New-York tribune., 1920-12-19
Walter Damrosch Spends
$2O,O00,OOO on Music
An Enthusiastic Educational Spendlhrift Who Out
lines Helpful Plan for the Bettcrment of
Musical Conditions

which is kept at high state Of
efficiency through daily rehearsal, as
sured by the expenditure of large sums
of money from certain public-spirited
citizens.'
Feeling for Music Among Common
People" Should Be Stimulated
Mr.. Damrosch said that the bulk o.
the population--thc 'prolotariat' and
the farming community-arc barbarl-
ans as far as music is concerned. THY
have no artistic emotional outlet, and
in consequence, the lives Of our aver
age citizens are dull and cmotionlcss
as compared to many a similar com
munity in Europe. He believes that art
cannot thrive among a people unless
the emotions of the heart and the
alteration of the beautiful find free
expression and encouragement. The
result otherwise is ct best sterilc
"culture' which Robert Herrick. in q
recent article on Now England dc-
sorbes as 'growing on soil from
which life and art have long since fed
in disma,.' 1t is Mr. Damrosoh's ide1
that the first and greatest object Of 50
huge sum is to stimulate a feelne
for music among the common people
How can this be done?
81 am strongly Of the opinion that
one OF the best means is to indurc
them to mako music themselves. The
French and Italian peasants sing II
their work. have yet TO hear an
American farmer do 20. Every village.
every small town in France and Be
quinn has its bandc municipalc or it
cors dc chassc. These arc often com
posed of laborers, small shopkeepcrs
mechanics and clerks, who conc to-
gcther every week to practice under A
routined musician, and to play very
Crcditably on feast days and at times
Ct national rejoicing, to the great Dc
light of their fellow citizens. We have
but little of this, and the music that j.
played by the few town bands VIC pos
sess is generally so atrocious as -
bring tears and gnashing Of teeth to
listeners with musical cars.
Town Bands To Be Encouraged
81 would encourage the formation Of
town bands in every small community
Of the country" the symphony director
went on, warming IN to his subject.
Il would assist them in purchasing de-
cent instruments, and, above all |
would furnish them free with the scrv-
ices of an excellent professional band
master, who would have to prove his
fitness by passing an examination in
the art of music and the technique of
conducting. The only conditions that
] would make with such town bands
would be that a certain percentage OF
attendance be kept up at rehcarsals
and that the study of certain amount
Of good music be made obligatory. |
would get rid of quite a slice Of my
annual fortune in thi. way, and ! can
not imagine anything that would give
better results where they are mos
needed. | think we would find the
heartiest cooperation among the large
industrial concerns employing hun
dreds of operatives What would DO
the men and women working in fac
tory more good after the dreary mo-
notony OF their daily labor than to 81;
down with their clarinets and trumpets
and kcttlcdrums and bite their teeth
irto a stirring movement from Bee
.hovcn Symphony or a jolly French
overture? I would subsidize choral So
cietes in the small towns in similar
fashion. enabling them to combine with
each other in the spring for musical
festivals"
Mr.. Damrosch dcplores the fact
that this country is sadly in need Of
native orchestral players, especially
among the wind instruments. At pres
cnt nearly all players of wind ins,ru-
ments arc imported from Europe, and
most of them have received their edu-
cation over there. This is not as j.
should be. said he. "and scholarhips
should he founded for tho study of TN,
hpic, ohoe clarinet bs.sonn. French
tCoaaausd ON ns2s psA~