Los Angeles herald., 1909-08-10
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Musical

NULLY 1000 organists from the
II United States and Canada are at
n tending the national convention of
organists now in session at Ocean
Grove, N. j., and which will continue
during next week. A new Hope-Jones
organ, the largest in the world, has
recently been installed in the great
auditorium, which seats 10000 people.
A brilliant program is being presented,
which includes organ recitals by emil
nent men, concerts by Nine. Schumann-
Heink, David Bispham and other great
artists, Mendelssohn's Elijah by
chorus of 700 voices, under the leader
ship of Tall Esen Morgan, the director Of
music at ocean Grove concert by
chorus of 1000 children. There will be
lectures, papers and discussions each
day and on the last evening a banquet
will be given in the Young People s
temple.
Ocean Grove is on the Atlantic coast,
fifty miles below New York, and ad-
joins the city of Asbury Park. There
are over 500 hotels and boarding houses
and the towns are provided with all
modern conVeniences. Special summer
excursion rates are offered by the rail-
roads.
The convention will inaugurate a ma
tional movement for town halls with
orchestral organs, so that the people
can hear the best of music at nomi-
nal cost,
1t is proposed to discuss questions Of
Importance affecting organists in con-
nection with their church duties, and
certain ethical problems will be solved
by resolution or agreement that will
ultimately change the musical pro
gram of many of the churches of
America and establish a defined limit
of sacred music. uniform without re-
gard to denominational affiliation.
Modest A1tschuler, conductor of the
Russian symphony orchestra, is con-
templating a second American tour
next year. when Russian opera, folk and
national song and Instrumental music
will be the offerings of his orchestra.
In connection with the subject of
national song, Altschuler has some in
teresting views CLEANED from his last
transcontinental tour.
''It is not out of the trained ana
cultivated brains of the aristrocrat
that America is to receive its true mu-
sic" he says. ut is from the humble
songs-out of the home, out of the
heart of the peope-that the music is
to come. The flowers by the Wayside
must be gathered and wreathed into
the mother singing to her babe; from
the toiler humming at his work: to
catch the spirit of the people and to
skillfully labor over them.
America needs a national conserva-
tory, subsidized by the government
where the poor boy from the farm, the
mechanics son and the laborer's child
may come and study. Such boys bring
q touch of the soil. They cannot af-
ford to go to Europe, but they could
struggle along in a subventioned in
stitution That is where music will
spring, national music-American mu-
sic.
Your talented boys either stay at
home or are indifferentlv taught be-
cause they cannot afford superior train
ing, or, If they can afford 1t, they go
abroad after getting the best you have
here and then return saturated with the
idioms Of Germany or the French school
of tone. Nationalism Is stamped out.
and individuality replaced by acquired
graces. You can almost listen to the
works of your best composers and tell
If you do not already know, from which
country their art comes. The stream
of German influence succeeded the Ital-
ian influence. Just now you are enter
tanned by the French school and the
Russian even is affecting your methods
somewhat 1t is with you as it was
with us Russians-you are getting your
music stamped imported
"Dvorak had an idea, right in theory,
but wrong in application. Negro melo-
dies will never be the foundation of
American music. nor will Indian songs
neither is idiomatic. He should have
looked to the songs that the untutored
are writing, for it is from the masses
that racial proclivities spring. I OBJ
served with great pleasure the origin
ality that Is cropping up constantly in
your popular music not your polite
music, which learns it's deportmanet
abroad. but your common music, your
vulgar music. Sousa comes nearest to
getting into constructed compost
tions this spirit of the nation. but even
he has not created a school, great COM
poser though he is".
To AIINnER IMHERIE EROHk