New-York tribune., 1920-11-14
the Relations
Between Artists and Reviewers
Adyertising Methods of Artists and Their MANAGERS
Standards of Judgment Invited by the Latter
Through Publicity Agents

wide to direct appeal to newspaper
readers. The origin of the laudatory
notices printed in advance of an art
lists performance does not appear in
the notices, editors apparently harbor-
ing the blithe assumption that "every-
body knows that they are written bv
press agents who are not concerned
with truthful statement of facts. but
only with reading matter which will
arouse desire to hear the artists
whom they are heralding But "every-
body" doesn't know anything of the
KIND. On the contrary, every news
paper reader is inclined to think that
what ne reads in his paper is an utter
ance by that journal, whether it be
ooid allegement. of fact or pom
oered opinion on political, economic
or artistic question.
Reenforcements From Foreign Paners
The practice of trying to overwhelm
local critical judgment by food Of
extracts from foreign newspapers.
which had been considerably checked
by the discovery that American writ
ers have developed the capacity of ex-
pressing opinions of their own, has
been revived in measure by the in
vaslon of foreign artists, especially
violinists. To believe their managers
one would have to conclude that there
had been truly Pentecostal outpour-
ing OF genius on Russian Jewry within
the last decade or two and that the art
of violin playing had never reached
such q height as it maintains to-day.
OF course this is all nonsense. There
have been great schools Of violin play
ing in Belgium, France, Germany, Bo-
hemia, Hungary and Russia for gener-
ations and there is no evidence that
the first two decades of this century
have produced a greater number of
youths and maidens possessing Pc
culiar gifts~for the manipulation of
the fiddle than any two preceding
decades for a hundred years The
whole meaning of the invasion is that
since the war Europe looks upon Amer
ica as the country which can and will
nourish it's fedglings Of all sorts. OF
ripe artists we have no more in this
country now than we had ten years
ago; of great geniuses no more than
we were wont to have forty and fifty
years ago. No man fiddler has meas
ured up to the artistic stature Of Will.
helm J. Wieniawski or Sarasate; nc
woman fiddler has shown herself
worthy of unbuttoning Camilla Urso's
artistic boots.
1t is the same thing with visiting
planoforte players and singers. We
are barking in vain for a newcomer tc
awaken even faint echo of Paderewski
d'Albert and Rosenthal, or Patti, Nils
son, Sembrich and Melba. How gladly
such an apparition would be welcomed
may be guessed from the enthusiasm
with which interiors are acclaimed ir
opera house and concert room. No de-
vices of managers and press agent.
shall make experienced listeners be.
lieve the contrary, for the memory Of
these artists is too fresh in the minds
and hearts of thousands to be effacee
by the playing and singing of the play
ers and singers of to-day, or beguilet
by the claims of would-be famemakers
Ingenious Methods Of Advertising
Along with the recrudescence Of tn.
foreign notices has come an ingenious
ness in the methods Of advertising
which we had imagined that American
managers-those of experience, at an.
rate--had outgrown. There is mucl
rnat is diverting in the biographical
material which they publish, and mor'