New-York tribune., 1911-03-20
MUSICAL GOSSIP
Current Incidents of a Sunday.

DR. Hanslick. the famous musical feuille
tonist and critic Of Vienna. once said that
il was a Hebrew banker who excused him
self for not having been at two places al
the same time on the ground that he was
not bird Others have said that 1t was
an Irishman perpetrating what Is called
bull because Of "A tradition touching
the habitual blundcrs OF an Irish lawyer
named Obadiah Bull. who fourished in the
| reign of Henry VII. The story as told by
DR.. Hanslck seems the most likely. though
no doubt an acute investigator might find
the conceit among the Aryan folk tales,
where nearly every good old joke now cur
rent seems TO have been invented. or more
| likely. preserved. However that may be, the
embarrassing resultant Of not being a bird
was felt yesterday afternoon. when several
| faithful chroniclers OF musical affairs
| found II impossible TO note from personal
observation the production OF two compo-
slticns at concerts which the contiguity of
the concert rooms and the arrangement OF
the programmes seemed to have made pos
| sible, but which the interference of the
thing amiably called the chapter of acci-
cents put out Of question. There was q
novelty at the concert Of the Symphony So
ciety IN the shape OF a Symphonic Rhap-
sody for pianoforte and orchestra by
Sigismund Stojowski, the solo part OF
which was to be played by the composer.
IL was TO come after the first of Bachs
Brandenburgs concerti grossi and some
songs by Debussy, to be sung by Charles
W. Clark. and before Tschaikowsky's
Pathetic symphony. Concerto, songs and
symphony had been performed and the per-
formance recorded last Friday. But when
Mr.. Damrosch had finished the concerto
Yesterday he returned to the stage 10 make
the announcement that neither Of the solo
lists had yet arrived At the theatre and
mat he would proceed with the symphony
wherefore the novelty was delayed more
than an hour and the faithful chroniclers
were Kept in a state OF perpexed wonder
ment and anxiety as TO whether or not two
movements Of a suite m ID minor by Ar
thur Foote, OF Boston which had been set
down on the programme of the Volpe con-
cert IN Carnegie Hall. had really been
played. Diligent inquiry after the fact
brought testimony that two such pieces OF
music had been performed. but which
ception cannot be recorded here. What
seemed TO be Of more significance TO all TO
"hom application for information was
made was that Mr.. George Austin Nor
rlson, Jr, publicly presented Mr.. Volpe with
laurel wreath on behalf Of tie guarantors
OF the society's concerts and asked that
the people come over into the Nopean
Macedonia and bring help.
Though Mr.. Foote'S suite has been heard
fere before. il was as strange to the people
IN Carnegie Hall as Mr.. Stojowski's rhap-
sody was to those in The New Theatre and
Il discuss II would have been a pleasure as
well as duty. But it could not he. the
recorder o: yesterdays occurrences mot
being a bird 1t was smaller depriya-
tion not 10 hear the c minor symphony of
Beethoven, which was also on Mr. Nolpes
programme. as we'll as the prelude 10 Die
Meistersinger,' by Wagner, and Tschaikow-
skys Francesca da Rimni." 1t would al
most seem as II, with the increase of or
chestral concerts in New York, there was
4 corresponding decrease of the number OF
works offered TO the public Boethovens
ffth symphony was played by the SYM !
Ihony Society on January Il, by the Peo- !
pies symphony Society on January %. and
is set down for three more performances
this week, viz. by the Philharmonic Society
on Tuesday evening and Friday afternoon, |
and the Boston Orchestra next Saturday
afternoon. II our self-confessed local
Schumann appreciated Beethoven he mict IN
say Hats off, gentlemen-a work OF
genius. but even then is IL necessary to
have five performances of il in season
vi hen there are other works worthy Of pro. |
ducton?