The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-04-28
HE is A STRANGER,
BUT APPRECIATIVE
Writer Says Birmingham With Mem
oils Band Need Not Leave
Town to Hear Real Music

| To the Editor of The Age-Herald
/ am somewhat of a~stranger within
your gates, but am impelled TO rise and
remark that you nave several institutions
in beautiful, bounteous, bustling>Birming-
ham well worthy of attention. They APP
peal to me as unique and striking.
First and foremost there is the Ramsey
class at the First Methodist church and
then there is the genial Frank Corbett-
one who might easily be dubbed America 8
greatest cigar salesman-with legions OF
friends-and Memoli
| heard some 800 men in the Ramsey
class whistle the refrain of "Shall We
Gather at the River" In the morning and
after luncheon / sampled one of MIR.
Franks fragrant weeds and then | went
to hear Memoli and it is of him fain
would speak.
Memoli makes music. the real simon
pure stuff There is nothing snippy about
it at all. You enjoy every note of it
and it is your kind OF music.
When the people of your beautiful city
wake up to this the largest auditorium
in town will not begin to hold the crowds
who will flock TO hear him. And he does
ii all so easily, in such an unassuming
manner You remember. when you were
a "lxid" hoy you used to threaten the other
kiddo into a scrap and just to show your
bravery you often told him you could
tie one hand behind your back and lick
him." Well that's the way Mr.. Memoli
makes music. lie waves his baton ike
a magic wand and the band does the rest
And they don't pay any attention TO you
and you don't pay any attention tosthem.
....1 trtr lot
and fairly drink in those beautiful sounds
and you look at the band and see them
work under that wand like movement and
Eear the sound boil forth and just as you
begin to wonder If he is going to have
them burst themselves simple wave-lite
motion or two and 10. all is calm, all Is
serene and your very soul is bathed in
melody You think of Creatore, Creatore
the living jumping Jack. the epitome OF
active bandmasters; you think of the Bal
kan war OF the Mexican massacre-well,
| should say notl All you think of is
Memoli and Memoli makes music.
don't know much about this andante,
this con expressione business, and | may
not express my feelings clearly to YOU,
but believe me that man has a band.
And the solosits. Taking you back again
to your childhood days when you had a
girl and sent her that old love song:
sugar Is Sweet, and SO Are Your Re
member that? Well a flute has some
sweet tone in the world of music and if
YOU could tell when the flute left off
and the singers voice took UP the air
YOU are all right fine distinctions.
That's the way Miss Cunningham sang.
And the harp. Words fail me. Nothing
but harmony. That audience sat in abso-
lutely tense silence hanging on the sound
of every plaintive note and when the
sound was lost each drew in long drawn
breath. Actually they had forgotten TO
breathe in their eagerness to catch 1t all.
Even the Gagged canary i'm the far OFT
corridor burst into sweet accompaniment
to the artist.
| beg to say ! have heard many bands
in many masterpieces and feel / must
simply rise and give Mr.. Memoli little
pat on the back for his finish in the
third act of Mefistofele.r 1t was grand
Such magnificent grouping; such COM
plete mastery: such a grand combination
of musical sounds. You talk about the
American soldiers escaling the wall at
Peking. Why. Mernoli, to music in Bir-
mngham is what home run with three
men on bases is to the bleachers. Wow,
Bring ON your Cincinnati symphony and
| all the rest of them. You folks of Biz
mingham have your own music master.
c. B. SQUIRES.
Birmingham. April 81. 81 \. 2ist street