New-York tribune., 1909-10-10
CAREER OF Il NOTABLE
AMERICAN MUSICIAN.
characteristics of the Man and His
Masic-A Persuasive Person
atty and Influence.


oessful career, which was concluded before some
OF the young men who daily filling the air
with cries for the recognition Of ''the American
composer were out CT their frocks. There were
young composers in Mr.. Bucks day. also, but they
are now OF small account in the eyes OF the agi-
tators Of to-day. although. like him. they are
bringing honor the art and TO their country
than the noisy youngsters are ever likely 10 do
The men most Intimately associated with American
music twenty years ago were the late Professor
John Knowles Paine and J. c. d. Parker; yet even
they had predecessors Of whom they were willing
20 speak with respect Chadwick VIII now have
80 be set down a veteran, ana soon Parker and
FOote. and even Converse win reach their turns.
Then. when they have completed their admirable
records we shall still be hearing the cry of the
American musician" who thinks that he and his
fellows ought 10 be coddled. But there is balm in
Gilead: year after year there viii be a larger body
Of history 20 tell Of the sound achievements OF
musicians who thought il wiser 10 work than 10
whimper.
II is more than just TO the memory Of Dudley
Buck 10 say that musician IN the United States
made himself widely and generally felt
throughout the country for more than generation
he In saying this there is purpose TO put
an extravagant value upon his creative work.
The reason, pointed out in this journal
many years ago-indeed, long before there
any thought that The activities OF MT Buck would
voluntarily be curtailed by himself-s that he
Eistenty and peTsistently labored in a field which
provided serious enjoyment TO the thousands in
stead Of the few. No one fonder Of indulging
In lofty ideals than he: but he seemed 10 look
upon such Indulgence as a luxury which ought not
20 be permitted interfere with the more prac-
hcal activities which filed his daily life Sym
phonies. chamber compositions and operas lay in
his desk and the shelves Of his closet but they
were the fruits OF his betweentimes labors-of the
hours which he set apart for his own delectation
when he felt that he entitled TO humor him
self. rather than his publishers and the public.
The rest Of his time-for Dudley Buck was never
ldie-went into work which felt from Maine
10 California il conservative statement
twenty years ago that the amount Of his church
music which sung every Sunday in the Protes-
tant churches OF the cities towns and villages OF
America was larger than that OF any FIVE other
composers, native foreign. To-day the state
uent involves underestimate. OF course ser
vices and anthems are meant, not hymns. Nor did
his influence stop there. Through his books he
taught organ playing and organ music TO hundreds
OF modest servants OF The Church who had never
seen him. Once his songs heard in every
eonceTt room, his part for mems voices were
in the repeItory OF every glee club. and his can
tatas and oratoros though Of necessity heard less
Dften had an honorable place in the record OF
American choral societies. An extremely pervasive
influence indeed was that Of Dudley Buck from the
early 7os till ten years ago and his influence viii
not go TO the grave with him.
EARLY LIFE OF DUDLEY BUCK.
For quarter OF a century Mr. Bucks life was
musical. and
church life OF Brooklyn. For some years before he
went there he was perforce more or less wan
oerer on the face Of the earth. His childhood's
home was IN Hartford. Conn, where his father
vas shipping merchant and where he was horn
on March u, 1899 commercial career had been
chosen for him. but he developed so strong an az
fection for music a lad that his father yielded
10 his solicitations, backed up by the recomuenda-
tions OF J. c. D. Parker who had recently returned
from his musical studies In Europe, took him out
OF Trinity College and him 10 Leipsic where
Mr.. Parker had pursued his studies. ~ the Con-
servatory in that city he had Hauptmann Richter
Rietz. Moscheles and Plaidy as teachers and Ar
thur Sullivan a fellow student. From Leipsic
he went TO Dresden extend his organ studies
under Johann Gottlob Schneider, and then he re-
turned 70 his home in Hartford. Like Professor
Paine, his ambition be a concert organist
and he soon acquired a reputation which extended
throughout the East. In 1863 he took up a resi-
dence in Chicago. but the great fire Of 1871 rendered
him homeless. and he turned his face again toward
the rising He went 10 Boston, and became
orRanst OF the Music Hall whose organ was then
looked upon OF the wonders of the continent
Thence Theodore Thomas called him 10 New York
20 become assistant conductor or the Central Park
Garden concerts. In 1876 he set up his household
in Brooklyn, and there he remained until he went
70 Europe, something Ike two years ago. 10 enjoy
a well earned rest. He had previously surrendered
most OF his private well public activities He
went 70 Invite his SOUL TO compose II and when
he felt Ike H. He had long been IN the habit OF
finding rest and recreation abroad, and liked 10
back 20 Leipsic which he knew when the night
watchnan still made his rounds and sang his
hourly warning as does his imitator IN die Nes-
fersinger Won NHrnberg."
Mr. Bucks compositions in all styles and
forms His long and intimate association with the
church tinctured his musical thought, and he
times dropped into ecclesiastical manner OF ut
terance when handling secular subjects. Not in
the sense Of stiffness angularty, however; on
the contrary, he had liberal notions the subject
OF church melody and aimed TO hit refined,
~fafv - -
ment even in the sacred service No doubt much
Of the popularity OF his anthems and services was
due 10 the easy flow Of the words and music and
the nstu-ainess Of the musical defamation. The
fact that he did not separate severely the dramatic
and ecclesiastical styles 0here used 10 be such a
difference II there is nOW) sometimes brought
81 20 pass that his dramatic music On his oantatas
for nstance) showed traces Of eccesiasticism while
his church music contained deal OF dramatic ex-
preston. The observation recalls amusing in
stance OF the philosophical spirit in which Mr.
Buck could accept criticism which he knew was
snstigated by a kindly spirit. II must be all OF
twenty-five years ago that The Tribunes music
reviewer made a comment on the lines lust indi-
Gated after the first performance OF one OF HIS
secular csntatas-presumably THE Voyage OF
Columbus" Promptly shere came to the writer a
gOOd-natured letter, which placed tire lines which
told OF this natural tendency toward the church
style Ia parallel columns with the utterance OF a
Boston critic % the effect that M. Bucks church
music was dramatic in spirit. He made no attempt
% decide which OF the two statements was en-
nued 20 the greater consideration but contented
himself with a memorandum that II seemed 10 him
as he fnust resemble the individual described IN
Genesis f1liK IA 'Issachsr is strong ass crouch
sng down between two burdens"
HIS BEST KNOWN COMPOSITIONS.
The field In which Mr.. Buck worked and his great
popularity ia that field made but natural thar tbs
great bulk OF his compositions were given 70 IN.
world Ia print The only exceptions when he last