New-York tribune., 1922-10-29

Al orchestra can give proper atten-
~ ID. The Philharmonic Society (not
No musicians. but the patrons) seems
& need feur conductors and the Sym
sony Orchestra three. No doubt the
s,ascr is thereby enlivened, but is the
s.liyening fermentation artistically
.senaciais Do we need the concerts
S. eeause we have the conductors? Or
.,,a we need the conductors because we
save the concerts? But perhaps such
,,oblens will solve themselves in time.
N any rate, they can be discussed with
nsrs wisdom in q retrospect of the
eason than now.
III Men Who Will
Conduct Orchestra Concerts
The roster OF conductors is become
4,;se as important to the public IL not
20 large as that of the artists who will
s,ng and play solos at these concerts;
for il is they who divide the concert
eoers into classes. As has been said,
shs Philadelphia Orchestra, which
giyes almost as many concerts as any
n this local organizations, gets along
vita one conductor, while the Philharo
monte Society seems to need four
Mr.. stransky, Mr.. Mengelberg, Mr.. Bo-
ianzky and Mr. Hadley. Once upon
limo orchestras played without even
ere. When Haydn produced the sym
homes which still survive in the cur
rent list, even when he went to London
as popular idol to be worshiped and
70 produce them, he did little more
han sit at che harpsichord during the
performance, put in an occasional
phrase If so disposed and indicate at
thc beginning the tempo OF each move
rlent. To maintain synchronism in the
band was the business of the leader of
me violins-the principal" as he is
still called in England, the concert
meister IN Germany. It was not
hought necessary then for a man to
stand between the listeners and play
ers and give pantomimic expression to
his notions of the tempt, dynamic nu-
ances Of the music. or TO let the pub
iic see how solo instrument or a
group Of instruments, is invited to join
The mslee. There has been q great
change in the character Of the sym
phony since Haydn's day, especially in
he so-called content" of music, and
perhaps it is stimulating to the fancy
OF the hearers to see the music acted
by the conductor, to see as we'll as
h ear the. Interpretation or reading. OF
course the initiated know that the con-
ductor has enforced his wishes upon
The players in the rehearsal-roo but
TO these precincts the public have no
entrance, and since reading" now
edsys consists largely in lifting sub
ordinate parts into prominence (such
as a harmony voice in the brass choir
which happens to have n,elodic con-
tour, as every harmony voice has in
the composition of masters) it is
stimulating to the initiated to see the
conductor swell with the brazen emo
ton and urge it's vociferation. Not the
music nor the band, therefore, but the
man who "spanks out the tunes" Gas a
little girl once described it) is the
power which divides the pub
lie into Philharmonic audiences, SYM
phony audiences, Philadelphia audi
n
AS this power created the National
symphony Orchestra a few years ago,
30 now it has added new member to
thc local organizations. The National
Symphony Orchestra proved to be so
heavy a burden that it's hackers, CON
essing that New York was suffering
from plethora IF orchestral music,
emalgamated it with the Philharmonic
Society. the Oldest and most deeply
rooted of our musical organizations;
but insured the annual financial deficit
by retaining the conductors of the de-
funct orchestra and increasing the
number of concerts. The same policy
IS being pursued this season and the
aumber of concerts has been increased.
Enter the Musical Society
And the City Symphony Orchestra
Notwithstanding the conditions which
he directors of the National Symphony
Society confessed were deplorable
when they sunk their institution in the
Philharmonic Society, new organiza-
ton has sprung up to take its place
The Musical Society of the City of New
York has been formed TO support a
new City Symphony Society, OF which
>Nr. DIRK Foch is conductor. The CON
eerts which it purposes giving have
oeen enumerated in this article and
listed in another column in the Sym
phontc Date Book. Meanwhile in the
organization which is to educate or
taestrai players according TO the benef-
icent purposes of Mrs. Hartman, the
american Orchestral Society, Mr.. Foch
ssas been replaced by Mr.. Chalmers
clifton, a young musician of culture
md excellent educational antecedents.
IN the offing we also see Mr.. Willem
an Hoogstraaten and Mr.. yerbruggen,
70 say nothing OF three or four Ger
mans Of good standing who will soon
soe here to spy out the land.
ar. Albert Coates bids fair TO
establish himself as the successor OF
ar- Walter Damrosch whenever the lat
ser sees fit to retire on his laurels as