The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-03-21

man. If America cannot speak for her
self, why speak at all? In initiating
modern Europe. We are initiating a de-
/ cadence; we school ourselves to weak
I ness at a time when we should be de-
veioping a primitive strength, even
though il be crude in expression. Pro-
fessor Hubert Parry makes a statement
! that whenever the musical art of a
| country becomes weakened through
over-Tefinement, 1t draws new strength
and vitality from the simple songs of
the folk. Americas musical danger has
not lain in developing, but in copying
an over-refinement at the outset-in
| building a foundation on decay
In the spring of 1901 L was in Boston
and New York assisting in the produc-
/ ton of song book for schools. made
/ up in the main of choruses by Ameri-
can composers Meeting in this way all
the composers within range of these
two cities, l took the opportunity of ex-
aiming their best work in manuscript
in order to discover any new evidences
! of musical styles. and also to learn
1 how far American composers had got in
the welding of modern musical mate
( rial The one cry / heard everywhere
was, the publishers do not want our
/ best work, they only want what viii
/ have quick sale With startling sur
prise, I marked the discrepancy by
! which our young American-trained
| composers were represented i'm print
/ and the work upon their shelves by
which they wished to be represented
Here was their most progressive work
/ full of interest, daring and independ-
ence: a sincere expression of these COM
posers at their best: their worthiest
| contribution to American music, and
nobody wanting it. This appeared to
me an intolerable condition. Person
ally, had an Idea that the country did
want just this particular music. but
/ that II could not say so, because it did
not know of its existence. The soIu-
ton of this problem is simple-print
the music. Accordingly. in the fall of
1901. the publication of music was be-
gun from my home in Newton Center.
and the Wa Wan Press (named after
the Wa Wan ceremony OF pipe dance
| OF the Omaha Indians) was launched.
Having no money to begin with. I
issued small circular offering a quar-
teriy series of new American compost
! tons by subscription. and thus got a
small working capital Works by sew
erai American composers were put out.
/ including some of my own deyelop-
ments of Indian melodies. The ideal
| for the series was that it should con-
tain the best and most representative
works of American composers. and that
| it should make a special feature of
works based upon American folk
About this time. Mr.. FarweH came
upon a copy of Miss Alice FIeteher's
Indian Story and Song of North Amer
lea. The book contained a number of
harmonized native Indian melodies.
with the myths and legends pertaining
to them. The melodies seemed fncoher-
ent and formless. 1t did not occur to
hr. Farwell to analyze them. but later.
coupling Mr.. Parry's remarks with the
musical state of modern Europe. he
saw that here was an opportunity to
start out afresh unhampered by tradi-
ton and over-refinement, and do some
thing which would be musically an ex-
preston of the United States of Amer
lea. He says:
/ Going back to the book of Indian
melodies IN hopes of receiving fresh
stimulus, ! found that when / Invested
the melodies of the harmony that ac-
companied them, which seemed to me