The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-12-06
AS MUSICAL CENTER

i hope to return for many more tours, but under present conditions no salary what ever could tempt me to settle here. If you were to offer me s5a.ooo a year to do so couldn't accept it. But with this coun- try made the great musical headquarters of the world the case would be utterly different Then the great ones would all be here and the atmosphere would be here, and the fact of becoming localized would not affect our commercial value in the slightest degree.
 ITO carry out this plan would require vast sum, say $25,O00O00. a5ut MT. Rocke- feller endows universities, MT. Carnegie libraries, MT. Morgan buys art treas ures which can exert an inestimable edu- eational influence upon the public. and no one does anything for music. If a few
 other i-millionairessecould be ind- duced, for the sake of the new halo of glory they would add to the country to contribute one or two millions each, why, the matter would be practically accomp- lished. It would be necessary to have fund that would stand d deficit of per- haps S50O,000 a year for a time, but within 10 years this country would tower head and shoulders above the rest of the world musically.
 AS for the American teachers, they would not be injured by the scheme; in- stead, they would be helped by it, and if they wanted to come under our wing that could be arranged too. where advisable. Then would have it compulsory for mu- sic teachers to secure license by passing A the law and medical professions. There is strong agitation for this now in Ger many and Austria, and it ought to be brought about. Think how many people there are teaching young children who can't play note themselves!'
 seated In rocking chair in his apart ment at the Hotel Rector-"I have to get used to rocker all over again after all these years without one," he had tex- plalned, for, as you know, we don't have them over there"-the principal of the master school of pianoforte playing at the Imperial Academy of Music in Vienna talked earnestly, forcefully, with direct ness and lucidity. There was an intellect ual stimulus in the logical sequence of his thoughts expressed as the fruits of A well ordered mind. Before luncheon we had spoken of Schonberg, inevitably, of course, for what is an interview in this year of musical grace without a shot at Schonberg? Yet wondered afterward just how it had come about that within five minutes of our greeting our conver- sation was headed straight for that arch anarchist of music, that apostle of what
  til l recalled that we had sighted him quite accidentally in a survey of the map prompted by a question of mine. MT. Godowsky, in comparing Vienna with Ser lin, where he lived for many years, had said that the Austrian capital is the more dreamy, poetic city; Berlin, the more practical, pushing city, ''the most Amer ican city in the world outside of Amer ica." And then l had asked what, in his opinion, is the most cosmopolitan city unsteady.
 The most cosmopolitan city-music. ally?" he repeated. Well, you will be very much surprised when tell you that 1t is Amsterdam. You wonder at that. but, mind, don't mean the greatest music center, l say the most cosmopolitan city. You can hear there more variau, comprehensive scope of music than any, where else The French influence is verya strong there, and they hear all the new French works; the Italian influence also is marked, the Germans are we'll repre- sented-there is a really wondretul or sented-there is a rellly wonderful or chestra, under Mengelberg-tn Russians are introduced, and, in fact, they give some composers an opportunity befora they can get hearing anywhere else. Busoni is an instance. His music was played there before it was heard in any other city.