The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-10-12
SOUSA IN TOPEKA.
His Band Again Delights a Local
Audience.

- How it brought back ones lost youth
to hear Manhattan Beach and Ell Cap
ttan at the Grand last night! When we
were young, my dyah, the --latest pop
ular hit'' was always the new Sousa
march. The bands and orchestras aIl9
hurdygurdies played it, we tWo-steppe
to it, and unless a girl had copy or II
on her piano she was hopelessly Late
or her Study was very careless.
In those days there wasn't a phono-
graph in every parlor and young We
men still played the pianoforte. Ins
march craze is long since over (now-
adays it takes a song hit, usually Irolii
a musical comedy, to get the money!
and the March King. whose MARCHES
once made his band famous, now ue o
bases that splendid organization TO
the vain purpose of keeping up inter-
est in his compositions.
In spite of the vogue he once enjoyed
John Philip Sousa never could write
music although he is an incomparapIe
bandmaster, and his organization is not
excelled by any OF the big concert
bands. His marches are pretty thln
STUFF when you try them on your piano.
although under the hynotizlng elect o.
the Sousa personality and the Sousa
band they are effective enough Anu
how the old ones bring back memories
star-bright rose-scented, OF the dear
ing godet skirts and the bang had not
entirely disappeared. And here 1t is
coming back again and Sousa still play
ing Manhattan Beach! But enough OF
memories Rully, you know. they are
too poignant.
The Sousa band is as good as ever
and the Sousa compositions as poor. al
though his Bacchanalian Suite, People
Who Live in Glass Houses which was
played last night is an original and eff
fective thing. OF the soloists, of whom
Mr.. Sousa carries a number, Mr.. Her
bert L. Clarke, cornetist, is still with
him and his performance is as great
as ever. The Misses Hoyt. Vocalists,
sing pleasantly and he has also a clever
and promising young violinfSte, mere
slip of a girl, looks not over seventeen,
In the person of Miss Florence Harde-
man who achieved a pronounced sue
cess last night, largely, no doubt, by
Virtue of her personality, and was
thrice recalled. Miss Hardeman has,
for her years. excellent technique, and
while her tone is still rather thin. she
phrasing is excellent and MacDoweIPs
To a Wild Rose, with the harp accom-
paniment which was one of her encores
was an exquisite Interpretation
Perfectly balanced, every man an
artist of high order. and controlled by
one of the best conductors in the bust
ness the Sousa band is a notable organ
ization and a Sousa concert Is one OF
the many delights. You may claim
what you will for your faVorite, which
ever it may be, there is not another
band which comes to us, which could
give the Rachmaninof Prelude to
Crime and Punishment the striking
contrasts, the tonal effects which char
acterize the Sousa performance. An
other notable number was the Allegro
from Relationships Fourth Symphony
which would seem to demand the vio-
Inns. but which. at the hands OF Sousa
ard his musicians. suffers not at all in
the respects of delicate shading, rich
and varied tone color and emotional
and poetical significance.
So let's stand for the Stars and
Stripes Forever, or at least as long as
we have Sousa and his band as COM
pensating circumstances.
FLORENCE TOMBSTONE.