The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-03-19

that ne nau Stu0leu SlOlln IN tnlS Clls
for q few years and had then beer
sont b Europe to continue his work
It was impossible to keep him in Eu.
rope during the war. Also some din
idea had found its way into the mind
az hts father that he needed some gen
atai musical instruction. The master
incurred what had been the boys
school training. and learned that this
youth Of ~ had gone about as far IN
10 public school as the ordinary boy
At ~.
II am sorry 20 have to tell YOU, my
son." said the master, that YOU could
not pursue the studies required 81 a
student in this institution. You have
not sufficient mental development
The writer Of this department can
testify to the unhappy state OF hum
drcds Of students Of music who have
neither knowledge nor mental disci-
pline adequate to the pursuit OF the
courses in a well constituted conserva-
tory. The difficulties which confront
m unframed mind when II is required
TO receive a certain part Of its in
struction from a course OF class room
thinS NV W Ioes "a Ni''i
them cannot be estimated justly by q
university student accustomed to the
lecture system.
Nor can any n unfamiliar with
educational processes grasp the state
Of the poorly developed child who Is
placed in a music school. A mind
which has never endeavored to deal
with anything more exacting than
reading, writing and elementary arith-
snetic Is COMPOUNDED when it is asked
to assimilate elementary musical
theory and melody writing. sight sing
ing and dictation i'll the primary keys
and lectures on the history and the
esthe,ics Of music. These are not very
troublesome studies for II one whose
mind knows how to work: but the
student who has not learned how TO
learn IL in a pitiable plight when he
crosses the border into this strange
country.
The truth IS that the importance Of
GENERAL education in the life work OF
h musician is underestimate. There
y only one kind OF musician who can
hops to acquire a prominent position
without intellectual development. II
YOU have a powerful voice and can
sing very loudly YOU may have a
brief and brilliant career on the opera
stage. To be sure many opera singers
Rave culture and refinement. Some Of
them even have refinement Of vocal
style. There are even a few who
actually sing--that il. when the con-
ductor and the stage manager and
thA ~ h,v. ,,,t,rit,,y u;'1 L., .h.,n DE-,
nevertheless one may be intellectually
nothing but a blacksmith and still
have a certain kind of success as an
opera singer.
There il a type of "vocali artist"
quite common in this day. lie has
been gifted by erring Nature with an
immense pair Of lungs and two strips
Of leather in the place Of vocal cords.
He studies singing for eight months
and then gOes into the hands OF a
coach TO get a repertoire. In two
yeers he makes his debut. Instantly
journals fame with stories of a mar
vellous new voice. bigger and more
scnorouS than Signor So and Sos.
Whenever this new voice emits II s,-n-
nrlan roar the audience claps hands
and shouts Bravo, bis"
Thereupon the voice strives to oar
more loudly. The salary increases
rapidly and the fame spreads. Per-
haps AN engagement tor Buenos .\yr.s
or the Metropolitan follows. Fur ten
Or a dozen years glory shines upon
the brow from below which proceeds
this tremendous shouting.
Then suddenly one day even the Two
strips Of leather wear ont and IA. tn
mutt II the shoutings d. away. Til"
career is ended But perhaps by 'his
time I'll. singer has saved enough
money 10 have "a small but c1mto,tib."
income. and he %retirrs t. SOME Kite
italian town and lives Ike "A prince
ling ever after.
For a career OF this sort no brains
are necessary. But To he one OF the
really great personages ~ the operate
world and to hold such "A position for
any length of time the singer must
have something more than a powerful
voice. Nevertheless Il il no injustice
70 declare that the opera singer has
the most faci.e success IN the world
Of music. The singer who hopes 70
achieve anything on the concert stage
must have imagination, insight and
fine musical appreciation, as we'll as
voice and vocal techEir.
When 1t ome to INSTRUMENTAL per-
6ormance music!anship Is II sine qua
non Now. The general Reader do-s
not as a rule know that the word
muslclansh!p az used among profess
oional musicians does not mean merely
highly developed skill IN the technics
of performance. r. means an ade-
quate acquaintance with the laws OF
musical art.
Furthermore. to rise above the lower
level in music requires ability, just as
II does Ia rise in any other profession:
and this ability does o consist only
IN mastery OF the mechanics OF music.
Behind all must be the operation OF a
highly trained mind. Probably most
careless observers Of the activities of
the world OF music would be amazed at
the breadth and depth of the culture
Of the artists who are In the first rank,
Mr.. Pa~derewski. Mr.. Hoffman,. Mr..
Bauer and Mr.. Gabrilowitsch--to quote
on the spur OF the monen four names
which readily ~occur--are men Of learn
ing and Of We'll disciplined intellect.
They can claim places in any coin-
pany OF men OF culture, With all their
musical gifts it may he doubted
whether they could have reached the
positions which they occupy In musi-
cal art without the general devclop-
ment OF their intellec tual powers.
Tu-n UraAt MAJ, Sui5 ,l,a-.