The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-11-15
We Devote Our Orchestra to Those Classics Whose Established Merit Deserves the Most Finished
 Performance Making It Our Tradition and
 From It Proceeds Our Esprit De Corps
By DOLLY pALRYMPLE.


 IM NE of the most charming of | W the many minor traits of the French character which we 1 have learned greatly to admire in it's noble entirety, is lack of "side;" the Knowledge of this simplicity, made me look forward with unusual pleasure to a talk with M. Andre Messager, Chef D'Orchestre societe des Concerts du Conservatoire de Paris, which organ mingham Thursday.
 | Monsieur Messager is one of the fore most musicians and composers of mod ern France, and besides being Chef lD'Orchestre of the organization he is also conductor of the Orches- | tre de Colonne Concerts. The won- derful technique of his operas, mainly j''Veronique," with which Americans are more familiar than his other operas, his tuneful song compositions and his re- lnowned career as a conductor. led me Ito expect an elderly sort of person I somehow, perhaps with~a "pince-nez," ahh certainly with a beard, whom one might address as "Cher Maitre;" there- l fore, was not little bew1ldered when M Messager stepped courteously up to me in the foyer of the hotel yester- 1 day, lowing in exquisite French style. not oldish, but youngish old rather. lcertainly in manner and distinction youthful, and l was agreeably sur prised.
 Suave and courtly, decidedly charm ling and affable in a second, without preamble, we were in the midst of an interesting conversation; 1t was as if the distinguished conductor had placed my little feet upon a magic carpet on which we flew over the hideous suburbs of the commonplace, ignorirH 'hem, straight to the very cente qG thMgs. | M Messager, like sii reGaha4sp of i the great world 1 Hieh h4 tnose si9- iphaticany is spssK8 AuEltsa flGantEV, and yet snc Ea0N n Fr5atf 95as l not love He aeats aescffy es of
 vefb teag kud out@ 4 a. while, f1P fhis Vefy fHs4saa J ldpsed into ex- CHa3tt r sEeD a.ses-always inter- ibretiag sfaciousiy for me as he ] Hsore I tell you of our conversation
 want to tell you few things about the renowned Chef DOrchestre first,
 for his career is like an interesting | little French tale.
 Day after day on a great stool the I tiny pdpy AHuTS III lHe QdyS or the long ago would thump away at the pop ular and not too edifying music of the day. His parents were delighted with | the prodigy. But they had reckoned without their host for one day the small Andre electrified the household ] by announcing that since even they | (his parents) conceded that he had un- usual talent he would make music his calling.
 1 His papa, a little fonctionaire, was mortified. It was no way to earn a living, far too precarious and so on l One after another he raised all the ob- jections of unsympathetic papas for l all time Even his mamma sided against him. Andre was resolute | Fate was with him, for the last sou 1 of the savings of the paternal fonction- Andre was obliged to enter the EcoIe special course in music. He first set ] to studying church and organ compost 1 tion.
 Soon in these musical environs he came to the attention of Saint-Saens It was lucky day for the young mu- sician, for Saint-Sa ems took an interest and introduced him to vancerbeil, who made grand opera possible for him. l From that time on his way was made And so the little Andre on the large stool became what he is today, chef
 porchestre of the Nations, Symphony of France. In sooth. no mean position, as many struggling musician would lconcede.
 Monsieur I said softly to the | --