The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-11-27

blow his horn. He might, II put under
oath, admit privately that perhaps he
does know a few things The trained
. Richmond Chorus four years ago to
give the Brahms Requiem, with the
accompaniment of the Thomas orches.
ira, establishing himself at one stroke
with those musicians as chorus mas
ter of rare powers, and also a con-
ductor of unusual authority and he
will admit that a symphony seems to
him something worth while. But in
place OF urging folks to work with
him. he simply works so quietly and in
such a friendly mood. that even the
Commercial club caught the infec-
ton and bought these instruments, I'M
dertook the May festivals, and sup
ports his work with a true enthusiasm,
but without any particular offerve-
scence, in a kid "all in-the-day's-
work" sort OF way. Such Ia Earhart's
way Of working. Thus 1t happens that
here in Richmond the advancing wave
OF musical intelligence and enthusiasm
IS fcr orchestra and for great choral
music.
Richmond is a kind of piano town,
perhaps l ought to say a piano forte
town, for they do make lot Of Il en-
the Starr Piano company. They make
q player piano which, if may believe,
the circulars of the company, is about
''the best ever" they 60 farther, they
wish you to prove it. So they buy play
er rolls, and donate by the hundred to
the public library for circulation. The
librarian tells me that they circulate
the rolls very freely indeed. They have
somewhere about a thousand rolls for
the greatest music there is. And the
high school boys and girls carry home
the rolls and study the pieces as great
music. the same being part of their
work. Hence the high school students
graduate from a musical atmosphere;
and these young orchestral players
not only know their own parts, but
have a definite idea OF the compost.
tons as a whole.
But for piano playing. in the ordi-
nary sense Of the word, doubt wheth-
er Richmond is a star sumner. At
any rate the musical study club finds
1t difficult to get players who in TAX.
ing lessons" upon the piano have also
studied music" and can play music.
And the same Is written all over,
across and through the one small al
legged music store they have here
where music is celebrated mainly by
its absence. Naturally l wondered
with myself whether this total absence
Of any sheet music appertaining to
what I had been accustomed in Chi
cago to know as Music" might be a
case arising out of the state Of mind.
which the Saturday Review hoped for;
"When everybody would know so much
that they would be afraid to play be.
fore anybody else" But this would
not explain the absence of individual
study in tone-poetry. I pass it along.
speaking. they are none. All this has
omitted to speak Of the chorus of $50
voices, the adult chorus which sang
Brahms Requiem" "St. Paul."
"Elijah." and last year Verdi's Masoni
Requiem" These, quite naturally are
singers who but lately were high
school pupils. where they learned to
study music as she" is studied by
musicians; where also they learned
70 sing refined, Christian music, such
~ musicians love; and learned def
nitely precisely why musicians love it.
One little side light noted last year
when here which pleased me- 1t was
. stormy night to rehearse Elijah"
About one hundred and seventy-five
were there out of the full force, and
some thirty younger players in the
orchestra, with their parts, meaning to
find out where and how they came in.
1t was this purely personal love Of the
music which pleased me.
This situation looks to me like a
real education in music. To have
young people graduate from the high
school with 20 fine feeling for music
and for what 1t stands, that not even q
large college vii be able to brutalixe
It and bury II under the philistinism
Of the average American college pro-
fsssor: n not this something worth
while? and 10 1t not worth while to
lind n American orchestra rooted In
the very soil where It flourishes? It
looks - 70 me. ~,