The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-04-11

- 10 Iull feal.IatlOn OF Ine ueDt
they owe to Oscar Sonneck, chief
Of the musical division of the Com
gressienal Library. First Of all he is
building up in Washington great
musical library. without doubt his
accomplishment Of this task must have
overcome many serious obstacles: for
1t 10 inconceivable that he has not
'.een confronted with abundant opposi.
'.ou from the professional politicians
who look with alarm at any expendi-
ture of the public moneys not to he
turned to the profit OF their own polit-
ical balance.
1t would be interesting to know the
names OF the officials and legislators
who have befriended the project, SO
far removed from their sphere of
thought and activity, Of collecting tile
scores Of masterpieces Of musical art.
There has been among these men a
rarely broad and disinterested po.nt of
view which should commend them to
their fellow citizens all over the land
as superior political material Mr..
Sonneck has labored faithfully In this
cause, and his results are of great i'm
portance.
He has found time To assume the
heavy respons bility of editing the new
Musical Qudrtcriy pubis he'd by the
house of Schirmer. This periodical
was cordially welcomed 10y that COM
paratively small part of the musical
profession which II addicted to medi-
tation and study of the higher aspects
Of It's art and by historians. littera-
tom tyty
Whether among the class of music
lovers there will he many to reach out
eagerly for this publication remains to
be seen
That the rank and file of the musical
profession will find little delight in it
seems probable. because II conta MS no
articles clarifying performers Of any
sort. Even biographical sketches of
opera singers seem To be excluded. Nor
can the profc ssional performers enjoy
the contemplation of their own coun-
tenanCes In its pages, even for a price
In fact no advertisements except those
OF publishers are accepted. Ii Ii hoped
that by adherence to this rule tn \
magazine may AVOID the scandalous
conditions which have been known
nAlism.
Without doub. this quarterly will
have To seek its patrons among the
more serious members of the musical
profession and from the vague class
called music lovers. No periodical Of
this sort has been made successful yet:
but Mr. Schirmer has courage and he
has the habit Of printing good things
Perhaps he will not weary N we'll do
ing and the quarterly may live. though
frugally. Plain living has Ling been
associated with high thinking, and the
quarterly has thus far obtained good
matter without sacrifice. so that il
may continue To do so without dreams
of profit
The second number is now cut and
Ii is one of no small merit. The OPEN
ing article is by that singular com
pound Of intellectual volatility and
crassnts - John f.. Runciman. who
writes delightfully."- on Noises. Smells
and Colcrs.' 1t is refreshing To find
that MIR. Runcimdn. WHO has some
times caused fears that his mind had
assembled into the seventh atmosphere
or descended into the deepest glooms
Of the Hermetic brotherhood. writes
clearly, plthily. sanely. and conclu-
sively on the eer.e misconceptions Of
Scriabine. Schoenberc, Stravinsky and
the others who have invented har-
monies which smell and melodies
which dazzle the eyes. Mr.. Runcman
Is at his hest when he touches upon
the perfume part of the humbug
Il do not trouble about the business
OF getting succession Of changing
smells II . large audience. Whether
attendants should syringe us at in
tervals. whether "A sort of shower bath
on a huge scale could could he ar
ranged on the ceiling of huge hall,
whether a powerful engine would
pump perfumes at Us from the concert
platform at the direction Il the con-
ductor-these matters do not concern
me; the whole idea Is prepost ferrous, a
dream. not from the artistic point OF
view worth the pains OF trying
This Is sound stuff Would that Mr..
Eunciman had added that II Canova
had conceived the dea OF conceal
ing IN his Venus a music box. VIII .ch
at the psychological moment would
play the rhapsodic song OF Tam
hauser, we should have had a sculptor
approaching this silly game from an
other point Of view quite as valuable
to art as the noise, smell and color
scheme.
To the attention Of some hundreds
of thousands of amiablc women be-
longing to the National Federation of
Music Clubs should be commended
Henry +. Gllbert's splendid article on
THE American Composer" A vast
smount Of rubbish Is being laid in the
laps of these women by persons who
expect 10 be well paid for the carriage.
The motives lying behind the present
activity in behalf of the American
composer, the American musician and
the American teacher may be good
and doubtless are, but they are not en-
tirely altruisiic.
Henry +. Gilbert is composer him
self, he has written some pleasing and
well made music. And this is how he
begins his article: "ln truthful and
honest cons liberation OF the art of mu-
seal cOmpos tion in America one is
compelled to admit that there are as
Vet no real American composers That
j., speaking in the sense in which we
consider Beethoven, Wagner or
Strauss as German composers: De-
lebes, Massen"t or Saint-Saens as
French composers and Verdi, Rossini
and Donizetti as Italian composers"
Mr., G bert points out some cogent
reasons why this is still the case, Or
chestra compositions must he ac-
t,I