The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1913-04-15

opera has known. He has sung this /
role at the Metropolitan opera |
House, at Covent Garden, London, /
and several continental operas.
Mr.. Hesser then discussed the de- |
p elopment of musical art as a duty |
| of the country to her citizens, cit /
ling various incidents that have con- /
tributed to making many countries |
more musical than America.
In Germany, he said, there are |
at least 40 theatres controlled by |
The imperial government, but it must |
not be supposed that any sort of
monopoly Is exercised in this line. |
Germany regards the amusements of
the people IN a much more serious |
light than anybody devoted to legis- |
ldtion in this country coulu hope
TO adopt. When l refer to control
ling theatres, ] am possibly not
quite clear. There the drama Is
mainly lyric, and the number OF
productions is most astounding. In
Tact, they are about 500 years ahead
act, they are about five hundred
years ahead OF US in this line of de-
IvCIopment. IN cities not nearly as
large as Boston, opera companies are
maintained almost the year round,
ana performances given every night.
Nv en- in Boston, u great musical CEN
IFc, the Boston Opera company has
not been able to find support Tor
more than fifteen weeks OF opera a
year.
1t is rather difficult to place the
blame for d non-musIc loving popuIa-|
ton in a moment, but that only a
small perCe nJage of the people are
J truly interested in music has been
J demonstrated time and time again.
h>oJ so very long ago a noted pro-
. lessor ascrIbed this condition to
combination of heredity and environ
ment. As the Odd genIleman's argu-
J nenI dealt with hereditary impulses,
| and as his reputation was based on
ms learned opinions concerning 'un-
to the third and fourth generation,
1 II is not at all surprising that he
preached d theory maintaining that
various struggles for existence by
our Puritan ancestors had resulted
IN a lessening of appreciation for
music and many other good things
! u lie. With the merging of popu-
lationS which is always progressing,
{ cannot consider this theory Sc
{ riousIy.
but in the word environment he
a struck the keynote of the situation.
. : DUNG people IN America have no
= sort of musical environment when
- they are young. Municipalities have
a them instructed in the three RS,
- and perhaps a few studies a little
n more advanced; when they reach
l. high school they study literature and
e political economy, but few and far
N between are the educational institu-
t tons that make q systematic study
as ct music a part of the curriculum
v Music hath charms to soothe the
Ig savage beast is a well known quota
IIon; that music ennobleS and gives
a lluroader outlook upon existence nc
le one can we'll deny. And yet present
y day educators leave the musical edu-
j. cation of the young people to some
lie girl teacher who bangs away a few
l. poor tunes on a bad piano. The
IT teacher probably prefers ragtimt
e. to anything else; she was probably
as brought up in the selfsame atmos-
Id lnere that her pupils now have
IN and her sense of musical values Is
1t very often that of comparison witt
III u small orchestra in a little picture
re or vaudeville theatre.
or In Germany, France or ItaE
err chere are just as many and as gooC
n plDnc schools, supposed statistics L
er The contrary. But in the morning
of exercises do not begin with a bang
bans performance on a tnpan in
TT strument. A well trained school or
i'd chestra of thirty or forty piece
ly viii perhaps play first a hymn, the
re a patriotic song, and then som
ng real music. The singing is invariabl
ot under the direction of master
ar and sometimes the orchestra is con
ISIS Quoted by another.
h Particularly 1 remember a Wis
We TO the little town of Starkenbur
at in HeSse. One morning at about ter
M the Grand Duke Wilhelm and
ng town high school on a tour of in
spection. as the orchestra, unde
ost the direction of youth of perhap
ne. eighteen. was just playing the la.
ma few bars from the Faust garde
wv. scene act. As the yyoung maestr
err laid down his baton, he saluted tn
las ruler, and said, Your Royal High
BE- ness, 1 beg you to accept my salut
to, IN behalf of the school. Were 1
Ter play a fitting patriotic melody
your honor, Councils glorious con
& position would be destroyed, an
IN the students would lose the inspire
1g- ton of the finale. May I have yol
cts permission to proceed?" It was gil
en-.
Ia" when he had directed the pla!
ey, ing of the entire final act it d
lila veloped that every Friday morniT
some opera was rendered in it's o
ito ich estral entirety. and that on II
'tet following Thursday afternoon Il
be same opera, in its entirety, WI
er- sung by the students at the Roy
the Opera Starkenburg. My amazeme
the knew no bounds. Here was his
m school that devoted six hours evel
ard week to listening to good music
ers. body, and where possibly a hui
tics dred and fifty pupils spent most
ut their evenings either playing in Il
au- orchestra or rehearsing for Il
ass weekly opera In Germany this do
cite not tend to break up homes or SCI
sot- young people by wholesale to sta
les' employment; IL ratner gives an o
ject in life and endeavor, and max
PM them more happy in their hon
the town. The education of the peoI
of along musical lines Invariably max
them happier, and the experience
ice, generations abroad should teach Al
has erica that like training of our you
lost IS essential
ear 1.-The moral of the situation
irst only too plain; musical education
lea, the schools should be instituted
Rio every municipality and provisi
this should be made to satisfy the adj