Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-02-15
THE CRITIC TALKS
TO MUSIC LOVERS
Weekly Comment on Things
Musical in Discriminating
Philadelphia

Philadelphia
MUCH commotion has been caused in
AV1 musical circles this week by the
address TO the audience which Mr. sto-
kowski gave at the close OF the concert
Of the Orchestra last Saturday evening.
After the end OF the Scrlabine Poem
CT Ecstasy" the conductor, on being re-
called by the applause OF the audience,
spoke OF his admiration for the work,
in which, he said both he and the men,
bers OF the Orchestra found new beau
! ties whenever they played IL.
| He also asked for a suspension OF
| judgment on the part of these auditors
who did not find it beautiful, saying,
quite truthtully, that so complex and
difficult a composition could not be un-
derstood at a single hearing and that he
| regarded II, together with the three noe
! turnes CT Debussy, which the Orchestra
| played for the first time complete at
recent concert. as two OF the greatest
and most important contributions 10
,no6er, ,,,rs,oo, literature He .,,d that
A., ,,-
"e u'u hot hho i"ii'ue'P'" "uu''e'
unappreciative, but that they should
study the works of the leading inc dcrn
composers and learn to appreciate them
to the full extent of their beauties.
He found this tendency in other cities
OF even smaller size than Philadelphia
and as a fun knowledge OF these works
S' oDtau ons 80
i, 'na. WY ne pa.eO '0"'7
'"'' "o'N9 i'ioio IMAM o''oN
x,,,,p,r . a., ,u. ao,n.
N"' NV 'o
| = uha' o'ie oi the chiei iu'otioie vi t'e
fhiiadelphia orchestra or any OF tne
other great similar ORGANIZATIONS Is 10
keep It's musical public informed as 10
What Is gelng on IN the worid OF com
position both in our own and IN 1orelsn
countries. That Is one or the man ad-
Nahtases OF permanent orchestra pe-
Gause III season OF from twenty 10
gets IL tull measure or the c-assies' put
the scope ana tendency OF pltseht-o"S
nlusicai thought' mere ana III o'her cou"-
trles' can also De SHOWN.
1t does not follow that because an an.
the compositions which the orchestra
performs 1t is not good TO near these
works IL Is Nitaliy necessar! ior our
seherai muslcaI culture that we con
s.antl! nrar new compositions ahu !. lss ;
MI "'oNo"shl le"i'"ea ''lo l"e
VIC "i co"ss'ntS sven NV oppol
W ne"i ",.t '"e eo'''pose' VI
nv, Wv" u"t "rt "oil.s .,,.,...
st., a. ~, Ne 80 VI ui pa
, since I'm spits of tho .Ip,ost ;psurn,ount =
able difficulties of getting foreign music
not a season has nassed that Pbilodel-
, phia has not on loved the nresentations of
'scme important orchestral or choral
work. or both, sometimes even hearing
the first American presentation. The
writer believes that IL is safe TO saw
that Mr.. StokowslI himself does not in
. dorse to the utmost all the new COMPOST
, items which he presents during the
course of a seaaop hut he lnows that II
Is necessary for his home audiences to
, hear these new works. as indeed IT is,
. fCOME question was raised bv certa i'm
ID prominent musicians os 10 whether
or not II law within the province OF a
conductor 10 "talle sides' fer or against
any work which he has presented--,n
other words. that he should let the rnusic
. sneak for itself and Iet ,ba oudIepco
The writer feels, personally, that Mr.
Stokowski was net only well within his
province as conductor in giving pub
llcly ms personal opinion as 10 the
Scrlaphne foen' or any other work
out that ne performed great service TO
tne musical hte OF the city py ms ac'
ton.
Anything which creates so much in
telligent discussion as followed Mr.. Sto-
kowski's talk Of Saturday evening is
bound to be OF benefit. In his brief ad =
dress Mr.. Stokowskl made no attempt
TO influence the judgment of any person
as to the merits of the composition: he
only asked a suspension of Judgment
on the part of those who found that they
did not like the work
Then. again. the closer the conductor
of a. great musical organization gets to
his public the more sympathy there will
be between the audience and the or1ani-
zation and the first reuuirement for well
4 disposed and Intelligent audiences will h,
provided. Mr.. Stokowski could not have