Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-03-18
AMUSEMENT
SECTION
MAKING MIRACLES,
MUSIC AND MYSTERY
PLUS PUBLICITY
Or, Is Philadelphia a Musical
Centre Because Stokowski
Conducts Mailer?

fTAs JolIotoino conversation tuds
fdkeH doton bp the diotd0rdph at
foohed to the backs Of the too men
toho spoke. The record tods then sent
to thfs Office and transcribed. The
taco names on the outside Of the pack
age tcere George Massacre aud Peter
opinoe. Occasionally there tUds a
rumble IN the record supposed to be
trufio.J
Peter ouince--well, they've done ltl
guess you knowl
George Observation-Disclosures Il is
probably know. What is It?
p. o-The Mailer symphony. Great
wasn't lt7
q. M.---Greatl Did you hear it7
p. Ono. l wasn't talking about the
music But II was a great stunt, 1 see
that Philadelphia has become the musical
centre Of America on account Of It. 1 like
that 1t makes me feel good.
q. M.--Yes. 1t ought to make you think
good, too. What would you call a mu.
sical centre7
P. Q.--why, WELL you know, a place
where, anywhere where, you understand,
where lot of good music was performed.
More than anywhere else.
G.. M.-Yes. / suppose a lot OF good
music is essential Did you go to the
performance of Tristan und Isolde" the
other night?
P.Q-Yes. Great wasn't it7
@. M--Greatl Did you hear it7
p. OIL just told you I did.
q. M.--No. You just told me you went
to hear IL. SO did 1. What | heard was
the price of my neighbor's box, on the
right. and the price of my neighbor's but
ter, on The left. The prelude l heard
through an excruciating obligato of seats
being bounced into place by irate late
comers. The agonies of Isolde were not
more keen than my agonies.
p. OIL thought you were talking about
Philadelphia as a musical centre.
G.. M.--So 1 was. Editors Note: Here
the rtmbIe beOins and continues for sev-
eruI minutes. The neIt sentence Is
drotDned out. a Jetc tUordS-"mdgiC tCdnd,"
thousands" "sod out" can be dtsttn-
Oitished By The uoice ft Is the person t1e
call G.. M, iUho Is talking tUhen nert tho
record comes cledrJ admit You
forget that heard and you did not hear
the symphony and say that he is great
man. 1 even say that he has done
tremendous lot for the city. But he is not
a wizard.
p. Q.-of course. Hntorrup.
tion; these cars are dreadful,
of speech. But no other city has done as
much.
q. M.-were you at Casals' recital
here?
p. Ono. He hasn't given one.
M.-t1OW ITsl-CldSS pldlllslS
have given private recitals, l mean apart
from the Orchestra, this year?
p. Q.--I don't know. Hofmann-let's
see, that was somehow for a charity.
Paderewski, once for charity, once not.
There haven't been many.
G.. M.-How many years ago was 1t
that Busoni couldn't fill small hall?
How many years do we wait for great
artist7 Have we heard Eddy Brown or
M I.RRinqla2 m
How many days week Is the Metropol-
itan given over to music? What earthly
cl1im to musical interests-to the very
faintest glimmerings of musical knowl-
edge-would you have here II not for
the Orchestra, few great artists who live
here, and amateur organizations?
p. Q.-You are trying to belittle Phila-
delphia. Why should you? Everybody
else, even outsiders, is boosting.
G. M am boosting, too. But I hate
the little-town attitude. which praises it.
self for an accident Stokowsld is a sub
lime accident, the Mailer symphony and
its success are sublime accidents. The
things that are not accidents are an
empty opera house, empty halls which
should be filled not only by great artists
but by great populaces, eager and intent
for music. People gabbling through divine
programs, when they are given, are not
accidents; they go to gabble, not to hear
Upon my word. had rather the Mailer
symphony had not been given. Because
now fear very much that we will all sit
back. fold our hands and wait for Stokow-
ski to do something else, instead of labor
ing untiringly in some musical work of
our own. What earthly good can come
of patting ourselves on the back when
the fact is that we haven't begun TO
have a music-loving people?
p. Ooh, but we have. The ten
thousands who will have heard the Mailer
by the end Of April will not forget music
altogether.
G. M.-You are right Pardon me- for
have been a little excessive. Put 1t
down to the heat. old fellow. Well. here's
where we part. Are you going TO the Or
chestra tonight7 Editors Note: 1t seems
to hdps been Saturday.
p. Dwell, / may drop round. Are
there any good musical shows in town?
Editors Note: Here the record be-
comes quite UniHtelH0ible. The neGt rec
o0nfsdbIs thing Is some orchestral music,
bilt t0hsther it Is Brahms or Berlin Is be-
yoad human potoer 10 make out The
editor t0tshes to thank Msssrs. Massacre
ard otiinos for their Interesting converse
tiofL They may haze the record, care
fully serdpsd for further recordings, upon
request at this oDfoeL G. v. s.