The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-05-29

AuafMofNs ufNtufens % OF koou cuHef,
for the voice Of o. v.yinG in the wilder
ncus declares that most Of the music u
Infinitely worse than any conversation
heard In the halls Oi the lords Of the earth.
some Of the music IL better than other,
but none Il 20 good that connosseurs
could be tempted into criticisinR Il with
anything sWeetsr than sigha Of regret,
while In most places the only appropri-
ateoOmment would be lamentations.
In the more expensive restaurants. 10
b sure. the musicians are cOmpetant men
and do their best; but the conditions
are against them and they wade me-
chAnically through the latest creations
Of the vaudeville theatres. seeking OccA-
sionAl relief BY excursions into the Dooros
Of Pu0Cini and Verdi. Jigsaw sslsCttOns
from ia BOhAus.' 'Tosca' and Butter
hy' are standard pieces In their roper
tOries. while the never failing pOtpOurn
from -La TrAviMta- and the sustaining
Me Of ths barcarOle from The Tales o.
HOdnAnh' help them 70 preserve thsir
aelf-ros9oct.
But when you want 10 be a plain New
Yorker and not one Of tho purely orna-
mental variety. you must hsar WOndrOus
things. somstimea too thsss are not un-
mingled with tragedy. Thsrs h ono
restaurant where an "orOhestrA' oon-
sisting Of q piano, q violin and colo
mAkss sounda. The 'csllist n q disciple
Of Strauss. which hs proves BY playing
always in a hey different from that chosen
BY tho two other musicians. The violin
lac apparently uses . shos lace for q q
string and dstsats anything above tho
third position on the 4 string - much
that he never reaches Il; but the pianist
IL an artist by the grace Of nature and In
the intervals between Every Day l Bring
Thee violsts' and Has Anybody Here
Seen Ksllyg' praCtises LiGzt's la Cam
PAMELA with q ripping tschnio which
would Get sOuns public performers wild
with envy.
Some restaurants employ female
players. There must be q world Of sor-
rOWfnl history in the lives Of these. They
belong TO the legion Of the Lost concert
sOlOisss Heaven forbid that they should
not have this way Of earning a livelihood.
but Il IL mortal hard on the sensitive ear:
O. Womani IN our hours Of sasa.
UncertAin. COY and hard 70 pleaha
When piaying table music th0u.
what psia and anguish wiring ne brOui
In a certain restaurant Which must
he hameleSs there used 10 b. a young
pianist with beautiful eyes and luxuFiAnt
hair. Once upon q time this was an ca
quisite hoy with a marvellous talent.
Rich women took him 20 their hearts.
stole him away from his hard working
American teacher and sent him 20 Europe
to study The destinations Of this hand
some boy were too much for the Euro
peAn women and they drove his studies
ont of his life. When he came back 20
this land II was not 10 mount the throne
Of Paderewski but 10 give lessons at 20
cents each and 20 strum music hall ditties
10 drown IDIOT chatter.
In several restaurants singers aidARnd
ahet the orVhestras in making night
hideOus WONDERFUL singers arr these.
with threats Of wood and lungs Of steel.
They tear melodies TO tAtters and shake
the plaster from the walls Their IA
vorite hunting ground h the opera and
l'ucCini Is their deity One would fancy
that they would treat Ms music more
reverently than they do. hut their ardsnt
TENT eraments forbid repose Of style
They 20 Al him tooth and nail And
thus they reap their sweet reward. Tor
the more they yell the more the incom-
plste cOnyeruationalists a. the tables
applaud. Sometimes, when Italy u the
native land Of the proprietor NJ the res
tAurant. ono can hear singers of that
awful type which devastate~ the hotels I
al the way from Stresa 10 Sorrento |
81 even these nocturnal howlers insist |
On singing Puocini or sentimental ballads |
such a. the deathless Non YER Some
u them assume a fine air AZ injured In
iignation " requested 10 sing Santa
Lucia or Ia Biachina'
The quality u restaurant music il
hen on the whole exceeding had; but
hat would your The purpose Of Il /
. not artistic entertainment but the
of the public's conscientious
hess u the rapidity Of lie own thought.
Thus the humble player in q restaurant.
wen he who smitss the keyboard At a
-ed ink table d'h6te, becomes In a certain
,enas a public benefartor.
2 Il there not some ssmblAncs 70 the
ifs II savaGoa in all thisg Study. Il 4
Tou will. an asBsmblags Of the glorious
common people gathered around nu-
nerouE small tables in an atmosphere ,
favored with an u concealed odor Of
cooking. drinking Ohiahti made in Ohio
md absorbing spaghetti a la Tcnderloin.
md all eating in lugubriOus silence while /
hrsa or four operators Of instruments
iurl the shattered fragments Of ia
3Oheme' through the muFEy air. What
/ demonstration Of modern proRreaNl
Il Is a sorry way To take your food:
Tst il v the way now approved By all the
authorities on the delicate subject Of
,ating. How much better II might ba
% find sibdued strains Of gentle melody
loating out from s0ms I'm defined corner
md softly pervading the room a. a mur-
nured accompaniment 20 conversation
which they did not smother this spectator
4 tho WAgging world dAres not say.
Ie has often wished that there might
- q place for imaginative eaters. persons
ghO took delight in hearing the sound
4 their own voices, not to speak Of the
loiCos OF certain others
"A book Of verses underneath TIE boagh.
iaG u vine, . loaf Of bread and thou
Beside me singing IN the Wilderness
on wilderness we're paradise sn0wi-