The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-03-01

ny be calm and unafraid. with all ms
wonderful talent this one boy Will not
demolish all this. After time. like
Richard Strauss and even Roger him
self he will indulge in modified ecstasies.
Even Schocnberg cannot prove that
what every other composer wrote was
not music.
From time Ia time the writer of TINS
department ~ THE SUN receives n let
or worded somewhat in this fashion:
Il have been appointed by our club
10 read paper at the next meeting
on the Influence OF Brahms on Modern
Music viii you kindly tell me where
] can get the necessary information"
This reminds the writer Of the sage
remark Of a musical dlettante who stood
before the five volumes of Groves Die
tionary Of Music" and said with wlther-
ing satcasm And that's where our
great critics get all their Information
about operas" Alas. there was no
critic present at the time or mis- solemn
censor would promptly have been in
vited to find information about an opera
in Grove. Here is an example:
Aida Grand opera in four acts;
libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni: music
by Verdi. Commissioned by the Viceroy
of Egypj for The opera music at Cairo
and produced there Dec. -. 1871. The
first European performance took place
at Milan, Feb. s, 1872. and on June %,
1876, it was given at Covent Garden"
Not much stock In trade for the
critic in that, Now the estmable
women who carry on the activities OF
the numerous musical clubs through
out the country frequently make blum
ders just as egregious as that Of the
critic OF critics. They begin wrong.
They decide that they will have a paper
| on certain topic. and in nine cases
out OF ten they select one about which
nothing has Yet been published in al
easily accessible form. They see the
outsides Of books and are certain they
know what is inside; and then comes
the shock of disappointment.
/ The women (much praise to them
for their ambition) always wish to be
quite up to date. Hence they choose
to have papers read on "The Influence
OF Maeterlinck on the Lyric Drama.
THE Anti Puccini Reaction THE
Meaning OF Impressionism In Chamber
Music. with Special Discussion of the
Compositions of Schoenberg" or THE
Influence OF the Talking Machine Upon
Musical Taste in the Middle West"
The next step is to appoint a good
and Industrious woman 10 prepare the
paper. This woman hastens to the
town library and demands of the libra
rian the titles Of books or periodicals
from which she can absorb the re
quired information" Alas! the poor
librarian cannot tell her. Then she
writes to the musical reporter OF hel
rome paper. and he naturally cannO
do any better Finally she writes tt
the wisest OF men. Philip Hale, or IL
some less perfect Brahmin. such as
the present writer, and then she re
ceives some such answer as this one
sent to woman not many years
back.
There are no books yet on this sub
jcct and no Information In any aces
sibie form. You will have the honor o.
originating it,"
The present writer has often wondered
J whether these wofnens clubs have al
ready learned everything else abou
J music, 80 that they are obliged To dea
In these contemporaneous matters. |
seems possible that they might fin,
some interesting subjects on which
} books have been written. And Their
why not read the books In the
original and not in badly made para
phrases?
!, Might it not he better II these club
occupied themselves with learninl
something about the nature and con
] structioh ~ music itself rather thai
In profound discussions Of the Rsihetic
= or historical aspects of the art?
The writer Of this department ~ Til
t Sun has learned from long experlenc
that very few persons know anything
. at all about music. This If so w!dol
I true that II Ia almost Impossible 70
q ono having professional Acquaintance
I Win the subject to talk on any musica
KIfeu1p. With Arvstov--. Tho'v '~ro~, ~