New-York tribune., 1910-04-17
operatic Prospects-Dvorak's American Symphony
and the Ronancers-A Fantastic Old Musician.

Opers Company will not visit Boston next
season. Mr.. Hammerstein says he VIII
not come here. VIC; shan tnen ne pc slle yeg'I1 10
lar intervals. There will be no Niolehl ue
hsuch. as there was recenuN--nftesh "
cratic performances in one week-to .t,. he ~,
Z loved hv a state Of depression and apathy.
Mr. Russell names the members of n, uny
Metropolitan Opera Company thsl ~. ~,
most part pleasant reading; Mme. o,,,, Aioa
may have friends here. and she l. eoills
paratively harmless. She leads The hsI ;ors ~
SOPRANOS alphabetically. MT. PM -
/ Is no longer tower Of strength IN Dun"
parts Mr. Tavecchis, OF the Boston c9nl
pany, is far more unctuous sno otost, n.,,.r
Messrs. Csruso and Scott and some oihers
viii not merely I've in the catalogue 1. Duu
will be present in the flesh and on ther
good behavior. not skylarking in an eKcur-
sion 20 the provinces -. -.
Mr.. Russell viii surely see 10 II that ~ "
have 40 performances next season hho
that OF Martha" as given by the Metropol-
itan and as for La Boheme, the pres
ence OF Mr.. Caruso. who IS inciihed s,,2 10
dies. is not Indispensable. There has been
no better perfornsnce OF La Boheme' in
Boston than that in which Nine; Ldpho"-
ska and Mr. Jadlowker were the lovers.
Caruso mot Indispensable" is not the
underpinning Of Italian opera endangered
by such irreverence-not TO say blasphemy!
Or. Antonia Dvoraks symphony. From
the New World" is not Yet twenty years
old. but IL is already more thiekly coated
with romance and fiction, friendly as well
as ironicaL than any other example or
Symphonic literature. On several occasions
The TriDune's music reviewer, who happens
to be familiar with it's history at first hand,
has tried 20 stem the tide OF misrepresenta-
tion which rises against il periodically, but,
Ike most efforts TO make truth overtake
fslsehood. the labors have been in vain
Every month or two one may still read
that the title il misleading because the
symphony was composed years before Dr.
Dvorak came 10 America. that the themes
are negpo and Indian melodies, etc Some
two years ago an investigator of folk
lore subjects, who confessed his own ina
bility to determine such matters, disquieted
a few gentle souls in Boston with the dis
covery, made by his daughter that the
principal subject OF the slow movement
was Identical with the Mabel Waltz" to
which children Of the last generation used
TO sing the classic.
Mother. may l go out TO swim,
Yes. my dearest daughter;
Hang your clothes on hickory limb.
And don't 20 near the water.
And then there came into view with great
promptness a lady from the hills of New
Hampshire or Vermont TO claim the
thorship OF that immortal melody. Il was
but a waste OF time to ask the discoverers
OF so arsszing a plagiarism TO compare the
two melodies.
The latest contribution to the memors-
biia Of the subject was made by MIR. Ar
thur Farweu in A bulletin Of the Symphony
Cooi.rz- r,,shIfShaa las NJ
well has plenary inspiration on the subject
4 OF American music, which he finds only I'm
songs and dances Of the North American
I Indians. In Mr.. Farwelrs opinion the
symphony From the New World" while
IL started out 10 be American, is Bohemian
/ to the core. with a flavor OF negro melody"
But read further:
To the un-American nature Of the New
/ World" symphony there Is one possible eX-
/ ceptiOn-the English horn melody OF the
largo. An incident, possibly hitherto un-
printed, shows how this fact was appre-
, ciated "a at least one instance While
I pursuing the subject Of folksongs In Anleri-
/ ca DvOrsk had occasion 10 go over the
/ ground OF Indian music with Miss Alice G.
J Fletcher, OF Washington whose profound
I researches in the music Of the Omaha tribe
1 have Won for her international lame. Ia
! fb.. course of the conversation Miss Fletcher
I said. Your English horn melody Of the
. largo has the rhythm of Iowa in IL.
DkOTdk almost JuliiDtu AlbllA Lar NAaoAl-
. How did 1ou know that he exclaimed
. Il wrote that in Iowa He had composed
/ the melody al the time Mheh ne was VISIT
ing among colony Of Bohemians in that
/ state
Nov, Dr Dvorak did not compose the
symphony in Iowa but Ia New York City.
So he told the writer when he put the auto
graph score in his hands for examination
before the work had received its FIRST per
formance lie orchestrated il. however, in
Spillvine. The notion that the State Of
Iowa was rythmicsly snapestic was so
4 startling a phenomenoR te meet thus limo
Gently that the writer, who had never heard
Of d.. wrote TO Miss Fletcher for an eX-
PLANTATION and received a courteous reply
containing the following statement:
The word rhythm" a. used by me on
that occasion was not used in strict
4 grammatical sense. The largo movement
picture. II j may employ that word Of the
skies, the streams, the unduating land
scape OF Iowa, and ! so told DR. Dvorak,
which ELECTED the reply. As he turned sud
denly on me. 4 wrote MAT i'm Iowa"
did not then know. nor do ] know any OF
the details ss 10 where he composed anS
uaft OF the symphony. / only know what
he said 10 me that day in New York
Dr. Dvorsks explanation Of the mood OF
the largo movement was that IL had been
inspired 10y scene in Longfellows II ia
Vatha"-a poem Of which he was fond and
which he for a time thought Of turning
into an opera.
curious relic 81 pioneer DAYS of music
in America As disclosed in the current num-
Der Of The Musical Times" OF London
The unnamed writer Of an article entitled
''Musics in a Library describes an in
deoentiy obese volume" entitled The
DsWnine Of Music in Kentucky," whose
author uses the pseudonyme Western Min
strel." Who the minstrel was Is set forth
in a long written dedication on a loose
nylesf and label on one OF the covers
Both are worth reproducing, for the reason
that the author played considerable OF a
role in the mUslcai life OF New York three
quarters OF a century Al Here is the
label:
TIE WESTERN MINSTREL"
1 Humbly submits an offering cf the
mating from the Wilds OF Kentucky, 10 the
ingenious and unbiased inspection of the
Musical Philosopher
DIR. CROTCH
President of the ROYAL Academy of Music
a. Great Britain. A. p. HEINRICH.
And here the letter:
Doctor Crotch
Wien the Minstrel o. the Woods. bat q
few. wears ago. was lingering ia great
obscuiity and privsiions 10 the regions Of