New-York tribune., 1911-04-30

I which is told in the advance sheets OF the
hook and one that Is characteristicaliy
British, since the present Doctor Of Music
IS q product OF the popular movement
which had its origin in Great Britain and
which, though frequently nouted by aca-
demically trained musicians. has done more
! than any other movement 10 bring choral
music home 10 the masses.
| Or. Coward's father was Sheffield cut
Ter. whose fondness for music led him 10
quit his trade 10 become a professional
J banjoist and negro minstrel. The son fol-
lowed in the footsteps Of his father TO this
! extent, that he. too. became journeyman
cutler After he abandoned his trade he
! became a self-taught school teacher. and
| then a chorister and choir leader. FINDING
| that music was his real vocation, he stud
/ led the science of music from the books,
! and aiming al the highest scholastic hon
ors which English institutions or learning
had TO offer. he passed the examinations at
oxford and was made n Bachelor of Music
! I'm 1859 and a Doctor Of Music In 1894, the
exercise submitted for the latter degree
being an oratorio entitled The King :
Error" He was then forty-five years old,
among the foremost OF British musicians,
with a long list of compositions 10 his cred
II, the reputation Of being perhaps, the
most successful Of choir trainers In the
empire and OF being the father Of the
Sheffield festivals, which date back to a
tentative experiment made in 1885.
Yet such Is British conservatism, though
DR.. Coward was the chorus master of the
festivals for fourteen years, preparing the
works for the more famous conductors
who figured as directors, he was never re-
warded with the honor OF election to the
dictatorship. Since the festival of 1895 Dr.
Coward has organized an orchestra Of pro-
fessional musicians in Sheffield. has trained
the Hudders1eld Festival Choral Society.
the Leeds Choral Union. the Newcastle
and Gateshead Choral Society and the
Glasgow Choral Union. and las been
chorus master and co-conductor OF the
Newcastle and Southport festivals Of 1909
and the director of the Aberdeen festival
Of 1910 He has trained other choirs. writ
ten criticisms, been examiner at schools
and apparently the most active principle
in choral music in Great Britain. The list
vf larser compositions which he has pre-
pared and conducted number 1i3.
Mr. Felix T.. Leifels. secretary of the
Philharmonic Society Of New York lis in
England charged with the mission OF find
ing conductor for that venerable or
ganization There has bean much specula-
ton since his departure from New York
concerning the men with whom he will
negotiate Sir Henry j. Woods name has
been most frequently mentioned; Mr.. Safon-
offs is another, but IL Is hard to believe
that a special embassy would have 20 be
sent to Europe To bring the Russian con-
ductor back TO the society which he knows
80 we'll delightful speculation is. that
Mr.. INifels may have been accredited to
Dr. Hans Richter, who ended his British
minittratons at special concert In
Queens Hall London, on April 10. True.
Dr. Richter has said that hc wishes to re-
tire from the concert platform permanent
ly. But why should he. with an obvious
duty unified?
Major Higginson tried To persuade him
TO como to Boston years ago-tred repeat
edly. But Or Richter dreaded the sea voy-
age. He Is sixty-eight years old and no
doubt feels that he has earned rest But
can he not be persuaded that there still