172 TH E etud e city. So do not think that because you are a backwoods teacher you may not have something worth saying to the musical world at large. THE ETUDE invites contributions, and will give a fair, impartial reading to every article sent in. IT is common for young musicians to say they would like to retire to the quiet country by-ways and work, free from distraction for several years, developing them-selves and improving their talents. Retirement may be favorable to the latter, but character is developed and strengthened by the busy life. IF you take an object to a chemist and say, "Wha t do you make of this? " he does not answer, " A fine lump of metal," or u A precious compound, worth a dol-lar an ounce"; he goes into minute and technically expressed details of facts, perceptible through his train-ing in the particular science of chemistry. Now, the musical critic is a chemist. Any opinion, to have value, must have accuracy. To have accuracy, one must think in particulars, for the most part, and in generalities only at times; then, finally, these decisions must be verbalized—in custom-made language, not in the ready-made misfits of current enthusiasm. We are led to this expression by a letter from a prominent critic, which follows : " A short time ago I heard for the first time that phe-nomenal virtuoso, Emil Sauer. On the way out a lady in the crowd, a strangef to me, asked me if I thought him as great as Paderewski, and similar questions were put to me half a dozen times before I reached the side-walk. Now, here was Americanism in capsules. That is the way : you must immediately decide whether the one man or the other has beaten. Is the pianist merely a juggler, a wonder-worker? Are all our esthetic de-lights to be gaged on the noble standards of the base-ball business ? " If one undertakes to express critical opinions, he should always strive to be clear and definite in his views, and exact in his utterance of them. THE approaching meeting of the Music Teachers' Na-tional Association, at Cincinnati, will be one of the most important in the history of the organization. The Asso-ciation has been brought to the point where a step in advance is imperative. The plan of former years has by no means proved a success, and the new idea put under way at the New York meeting last year has yet to show its value. So it may not be amiss to say that this is a somewhat crucial time in the history of the Association. It is not necessary for us to go over the time-worn platitudes that it is the duty of every musician to give support to the Association. Perhaps it is. Duty has a very broad application. But only a few of us are will-ing to let others decide the nature and extent of our obligations. Very many worthy American musicians do not feel that there is any responsibility attached to them in this matter. How are these men and women to be drawn to the support of an association such as the Music Teachers' National Association ? Obviously, not as the Association was conducted in former years. The results speak for themselves. Self-interest is generally powerful enough to influence to vigorous activity. Yet there is but little room for self-interest in paying a fee and heavy traveling and hotel expenses for a few days at some centrally located city to hear a great deal of music and a number of papers on subjects connected with music and music-teaching. The problem is no easy one, and it is to be hoped that the present board of officers will be able to put into mo-tion some plan that will tend to make the Association stronger in every way : stronger not for another year, but for a term of years ; that they may infuse into the organization a spirit, a vitality, that shall bear the whole body forward to a richer success. Is it to be a national association ? The word means very much in this great country of ours. There are many of us, and we are widely separated, say the teachers. It is not a mere gathering together of people from many and widely separated localities that makes up a national meeting. The next convention might have a thousand delegates, from Maine to California, from Florida and Texas to Minnesota, and still nothing but a provincial meeting result. If the spirit in which the work is carried on and planned is not national, there can be no national association. If every man, or the great majority, should be dominated by selfish motives, by petty spirit and sectional jealousy,and if the uncharitable feeling that a musician can not gain applause without robbing every other of his fellows should assert itself, there can be no national idea. Let each one sink his own interests, forget the pride of locality, and try to think and act for the benefit of the art, of the interests of the profession as a whole, seek to raise the standard the whole country over; let him cast aside forever petty provincialism and cultivate broad nationalism ; let him feel that every strong American musician, whether of native or foreign birth, who really works for the benefit of our art, is a tower of strength to his fellows. A man's work is not lost and a strong man is one to build around, not one to be torn down. The spirit of brother-hood is the real idea of organization, and can give the impulse toward that breadth of thought and action that will, in truth, give us a national association. Only those should join the M. T. N. A. who really conceive what a " national association " can be, and are willing to give that conception a concrete form. We are sure this is the spirit of the officers of the next con-vention, and it is the spirit which animates others who will be in attendance. Let all who can go to Cincin-nati go there with the feeling that the present is an auspicious time to make the Association what its name purports to be—national in the sentimental acceptation of the word, not merely geographic. IT is very noticeable to the careful observer abroad that native composers are greatly encouraged by fre-quent performances of their works. In Germany the programs contain very few names of foreign composers. In France French compositions occupy three-fourths of the majority of concert programs. The same may be said of Italy. In England the utmost efforts are con-stantly being put forth to bring out native talent. In Russia, Norway, and Belgium the desire to develop national schools of composition is most intense. But in the United States scant encouragement has been given to native composers. A slight change for the better is now taking place, but in the main it is almost nothing as compared with the countries above mentioned. The teachers use almost entirely compositions by European composers. The leading pianists play very few compositions by Ameri-cans. The orchestras esteem it a favor to a native-born composer if they perform one of his works. The pub-lishers, with a few exceptions, care to bring out only those works which have "teaching" qualities, and not those which are characteristic and which possess high artistic merit. We have now some remarkably capable composers, who have talent, sound musical education, and are ex-ceedingly clever in obtaining "effects." They write brilliantly for the pianoforte, singably for the voice, scholarly for the organ, and effectively for the orchestra. To bring out their best qualities, they must be encour-aged. If they feel that musicians and public show an interest in their work, they will feel all the more desir-ous of putting spurs to their talent and speeding on-ward. Let the teachers make a feature of giving good works by American composers to their pupils—there are plenty of them ; place them on programs of recitals and concerts, and prove to the composers that their works are being genuinely appreciated. Instead of feeling half ashamed of native talent, let us feel proud of it— even if it be not equal to that of foreign lands as yet. By such encouragement there is no reason why, in the next generation or two, our best talent ought not to be equal to the best abroad. Possibly, in so doing, we may yet develop a " front rank " man ! Is, therefore, it not worth while to do all in our power at present to encour-age American composition? MEZZOTINT S I N MODER N MUSIC . B y J A ML* HUNEKEB. CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS, FL The brilliant "Raconteur" of the " Musical Courier " has written a book most fascinating to the student of music, particularly the piano-player. In thr Utter class, those who have a fondness for the moir::. and romantic school will find in this book stimulus to their favorite study. The titles of a few of the chapter- will convey a fair idea of the contents of the book : I. "Th e Music of the Future," which is devoted to Brahms at.d criticism of his works. II. " A Modern Music Lord." the hero of which is Tschaikowsky. The chapter is filled not only with studies of the composer's work*. bat with matter illustrating the Russian character and tlx personality of this representative musician. III. Rich-ard Strauss and Nietzsche," which discusses nio«: ad mirably the tendencies of the most advanced com pot- t io o» and the attempt to make music psychologic in character IY. In the chapter, "Th e Greater Chopin," ^e bare * most fascinating study of the composer's com positions The other chapters are on equally interesting snbjecta, and include " A Note on Wagner." Taking the book all in all, we feel that we can < all :t to the attention of teachers and pupils as a m«>-t useful guide in the study of modern compositions, as a great help in making up recital programs, and as especially valuable in musical club work. THE GREAT PIANO VIRTUOSOS OF OUR TIME FROM PERSONAL ACQUAINTANCE. By W TO* LENZ. Translated from the German by MAI L: I M R . BAKER. G. SCHIRMER. $1.25 net. The book gives some most interesting matter relat.::* to the personal and professional lives of Liszt. Cbopin. Tausig, and Henselt. No one who is making a study ©( the history of pianoforte-playing can neglect this book It is packed with anecdote and comment. THE MUSIC DIRECTORY AND MUSICIANS AN-NUAL REGISTER OF GREATER NEW YOKK 1899. Compile d b y M . L . PINKHAM. J . T . ( o i DERY. $2.50. This book is invaluable to musicians not only in Ne» York city, but in other places, since it contains tbt names and addresses of the great majority of the tea. beta of the Metropolitan district, and information about Tru-ing artists, concert and opera dates, and an append:x of the "Women's Musical Clubs of America." So many students of music are anxious to know of tbe leading teachers, or to address questions to competed authorities, that a compendium of this kind, which classifies teachers under their special branches, is very valuable indeed. Mr. Cowdery, whose address is 1141 Broadway, is making preparations for a new ac«: PL-larged issue, to include all persons engaged in mur.« a] work in Greater New York, and requests all inter*sitd to send full information to him. THE ETUDE has received from Dr. Percy Goetschius a letter in which he asks that a correction be made ta a statement in the article by Mr. Macdougall, on "li e American as a Musical Theorist," in the May issue. Dr. Goetschius says that his first book on harmony, "Th e Material Used in Musical Composition," was originally prepared for the English harmony classes of the Con-servatory of Music at Stuttgart, and was in English, and published in Germany in 1882. The edition published in this country in 1889 was rewritten. While it was founded on the system of Dr. Fais>t. it departed therefrom in execution, and Dr. Goetschius claims that the essential differences are American in their conception, and better adapted for teaching the subject to American students than are the "conservative, profound pedagogic products of the old country." [Dr. Goetschius is an American by birth, and was formerly a teacher of harmony in the Stuttgart Con-servatory. It does seem strange that an American should have had such a position, but even at the present time, Mr. O. B. Boise, an American, occupies a com-manding position as a teacher of composition in Berlin. —ED. ]
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