The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-02-08

was not only poet and recognized au- | thority on Anglo-Saxon and early Eng | fish. but he had musical culture; was an
 accomplished flute player. He was a member of the Peabody orchestra during Asser Hamerik's conductorshp in the | 'Us. In his day symphony players were not, as rule, men of general culture as they are today. Music of the higher class being intellectual and profoundly psycho- logical, requires for it's adequate interpre-
 tatlon educated musicians. But 40 years
 ago Lanier was one of the few men play ing professionally who belonged to the
 literati. In all his private setters which
 nave been given to the public there is singular grace and charm, and what is aSfeeabiy surprising many of them con
 tain the most delightful humor. Here is
 an example in a letter which I,anier
 wrote of his wife
 Baltimore, December ?, 1S7S
 well, flauto Primo hath been to his hrst rehearsal. Fancy thy poor lover weary, worn and stuffed with cold, ar irving after brisk walll-Ahe was so afraid he might he behind time-at the hall of Peabody Institute He passeth
 down betwixt the empty benches. turneth through the green room, emergeth on the stage greeteth the Maestro, is intro
 duoed by the name to Flauto Secondo .'i'N '"Ni'' NAth uS iliucl cdfeIeSSneSS as
 he can assume, he sauntereth in among
 the rows of music stools, to see if per-
 adventure he can find the place where he IS to s1t-for he knoweth not and llxeth
 not to ask. He remembereth where the flutes sit in Thomas orchestra: but on
 going to the corresponding spot he findeth the part of contra basso on the music stand, and heeth therefrom In terror In despair he is about to endeavor to get some information the sly, when he seeth the good F'lauto Secondo sittine. down far In front. and straightway
 marcheth to his place on the left of the same, with the air of one that had played there since babyhood This Hamerik of ours hath French ideas about his or chestrai arrangements and places his pieces very differently from Thomas. | Well, sit down, some late corners ar
 rive, stamping and lowing, for it is showing outside and pull the green baize covers. off their big horns and bass fid- I dies.
 Presently the Maestro who is rushing about, hither and thither in | some excitement, falleth to striking a great tuning fork with a mallet. and straightway we all begin to toot A. to | puff 1t, to groan it, to squeak 1t, to scrape it, until I sympathize with the poor letter and glide off In some delicate little runs; and presently the others be- gin to flourish also. and here we have it up chromatics, down diatonics unearth- ly buzzings from the big fiddles. diabol- cal four-string chords from the cellos, passionate shrieks from the clarionets and oboes. manly remonstrances from the horns. querulous complaints from the
 bassoons. and so on. Now the Maestro mounteth to his perch. I am seated i'm mediately next the audience. facing the frst vioiins. who are separated from me by the conductor's sand. I place my part (of the Fifth Symphony of Bee thoven, which I had procured two days before, in order to look over being told that on the first rehearsal we would try nothing but the Fifth Symphony on my stand, and try to stop my heart from beating fast-with unavaling argu- ments. Maestro rappeth with his baton. and magicaly stileth all the shrieks and agonies of the instruments. "Fierst'' Che saith, with the Frenchiest of French &C., cents-tho' a Dane, he was educated in Paris). I wish to present to ze gentle men of ze orchestra our ferst flute, Mir. Sidney Lanier also our fierst oboe. MT. c didn't catch his name).' Whereupon, not knowing what else to do, and the pause being somewhat awkward, I rise and make a profound bow to the reeds, who sit behind me- another to the 'celli, the bassi. and the tympani, in the mid
 
 This appeareth to be the right thing. for oboe jumpeth up also, and boweth, and 1.-the gentlemen of the orchestra all rise and bow some of them With great em- pressement Then there is a little idiotic hum and simper. such as newly intro duced people usually affect Then com | meth a man. whom I should always hate, l if I could hate anybody always, and. to my horror. putteth on my music stand the flauto primo part of Nes Gades Os- sian overture. and thereupon the Maestro saith, We will try that ierst. Horrors | They told me they would play nothing but the Fifth Symphony. and this Os- sian overture I have never seen or heard 1, This does not help my heart beats. nor steady my lips. thou ,enstbelieve How ever. there is no time to tarry; the baton | rappeth, the horns blow. my five bars, rest is out-I plunge.
 ] "Oh, if thou couldst but be by me In | this sublime glory of music,
 1 All through it I yearned for thee with heart breaking eagerness. The beauty of 1 it maketh me catch ny breath-to write 1 of 1t. will not attempt to describe it. | It Is the spirit of the poems of Osisan done in music by the wonderful Niels !, Gade
 ~ot throreh it without causing any disturbance. Maestro had to stop twice on account of some other players failed to come in on time twice in the symphony. l am too tired now to give thee any fsrther account. go again to
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