New-York tribune., 1911-11-10
MUSIC
THE BOSTON ORCHESTRA
Welcome Visitors for q Quarter
of q Century.

phony Orchestra celebrated the THIRTEEN
anniversary OF its foundation. II was quito
I'm keeping with its history that little ado
was made over the incident There was
no public demonstration, no pounding or
drums or OF cymbals changing beyond the
demands OF the programme pieces. no pup
lie proclamations or preachments, no FEAST
ing. no fol-de-rol " any Kind. A few OF
Major Hgginson's admirers set up bronze
effigy Of him In the building which he cre-
ated TO be the home OF the orchestra after
the old Music Hall which saw It's birth had
been diverted TO ignoble uses, and the ncVs-
papers told some stories OF the early days
OF the organization and spoke words OF
praise for it's achievements, recalling 10
the memory Of those who glory In II now
the names of those who had laboriously
built II up.
Last night in Carnegie Hall the orchestra
entered upon it's twenty fifth season In New
York. and the occasion seems to warrant
some reminiscent reflections on the part OF
those who have followed its local fortunes
for all or a large portion Of the time which
has elapsed since IL began It's lovely minis
trations here twenty-four years ago last
February. That our music lovers are
gracious, unenvious unjealous folk is proved
by the circumstance that this institution.
which has It's home in another city. Is the
most popular OF all Of its kind giving con-
certs In New York, and this despite the fact
that there is even less essential need or It's
visits now than there was during those
early years when its founder thought IL I'M
wise to send II to the metropolis. though lis
periodical itinerary carried it through or
around the city. New York was surfeited
with orchestral music twenty-five years
ago; It is so deluged with It now that every
one of it's orchestras owes Its existence TO
| the philanthropy of one or another group OF
music lovers. When Mr.. Gericke and the
gentlemen from Boston, as they soon came
10 he called Though some wag first dubbed
! them Miss Gericke and her ladies' or
chestra.' because OF the difference between
| their refined performances and the some
/ what ruder methods of our own admirable
/ bands) came TO New York they found
the Philharmonic, Thomas Symphony, Seidl
and Van der Stucken organizations occupy
ing the field of which they quietly and dig
| nifiedly asked a portion. Now we scarcely
dare enumerate their rivals. for fear OF
omittiug and thereby grieving some-the
/ Philharmonic, Symphony, Russian, Volpe
Peoples and Young Peoples societies, with
regular sets Of subscription concerts; the
weekly "populars" at the Metropolitan
Opera House and dozens Of affairs called
suddenly into existence to give dignified
setting to some solo perforner-all these
organizations consume the substance OF a
hundred or more of generous patrons, ir
addition 10 the support received from thu
public yet almost as many more outside or
ganzations have their eyes eagerly fixed or
New York. The Theodore Thomas Orches
ira, of Chicago, is coming to give two con
certs in the city Zone in the Borough o.
Manhattan and one in the Borough o.
Brooklyn In a week the announcements o.
which already include four symphony con
certs and six operas. to say nothing o.
chamber concerts and solo recitals. an'
there are other Western institutions-th
Minneapolis Orchestra, for instance-witl
longings.
What will be the result? An enlargement
of the knowledge of New York touchin;
the musical activities Of other communi
ties music lovers, no doubt; possibly. also
/. encouragement Of that noble spirit of art
love and philanthropy which in othe
cities as we'll as New York fosters tha
species OF music which is most costly afte
the opera-encouragement In the homes o
the visitors. and also. let us hope, encour
agement here where the need OF 1t Is evei
. greater.
| The struggles Of the Boston orchestr;
against the powers which Major Higginsol
challenged did not last much longer Il
New York than they did in Boston, not
withstanding the plethora of orchestra
music i'm the metropolis. That fact seem
to speak as loudly as anything else II
praise of the orchestra and its eventua
: triumph. For four seasons after the BAN
began its New York career under Mr.
Gericke, on February "A, 1887. in Steinwa
Hall (then the most perfect music room II
the city and one whose loss was never fel
as IL is now. and continued them II
, Chickering Hall (Which has also passe
away, the audiences were small. neithe
of the rooms being filled until near tn
close OF Mr. Nikisct's regime, from 1890 T.
1893 and there being perhaps as many per
sons who heard the music without payini
for their tickets as there were genuin
patrons. 1t was, most likely. the fin
quality of the orchestras strings, towar
which Mr.. Kneisel helped much when Mr.
Gericke brought him from Europe to b
the leader OF the viollns "a year before tn
first New York concerO. together with tn
delightful euphony Of the entire band
which overcame the comparative indiffer
ence originally felt by the local public AM
} led to that steady growth in admiration
which has at length eliminated I'm such al
audience as Carnegie Hall housed las
night--an audience more numerous by IA
than any of our local organizations can at
tract.
Meanwhile there has been. Of necessity.
change in the personnel OF the audiences
In the old Steinway Hall and Chickerint
Hall days Il used TO seem az IL something
more or less distinctively characteristic o
New England was stamped upon the gen
eral physiognomy Of the gatherings. Tha
characteristic was not prominently in eyi
dence at the concerts OF the Philharmoni
Society. which were representative OF wha
might be called Old New York--like tn
gatherings which thirty years ago listened
70 opera at the Academy of Music. Blu
the present audience, az was attested las
night. though still largel. peryaded by thu
original element, embraces all classes o
New York's music lovers. Boston's Or
chestra has won the hearts Of New York.
rnusic-lovers The cities have exchanged
their proudest organizations this week; /
will be interesting to note whether or no
Boston will discover an equally interesting
individuality in our venerable Philhar
monte Society-which has as interesting ;
history as any musical organization In ex
,stence and one extremely instructive.
II has been frequent, and just subjec
.nlnint That the conductors Of thu