Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1917-10-21
WARS INFLUENCE
ON MUSIC IS BAD
Walter Damrosch Tells Of
Probable Effect on Euro
pean Compositions.
AND RESULT IN AMERICA
Germany Will Return to Fa-
nous Old Composers in
Time, He Asserts.

Copyright loII by New York rdi'1r's'
Seryice.l
In the opinion OF Walter Damroscn'
THE effect OF war on music is bad"
"In Europe" Mr.. Damrosch say .
"All of the great creative artists are IN
the trenches or so weighted down with
the tragedy of the struggle a. to stlrlc
all effort toward creation.
"Art is such jealous mistress 49,,
she Will brook no rival process Of
creation. Her ways are SO mysterious,
so beyond power of comprehension,
that while the process OF creation IN
going on, she viii not admit OF any
other great effort Consequently
abroad, all attempts at musical COM
position have been nil or at best OF
an inferior quality, | can hardly think
of a great story or poem that has ap-
poared since the beginning of the war;
either Certainly the one direct effect
among the warning nations viii be 20
eliminate all possibility Of immediate
composition.
History Proves u.
History forces this conclusion. The
results OF the thirty year war and Of
the seventy year-war were the samS.
They brought about "A dcarth OF all
art Observers have said that IL took
Germany fully a century. to recover
from the thirty year-war.
"ln this country the war may stim-
ulate feeling emot.onally and ethic-
ally. and this is the only foundation
upon which an art may rear itself
structurally / believe II Will exercise
tremendous influence In developing
II new national consciousness out OF
the tribes and races that constitute
this great nation
Look at the lists of the drafted
men and out of the many names Of
self-evidcnt foreign origin, note the
occasional Thompson, or name of that
character which indicates the well
from from which the country sprung.
II viii mean therefore, a new national
structure upon an English foundation.
We shall be a real melting pot, then,
and as | hope visible proof to ma
tions of Europe that generally speak
ing, racial hatrcds ana differences are
artiticially fostcrcd and not part or
parcel of civilization
No American Music.
1--WE have as yet no American music,
although we have a few good compos-
crs. Culturally, our civilization is too
young 10 enable our musicians To cN-
press themselves as Americans Their
compositions partakc of the color and
manner of the Older European races
from which, directly or indirectly,
they have sprung.
''lt has been suggested that music
and its sister arts may so farther
afield in the direction Of fuurism
ms an effect OF the war. do not be-
lieNc II. As war represents. more or
less. the class which separates the ma
tions of the world today. and as its
immediate effect is the destruction
Of life and property. and as such de-
struction necessarily enEeuders hatred,
| prefer 10 believe that art must come
as Il healing influence that will lead
the people back again to sanity. har-
monN, and the real object of life which
is beauty | therefore think that tho
yearning OF mankind will express itself
In n music which is far removed from
the ugly platltudes of the futurist,
whether in painting, sculpture or
music.
Out of Tune.
1T has been my duty as an inter-
prefer of the master works OF the
world TO make our people understand
and love the Beethoven OF the Ger
mans, the Berliaz OF the French and
the Elgar of the English These men
represent the best of their respective
races and are an ideal toward which
these races always return. no matter
how far they may have strayed from
perfection. | thing the Germany OF