The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1909-05-07
OLD MASTERS OF MUSIC.

EARLY Makers of Melodies and Han.
mOny Feature OF Programs.
The tendency exhibited among think
ing artists in America to offer works
Of the old masters upon their pro-
grams represents also perhaps the most
conspicuous feature Of the present mu->
steal life abroad, says a writer in the
Forum, where the dearth of contenr
porary musical compositions Of a high
order seems to warrant these r~evivals,
which have taken place both In the
field Of opera and in that Of purely
instrumental or choral music. The gen.
eral revival of earlier works Is spread
ing all over Europe. Though q modern
art, music, strange to say, is already
engaging the researches of the anti
quarry in nearly every country on the
continent.
There are many reasons for this in
teresting phenomenon. In the first
place, it is far easier for a musical
manuscript to get lost than it is for
a piece Of statuary or a painting.
Then, again, 1t was formerly somewhat
difficult for some Of our great compos-
ers always to get their works into the
hands OF publishers. The relations be-
tween the usually impractical musician
and the commercial Intermediary who
undertakes to print the works and
bring them before the public furnish
an interesting chapter to the history Of
the art.
Finally-and this, after all, Is the
raison d'etre of the numerous research
es now on foot-the great musician Is
rarely or never fully recognized during
his lifetime, or, indeed, until a long
time after his death. The frequent
appearance of q mans name In public
prints, Or even a general performance
Of his works, can hardly be accepted
as implying thorough recognition in the
full sense Of the term. 1t would be
possible to point even to very modern
names in substantiation of this state
ment. We have got into the habit OF
considering u age as q sort OF final
ity, as something SURPRISING all that
has ever gone before. Yet, making all
due allowance for greater facility Of
communication and more rapid dissem-
nation of facts, the principle of COM
pensation is still in operation and, in
the deeper sense, much remains intrin-
sically unchanged.
Bach, like many of u modern mu-
sicians, also had his friends and pat
rons. His name was widely known-a
fact attested by the circumstances that
he was even invited to play before
| Frederick the Great. Yet nearly half
a century had elapsed after his death
before the world ever began to realize
that 1t had lost in him one Of the great
| est masters of all time. Hence we can
well account for the worthy and COM
mendable researches Of that host Of in
vestigators abroad who are now en-.
deavOring to recover from oblivion
many rare gems Of former centuries.
Germany and Austria have their
"Denkmaler der Tenkunst :" Belgium
may boast of a Gevaert; in France the
work is conducted by men like Diemer:
Spain has its indefatigable Pedrell, and
Italy is represented by men like Torchi
and Chilessotti. The last mentioned
alone has recovered many lo~ng-forgot-
ten dances of the sixteenth century,
which, by their form, may stimulate
anew the endeavors Of modern COM
posers for the dance, as we know, has
ever exercised a most powerful influ-
ence upon the development of. music.
The results of these researches are to
be found in colossal volumes represent.
ing many treasures of past times.