New-York tribune., 1918-12-15

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| -
periencc, we hear a great deal about
German domination, That Germans, or
men Of German descent, have formed
: clans for three-q quarters of a century
is undcniable. But this was not always
the case. English musicians B1edomin-
ated in the orchestras which preceded
the Philharmonic Society, and there
was a large contingent of Americans
and Englishmen among the founders of
the Philharmonic Society in 1S42-thc
four Dodworths, Ensign, Hill, Sage,
Goodwin, Johnson, Musgritf, Walker,
Loder, Prison, Kyle, Munson, Plain
and Wood, William Vincent Wallace,
the composer, and DR.. Hodges, organ
list of Trinity Church. There were also
| Frenchmen-Dc Luce, De Janon, Chew
alier, Boucher Milon and Etienne. II
was not until political conditions drove
Germans to the United States that they
DcCdmC u uOIlIlldnb ltCtOI. MI ". W.
Sonneck, to whom the world owes q
great debt for his Investigations into
the beginning Of our national musical
culture says in the conclusion of his
invaluable book, early Concert Life in
America (1731-1S00)":
Being an English colony our coun-
try naturally took England as q model
n a TO N-bo ba,. thny
tanned to repertory. customs or details
Of management. The French revolu-
tion interrupted this predominantly
English current and visbly infused
French blood into the musical body.
With the tide Of immigration. caused
by the outcome Of our War for Inde-
pendence, the cosmopolitan channels
Wldened and soon submerged colonial
traditions.'
This paragraph led me to look through
the list of names of composers and per
formers mentioned in his record of con-
: certs given in the musical centres in
, this country in the eighteenth century
and following is list of those which
noted as obviously French: Andre.
Bonnemont, Bouchoy, Bruillez, Boyer,
Brenet, Breval Brunette, Buron, Cap
ron, Camignard, Cesar, Challeau,
Champein. Chateaudrien, Collet, Cornet.
Courville, Degueity. Dalatrac, Dangel,
DaveauX, Daveguer, De Vlliers, Devils,
Decide, d'Hunard, Dubois, DuCamp, Du-
r Champ, Duplessis, Du Potds de la
>, Vienese, DuPonceau, Dupont, Duval,
Ereinbert, Floquet, Fodor, Foucaud
t'yAIoocn,1v r.
= Gretry, Guening, Henxi, Julian, Labbe
Lamassue, LaMotte, L'Aegeau, Lar
maud, Leaumont, lie Brun, lie Due
- Lefevrc, Legat, lie Moine, L'Snouse
lie Roy Lesire, Latuz, Lully, Mallet
Mare, Massmeau, Mehul, Mcneil Mon
t. signv, Pellisier, Pellier Petit, Poiteaux
T. Poitou, Roster, Rousseau, st. Aurorc
t. st. Amand, Savarn. Tessier, Tilliere
I Val, Vermonnet, Villars.
: Concerning French opera, which
II newspaper critics of to-day are gener.
ally in the habit of dating back only to
: the institution which survived till few
(. years ago in New Orleans, we wrote
some years ago in Groves "Dictionar,
of Music and Musicians": "French anc
Italian operas had many performances
:. sometimes in French, sometimes il
- English, before the years 1900, in the
! towns and cities which were then il
, most active communication with Eu
- rope. Among French work,
r Rousseau's "Pygmalion" and "Devin dl
Village" Dalayrac's Nina" "L'Aman
Statue Monsigny's "Deserteur," Gre
g. try's "zemire ct Azor," "Fausse Magic
r and "Richard Ceur de Lion" wer,
known in Charleston, Baltimore, Phila
T. delphia and New York in the last de
: cade Of the eighteenth century.
From 1920 to 1915 more than score o
/, the Italian, French and German opera
which made up the staple of foreig,
= repertories were frequently performe,
o. by singers Mr. Sonneck is more ex
}. pllclt; From his chapter on music il
nn Charleston, S. c., we quote:
From 1898 to the end Of the cen
m tury Charleston enjoyed surprising
\. ly vigorous musical life During thes
years English opera fourished splen
ST didly and from 1894 on until abou
", 1896. French and Italian operas wer
IN introduced by company of Frenc]
At comedians who had managed to escap
the terrorists in Santo Domingo. So
L. came that side by side with operas b
.. Arne, Atwood, Shield and others sue
by Rousseau, Gretry, Cimarosa, Paisiel
10 were heard at Charleston. This in
= iuX of French musicians exercised a.
u. W. influence also upon the concert life
Not only did the sinpinc memhar. =