Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-06-23
RICHARD SCHMIDT
On Public Band Concerts

THE free band concerts given during the
i summer months are doing tremendous
work for the advancement OF the best music
among the people of Philadelphia. according
to Richard Schmidt. conductor of the Fair
mount Park Band. which opened its sum
mer season on Monday evening before an
immense audience.
Our band. which is now almost twenty
FIVE years old, and, by the way, Is the only
organized band in Philadelphia, is doing
it's full share in the great movement Tor
better music which is now sweeping inc
country. can say this with full knowi-
edge, because l have been leader OF the
organization for fourteen years and TOOK
the position after the death OF Adam ,I' Jakop'
who was it's leader for eight years. lhere
fore for more than twenty years, the people
of Philadelphia have been listening to the
best music every summer in the Pnrk, ana
the advance in musical taste Is apparent 10
any one who has followed the work OF the
hand and the reception which it has received
by its audiences.
Standard Works Wear Best
The standard compositions are those
which wear the best In the programs
which I arrange the basis IL made up OF the
best works in the repertoire OF band music,
while the cncores are made up of the lighter
numbers The object Of the band concerts Is
primarily to give pleasure to the crowds
which gather every summer night to hear
j
must be, by the excellent class of music
which the people want in the main numbers
of the program and the equally excellent
things which prove the most popular IN the
encores. vast number OF our encores arc.
ulaycd on request and the selections asked
Tor AS encores are mainly the best music.
.The main numbers of the program are
MS elaborate almost as the programs OF our
hest orchestras, and they are so constructed
that every program contains practically
every class OF music. My general plan IN
making I'D the programs ID TO have the
nrinrinol numbers composed of standard
works and the encores-and we have to play
| nm encore after every number-of the popular
| music of the day. In this way every taste
| is provided for. and every person In the
| audience finds something which appeals til
| rcctly to his taste no matter "hat IL may
| be.
Telling the Encores
Il have also adopted the plan of letting
| pcopc know what We are to play for en-
cores and find that they are evidently much
better satisfied when they know In advance
what they are going to hear My plan ~
name of every one of the 125 selections In
rho encore book is printed on a large card
| which is shown to the audience just before II
IL played. This is a good idea for me as
| wei as for the audience, because, from the
preliminary applause. | can get good re e
action as to what numbers are the most
nopular. There are some requests for the
current popular music for encores, but by
fnr the greatest number is for such things
as Mendelssohn's Spring Song, the
'HumoreRaue' of Dvorak. Paderewski \
'Menuet de l'Antiquc and compositions
OF similar kind.
while the musical taste of the people
shows some change from year to year, the
standard numbers retain their popularity
and il is we'll for us as well as for them
selves that they do. because no program can
possibly be made up without preponder
nnce of the standard numbers. ! have talked
with Sousa. Conway and other leaders OF the
largest bands In the world and find that
their experience has been exactly the same
as nv own For example, a program made
IN exclusively OF the current musical coined!
numbers and music Of the same sort would
he unendurably monOtonous. Every num-
her would sound exactly alike In rhythm
harmony and Instrumentation and the result
would soon give the most hardened followcl
of the musical comedies more than he cOulC
listen to.
Popular Standard Works
1T il surprising how much audiences
like certain standard numbers such az tn,
1872 Overture OF Tschaikowsky. the Mid
summer Nights Dream music OF Mendels
&6hn aud the 'Rionzi and Tapnbauser
7 Mert,ires Of Wagner. We also play [
number OF the symphonies and Of thsse tn
- y, VI y ~ * I. X. 4 Z, & ss 4 t...a "