New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-10-28
Afro-American Dances
At the Metropolitan
Interest in Mr. Gilbert Balle-Where and What Was the
Place Congo?-ls the Metropolitan Balletmaster Go
ing on a Wild Goose Chase p-Serious Thoughts
on American and Russian Music

shall ultimately be dominated, it is
true, by American ideals, but which
shall yet retain in its complete flower
ing elements of strength, beauty and
culture derived from each of the race
consciousness which have entered
into its formation. The future COM
plete America will, believe, have
seized from each of the older races
its particular and essential contribu-
ton of character to the commonwealth
of the world, and the combination re-
sulting therefrom will form the rich
soil from which new and glorious art
shall spring.
"Now, in the realm of the tone-art,
what music is it that most faithfully
and sincerely reflects the spirit of
people? Surely the folk-songs of that
people. Also their art-music, inasmuch
as it is in accord with. and an extern
sion of, the spirit of their folk-songs.
If this is accepted as true, then 1t
seems perfectly obvious that our com
ing American music will-perhaps not
be built upon-but will contain and
reflect elements derived from all the
folk-sougs of the various races-fused
together by the new and all-powertul
element denominated American spirit:
a mood Of fundamental optimism and
heroic valor; a will of accomplish
ment, laughing at death. For Amer
ica is surely the largest adventure of
humanity in recent times. Humanity,
Antaus-like, has here again touched
the mother-earth of primal conditions,
from which she is ultimately destined
to arise filled with new strength and
virility"
The ideas in this do not appear to US
as wholly new. As long as twenty
seven years ago we published our no
tions touching the future school OF
American music, and though we hope
we have learned something about Amer
lean folk-song since, We still believe In
the fundamental truths of the article
printed as an editorial in The Tribune
of August IL, 1889:
at is the judgment Of Charles Oar
cours, a French critic, writing in lie
Figaro in review of the concert re-
Gently given by Mr.. Van der Stucken
in Paris, that American music is not
yet born, but is seeking itself. This
is not i'll said, though the criticism is
rot, on the whole, of the kind to i'm
press a reader with the sagacity of the
writer, or even his ability to form an
opinion on the basis of actual things. 1t
will surprise many of the American
composers themselves, we fancy, to
learn that in the technical matter Of
writing, in what Mr.. Darcours calls
'facture,' they are superior to the Rus
slams, while they fall short of the latter
in the poetical and picturesque char
acter of their melodies. If we were dis
posed to- attempt a comparison of
schools so widely divergent-using the
word schools in not too strict sense
as the American and Russian, we should
be likely to invert the Frenchman's
Judgment completely. II is the marvel
lous ingenuity, skill and audacity of the
Russians in building up compositions
out of simple and unmeaning melodies,
a capacity which enables them 10 pro-
duce such striking effects with their
folk-tunes, as Glinka's 'Komarinskaja,'
for example, which we should set down
as the chief characteristic of their
school Their penchant for these mel
odies, or melodies formed after them,
has stamped their compositions with an
national character, mourn
fulness.
"The shadow that rests on the peo-
ple is not thrown off even in the most
pretence Of gayety. The
waltz rhythm, which in the hands of
Strauss acts like the tabled horn of
Huon of Bordeaux, that set all who
heard it to dancing, causes no titilla-
ton of the soles when used by the
Russians. We have had pensive