The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-11-10
BUSINESS AS It IS
APPLIED To MUSIC

London, England. The Promenade
concerts have now been running for
nearly tWo months and it cannot be
denied that they are far from Civ
ing, lis:tt satisfaction 10 Ititfs4fse is've-rs
which they afforded ia past years. a
distinguished critic (Mr. Robin
Legge) wrote few weeks ago: The
'Proms once were the talk Of Europe
and America. and they were unique
after their KIND they may be unique
even now. But that uniqueneas MAS
quite other than the present. There
is il wide difference. isn't there, be-
tween he zenith aud the nadir ." lie
says that he has received a number
of letters from correspondents which
arc unanimous AZ to The hopeless
monotony aud convention slity of the
entire scheme" Sir Henry Wood is
still, OF course. the conductor, but Mr.
Legge evidently doubts whether he
has had u free hand in the season =
arrangements,
AS a result Of ts,is article, which
appeared in the Daily Telegraph,
Messrs. Chappell x Co. wrote n letter
10 the editor of the same paper say.
ing that the programs We're drawn up
by Mr.. Robert Newman. whose long
experience Thoroughly qualified him
for the task. But the firm added
THESE SiEniUCanI WORDS Mt. Newman
has general instructions FROM us TO
draw up the programs upon the most
popular lines. and they are finally
/ submitted to us for our approval" 1t
was further revealed in the course OF
the letter that every season sir Henry
Wood submits To Messrs. Chappell a
large number of novelties, including
English works, but that the publish
ers were compelled to point out that
novelties, particularly British novel
ties do not attract, and ,has il IS not
possible except for millionaires to ex-
plot such new works and at the Same
time TO find money to pay the artists
THE musical public" they say
which quite well knows what il
wants. will not be dicrated to by us or
even by eminent musical critics.
They still prefer Beethoven TO ,foseph
Holhrooko. and Tschaikowsky TO VII
! liers Stanford and Granville Ban
( took"
/ SO far so good; but the musical
( critic of The Times now enters the
! lists in his turn and declares that II
! is not only in the selection of novel
I ties that Sir Henry Wood is deprived
Of responsibility. "A conductor is
! powerleSs without sufficient rehears-
ais, and these have clearly not been
! Forthcoming. For such THU gs, then
! us the SipNNS performance or Eranm y
third symphony, the pandemonium OF
the strings in the overture TO the
| Midsummer Nights Dream and the
! patchy effect of the variations on a
theme OF Haydn. the new manage.
ment must share tho blame with the
conductor" Further, he points out
that in the past the public have beer
having these concerts partly as gift
and that when Sir Edgar Speyer
ceased to give In \the interests ol
music, no one SUCCEEDED him. The
result was that Messrs. Chappel
stepped in and took oxer the concerts
| as a matter of business "The fina
blame" he remarks, "lies not with
the firm, who are only acting in a
professional manner, but with tn.
body OF British amateurs. who. like
other people, were ready 10 accept q
shilling's worth for ten pence
This challenge also has been an,
swered by Messrs Chappell. and theil
reply eSpiains the severance of Sir
Edgar Speyer's connection with tht
Promenade concerts. 1t is now learn
ed on their own statement that these
music publishers were in the habi
iof letting him the hall. and that thii