The Ocala evening star., 1915-08-13

of true music. Taking this standpoint
in politics and religion has been re-
sponsible for much persecution. Now,
what is true music? From the depths
of our ignorance, we confess we don't
know. Mr.. Smith and the other people
who can play to the 128th part of an
inch have annexed all the authentic
knowledge to themselves, leaving US
and the other untaught millions out
in the cold. Music, in our unsophis-
ticated opinion is a sound that pleases
US. We have obtained right smart
of music from songs at backwoods
camp-meetings, from those sung by
gangs of darkey workmen, from fid-
dies at country breakdowns, from |
Salvation army people singing in the
street, from the band on the public |
square and sounds floating out thru |
the church windows as we pass. Also,
we have discovered a right smart of
music in the voice of the dentist tell
| ing US he was thru, or in that of some
friend asking US to take drink.
In company with millions of other
people, we dote on "Dixie." A musical
expert once told US "Dixie" was rag
time. Not knowing exactly what rag
time was, we didn't contradict him.
We confess to a guilty joy in listen
ing to "There1l be Hot Time in the
Old Town Tonight" A few winters
ago we attended a lyceum perform
ance here-the performers were Ia
dies, mostly good-lookers. They per-
formed one specially lovely piece,
which received two encores from a
critical Ocala audience. 1t was so
smooth and rich that we were sure it
was Italian opera, but a friend who
sat next to US impaired the informa-
ton that it was "Alexander's Rag
time Band"
| In Atlanta some twenty-five years
ago, we attended the performance of
a high class company, which was
! touring the South and pounding music
into the natives at 81 per pound. We
! liked some of it, and some we didn't,
but looking ahead on the program we
saw where a selection from some
q German composer had a thunder
storm in it. We have always liked to
n listen to a thunderstorm, so we wait
f ed hopefully. When the proper time
4 came, a man smote violently on g
f piano. 1t was, in our opinion, fail
f imitation of rolling an empty barre
O down stairs, but it wasn't in the
n thunderstorm class.
Il So we have no right to pose as 6
musical critic. But there are others
n For instance, two well known citizens
q of this town. We won't give theil
) names, but one greatly appreciate
: ''The Campbells are Coming" on tn,
bagpipes, and the other joyed in tn
# ARKANSAS Traveller" on a fiddle til
II 1912, when he tried to help max
n Coward Christian Soldiers" the ma
,e tional anthem. These two shrewd an,
10 capable citizens were at one of ou
,e music recitals, where one difficult bu
e accurately played selection follows
,e another all thru the evening. Afte
hearing two-thirds of the program
70 the progressive citizen said to tn
p x-Highlander, "Mac; I'm almos
8 crazy. For heavens sake, lets go ge
Id drink"
at AS is often remarked about a ma
h. going to Sheol, we have lots of com
IN pany right here in Ocala. We motto
p that when highbrow music comes t
d. town that the seats at the Tempt
Id theater are only scatteringly fllet
- and Ed Bennett munches ham sanC
d. wich at Dewey's when the show
ch over. But when Coburn's minstrel
D. are in the city, Ed hangs out the S. ]
e. @. sign, and eats oysters before h
goes home. Strange to say, you sc
81 more musical aristocrats at minstr'
show than you do at one of thes
classy performances where a singt
makes bum imitation of bird.
to Perhaps we were mistaken when "
said Americans didn't take to Ge
,r- man music naturally. We have noti
is ed a good many American childre
ad take to work and the multiplicatio
We table when they had to. One of oil
we band leaders, who has had conside
lg. able experience says we are correct
Ir. our estimate of popular music-thi
ch very little of it is German. AS v
nix said in our criticism of Mr.. Fishel
sic letter, we were going on informatiC
ct, CLEANED from people who have mus
10 more information on the subject thu
we have.
nd And because we are ignorant, al
on possibly don't know what true mus
m is, we are going to ask Mr.. Smith al
of the other competent musicians to ha
we mercy on US and not criticise US a.
EN- more But we will ask Mr.. Smit
on not for publication, but as a qua
of antee of good faith, if he is plum
ri sure Handel or Haydn would find
I'd. joy in "Everybody's Doing It?" Al
we is he certain that the genius W
ate wrote the thunderstorm wouldn't ha
ate found kindred spirit in the author
ed "That Railroad Rag?
an We know to certainty that up tC
ur- year ago, German-Americans, peoI
who came here to get away from