New-York tribune., 1919-07-06
Bv Crenville Vernon


The gif. of s5,ooo,ooo provided in the
v;l, Of the late A. D. Juillard for the
.duestion of young musicians and for
the general advancement o. music
throughout the country is truly mag
n,eeent. Our millionaires have as
rule troubled themselves little about
the artistic welfare Of the country.
p.c.use Of this Mr.. billiards splendid
hsouest becomes doubly significant, and
i.s influence both upon the musical life
Of the country and upon the future
shilsnthropists canno. but be 'mpor-
,.nt. Mr.. Jualard's initial action was
magnificent in its generosity and its
,urpose. Will those who are to carry
ant its terms be equally farseeing!
With musical education for the indi-
vidual the great cities Of the country
are repiete. Practically any young
uu,ie;sn of even the most mediocre
talent can find patrons and openings.
For the last twenty-five years the
young American has had in music an
onnortunity as free as he has had in
business or for baseball. II there has
been failure il has been neither IN the
nossibilities for education nor IN the
educators. The education has been
there for all who wanted to be edu-
Gated. and the teachers have been many
and. as a rule, capable. Yet America is
mot vet a musical country, and outside
of few cities it is to a large extent
s.ill a veritable Boetia. Until the small
tovns and cities of New Hampshire or
Kansas or Texas have added knowl-
edge TO desire, all the concerts and
teachers and foreign born students Of
New York, Boston. and Chicago will
have little effect in impregnating our
land with a genuine musical culture.
Creative music-and it is the crea-
tive toward which any art must strive
lies at its basis with the mass. The
creative artist must have roots, and
from the soil into which those roots
are plunged will come the inspiration
and the sustenance Of the creator. II
these roots are in Europe the product
will be European, and probably watered
European. Three thousand miles Of
ocean these roots must cross, which -
A long way. despite airplanes and air
hips. Now the musical soil Of Eu-
rope, manured by centuries Of inter-
siye cultivation, is rich and inviting;
the soil of America, shallow and often
ron-existant. Read the account OF the
concert Of the week in any one OF the
thousand small town newspapers. Mary
lane sings The Rosary" probably of
the pitch; Sally Ann scrapes on a fiddle
something which is called classical
,ome one else murders a Chopin pre-
.,de, and then some one sings to tum1l-
.,ous applause "Silver Threads Among
the Gold" Then perhaps the evening
closes with Hearts and Flowers" 'r
perhaps with something by Chaminade.
The local critic compares Mary Jane 70
Galli-Curci, Sally Ann TO Heifetz, the
singer of "Silver Threads" 20 McCor-
mack. and every one is happy, while the
few real music lovers in the town are
either miserable or hilarious, accord
ing to their sense OF humor.
Now the real America lie not among
orr Jewish immigrants ot the East
Side, but in these very towns. and II
the East Side prefers Beetho'en and
the small towns Silver Tareads." our
national soil rill yield the sustenance
which sustsins "Silvsr Threads " And
this is precisely the sustenance which
il yields at .,resent, despite the fire.
quent visits Of artists and even SYM