Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-02-28
THE CRITIC TALKS
TO MUSIC LOVERS
Weekly Comment on Things
.Iusical in Discriminating
Philadelphia


yTERY few persons realize what an
' exceedingly important part the pub
Nc plays in debating the programs that
are chosen for public concerts by musi-
clans great and small. And this is
the case in practically every concert
and other musical performance OF the
season from the Metropolitan Opera
Company and the great symphony or
chestras down to the smallest recital OF
the year. Therefore, when the musical
culture" Of community is under de-
bate the verdict may be rendered ac-
cording to the kind Of programs which
are presented because in the last anal
ysis these represent the kind of music
that the public will pay for and there
fore wants to hear.
A great deal is heard by and large
during each year of the commercial
ism" which is said to be rampant in
music, but as matter of fact
probably less Of this element enters into
music than into any other of the arts.
Mind, we are speaking now of the great
music corporations, such as the opera
companies and symphony orchestras.
The METROPOLITAN Opera Company and
the Chicago Opera Company are more
than satisfied IL they make anywhere
near their expenses, and the great sym
phony orchestras know very well before
a single concert is given each year that
they are not going to come out anything
like ''even" on the season. For this
reason guarantee or an endowment
fund is an absolute necessity.
Therefore, the orchestras can be more
independent in selecting their programs
than those individuals or the concert or
ganizations which must make expenses
and little better or go out of existence
as public performers. And yet, even
in the orchestras and the opera compa-
nies, the public has an enormous voice
in the programs and the repertoires.
TN THE end the public has the power
i of life and death over every musical
organization. No matter how heavily
endowed it may be nor how inns terial
it is whether the company makes its ex =
Denses out of its public performances,
it must please the music loving people
or it cannot live There is no glory in
performing works which the public does
not care to hear and which 1t will not
attend. and an organization that does
this will soon pass away, even il 1t does
not have to have cent from the public
to finish its season.
Therefore. all musical organizations
try, and it is right that they should do
so, to select programs which will prove
''nonular" " usinp that much abused
term in its broad and best sense. OF
course. there must be new music of
the various schools in both our
operate and symphonic seasons.
and much Of this is music
which does not make the best impression
on a first hearing, but it Is necessary
that we hear it in order to know what
Is being done by the composers of the
world. Because it is on the program
for a season does not necessarily imply
that the impresario or conductor be-
lieves the music to be fine, and it would
be more than interesting to know what
Mr.. Gatti- Casazza: Mr.. StoEowski OF
Mr.. Damrosch really thinks OF many oi
the works IN the largest forms WhicI
he gives for educational or illustrative
reasons during season OF many per
formances.
DUT if public taste is consulted
otherwise supported organizations, how
much more is it true of the indi'
ylduai artist whose very existence De
1vre thc puoiIS 10 uePchuen' UPON !! !;
pleasing II. PROBABLY more thougnt Il
;p, snpenaeu upon 'ne '.lahe a up VI plosta ps;ann
Win ueeLe lo p.e"Se me auu'cHC'
an artist WORK
Pianists. for example, know that tn
public will always stand for Chopin
program, and this is the real reason tina
there are so many of them given, ant
not because the performer thinks tina
he can interpret Chopin better than an,
other composer. 1t is true that thcr
Is a variety IN CAoPlh WORKS that !
not lounu III those OF nllnE Oh the otne
composers ouI II Ile PuoiiT "OuIu nuu
geulS Hho" slhlldr PreuIlectlVi toF
ocIHlhaun program; tuere Woulu De
suuuen sh4tC III that uIrectlon III un
s"er'
In the orchestral field, Tschaikowsk
has an appeal to the public almost a
great as Chopin in the literature c
the piano, but If that same publ
should make it known that all Tschai
kowsky programs no longer get by
there wouldn't be many of them give
after it was found out.
ALWAYS. in tho end the publir
~ h. L,o.., H.. - -.
4e"'' u'e 'A''e '"n Ho P''
manent popularity, or even life, Tor an
composer whose music the pubic WI
NOT go 70 near Perhaps IL IS cas-
OF might makes right, but neycrthe
less the verdict stands. For years som
OF the great conductors OF Europe trie
TO make the symphonies of Anton Bruck
ner popular, but the music lover
- " -, JSIie' .' NM.