New-York tribune., 1922-03-19
-" In the World of Music and Musicians

Characteristic is noteworthy also in
Saiht-Saenss music, every instrument
employed in il being treated with skill
ana effectiveness. Another trait Of
Mozart scholars is that they arc clearly
conscious Of their limitations and
wisely avoid ovcrstcppiug them. The
boundaries Of Saint Sagns's eapacitv.
however, we're by no means small. At
an early period he established his fame
as brilliant pianist and organist. and
IN his compositions for the pianoforte
he disclosed himself ms one of the few
who had comprehendod the p:anigtic
spirit of List. He had listened to
Liszt intelligently in his youth and
was accustomed to say that the p,ivi-
lege of having heard List play rccoa-
ciled him to the fact that he was born
so long ago.
Saint-Sasns, says Buson, was by no
means lacking in natural gifts rs
composer. ri was often told in Paris
that he wrote new composition di-
rectly into the score while carrying on
an easy and witty conversation with
his friends and guests. Yet the score
was always calligraphieally clean and
ready for the printer He seemed to
cultivate the art Of composition as q
sort Of agreeable intellectual exercise.
tie was joyous priest Of art. 1t was,
hi 10 4,fl I
music whether he was amiabe or capa-
ble Of love or suffering His spirits
were panoplied against excessive emo
tions; he was not the least bit senti-
mental. I remember one evening in
Brussels where we (his publisher Du-
rand, Ysaye and y accompanied him
from the hotel to the theater whore the
hfteth performance Of his Samson ct
Dalila' had been announced. We were
all rather solemnly disposed and even
Saint-Saens seemed to be in a reflective
mood. Half way to the theater he
stopped and begged to be excused for
moment. Passing through Brussels on
previous journey, lie had left an old
hat there to be repaired, and he wanted
to get it before the hatmakcr closed
his shop'
ut is true that after the '70s re
turned away from Wagner-an attitude
which he maintained bravcly and con-
sistently to the end. This was held
against him as grudge in Paris. whore
1t IS the fashion to be an admirer Of
Wagner, to such an extent that when
ne was eghtythree years old he had to
witness how some persons turned their
backs to him in public because on the
day before he had said something in
criticism Of Wagner in public. A ronu-
table musical Journal seized the occa-
sion to lampoon tho we'll known com
poser Of The Wedding Cake" lie Was
utterly repudiatcI by the Young au-
sicians and complained bitterly but
without a tinge of palaoS1 that he was
now considered scrap iron. There Vas
nothing about hm either demoniac or
consecrated. He did not hover above
| the earth; he stood upoa it a grand
seigneuf--a noDeman IN The realm Of
musical art"
IN MEAiORIAN, MARIE BIsSRLI
Miss Marie Seymour Bisseu. VINO
flied an unostentatious hut beautiful
and useful role IN the musical life Of
New York for more than twenty-five
years, died at her home in the city of
her birth, Hartford Conn. on The tenth
day of this month. Ner lon~ and sue
cessful career was spent in TIE choir
loft, the concert room and the studio.
For ten years she stood at the head
Of the first line Of sopranos at the
concerts of the Musical Art Society. a
post for which she was admirably fitted
by voice Of great purity and extended
raNpn hcr SEil1 .c :, .o.1c,. H.