New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-11-13
SUNDAY MUSIC
GROWS STEADILY
Almost as Much in Day
Now as in Season
Thirty Years Ago
BY II. +. KREHBlEL

as generous withal. in judgment as he
was when he began his career. some
thirty years ago, led US into some sim
gular reflections when we sat down 70
sum up the days activities last night.
Mr.. Henderson remarked thLt when
the recorders Of musical doings in this
town finished their activities last Sat
urday night they had taken account OF
l12 musical performances since the sea-
son of 1857 opened, and that this
would be regarded as a fair total for
an entire season in some smaller cit
les" II would indeed, and, moreover,
it would have been considered a fairly
fruitful season for an entire season IN
New York when Mr.. Henderson began
his useful labors on "The Times" of an
older day.
The remark stirred up our curiosity
and. a copy of "A Review Of the New
York Musical Season 1867" being
conveniently at hand, we satisfied our
wonder as to what we were doing to
kill time on Sundays and incidentally
earn a Tribune salary by looking into
the volume, which, let us say in pass
ing. is amazingly comprehensive and
contains record with programme OF
every significant occurrence in the sea-
son of which il is record.
Concerts Thirty Years Ago
The result was decidedly startling
and might furnish forth texts for a
multitude more OF the numerous
preachments which we read nowadays
Of how musical culture has grown un-
der the wise and disinterested guild
ance of the editors of music trade pa
pers.
Then, as now, there was plenty of
opera. Thirty years ago the season at
the Metropolitan Opera House was only
a week old, but Italian opera, managed
by Signor Angelo (Mapleson's whilom
successor, and a graduate from the
colonels baggage Department., was IN
full blast, and a brave effort was max
ing to create interest in the early OPP
eras of Verdi. At the Metropolitan
Herr Niemann, however, was deliver
ing the first really large Wagnerian
message which New York had heard.
Mr.. Henderson took no account OF
affairs Of this character, nor shall we
of the musical comedies, so-called,
which infest the Broadway theatres
now. but since we are in a reminiscent
and somewhat critical mood, 1t may not
be out Of place to note that while we
had restful Sundays then, when we did
20 to theatres given over to musical
shows it was to hear Offenbach's LA
Creole" at the Casino, Gilbert and Sui
livan's "Mikado' at the Fifth Avenue
Theatre and "Thc Gypsy Baron" at the
Grand Opera House. ("Better fifty
wears of Europe than a cycle Of Cathay''
let the reader make the application.)
No Sunday Concert Then
On the Sunday which corresponded
with yesterday thirty years ago no con-
cert was given in New York, but week
before Adolf Neuendorf had given the
second and last of series OF popular
orchestral concerts which he mad
planned for New York. An enterprising
man was Neuendorf, but neither brave
enough, venturesome enough nor well
enough backed financially to carry out
his experiment beyond two nights.
Thomas and Seidl Jared little better
many years later.
Meanwhile, from the beginning of
the season, on October 4, up TO the day
which corresponded with yesterday
Theodore Thomas had given four popu-
lar orchestral concerts and the Phii-
harmonic and symphony societies and
Mr.. Van der Stucken one subscription
concert. Emanuel Moor had given
three pianoforte recitals, Robert Gold
heck had given a miscellaneous concert
~ the kind which then filled the place
that recitals fill now. and Sarah Cecil
Mad given another. There were almost
as many concerts yesterday rs "eIe
civon in the first six weeks Of the sea-
son thirty years ago. n;u,
The majority Of yesterdays AFFAIRS
do not call for detailed comment To-
dav. One of prime importance-the
concert of the Symphony Society-was
a rendition of the affair OF last FRIDAY
afternoon. the only new element being
the audience. That was noteworthy
as was also the attendance at the spe-
c;al concert of the PHILHARMONIC So
ciety in the afternoon, because OF tns
change of the popular attitude ttowsrG,
orchestral concerts in general ano
Sunday orchestral concerts IN parucu-
lar which has been wrought within the
period under discussion.
-Four Thousand at Two Concerts
Mr.. Neuendorf could not muster a
having audience for a single SUNDAY
concert in 1886; over 1000 persons list
ened TO the concerts of the symphony
and Philharmonic societies yesterday
afternoon. How much better yester-
davis concerts were than the old ones
We shall not undertake to say. There
was a vast difference in the character
- ,ba programmes. Neither Mr.. Dam
rosch nor Mr.. Stransky made an ap-
neal 10 popularity in the old sense:
Nv Damrosch played composition OF
tbe Kind addressed 10 infantile musical
;ntalligence in Rats "Lenore' sym
nbonv' but he supplemented II with
,pn.Is nv Cesar Franck-unknown here
in the earlier day.
Mr.. Strnnsky played music by pee
ELEVEN which. we are tempted TO say,
' u better known and more thoroughly
wndsystood by the Philharmonic audi
once Of 1886 than it is by that of to-
Az. hut perhaps that fact only puts
"a, "a: rTesent missionary labors of the
soc;etv in brighter light. The COM
nositions were the "Eroica' symphony,
The pianoforte concerto IN T. naI ana
The third of the ''Leonore' overtufes'
pianists OF the highest rank TOOK
part in both concerts Harold Bauer a.
Aeolian Hall and Josef Hoimahh AZ
Carnegie. To tell again OF the merits
Of these artists would be "as TEDIOUS as
" - ,oIo waving the dull ear