New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-01-19

I time, we fancy, DIR. Won Bulow conducted
/ one or more of all these concerts except
| the New York Philharmonic, but neither
/ as a rule nor as an exception did he ever
play a Strauss waltz, so far as very extern
sive records at the command of this writer
indicate. The Philharmonic Society Of
| London has completed one hundred years
! Of activity 1t was the model on which
the Philharmonic Society of New York
was organized. and It's programmes, ike
those Of the New York society have re-
nccted the taste Of its members, and tho
A., best of its patrons from time TO time. No
| Strauss waltz has yet been played At a
| London Philharmonic concert, nor was
] one played at a concert of the New York
| Philharmonic Society prior 10 December
| o. 1912. The programmes Of the Ph!lhar-
monte concerts Of Berlin for more than
| twenty years are at the writer's elbow
| from the midst OF Dr. Won Bulow's adj
minstration through the period Of such
guest conductors as Levi. Mottl, Mat
kowski. Sucher and Richard Strauss,
down to the enduring regime OF Arthur
Nikisch. In all that time the name OF
Johann Strauss appeared but once on
programme, and then as appended TO
set Of concert variations for orchestra
Writing over the name OF j. j.
Schmitt," there appears a hand In the
second letter the identity Of when ~
amuslnbly apparent I'm the style. its
non sequitur kind OF logic and the facts
! relied upon as a basis for argument. II
is the hand OF the gentleman who some
years ago-sixteen, to be exact-defended
Mr.. Emil Paur for putting the civilian
Tell" overture into Boston Orchestra
programme which Logan with Beethoven's
first symphony and contained Grieg's
pianoforte concerto In these words:
1t remained for Rosslni to redeem the
programme-fancy! His Tell" overture
was not only, the best played but the best
piece altogether provided at this concert
Beethoven himself once said that he
would be proud II nc had written that
overture, just as Brahms once wrote un,
der the first bars of The Blue Danube"
waltz: Not by Brahms, | regret to say.
The Tell overture certainly is much
more inspired piece OF music than
Beethovens first symphony. Yet there
are not a few perverse pedantlc mortals
who think that the symphony Is In place
on a serious concert programme and the
overture not. For this redeeming over
ture let thanks be offered to the cour-
ageous Mr.. Paur.
1t required a brave man to present
Beethoven az just little bit envious or
Rossini, because Of n composition writ
ten two years after the German composer
had been laid in his grave but little his
toric inaccuracies Of this nature must
not be permitted to stand in the way OF
champion for disnembered symphonies.
popular overtures and Strauss waltzes In
Philharmonic programmes. Meanwhile It
is interesting to observe the old story
about Brahmss autograph In the album
of his friend and the boon companion or
his summer vacations at Ischl cropping
out here and again in the programme OF
the Philharmonic Society.
u. T. Schmitt" comes to the rescue OF
the Strauss waltzes, and refers TO the
good opinion which the late Theodore
Thomas had OF them-'Thecdore Thomas
who from 1877 to 1891, with the intermis-
sion of one season. from lS78-'7a. was the
conductor Of the Philharmonic Society or
New York" Wasn't the calling OF Mr.
Thomas as witness for the defence mis-
take? Together with his predecessor and
model Carl Bergman. and his successor.
Anton Seidl Mr.. Thomas fixed the tradi-
tons OF the Philharmonic Society OF New
York. A Strauss waltz never appeared
on a Philharmonic programme during the
thirty-fve years covered by their united
administrations. Nor did the overture
to William Tell" though this delight
full old war horse pranced around In
the second concert ever given by the
society in 1873 and was repeated once
after that In lsi7 and again In ls4s. 1t
may be desirable to return TO the music
which appealed to the New York public
two generations ago, but such course
would be q grievous reflection on the