Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-11-26

THE talk, brief and to the point,
l. which Mr.. Stokowski gave his Erie
day afternoon audience at last week
| concert Of the Philadelphia Orchestra,
wherein he pleaded for closer attention
to the music, both from the standpoint
of good music and from that OF good
manners, created lot of discussion,
although probably it will not do much
good as far as the conduct OF the
audience Is concerned.
The matter is one upon which Mr..
Stokowski evidently has deep and pro-
found thoughts, for in one of his intro
| ductory talks last winter In Madame
Samaroff's Beethoven cycle he referred
to the noise ut the Friday afternoon
concerts i'm no uncertain terms. lie
was discussing certain sonata or
Beethoven which Madame Samarof was
to play, and in asking for close atten, 4,
| ton to its detail said that he shuddered
to imagine what Beethoven would nave
felt had be been present and heard the
coughs. sneezes. snorts and various
other noises which occurred during
then recent Friday afternoon perform
ance Of Debussy's delicately colored
! Afternoon of a Faun.' 1t was sum :
cient, he said, to make the great com
poser turn in his grave ana ceItaln5
enough to divert from the music tne
attention of the members of the orches-
| ira. the conductor and those persons in
the audience who wished to listen a'-
tentiveIy.
THERE is not much hope, however,
/ that there will be any radical change
Of conduct on the part of the FRIDAY
audience. 1t is not Intentionally oau-
hammered: it Is merely careless, ana u
| large pcrcentage of its members view
Friday concert simply as dlvertlhg III
cident of the weeks routine ana hot US
Mr.. Stokowski wishes them TO do-th"e I
Is, to consider these two hours az Il
period during which they may hu' 'u''
their spiritual being. ,rt;o,
There ia probably n larger prop"rIii"n
of habitual late -comers at the FRIDAY
afternoon concerts than at any 0ther
musical affair Of similar importanGe
in the CITY, At the close of tairS
Iong first number on almost any frl1aS
ofternoon the outer hall of the Aeao- :
emv. both in numbers and in convcrsa
ton strongly resembles a largely at
tended and especially animated hite5-
noon tea everybody knows eVerEoous
else, and there seems to be so lhuc"
to talk about.
Before the last late conner has ar
rived to hear what is left of the pro
gram. the early goers have started tnr
| home The result, as Mr.. Stok0WsKi
iustlv complains, Is that there Is an
Utmost constant disturbance in the
audience during the entire program
| Rut he overlooked one thing-that iS'
| that this disturbance is just as annoy =
! ing to the large number of attcndantS
who have come to hear the music ana
| for no other purpose, "a it II to inc
orchestra and to himself. And this
class is In the great majority.
A Nd did you ever notice that The
"A habitunl late-comerS and carly
goers invariably have seats any place
from five to ton from the aisle? Thu
the greatest possible number of persons
Is disturbed when they arrive or de-
part This is not chance. The same
slovonly mental habits which cause then
to be always late. or to make an in
adequate division OF their time, or tC
forget an errand which must be done
before they go home. serves to secure
| for them the less desirable seats. The
carly bird il the early bird all the time
whether it be getting 70 place on timt
and remaining to the end or in getting
| the best seats.
The Saturday evening audiences oi
| the Orchestra are n much better behaved
| body. PrOpOrtOnatcly, the number OF
late arrivals is very much smaller. while
scarcely any one leaves before the pro
| gram is concluded. But the musician
ship of Philadelphia attends the Satur.
|