The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1920-11-27
MUSIC FOR THE MASSES

a notable movement for the public welfare in Chicago, where the
spite of prohibition. If one may draw conclusions from recent ac-
Invites of a revolutionized police department much remains to be done
for the public welfare in the nations second city. Handesman pro
poses to do his part, and if his plan is carried ont it will prove to be
no small part.
This unusual impresario proposes to bring good music within the
reach of the masses of Chicago people. lie plans not only to present
famous musicians in recitals that may be heard for fifty cents, but to
give his entertainments in residence sections so that they may be at
tended by the people who lack limousnes and to whom the long jour
ny to and from downtown theaters is an efectual prohibition to the
enjoyment of fine music when the music and the price of admission
are available.
Handelsman estimates that there are half a million people in Chi
cago who love real music and who prefer it to jazz. He has probably
underestimated the number of such people by a. least a million. His
conclusion that only one out of every six men and women IN Chicago
r average min.y~ ~ Americans and if onIv N ont Of six Americans
prefers music to jazz W e are in worse state than our most gloomy
prophets and reformers would have us believe.
The probability is that Eandesman S fftycent recials will prove
enormously popular and enormously remunerative. He said in
the announcement published in Yesterday Associated Press report,
that he would rather entertain 4Voo people at htty cents seat than
1000 at 81. Musicians to be really great must he very human, and
a majority Of them will prefer to play or sing to 1000 people than TO
1000 are CARRIED in futed shirt fronts and ieweled nakcdness.
Europe, as Handeslman points out, is far ahead of America in
musical culture, because good music has been brought within the reach
Of all the people. In this municipal, district and national govern,
way have never failed of fullest justification. 1t is not worth while
because those conditions undoubtedly would long since have been
wholly out of control but for deeprooted, cultural influences of which
You are wondering, no doubt, what a movement to popularizc
good music in Chicago has to do with Albuquerque and New Mexico
points TO at least the beginning of an understanding of one of our
great national needs; tnt 81 making good music aVnllaDle o all n
people, and not merely for the favored few who can afford to invest
in opera boxes in the cities and expensive season tickets for 'high.
brow" musical entertainments in the smaller communities. We know
OF no instance in which good music has been brought within the reach
of the masses Of the people that has failed of its popular response.
Good music does not mean necessarily the performance of one
or more of the forty or fifty famous figures of grand opera whose pie
lures appear frequently in advertisements featuring a well known
dog. There are thousands of men and women throughout our nation
whose music is thorough in technique and broad in understanding
and whose services are available for any community interested in
securing them. Moreover there are available in almost every com
munity in this broad land, men and women, cultured musicians,
around whom may be built up local musical organizations of real
strongest popular appeal. II would not be difficult, with adequate
public encouragement and support, to assemble here in Albuquerque
musicians who could be organized very quickly into an orchestra that
would soon become an important community asset and a notable pub
lie benefit. It has not been done because it has not been tried. The
Fortnightly Music club has been alone in organized effort to give
Albuquerque good music. Its efforts have been confined to the en-
tertainment of its own members and to occasional rechas by i'm
ported artists, thoroughly worthy in so far as they have gone but so
infrequent as TO make the effort Of little benefit 10 the community as
a whole.
Ii would be interesting TO see what could be done by such an or
ganization concentrating its effort on the development of a working
home muscal organization, not for profit or for students of music,
but primarily for the benefit and enjoyment of the whole community;
backed by the Chamber Of Commerce and by the city government as
a serious effort toward community building on one side Of the COM
munity structure which has been sadly neglected, and which, beyond
a doubt, is worthy of serious attention and earnest effort.
We are going to take ten days to read the report of the special
revenue commission. We may take some more days to think about
il. We may be eompeton. by that time to discuss it intelligently. If
newspapers, members of the legislature and taxpayers give il the
same thorough study, a vast amount Of good will accrue to New
Mexico from the work of this commission whose members, it is plain,
have given to their work for the state a vast amount Of time and UNI
selfish hard work. Just now the only suggestion we have to make
is TO repeat the suggestion mPde by the tax expert employed by the
commission when he spoke in Albuquerque some months ago. He
forecasted that some proposals by the commission would be revolu-
tionary in the changes suggested in our state government. He said
the report should not he opposed or condemned on that account.
That suggestion is worth keeping in mind in any consideration of
this very important document.