Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-02-21
Salon Of HrstpbotoSapbp nDarks Beautiful Free Gbarp
Music Fete
Planned III
This CITY
Proposed Festival to Serve FL
nalIy to Enhance the Glory of
Newark's Ter-centenary.

II is proposed TO hold a musical fes-
tival in Newark under the auspices
of the Chamber of Commerce. The
plan, as suggested, is to hold the
festival in May in the Armory. to
repeat It in 1915 and again, with bril-
liant eclat, in 1915. the year in which
Newark is to celebrate its 250th an
niversary.
It is proposed to form and train a
chorus of imposing size, to obtain
the services of the Metropolitan Opera
House orchestra and to engage such
artists as Mime. Schumann- Heink,
Frieda Hempel. the distinguished So
prano, and Slgnor Pasquateri Amato,
the baritone, 1t is proposed further
that some OF the more advanced
choral organizations of the public
schools shall be invited to take part
in the festival.
Such a design is to say the least,
very ambitious and If the originators
of the plan have. say $4,000 at their
command they may be successful, but
those who have in the past attempt
ed to give Newark the highest class
of music had not been enthusiastic
ally supported either with applause
or money
It is a sad fact that the high social
element of Newark does not seem to
encourage the efforts of those who
would revise the standard of the
city, unsteady. and perhaps this is
another unfortunate result of the
mistake of the founders of Newark
IN building it next door to New York.
The Detroit Free Press some time
ago printed a very witty article
apropos of this mistake, enumerating
music as among the things which
could never be properly cultivated
in a city in such close proximity to
Its giant sister.
Nevertheless, those who attempt to
organize such a vast undertaking as
a musical festival deserve praise and
encouragement. Nothing could be
more certain to arouse the city to a
standard of musical education which
in time might make 1t rival such great
musical centres as Paris, Letpsic
or Vienna. 1t has before been stated
in these columns that at present mu-
sic is nowhere better understood or
appreciated than in America, and
Newark, certainly, should not be left
behind in the march of progress in
this respect. No more can it be said
false taste and false criticism.
As a great writer has said recently,
to appreciate the best music We must
hear it often, and a musical festival
is one of the best agencies to this end.
And to hear the best music often We
must live with it; to live with it we
must be in the company of those by
whom it can be played and sung.
II may be predcated that the APP
petite for classical music in Newark is
good. is, in a word, healthy, but its
people cannot get at the dishes. But
where great concerts and festivals are
held often this appetite is fed and,
therefore. not only is the desire of sa-
tiation gratified. but such festivals
do incalculable good in the commu-
nifty The more often they are held
the more serious and widespread is
musical education, amateur societies
enlarge their aim, become more ear
nest and the public canons of must
cal taste are rendered stable and I'M
inpeachable.