New-York tribune., 1919-10-12

from 10000 to $1,000 persons week
to listen to symphonies and symphonic
poems. and as many more to hear con-
cert singers sing and violinists and
pianists play; Perhaps. also. the "a
900 or $4,000 people who will go to
the concert rooms will have so much
love for music in their souls that they
will be willing to pay for the privi-
leges vouchsafed them. But if we do
not send much money with them, some
people-not all of them wealthy-will
have large deficits to pay. Let us
make up our minds that we are to
listen to half a hundred pianists (half
dozen of them in the highest class).
and three quarters Of . hundred
singers, all of them willing to hire a
hall and seek what they fondly hope
will be the favorable verdict Of the
metropolitan public.
Foreign Visitors
OF officeholders there is an old say
ing--which has been credited to An
drew Jackson, but Is probably older
than his era-that few die and none
resigns. So it is with the army Of
foreign artists who invaded the United
States at the beginning of the war
We were to give them temporary asy-
lum, but they are come and they will
stay. Tie German opera singers are
z case in point. This was to them the
land of dollars" in which they were
to fill their pockets and then hie
themselves back to the dear father
land where appreciation of artistic
merit was better than riches. Fate
dealt harshly with them. They dallied
here too long and, now that they are
free to flee Philstia, they remain to
take more Of our plenty. And to the
| or cd
French, Italian, Russien--music-m max
ers frcm all the ends of the earth. All
are asking us to cash their notes, and
! the kindly spirit of the contents of
our national melting pot-the contents
which refuse to melt-is prompting
acQuiesccnce. No Russian violinist,
singer or pianist needs want audience
or acclaim so long as we have our
East Side. CIannsh support of foreign
artists was one. Of the most striking
developments of the season of 1918
1919. 1t is likely to be continued in
the season now opening. Will any
thing be done for American artists on
similar grounds? Let us not say that
it ought to be. Let us adhere to the
idealistic belief that art knows no
geographical or racial lines. 1t is an
old whine that the American composer
has never had a chance; yet we can
not remember the time when conduct
ors were not eager to find American
works to which they could give a
hearing.
Concerts of American music were
old institutions thirty-five years ago;
prizes for American operas were Of
fered moro than half q century ago,
and operas were written without such
an incentive more than hundred
years ago. Knowing all this, however,
may there not be that in the signs of
the times which makes an appeal for
American artists justifable, provided
they be as worthy of support as their
colleagues. from foreign lands We
have received such an appeal in be
half of the American Concert Course
to be given this season at the Man
haitian Opera House. 1t Is so tenn
perate and liberal minded that we
gladly give place to portions of it:
American Concerts
"The American Concert Course,
established primarily as an institution
for the development of the highest
artistic standards, is frankly American
propaganda. But the important and
Fundamental reason for presenting
these Americans is because they are
artists and not that the artists are
presented because they are Americans.
The engagement of American born
artists, trained wholly or for the
most part in America and thor
oughly American in their ideals, is an
assurance that series of concerts can
be given in New York City without the
assistance of foreign soloists. The
American Concert Course is not anti
anything; the programmes for the five
concerts will be made up OF the finest
music of France, England, Russia.
Italy, etc, at the same time presenting
some Of the best music by present-day
American composers. The elimination
of the foreign artists has been effected
only in an effort to prove that the
American concert artist is the equal
Of those of any other nation in the
world.
"The management is presenting this
series so that tho American artist and
his art may be judged fairly and be
recompenscd accordingly. There is not
the slightest desire to bring undue
pressure Of praise toward our artistic
activities and those who create them
merely because they happen to be ours.
In fact, it is the earnest desire to
dispense with certain exaggerated
maudlin patriotism developed during
the war by the extremists who always