The Irish standard., 1910-08-27
IRISH MUSIC
chauncey oIcott Predicts BriIlian
Future for Celtic Art.

chauncey oIeott Predicts Brilliant
Future for Celtic Art.
The marvellous strides made by the
movements for the revival of Celtic
literature and music in Ireland of late
years furnish the foundations for the
optimistic belief of Mr. Olcott that in
some not very far distant day we shall
so to the opera houses to hear great
works written in a new school of nlu-
sic whose inspiration will come from
the old Irish melodies, SO familiar to
us all our lives.
1.-THE assertion of such belief may
seem very strange" said Mr.. Olcott
recently to group of musicians at
the Broadway theater, Saratoga, where
he was playing in Barry of Baliy-
more" this week, land might be con-
sidered wild dream if one did not
take the trouble to look into the mat
ter little. There is movement now
going on in Ireland that will give an
impetus to the study of music in it's
broadcast sense, as we'll as a develop
ment of the national melodies such as
none can expect who does not know
ing conducted and the propaganda
work, if one might call it such, that
the devotees of the art are prosecut-
ing.
ut is not the hope of even the
most sanguine of the promoters of
these festivals that the results from
them will be seen Immediately, but
they are laying wonderful foundation
for the future. Every child with mu-
steal talent is being instructed in the
old Irish melodies and taught their
Importance in the national life of his
race. The theory is that some day a
composer will come from the people,
saturated with the characteristic mu-
sic of Ireland, and will give expression
in the most scholarly fashion to his
musical thoughts, but strongly COL
ored with the strange, weird melodies
SO near to his soul. Thus will a new
school of music be created.
Norway had such an accident in
Grieg. 1t can we'll be called an acct
dent, for the formation Of his mental
trend was not deliberately planned, as
has been that Of the coming Irish COM
poser. Grieg came from the people.
His mother sang the old Morse mel
odies to him in the cradle, he heard
them from the people on the hillsides
and in the cabins all through his boy
thoroughly saturated with them. When,
later on, his talent developed and he
learned the science of putting his
thoughts on paper in the most artistic
manner, he found that all his thoughts
were strongly affected by the songs
of his childhood and he developed that
characteristic coloring, instead of sub
DUNG it as the young Morse musicians
who went before him made the mistake
Of doing, and thus founded what is now
known as the Scandinavian school of
music.
"The literary treasures of Ireland
furnish unbounded materials for the
opera librettist. The ancient sagas
or legends are quite as fanciful and
romantic as any of the stories that
form the themes of the Wagner op-
eras. 1t is only of late years that the
world at large has become acquainted
with them. William Butler Yeats,
Lady Gregory. jeremiah Curtin, Will
lam Larminie and several others have
translated and collected a number of
these superb legends and if You have
not yet read them, there is wonder
full treat in store for you. On the
shelves of the great libraries Of Ire
land and even on the Continent are
many Irish manuscripts as vet I'M
translated and in which will doubtless
be found at least as many more of
these interesting sagas as we know
at present. At any rate there are
enough of them to furnish the dram