New-York tribune., 1920-12-05
The Decadence of Choirs
And Choral Culture
No More Concerts by the Musical Art Society; Choral
Singing and Education; Progress or Retrogres.
sion-Which? Enthusiasm of an Early Period

new order as an evidence OF advance
ment in musical intelligence and taste;
but We can easily imagine g historian
fifty or hundred years hence draw
ing q comparative picture Of music in
New York in the seventy-fivc years be-
tween 1775 and 1850 and the present
time and crediting the people Of the
earlier period with greater love for
the art, better taste and more in
celligently directed enthusiasm than
are evidenced by the activities OF to-day
This is the speech Of old-fo9y!sm,
conservatism, reaction; Of the spirit
which would retard progress-of course.
We are prepared to hear that charge
and are not disposed to pat any impedi-
ment IN its way. The genius Of the
American people is as soaring and un-
trammeled as the flight of its ornitho-
logical symbol in the oratory Of lnde-
pendence Day; if il finds the sights and
scents Of a dunghll more TO It's taste
than the visions and vernal airs Of
tabled Ida why should II be hindered?
spokesmen may be mstaking the yeasty
foam on the crest Of the wave for the
elemental body-may themselves be
mere spumt in vagrant breeze. There
are many. surely, who would Ike to
believe this to be true and to hold the
conviction that the surface turmoils
shall some day cease-haply soon--and
! that which is sound, sweet, sane, salu-
tary in musical culture BE- returned to
them.
Though there may be no good, there
can surely be no harm in marshaling
few of the facts which may influence
the future historian in the direction In
dicatet
Participation In Choral Music Aids
Appreciation
Even the owners of automatic music
machines will admit tho fact that
the small part which they take in pro-
V.ding music for themselves has an
influence upon their enjoyment og it.
AS mater OF fact no amount of mere
nearing can compare in such influence
wish participation in performance, nor
ls there quicker or surer way 70 in
teiiigent appreciation. And to that
end there is 40 better medium than
choral singing. It was because hs
'ealized this that Schumann, who gave
many helpful hints TO musical ANA
tours, gave this advice TO muscal
students: Sing diligently in choirs,
especially the middle voices, for This
w'll make you musical" Why the mid
de voices? Because they begct real
sympathy for the art and discourage
selfish vaingiory. To perform even
reasonably we'll upon an instrument
costs strcnuoua labor and application,
and until reasonable proficiency is ut-
tained gives comparatively little pleas
urc 70 the student, while the effort to
attain II causes much pain to the un-
fortunatcs who cannot choose but
hear" The early communities ia Amer
ica had few Instrumental musicians
for obvious rensors. To crafty their
love for tho art they. Of necessity,
turned 10 choral singing, with the re-
suit, Of great intercat to historical
students, that among them grew up
me first amateur singing societies, the
hrst. the earliest organizations Of the
kind in the world. We say It advisedly
Before Carl Friedrich Fasch, accom-
pan!st % the royal hautist. Fredericl
ne Great. organized tho singakademie
in Berlin. which is sc, down in history
ar the FIRST Of all amateur singing so.
cie,ies fnots tho word ,smateur). at
! last two such socisties bad becn called