The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-21
AMERICAN SONG
 WRITER'S WINNING "Sorg Form" Is Different from Writing Topical Songs SOME FINE COMPARISONS BuIIard's "stein sone' Has Become a Favorite Among College Men.
 Recent Achievements in
 This Form of Music.
SOME FINE COMPARISONS

6 piece of music in what is technically known as the song form, fitted to both the words and the ideas of fine old Irish poem. The composers problem was stated beforehand in the literary pro- duction, for the stanzas were printed on the programme-each involving different sentiment, as might be seen by reading.
 Thereafter came the presentation, from the manuscript of the simple but subtle music written by George W. Chadwick, composer, director of the New England Conservatory of Music, dedicating this latest work of his in song form to F. Morse Wemple, a member of his faculty, whose recital was just closing. As the song progressed those at all familiar with musical technique-and in city where there are 10000 music students that meant most of the audience-appreciated fully the skill with which without breaking up the unity of the work the character of the music shifted, in accordance with the changing moods of characteristic piece of Celtic literature.
 And that, of course, is the mark of the song composer as distinguished from the writer of popular songs-that ability to make music express and interpret the moods of a piece of lyric literature whether it be grand or trivial. In the merely popular song you get no play of varied and contrasting emotions, but the same jingle-jangle repeated through stanza after stanza. One musical motive keeps our friend afraid to go home in the dark all the way through a long se- ries of verses. But the composers of really excellent song music follow the changes of the poets thought.
 So that this wedding of poetry and music in the 'song form" is something more ambitious than arranging a sing song for the accompaniment of the words of Poor John."
 That the United States is slowly but surely developing a school of composers who are capable of producing song sketches similar to those which the great Germans have made popular, is becoming apparent to observers who are watching the increasing interest in musical compo- sition in this country. These songs based on literary motives are certainly
 
 years ago when Robert Franz, one or the greatest of all song composers, wrote to his friend Louis c. Elson, the well known Boston music critic and Conserva- tory teacher: Tn this country they have looked quite condescendingly upon these small forms, taking silly notion that these forms arise only incidentally in music. Yet the song-form is really one of the chief foundations of our art; know you share this conviction with me"
 A surprising number of pioneer workers in this field of writing songs that rise above the level of topical or popular airs have appeared in the last 20 years.
 We have as foremost figure among the writers of this kind of music MT. Chadwick himself, not by any means ex- clusively a song composer, for his pub lished works include the opera Judith, quartets and the magnificent Ode TOT several symphonies. choral works, string dedication of the Worlds Columbian Ex- position at Chicago in 1S93 In the midst, however, of a very active career as di- rector of the largest and best equipped musical conservatory in the world, and of various duties as conductor, MT. Chad wick has found time to write a long se- ries of smalt sketches in song form. MT. Chadwick has always been strong be- liever in the value to the musician of writing these short pieces. So, too, has his former pupil, Horatio w. Parker, now professor of music at Yale university and author of the celebrated flora Novis- sima." One of Mir Parkers ambitious achievements as a young boy was to set 50 of Kate Greenaway's poems to music in couple of days, with melody and ac- compartment which still pass muster He has since then written a great deal of song music. One work, "Once I Loved
 f1-.. VTA... fa6 nf, hn same evening with MT. Chadwick's latest work.
 Everybody knows how the late Edward Mcdowell helped to popufarize certain songs with skilfully written pianoforte accompaniment. His Scotch ancestry was perhaps responsible for the sympathy with which he gave musical interpreta- ton to poems of Robert Burns.
 Among American composers who have written successful songs have been sev- eral who studied music under the late Professor Rhelnberger at Munich-a teacher whose influence is still greatly felt in American musical education, since among his many pupils were George w. Chadwick, Arthur Whiting, Henry H. IIuss, Wallace Goodrich, now dean of the New England Conservatory of Music and Frederic Field Bulard. The point of view which Rhenberger represented Is now more prominent in this country than in Germany MT. Bullard in particular, whose untimely death occurred about three years ago. made his reputation al- most exclusively from his songs and part~songs. He was well trained musi- elan who. as MT Bison has written, "holds well to the laws of form and har- mony which is a marvel in these days when so many composers feel that every emotion must break at least six rules of harmony" His Stein Song is sung at every gathering of college men and others os his musical lyrics are almost equally well known.
 Other excellent song composers who have done pioneer work in this country are Ethelbert w. Nevin, son of news paper editor at Pittsburg, very talented musician, who studied at Boston and Der lin in the early eighties and who died young, after producing several exquisite works Clayton Johns. born in Delaware in 1851 and educated in Boston, where he has since lived, gained great favor by his skill in setting to music poems by Austin Dobson, Oliver Hereford, and Arlo Bates: Otto Dreisel, a German by birth who living in this country between 1850 and 1890 first acquainted Americans with the real nature of the song form; George Laurie Osgood, teacher, composer and conductor in Boston from about 1S75 Harvard man whose Wake Not But Hear Me, Love-" is a favorite with col Cambridge, Mass, in 1858, a former pupil of the New England Conservatory of Music and now one of the group of Bos- cnr ofn hnr in,