The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-11-08

| because rs music was IN no W.st tNul-C'
! The advocates of the latest fusSi'n
/ music declare that there = nothing,
! exotic IN IL for the reason that all the
scales employed are the property oi the
! Russian people. while the thoughts re-
tected in the compositions are ind!s-
putably theirs also.
! We ought to hear much Of this new
music Possibly LITTLE OF II Will so
long way, but We owe 1t 10 ourselves
to give i patient consideration. No one
with any knowledge OF the history uf
music will wish tn hold the Russian
! masters to subservierce 20 their folE
music. But one thing history will teach
| them as II has already laugh. rs. TO Wit,
| that II they wish to retain their Rus
sianism they will not he able to put the
| character of the music of their SOL
entirely aside.
| They may sophisiicste the music they
MAJ refine ard polish and disguise its
peasant nature, they may deck Il In
court dress. or send It to conservatorieS
| TO be educated but in the end il VIII
retain It's position I'm their artistic lie
as the influence which puts !a;o the.r
compositions the musical elements dis
tlnctiNely Russian.
| Germany never got away from the
4, mime singer. the m-!stersingrr and the
! Lutheran choral. France has never
escaped from the "Chansons de Cro!-
sade." the chansons courtolses, the
dance songs OF the valley Of the Midi,
ana the pastourelieS.
on the other haLd no thoughtful
studen. Of music laDors under the de-
! lus!on that id.oms IN melody, harmony
or rhythm constitute all Of the ma
tionallsm in music. Racial character
! istics. yes: bu; the musical cmbod!-
ment OF u national thought must probe
much deeper. Those who assert that
Or. Dvorak only began thu march
toward an American type in music
when he wrote his New Worid' SYM
phouy are. Of course. righ,. II Will
have TO he an American, with an Amer
leans heart and brain. that composas
the first zeal American symphony.
But the Russians had a wealth Of
musical materials ready 10 their hands,
ard Gllnka showed them the way to
utilize these in expressing Russian
/ thought. The question which now
arises is whether these futur!s;s. in
trying to beat tho French futurists at
their own game, are not selling their
b!rJhrsht for a mess OF pottaGe.
Whether wave OF reform has broken
upon the HdfrGrd Mnsicdi Reuier is
perhaps not mater OF national sig
nifcance, but the current number IS
| noteworthy because il contains inter-
esttng articles by prominent musicians
who are graduates Of Harvard. Ar
thur Foote contributes one on Some
Neglected Piano Music" which might
! ha gs L..
p.anisTs.
The article calls attention TO some
compositions by men of importance in
the history Of p!anoforte literature, COM
positions which have disappeared from
the active list, whereas, in Mr.. Foote's
opinion, they are still worth hearing
at ia pity that more pains Is not
taken, from one generation TO another
to preserve a great deal of music that
is otherwise bound to disappear. We
cannot upset the verdict OF time, but
there are many musical compositions
that never get fair chance, through
the laziness and lack of knowledge or
enterprise on the part OF the public
Some OF the blame to be attached
to this neglect arises from the fact
that artists, both pianists and singers,
are generally content with a meagre re-
pertoire that has already proved It's
effectiveness, and are lacking in inita-
tive. repeating the programmes OF their
predecessors, The teacher also. even
when fairly we'll versed in musical lit
erature, from inertia too frequently re-
stricts himself in the choice OF what
shall be given TO the pupil.
"A wave OF fashion in another dlrec-
ton may be responsible for a compost
ton being ignored, while it is also true
that the manner OF expreson---the idiom
lis fluid and often changes quickly.
50 that the music OF a composer may
begin to sound old fashioned unplcas-
antly soon. No one has a right to call
himself broadly cultivated who does not
} take the trouble to at least aCqualnt
himself with what has survived the
wear and tear Of the years. "A good foun-
dalton OF the classics being the best
preparation toward a proper under
standing OF what IL being created in
our day"
NOTES OF MUSIC EVENTS.