New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-08-06
HISTORICAL AND CRITICAL EXCURSIONS IN OPEINA-1-AN
Financial Problems of
Orchestral Societies

stantial than that Of the Boston organ.
cation. Joseph Pulitzer, by his will, ,s
aside 100000 for it, and the intere.
on three-quarters Of this sum has been
at the disposal Of the administration o,
the orchestra for two or three yean
There has also been guarantee fund "a
draw on, and unless appearances have
been deceptive the popular support last
season was larger than it has been A.
any time since something like demon.
alization set in after Mr.. Seidls death
Such a state of affairs ougnt 20 pro.
claim permanency as well as prosperity,
but il is an open secret that the direc.
tors Of the society looked glcomily into
the future when the seasons accounts
were closed last spring. The increase
Of income had not been able 20 over.
take the increase in outlay. The bal.
ance sheet showed 100000 10 the bad
as the outcome of the years activities.
Mr.. Oswald Willard made it his frs.
duty. when elected president Of ID,
society like a clergyman called to
new church, to clear of the debt, and
this he did By soliciting gifts. The
Symphony Society, which has found
Major Higginson in Mr. Harry Hark-
ness Flagler, profted at once from tn.
change of administration, both artist.
cally and financially, but whether or
not good Of any kind came from the
tour to the Pacific Coast cannot be said
here.
Leaving the Boston Symphony Or
chessra out Of consideration, the Amer.
can orchestra which seems beyond qges-
ton 70 be on. the soundest financial
basis is that Of Chicago, which, | BE-
lieve has been paying for itself for the
last ten years, and has recently re.
ceived a bequest of 100000 under Tie
will of the late Bryan Lathrop, VINO
was its president for sixteen years. NJ
Lathrop had anticipated his bequest BY
gifts of s25, 900 to the pension fund and
$4,000 toward the hall when the prof.
ect 70 build it was inaugurated. The
splendid bequest has for It's ultimate
purpose the establishment Of a school
of music. 10 work in harmony with the
orchestra, but will not be available IN
til after the death Of the testator's
widow. In making the bequest III.
Lathrop said:
Chicago has now universities. tech
nical schools, museums and an unsur-
PASSED orchestra, but il has no public
school of music, such as the ConseTa-
toire of Paris, and il is in my opinion
very desirable that an institution
should be founded in Chicago in con-
nection with the orchestra maintained
by the Orchestral Association, in which
an education can be obtained in the
higher branches of music and musical.
composition not inferior to that pro-
vided in the cities of Europe
Some time ago Mrs. Elizabeth Sprsgus
Coolidge, of New York, gave 100000
to the orchestra.
Munifcence is associated with tire
history Of the Boston Orchestra, the
New York Philharmonic and Symphony
societies and the orchestras OF Chicago
and Philadelphia, though the last u
still deriving its guarantee OF existence
from the annual contributions OF
band Of philanthropic citizens. Inc
situation in San Francisco presents
less pleasing prospect. Mr.. Hertz's frs'
season as conductor was a trouolou'
one, and at last reports the diseord u
the board of directors had not beer
resolved, nor was it certain that Nj
Hertz would remain at the head OF tn'
organization. ) The conductor wants
larger guarantee fund, and subscrip
tons are coming in slowly. Meanwhile
n rival Of the Musical Association
which has heretofore maintained th'
orchestral concerts, has come into th'
field and found strong social and
financial backing. This rival is called
the Peoples Philharmonic Orchestra
Thus is an old incident in the history
Of musical organizations repeated
whenever a singing society or bant
cannot find support enough 70 keeE
it alive another enters the he!f
to help it to die. More commend
able is the spirit which is STIR
ring Pittsburgh, where thirty musl
clans have organized the PittsbuFgi
Festival Orchestra for the purpose o
giving summer concerts on the Shenlel
lawn for nine weeks on q commune
basis. II the experiment is suecessiu
it might be extended to the winter sea
son. The DISARMAMENT of the Pits
burgh Symphony Orchestra few year
ago was a mournful commentary Oh 'S'
city's pretensions to culture.
II. L. X.
3 c. oI,oaJ a cnanish opera y