The sun., 1919-10-12

sessions.
Why are the best ones those COM
ing from the Paris Conservatoire?
The French Government recognizes
the fact that oboe players are needed.
It therefore pays for the support of
the oboe students in the Conservatoire.
The result is that these students do
not feel pressed. They do not hasten
forth to earn precarious living when
they are incompletely trained. They
continue to be students till they are
ready to be professors. They begin
their professional duties thoroughly
equipped.
Musical Union Puts Up Bars.
Why do we not procure all our oboe
players from France?
We have frequently procured them
in the past, but the musical union has
PUT an end to the importation of such
players. The conductor of an Amer
lean orchestra must get his oboe
player from the ranks of the union.
Now. whatever else may be said about
this matter, there can be no denying
the fact that the American musician
should have the preference over the
foreigner. The man who, has done his
work in this country, who is a good
American citizen and a competent mu-
sician ought not to be set aside in
favor of an Importation. Theoretically
the union position is unassailable.
But the conductors who wish to
bring their orchestras to high pitch
OF excellence are handicapped by the
N nf MI
a dozen symphony orchestras. Each
needs two oboists. There are not
twenty-four first rate oboists in these
United States. There are not twelve.
But under existing conditions the con-
ductors must take such as there are.
They cannot any more select from the
treasures of the Opera Comique or the
orchestra of the Conservatoire.
The young man who takes up the
oboe in this country has TO pay for
his tuition and to live. He is there
fore impelled to hasten through his
studies and get to work at the earliest
moment He is not completely trained.
He cannot afford to be.
What has been said here about oboe
players applies with equal force to
players of other wood wind instru-
ments. Men do not take up the
clarinet or the bassoon with a view to
anything else than orchestral or band
playing. The opportunities for any
other kind of employment are scarce.
The military band. however can
struggle on with mediocre players and
has to do so because of the poor re-
muneration it offers.
The paternalism of our Government
has not yet extended its sheltering
arms to the oboist or the clarinetist.
1t is too busy guarding the infant To-
comotive engineer the plumbers as
sistant the crane operator. Only a
highly optimistic visionary can glimpse
the golden far off era when Congress
will appropriate any part of the in
come tax of the engineer to the sup
port of the arts.
Value of Mr.. DamrOsch's Bounty.
Private munificence is the only So
luton for the difficulty in this coun-
try. Mr. Damrosch's bounty will make
II possible for the Institute of Musical
Art to turn out periodically three
thoroughly trained oboe performers.
Here is a seductive opening for some
man Of wealth who does not believe
that all musical virtue dwells within
the walls of opera houses. But even
those who do so believe may be per-
suaded to remember that opera houses
cannot live by singers alone. They
require orchestras, and in these days
the orthestras must be Of high quality.
How much more unto the glory of
musical art it is to bestow upon the
world one good oboist rather thar
seven times seven Indifferent so
pranos. Niolinists and players Of other
Strings in the orchestra are easily OBJ
a'ned, Hundreds of young men study
violin whore one studies oboe or bas-
soon. Players of brass are more nu-
merous than wood wind players. But
"h'n an orchestra is weak in its wood
wind department it is lame and impo-
tent throughout.
The opera houses Of the world are
"ol compelled to go out into the by
n'Es TO search for prima donnas
HFery managers office is besieged by
young women who are sure that they
van sing Juliet better than Emma
lanes or Melba and others who are
convinced that they are the best
hldds on the stage. The series OF
"udluons never ends.
hut this is not all. Every singing
'edcher's studio is crowded. How
many students Of vocal art are there
in these United States? There are nc
ts.dt'Sucs, but the figures must rur
Ish INTO the hundreds of thousands
mo" many Of them attain prominence
AZ what end is all this struggle. al
s'e heartaohes, disappointments, tears
SSyspa'r; To no good end whatever
hety-nine out of every hundred OF
INV e Students Of singing have no talent
iHey can merely make few small
Voices.
'ne true story of the song recitali
single season in New York city
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