The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-04-06

he Is the master OF the music-drarnn,
ne. too. sought and used the material
10 be found in the folk-songs of all
Europe.
"Beginuing with Haydn. for those
who went before, even Bach. were
not the forerunners OF our music. YOU
VIII ana that the great ones of the
earth felt and Expressed the music
that was. and is, 10 be found In m.
iolk-songs. Haydn found in mis-
Sroatian melodies the basis for nuch
OF ms most beautiful compositions
beethoven used much of Havdrl'y
inenatic material. besides employing
the expressions contained in other
european folk-songs. Schubert moi
ohiy went back TO the fountain OF the
Iolk-song. but followed its stream so
nueh'ly that one OF his songs Is to-
uay become folk song in itself But
that is due. not to the fact thnt
NchuDert created, originated it, bu,
that ne rounded out, completed a
song that already existed, though in
form
And so with Schumanr--mark his
Work built upon the 'Grossvater tanz
i-is,Z-recall his wild Hungarion mel
oo'cs' ana remember that his years in
i'arls tailed TO Gallicize the Magyar In
MN, and with Brahms Each OF them
used the method OF expression that
was III MN, but all expressed the in
'e., underlying music or the people.
~ course, 1t rarely occurs that a
ioik- song is employed in its entirety
or in unaltered form. Generally they
are crude and incomplete. and the com
poscr must complement them. out the
- ''eaie. the outline. the skeleton. as
II were, Of the completed form is road.
ny recognizable. For example. In his
symphony From the New World.
DVorak employs no completed Ameri-
can tune and yet | have never heard
a movement OF IT. whether in Berlin
London or anywhere else that have
not been overwhelmed by wave of
'heimweh'
Here arises holly debated ques-
s,1h-'he movement for an American
ochooi OF Music. My own opinion on
mat subject is clearly defined ana
easily expressed OF course. I believe
mat music Is universal, and T believe
win equal firmness that a forced or
artiHcial school OF music. whether
american or Of any other nationality,
cannot be too strongly deprecated
hut-and 1t comes back to my orig
maj proposition--the music that will
I'VE is the music that expresses some
thing. means something, and il an
american musician has something TO
express. where would he most natural
~. ma ii? Is 1t not to be supposed
mat his thought his feeling, his emo
ton, would be Influenced by his sur
roundings? Would he not naturoIlv
express himself in conversation i'm the
language of his own people? There
fore, should he not in the very nm
ture or things find musical expression
IN the folk-songs of his own people
since they convey the feeling and
thought OF n people?
If you suggest that America is too
young, 's as yet too much of n melting
pot Tor all races to have folk-sonCs Of
JUS own. answer that there are. as
nave found in years of study of tho
SUBJECT many similarities in the songs
OF all peoples. even of the Oldest. hut.
II be song oh Is people, It is his
no matter whence 1t came originally.
This mad striving for originality
that obscsses 80 many composers is
only a misleading will O. the wisp
When they learn that tho songs of the
people contain the one lasting baais
Tor all immortal music, and when the
American musician realizes that he
must express his message In tho
phrases of the songs OF his own peo-
pie then. and not until then. shall we
have tho drenmed-of American School
Of Music.