.
Every stroke of his bow arm. though it
induced thrills Of joy to his hearers.
caused parOxysmS of pain to himself
Between numbers the agony forced
tears from the eyes Of the giant violin
ist. and. though nobody in front kneH~
it, those back Of the scenes were aware
that at several stages the concert was
perilously near the point of stopping on
the spot with a polite speech by one OF
the ushers to the effect that Kreisler
was Ill. However. Kreisler. being no
weakling. managed to get through and
nobody was the wiser.
The other reason why he played no
encores is more prophetic than historic
AS a matter Of fact. he couldn't have
done so had he wanted to. and equally
as a matter of fact he wouldn't have
done so had he been able He has taken
a stand against encores which he says
he will maintain throughout the rest OF
his career.
IF the people want extra selections"
he said. Il will give them at the close
of the program. not during it's rendi-
tion- 1 arrange my numbers with due
regard for their fitness to follow and
precede one another. I do not put them
on the program heller skelter or IN the
order in which they happen to occur to
my mind There Is a definite scheme in
their arrangement almost as much as
in the different movements of a suite.
My plan is to introduce the element OF
contrast. mood, variety and rhythmic
changes, so that the program as an en-
tirety represents a shifting OF Incl
dents, resulting In an harmonious en-
tirety."
That's not a bad plan for other con-
cert players to adopt. Let US have rec.
artistic programs. properly arranged
and balanced, and all the encores. like
the overweight from a generous grocer.
after the. scales have tipped the proper
equation between the money paid and
the value received. If the artist wants
TO put in a few more for good meas
ure" we will be more likely to appre-
cite the value OF the gift at the top OF
the bag. so to say, and meantime the
continuity and equipoise of well ar
ranged program will not have been dis
turbed by friendly but some times inju-
dicious encore interference
For Its fourth concert OF the second
season the Cecilia choral club an
nounces an interesting program to be
given tomorrow night at Christian Sci
ence hall by a choir of 100 voices The
program will include Love Lyrics bv
Charles Keeler. who wrote the verses
and Arthur Fickenscher who wrote the
music; The Seasons" by Haydn
C"Spring and Summer portions). and
part songs by Grieg, Macfarren and
Mendelssohn. Mrs. Arthur Fickenscher
will sing the Love Lyrics" and the
composer Will play the accompaninnent
The incidental solos in the concerted
music will be sung by Mrs. Ffcken-
scher, soprano; Charles Trowbridre
tenor, and Ralph T. Fisher, barytone.
Frederick Neil Innes. the well knocN
band master, has been appointed df
rector in chief OF the music at the
Alaska ukon-P Pacific exposition to be
held in Seattle in 1909. He announces
a MacDowen festival and a large none
tary prize for the best original orches-
tral composition having for its motive
or theme some historical incident OF the