The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-10-16
Good Band Music

Thousands af music-lovers have list
ened with delight during the past 10 days
to the Navassar band at the State Fair
and they will have one more opportunity
of hearing these musicians The Ma
Vassars will render an exceptionally at
tractive concert programme at the fair
grounds this afternoon and, weather per-
hitting, a great crowd will attend. An
audience numbering nearly 1000 was pres
ent last Sunday.
This band, made up of between 80 and
40 young women, was a popular feature
of the fair last year. But as we'll as the
ladies played then they do even better
work now. Their ensemble is well nigh
perfect and the tone quality of the band
is said by critics to be worthy of all
praise
During the week past the Navassars
played a beautiful march by ]. Montana,
one of the best known and most highly
esteemed orchestra and band players
of Birmingham. This march will be
played again this afternoon by request.
Mr.. Montana is native of Italy. The
title of his new composition is Amor
di Patria" and 1t is reminiscent of his
old home
In speaking of band music a prom
inent citizen of conservatory education
said yesterday: There has been a
marked improvement in our local band
music within the past IL months. I have
been agreeably surprised recently Shows
band, which played in Capitol park
throughout July, August and September,
was fine in its en nble toward the close
of the season. And 1 listened to Nappf S
band the other day with real pleasure.
had never before heard it play SO well.
Constant playing together. with exacting
rehearsals frequently. will, as a matter
of course, result in smoothness IL MOTH
ing more. But In order to become strict
ly first-class musicians, band players, like
pianists and performers on the more diff
| ficult orchestral instruments, must prac-
| tice privately and assiduously for tone.
And 1t is the good tone Of most of the
| brass and reed players of the Nayassar
band that places that organization above
the ordinary bands, the members of which
spend little time on tone practice"
Some of the Poets
Edwin Markham, poet and prose
writer, has made brilliant contribution
to literature In his critical essay on Ed
gar Allan Poe, but I take issue with him
when he places Emerson and Lowell ir
the class with the author of the Raven, y
said reading man. Emerson was q
great man OF letters. ana Lowen VIII al
ways be remembered and read. But
neither one of them measures up to Poe
to Poe.
| America. for young country has
produced number Of real poets, Poe
Longfelow. Whittier Emerson, Bryant
Lowell. N. P. willis. whitman. Lanier
ranks first and in the judgment of many
Lanier comes next to Poe.
'As some critics have remarked re-
Gently. John Banister Tabb, who died no
| quite year ago, Is being more and mor'
| appreciated. Certain 1t Is that In depti
of meaning, delicacy of feeling and grace
of expression Tabb will come right clos
after Lanier.
IF Lanier had preceded Poe or beel
his contemporary, he would have un
dcubtedly played part in Poe's lee
ture on the Poetic Principle And La
nier's short poem, "A Ballad of Tree
and the Master would have been thu
one, / fancy. that Poe would hav'
chosen for his illustrations. Had Poe hat
/ Tabb as a contemporary he might hav
= used Robin in his famous lecture