Evening star., 1927-10-02

THE following is an unusually inter-
= esting sketch Of the great ASger
Hamerik. former director of the Pea
body Conservatory of Music in Balti
more, as written for The Star by Otto
Torney Simon. we'll known local musi-
cal pedagOgue, who was associated
with Hamerik for three years as A
pupil. five years as assistant professor
and an intimate friend of the great
Dane until the latter's death, July 13,
1928. Mr.. Simon says:
AT the time when a new director
is about to assume his duties at the
Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, 1t
may not be inopportune to mention a
former director. whose influence and
ideals have left an unusual impress
sion on that city and on students from
many States who came there to study.
"A genius in the arts is always in
teresting and appealing. From the
artist, through vision and inner gifts,
is born accomplishment, often with in
tensely applied industry. The appeal
of art and beauty reaches many
hearts. Frequently. in the artist, per-
sonality. peculiarities, anecdote height
en- the interest.
Such a genius lived in Baltimore
in the early seventies-Asger Hame
rik. Danish composer and one of the
early musical directors of the insti-
tute.
MY own relation to Hamerk was
first that Of pupil at the conservatory,
and later as closer friend and associ-
ate, when professor on the staff of the
conservatory. The man, as here de-
picted in his breadth of cosmopolitan
life. in his great gifts. his personality
charm and wit, has varied peculiarities,
may not be uninteresting reading to
musical Washington.
"Asger Hamerik was the son Of
Danish clergyman in Copenhagen.
His early tastes led him toward
music, and his instructors, in his
native city. were Gade and Haupt-
man. distinguished as composers in
their own country. He studied piano
further in Berlin with Hans Won
Bulow. the German pianist and con-
ductor. who advised him to devote
he came in contact with Hector
Berlioz in Paris. possibly the great
est and most forceful of all French
composers, and went with him later
TO Vienna. and was under his in
fluence for seven years. Berlioz's
published letters include a number to
the young composer and in one of
these he writes: You remind me
of what I was 40 years ago: especially
do YOU remind me of myself by your
ardent love of music. your belief
in the beautiful. your energetic will
and your indomtable perseverance.
Live, believe. love and work.
Do you know that you have made
great progress in your French? Come
quickly then, back to Paris and you
will end by speaking French almost
as badly AS a Parisian.' Cosima
Wagner first taught him French,
probably when the wife of Won
Bulow.
when Hamerik was first called to
take the directorship of the Con-
servatory at Baltimore he met oppo
sition in his own home at Copen-
hagen. His mother feared A
massacre from Indians. Hamerik
must have felt the contrast to Indian
orgies when he arrived among the
home loving and the placid Balti-
moreans.
"AlI through his dictatorship at
the Conservatory he gave unstinted
and untiring efforts for the higher
appreciation of music as serious art.
He believed in the small conservatory
as means Of close contact between
professor and pupil. Any idea of in.
crease Of numbers for commercial
reasons was abhorrent to him. He in
sisted on long routine and industrious
application: his own course was that
of composition. Ten years Of studious
application was usually the time for
graduation. To my recollection there
were only 10 graduates in 25 years.