The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-03-13
A WEEK OF ANNIVERSARIES
kNEISEL iND DaMROSCH ARE
WENTT-PEVE.
Tnat o. 20 ssy They Have Isrea Busy la
Thls Town mat Long Thetr Frieads
Yeast and Make Glad and Give Thesn
e:sSsI GIFTS LSag MAY rhey wave

Two festivals were C..lebrat-d in the
local world of music IN the week just
concluded. Tn Tuesday evening the
faithful Subscribers tn the concerts Of
The kneissl Quartet entertained IA" four
players az supper after the concert
~ commemorate the completion ~
twenty-five years II activity ia this city.
Henry H0li presided. and services Of
silver were presented To Mr. kneis-l aud
Nr. Syecsnaki. the Two members % the
quartet who have been in IL sincs itn
foundation.
Arthur whiting. apostle Of Brahms
aud tho haTpsichorJl. made the speech
II presentation to Mr. Knsisel. and those
who have only heard him play ought
Ia seek every opportunity To hear him
speak He proved himself veritable
after dinner virtuO-o. The speech OF
presentation TO Mr.. Svecenski was made
Nv Howard Mansfield. who touched most
sympathetic chords. There wer- other
speechea. not the least impressive of
which was a polyphOnic masterpiece
ny the pianist and composer Rubin Gold
mark.
Those who attended the supper were
chiefly members Of the audience at the
NOuCtfNN W QAANNrNs DhA HOAhtN ANato"
musicians were present to testify To their
appreciation of the art Of the four players.
The Flonzaley Quartet and its father.
r. de Copp~t. were there and Mr. Pochon
81 the quartet paid its Oratorical tribute
20 the older body. The little sisters of
he Kneisels. the Olive Mead Quartet.
we're there. Sidney Homer and his con-
trAlto wife represented the opeTatic
world
Rafael loosely sat IA a corner. as he
always does and said nothing. yet he
meant much Both Damrosches Were
uresent and David Names smiled from the
background Morris Ssernberg~r repre-
sented the earnest circIe OF amateur must
,'ians who play string quartz az home.
But after all those whose names are
not printed a. among those present
signified most for they represented that
inner circle of trained and scholarly music
lovers which constitutes the audience f the
kneisel Quartet and which il the flower OF
the musical culture Of this ponderous
town.
Last night a dinner was given To cels
brate the completion of the twenty fifth
year OF Walter DamrOsch's career as an
orchestral conductor. Think OF all the
conductors who have come and gone in
that period. yet there is Damrosoh still
az IL. Twenty-Five years ago they used
ca say that he could not conduct because
he WAS too young. and now that he is
old they say he will never learn. Others
say that he cannot conduct because his
hair u too short and others declare that he
~ not even a musician.
Yet there he IL. waving his bAton while
hiE hair takes on autumnRl tints and his
children lift their sublime heads among
tho stars. He has done a lot Of things.
this Damrosch. and he has had his fights
wee even with the writer hereof; but he
n still there. Others may come and
others may go. but he goes on fore YER
While his faithful adherents. who have
stood by him through good report and
evil report. continue TO live. Damrosch
will still be therr.
NJ he had never done anything more
than introduce TO this country Ternina
and Gadski ne would deserve the thanks
OF his countrymen. bat IL was he who
forced German art hack into the Metro
poIitan Opera HOUSE after II had been
contrmptuOIlsly kicked into the street
by that refined and cultivated organizA-
lion which calls itself society.
Walter DamTosch's success with his
season Of German op@ra IN Is95 was what
made Maurice Grau listen TO the pleRdinEs
of Jean lie Rsrzke to he allowed to sing
Wagner m German. II was this which
led 10 those memorable performances Of
-LohanRriu- -Siegfried.- -Gotterdam-
rnering- and Tristan und Isolde in
which the IL Rs-zke brothers. Nordica.
lehman. Brems. Bispham and Anton
steidl were conspicuous figures.
Strange things happened IN the early
days Of namrosch Once there was a
. PAn-American congress in Washing ton.
and q number ~ the delegates visited To
New York. where grand gala perform
Ance Of opera was provided for them.
The wise men 81 the opera house selected
II Trovatore. which 81 ali operas was
hest known To men from South America.
Walter DamTOech conducted the per
Tormance and the tempt were the most
wonderful ever heard ON sea oT land.
Tho present writer asked the young
conductor where he got them. and Mr..
namro-ch smilingiy replied -Oh. ! never
heard the opera before
Think Of sending into the orchestra
pit = mere boy who had never heard the
opers' Vow look al him. What lot
Of operas he has heard and conducted.
Whaf mass ~ URHicai memories ~" W iHt
have twenty-five years a conductor'
Really hs ought tn have a dinner. and even
his enemies ought no; IN zrudge him the
kindIy congratulations ~ his friends
IN Way ~ wis unfortunate. that these
two calculations came 80 close together.
and yet insofar as suggestive force goes.
Il vas not. Orchestral music has always
had ~ struggle for existence. II proba-
bly, always will n IL enormously e1-
psnrt~e AMI u appeals 20 the taste II
p~ople who are not rich Consequently
roceipts rarely equal expenditures.
Orcbesiras therefore have to be sup
ported by GUARANTEES funds furnished by
rich people who rare enough about tho
sxiatence ~ art To- give the money. This
b the history ~ orchestral organizations
all over the country. ContributiOn IN
tho support Of an orchestra 10 = public
IL =. sk. 81 L.. Nshz