The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-10-24

could move the composer Of Die
Mcistersinger" to enthusiasm is not to
he. smiled out of existence. In his
"reminiscences Of Auber.'' published
in 1871, the year of the French com
poser's death. Wagner wrote:
The novelty in this music to the
Muette' was just its unaccustomed
concision, and drastic compactness of
form. The recitatives shot lightning
at us. \ Neritable tempest whirled
us on TO the Chorus ensembles. Amid
the chaos NJ wrath We had a sudden
energetic cry to keep our heads cool,
or "A fresh command to action: then
again the shouts OF riot. of murder
Gus frenzy. and between them the
affecting plant of anguish. or a whole
people llsping out its prayer. Even
as the subject lacked nothing Of
either the utmost terror or the ut
most tenderness. so Auber made his
music reproduce each contrast, every
blend. in contours n color of 80
drastic. so vivid a distinctness as syc
cannot remember to have ever seen
before; We might almost fancy we had
actual music paintings before us, and
the idea Of the picturesque In music
might easily have found substantial
ton here. had it not TO yield to a far
more opposite denomination. of the
most admirable theairic plastiaue.'
1t is interesting IL not quite en-
citing to read these of
forty years ago. W. may keep some
of them in mind. perhaps, and wonder
whether we shall find m of them apt
while we are listening to the music
of Auber evening. The
opera is unknown to the present gem
Grafton Of New York music lovers. DIR.
Leopold Damrosch produced the work
in German I"Die Stumme Won Por-
tici") at the Metropolitan in the sea-
son of lSSi-S5 with Anton Schott as
NdssdHieIIO n Isolina Tori as Fem
ella. II was given again in the sea-
son of 1sS6-S7 in the reign of Edmund
Stanton. Since then it has remained
as silent as its own heroine. a dumb
girl. whose action is accompanied by
the best music in the score.
1t would he a fortunate thing II
students of music could be- sent 10 all
the public exhibitions of hopeless and
'biitI'idteHt ult'llotIhN WlltU tit IIo-
fessiunal recorders of musical doings
are obliged to attend. Possibly some
Of the students would find food for
serious reflection. The newspaper
man who has spent a large part of
his life in going 10 concerts n OPP
eras often is lost in speculation as to
the reasons which lie behind certain
public appearances. why do they do
it," he asks himself: and he can give
himself no convincing answer.
Why does n young woman who
looks intelligent. whose personal bear
ing and garb give significance of an
origin amid enlightened surroundings.
but who in ten MINUTES reveals the IN
d%isputable fact that she has no
slightest shadow Of musical talent.
emerge from the security of II happy
home life in a Western city and sub
init herself to the cold and merciless
verdict of an entirely uninterested
New York audience: i
What is the best for which she can
hope in the formation of this audi
ence? She may bring some letters of
introduction and thus got perhaps a
dozen people to go Ia her concert de- |
liberately prepared To greet her per-
formanCes with a stimulation OF enthu-
siasm. The rest Of her hearers are
persons whose names are down for
free tickets on the managers list. the
persons on whom he relies for audi |
ences to hear unknown performers,
and the newspaper chroniolers. those
%pIodding. ever hopeful, never dlscour-
aged brothers who always cherish the
fond fancy that maybe this time they
are coins to discover n new star.
What they all too often discover is
another misguided young woman or
mar who has about the same degree
of talent for music as some ninety or
Il hundred persons In the audience
have and who very often cannot play a
piano as well as pupils in the ad-
vanccd classes of local Conservatives
or sing as well as some accomplished
amateurs. In a single season "A music
critic may hear something. like ninety
concert singers and sixty pianists, n
setting aside the established stars the
remainder will not furnish more than
two or three aspirants of whom ii
can confidently he said that they will
he heard in public three years hence.
Most Of them fade away into silence
and bitter disappointment. Hundreds
toll through the dun wears at the
prOtitlcss business of teaching Others
what they could not do themselves.
Whence Come all these strange APP
partitions of the local concert stage?
Why do they mn Who tells them
the cruel f%alsehood hat they have the
gifts and the accomplishments neces-
sary To success in a profession which
has only n top and n bottom and no
middle? In music there il no place
Tor m~ediocrity. You are n success or
n failure, That Is the end Of II. You
need not perhaps he PadereNski,
Bauer, Hofmann, S.mbrich or Kreis-
TllE Z II