Omaha daily bee., 1911-10-08

~ ~ II
name, you will remember. was
~ Jumbo. That IS some OF you
will remember that. but other
Na1eB readers are too young to have
known of Jumbo. However, their fathers,
and mothers can tell them about this
wonderful elephant. lie was the biggest
elephant that had ever beer accepted into
polite circus society.
Well, one day. a musical writer in New
York. thought Of that elephant and in
vented the term jumbo-mania, and then
stated that that was one OF the troubles
in our musical world. Jumbo-mauia.
Insane worship of the big elephant OF
the Jumbo in music. Mad devotion to
the big thing! Now, this critic was right.
You know, once in a while critic really
is right You would scarcely think so
to hear people talk about critics. But
1t is true, nevertheless, We are afflicted
with Jumbo-mania.
And II is as senseless as Il is prevalent
An orchestra Of 800 pieces (mark that,
piecesD not men, not artists. Two hun
dred pieces! Chorus of 5000 singersl
Even TO the ballet has II come '1e0
Dancing Delights 100 as the billboard
would put it, and so on and forth.
The biggest symphony must be played
By the orchestra; the biggest concerto or
the biggest sonata by the artists: the
biggest aria must be sung by the operate
recitslist; the biggest song by the singer;
the biggest OF everything,
Pupils must study only tho biggest
solos. A couple of years ago a man came
to this writer and said III ever studied
singing / would never study with you; be-
cause my friend has only been study
ing singing six weeks with Mr.. and
he is now singing the 'Toreador Song
from Carmen and the Prologue to
Pagliacci'" The one gratifying side to
that story and all others like 1t is TO
be found in the fact that the victim does
not last long; but the bad side is that the
teacher goes on developing the elephant
idea in pupil after pupil and when the
time comes for the pupil, trying to de-
velop the elephant method, the big tone
the big song, the big aria, without
preliminary work and study, there are
always the throat specialists, and the
knife and the dope" OF throat medicine,
while there is the climate TO blame, or
that much adored laryngltis.
.
And the instrumentalists are sufferers
from the same disease, the Jumbo-mania.
Never or scracely ever is there heard
program of simply beautiful music, Of ex-
quisite things of gems and precious
pieces OF master-work. 1t must be the
big things, the Jumbo piece.
Perhaps that is why the general public !
does not take an interest in music.
Who knows?
The oother night some Of us sat in the |
theater listening to Chauncey Olcott, |
and a young man who bought all the |
songs which Mr.. Olcott sang |
was heard to say as he looked at the |
program music that was being played or
to be played by the orchestra: This is |
the kline of music / like, look at these |
names, Delibes, Massenet, Ponchielli ]
GODDARD, that isn't heavy music, It is !
Just beautiful"
He didn't care for Jumbo. am
%
But the Jumbo spirit is also prevalent
In almost anything else. Your friend
does not catch a fish which had the most
exquisite flavor, or which was 30
sporty" that II took all kinds of in
genufty and skill to get it: no, no, you
should see the fish caught: well, here
is the picture, but 1t does not do ii jus
tice, 1t weighed 40 pounds" and so on
The jumbo mania affects all the fisher
men of this writer's acquaintance.
But meanwhile, please pass the Brook
Trout,
A pitcher and a basin are very good
things, china jumbo, perhaps, and they !
are eminentiy practical and useful for
a washstand in a bedroom or dressing
room, but who would exclude the beauu-
full delicate Sevres china cup and saucer.
A cabbage is a fine thing, sometimes,
when well cooked, and so is a cauliflower
which someone has dubbed "a cabbage !
head with a college education" but who
wants a bouquet of cabbages or even
flowers of the "cauli'' type, IL he can !
get American Beauties?
The odor of onions is very delightful |
indeed 20 some people, and there is no
doubt but that the onion Is "a highly /
useful animal TO man" and all that, but
yet we will make our perfumes for some
time from the essence OF the violet, the
lily. or the rose. 4
Let us not be too much afflicted with I
the Jumbo-manla. for II has already kept
many good singers from the world; 1t
Inns smiled many careers. IL has kent I'm |