Newspapers / The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, … / Dec. 22, 1907, edition 1 / Page 17
Part of The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
it 5 . 4 J. . ' ' i 3, ; , :M:itjff; v BY KAIU VOX Itt reviewing the musical event of Saet -week I find thr ' two student concerta of 5d Elizabeth end Preaby. terlan colleges, respectively, and one performance of a musical comedy at . the Academy of f Miwlc. It tfes without saying- that the latter lid not Vary grossly from the rules and par ticularities of Us species, ' though one might remark that the casta ;Df , the muaicftl plays c which have vtelted Charlotte of late, Indicate a pronounc ed change la the tactics of the man agement; Hitherto tt thas been, the habit of the big concern, who put Tut musical attractions, : to v engage leading ' women, Juvenile women and woubrettes whkrh 4iaJ hut little voice and whose ample curves'lJad to make p for this deficiency, but In "Coming Thro the Rye," ,and "Forty-Five Minute From Broad way.Tthe. co-star and star respectively, were possessed of real voice. As to the value and teauty of ,the- music that one finds thrown Into these farcial comedies there risV.of ourse, little to say. CJeorge Cohan's manner Is wfell-lsiiown cuid -If one, has- .-.heard " one of -r his tunes, ; one , "Knows tliem all, for the Yankee Doodle xiomedlan Is not particularly- blessed, with originality, and Inspiration is always tight with him. "Whistle a potpourri of natlonal alrs, dress It with occasional : runs -a ia Piocblo' And you have the combination l that opens the door to his workshop. Ktill even he, -at times,, has an Idea, which, though tt may be frlvoious, h.aa nevertheless Its charms ; ana , at triictlveness vide: "Mary Is a Grand OM Name;"' and since he writer Is wholly unpretentious,',- does not: con inlly kick at the stars in a Jisgustlng manner and gives us.no riddles to solve, we might forgive him. c --At the more'serloua musical events, the two student concerts, one 1 truly Justified in s rejoicing. ; . 1 Ih the per formances of these young ladles one frequently' detects, considerable tal ent, even genius, and.' It is further- . taii nrtirntlnfl tt iseft What " cat an Interest tne public In general s-jkes ,in.. these recitals. ., :'"' With re r ixd to the TrogTaimme, one can but .1 nt compliment those in, authority on thir foo.1 3iiii,Trpent, for hone of the fprfoiinors were allowed ' to go -beyond their - posblbllitles. ; ! This Is tru!v remarkable, for the contrary Is tv,-Ve la most modern female col- Somehow It has -become a t h thise latter that on: the .. . .oe .of a gradirUinff; or ordi j t '.-nt recital must be at least . ovpn fionnfa anl one Bach i' -'or thee are claflcal,- you 1 nt , sr 1 via-, it1 'n U coni'emlable. i'it of t i 1-tture I' f'uo t tUn f.ict tnt t.e hon- 1 -r; 1 I 1 fl r ! I 'a tt "an f n tali - f f lit .1 ' 1 l V 1 t 1 1 I p .1 1 , t i I Liiz yc:: no dr.toralioh vlien you cay Piano It's all there a perfect instrument embody infciU scientific principles that stand for perfection in tone production Investigate, heai; and examine the STiEFF fcfpre you buy and it will become a permanent guest in your, home and lead to the highest de velopment -of that greatest v I ; To the Observer, Chronicle, News Columbia State Greensboro; Industrial Merchant's Journal, and afliOtheripublication we wish to ciation of their ecelleni service arid-friehdsW &x ;-s ' cf i; AiMt" S&ff, MEJLAMGE LAWRENZ.? we even grant that the girl may over come the technical difflcultie of these compositions, she win never at that age arrive at a satisfactory .solution of their meaning. It ' eeems. like saorllege; the great Beethoven, the man who had tasted of all the bitter ness and sweetness of hfe alike, who had known the profound depths of sorrow 'and 5iad lived on the very heights! of Joy and jwestacy, Interpret ed by a arulleiess ? little girl,-; whose life has been one even stream of com fort and whose: greatest disappoint ment has- been the discovery, that Sarah J.'s Iastdress was prettier and more fashionable than hers. It is Just like a poet trying to describe In verses, sensations which "i haa never experienced, ' passions , which . he " has never felt, or like a painter, who has never been; out of the; United States, tiylng to paint an Oriental landscape; Imagination has to make up for lock of knowledge and nndterstanjing. True, the lmanlgatlon of & college girl Is generally quite rich, in many cases abnormal, but It has nothing in com mon with .Beethoven; to Interpret his thoughts 'one must have lived ! and suffered. '.'He, who never ; in tears ate .ttils dally bread, ."'who never Jay weeping on his couch during the long, sorrowful nights, toe knows - ye ; not, nfe . ye make the mortals become ye eartmy powers. , i arag us into sinners,-then ye leave them) ia utter Jejeotlon and despair, for everyw4rullt must be avenged on earth." And how could one expect a sweet; Inno cent nj immature college girl to have experienced the merciless whip hand of the , mystic earthly powers! Let her wait then until the hour ar rives, and In the meantime letter try her art on some of the other com positions . which are t less 'difflclle.' more graceful and not quite so vleep: There Is plenty of 'chance for a dis play of technique and cantilena in the airs and scenes of Mme. Cham InaJe, in' the pieces of the genial Moszkowskl. the fantasia and rhap sodies of the gigantic, Liszt or the sombre s reveries,, of the nihilistic Tchaikovsky and consorts." The truth of the gentle, reminder: , "Do not fo beyonJ your ability and you will be sucesrful" will thence-clearly demon strated. -In these two , student ' con certs such was the case, whir h wm in dubitably one of the causes that male them so enjoyablo, and I can but ex-pre.'-s f.,inln" rny sincere rr-.rrml and respect for the excellent Jud -ment and ab'l'ty oP those In commanl Vif the : music 'department of the col leges. - , . - . Tor thl VvPfk are ar -ct- tw mu"'cnl events -of Imporr iiice, tv " T r-rf -rnis nee of the m"-r.i C-m-w i ( i, 1T1 1 it 1 r I qt A , 'v (, . u on t 1 i I 'i t' " r' 1 r 1 T'ew li.' i ., :. v I ' ! I, In the t,:;nn:;. t 1,1 s t.- i i .j i lintel on the : i ' ' i ; i f " r c ' it " v i r a 1 vi ; j a . 'T fvr t ar t ! f t 1 ! f - ! 1 1. 1. rr, . I : of : all' arts Music 4-. 5 t i4 f.f! ' - ', looked' forward. to: with keen ' lnte- " " ,5 t " ' I i Chanton's, rlons, menons du fcrult,1 ; . , Beuvons ici toute la. nuit -Tant que demain la belle "Aurora'" J Nous trouve tous aUble encore. " In these times) where , cafe " ' and hotel life has come to such ' promi nence, It may be well to aay few words about the class of music 'and musicians which are heard nightly in those places. To sure, there ,1 hot one hotel, not qne restanrant jot cafe of consequence to. be found In the larger cities Of this country, which does not employ some sort of an, or chestral combination ln order to en tertaln. itsipatrftna' at ntght Of course one cannot venture to com pare these music uur and the so-called popular music which they play and which Is so particularly their own with any classic orchestral bodies or classic masters, -for seen from such ft standpoint of view, the cafe music must needs appear; base and trivial. I wish merely to dwelljor a few mo menta on the , merits, smal I - though they be, lof yils muatc. ' The spirit of it lives In snatches ana echoes that return long afterwards and haunt you in othexpUcea and amid other scenes like the vague scent of. per fumes1 ok 'powers, .and- It . has its own msrlt, the perCeot alUblUty ami Tight ness of place.- Music is idealistic In her object, whlsh is an appeal to consciousness and Is,, therefore, ideal; but it also may be realistic, , I , mean in the sense of all' that id trivial and vulgar, ielng the' minlftfctalion and ofttlmes the glorification of all , that Is external," mediocre and" superficial In martial life, v The latter we gen erally confront when we pass away a Jew moments In' any of the .cafes here and there but It Is my experi ence at any rate, that those songs and dances which are so tedious In thea tres anl garden concerts, may , sud denly eprlng into - vitality and pro priety when you hear them amid their own surroundings of light and; wine, beauty ad extravagance, light- heart ed gaiety and , tragic unhapplness. Their home is In that-world of cafe and, restaurant . llf e . which is strictly of no nationality at all and which be longs rather, to a stage of civilization than to any race Of people. "Whether In France, Germany, Italy or Amert-da,-this luxurious and artificial life has Its attractions for those who have the-'mecessary amount 6f money, the hecessary .decree of Social' education and the necessary : temperament to avail themselves ' of the pleasures it offers. r- lis- lan!rua.g' it the rusUa of ibanknotei frokesmen j which ere universally recc-nlzedi' and ' treated with the i!-!ie-;.t reFpectand in It, f.crha pa more than in any other r ' "-e of lire, the barrier of riMonal" ar completely thrown Jown. T.ut t . it bus no rationality, It has a f ! r e, v v 1 "i 1s t.ie 1 iirh t 1 1 !i t U-i'd r.ls we i la v v r ' l u in m;tny r' T'' ' r . , : 1 r'n of rr! t e ( i ' ; ' T" i " 1 1 t ' 1 i ( ; i i t 1 1 t i - K - ( f t I . . 1 t T 1 1 ! t f all t!; 1.:'- !? ! : i ; : i; r ' :;-; i 1 t.ir.t can ,3 ! .m: f. I lffr -l(f 1 , 1 1 a t t i ( r t ; ','T7 "' ancholy .reveriet of the gypsies at the "Boulevard," aa the orchestra, of VSherry's" is different from the glit tering band at "Suiter's" Harlem ca sino, j'v: But throughout this world of food and pletaeure the muslo has the same unfailing characteristic of genial and v ingratiating appeal;. it, ia vas frankly panderous to; the appetite of the ears as are the sauces and entrees of th restaurant to the : palateWvp ii The., muaio ;of the cafe is not the less . interesting because it is so en tirely unpretentious, w It is merely an accompaniment to eating; or a cover ing forconversation' or, towarJs the hours of dawn and mmrlse, a provo cation to the beautiful and tragic sup porters of these ' establishments to dance- and 'add' further movement to scenes already -gay and animated.5 It is always In the background,- and' yet it is always going op; the people Who listen to it are people who have come for almost any other purpose than to listen to music,, and yet with its modest, but wilful (persistence it en chains their subconscious, t attention. You- see pretty faces and dissipated faceev happy faces and sad faces, each In their turn caught to Attention, and heads set nodding in time to the def inite rhyms. w At ' first you ; might think: that tn every, cafe ' to" which you go, it ls : the same iJ red-coated band, the same fiddles : And basses, that are providing in endless repltl tlon the- same tunes; ..but it ia hot so. If you spend the hours from midnight to , o'clock (In the morning, going the .round of those unique placet of refreshment, you will gradually recog nize that, although you have heard perhaps' only doten tunes played during the night you have heard them with en Infinite VAriety' of , char acter. The vaJse' "Monte Cftrlsto" is one thing at Miartlrt't at midnight; It Is another thing, atv the "Cairo" at half-past 5, when the early morning sunshine is 'streaming in through a neglected window and mingling , its rosy fight with the yellow glitter of the electric lamps,,; and playing on Paquln gownt and Lewis hats, on dHamonJa, strawberries and cham pagne coolers. ; In one place it is the passionate exposition of a melody upon which the chef 'dorchestre' sets his neart; laythe other it Js only the rhythm that seems to be studied, that maddening rhythm which draws even weary feet as the magnet draws metal fragments, and sets them moving to its merciless progress, until even the music tens are fain to pause for ex haustions In the case of the on looker It ofttimes provides a subtle and melancholy vehicle of association with a. scene so glitterlnsr end yet so out of touch with normal life. , Like fill fitnple music, written in a' well . ' ; j form. It has the power of ab f rbin? itno lt lf the atmoBphere and '-ociiitlons of the moment and- of reproducing them afterwards, so tbnt In some JHuant place and in far dif ferent company, at the sudden ! of a certala mt-lody, t ;a , iu it r n and dlmenlons of pn..- wr.l he l;f; ', vr and reint'ol to ,':f, ihTi. cry of the moment wi:i 'rr ,r li a twinkllr and in I; i ' . t cr . t r l the c t ''en of yr ;,-w i: '' t;rf d 1 eyr-1, f r ;y Jr' ; ".tkllf J"-t, fon-1 nn-l wr.;?y, r.'lnn -.- and 4V-t , i. ''(3A ' I?f? , . -- i ' 11,1 theVctaiert lin'redl frock4:oAt 'with their -dark ; South m atrangest and most mysterious. Every night, year in, i year out, they take taelr places, playing without written notes - the tunes and snatches of the moment, doomed to gaze throughout their working hourt on the most brU Hant andv depressing scenes that the byways of mMern clvUlzaUon ! have to often ? I have often, when myself a spectator of such, scenes, wondered whet these musicians thought of it all,-, what; views of life they must have won thus continually devote the most noble and most intimate of arts to such, atrange and tragic purposes. Here it a man, who has tolled through his boyhood and youth with difficult exercises and painful studies, w".w has labored , at conservatories, had' his great part In great moments and re ceived the praise of great men, come, while still in-Jils prime, to fce'the kader , of fsome tuch, little parasite orchestra, and to walk from table to table -collecting on hia .fWdle frag ments of song, Jiummed by this or the others ' demlmondalne,' in order that for ' her -pleasure hit iltile 'company may make muaio of them. , And music, they do make; there ia In their Improvised ensemble a lyrical coher ence and excellence such as you sel dom hear in the most perfect concert orchestra or quartette, a ' It may bs a depressing fact ' or not Just as you please,, hut I think. It to a" fact that in the world of cafea and Ciotel is to be found ; some ot the finest en semble Atring-playlngan : the world. Listen to yon leader as, atopplng at SOme likalv ta,hl h hABina h nm. pr recitative of '0 Du Metn Holder iiuciwmora, - mo ciioras irom ins red-coated company In th alcove sink to a wfhlsper, the golden yolce of the solo fiddle speaks passionately as the O string thrills through the clatter and conversation. Every eye In the alcove ? is fixed on ' every ' movement of the leader's toow as -it rises and falls, now in long-drawn and linger lna careseji.a now mennlmr n its Intensity of grief, through that' senti mental, but beautiful melody.- c Of course It is played with complete ab sence of restraint and with something like , fulsome exaggeration,, but. it Ms so oeautlfuUy' done Giat It fits quite well into the 'exaggerated and artifi cial . atmosphere ; of 'Creme de Mentha and .'Moet-Chan Jon. Ii you car very much for muslo you may -blush a little for yourself, when It Is all over; but that will not Jbe the fault of the players, who, of all artists tn the world who iav to work under absolutely Jmpowlhle conditions, seetn to me to work with the greatest devo tion and success. . Sometimes, when listening to the muslcai comedy tunes which are above all others" In order in th;na places, one wonder by unat art or trickery a melody trivlil in Itnelfbe coiiig arrarently invented with vir uo p " 1 vilue; but no A --j! t the ra- raur t t.ie surroundinc end t!ie fact 'icral attentiKn i, never en- d' t It, f.iv-s the mye :ltit:mcm tt! ' 1l It JlfPllflf. thus l;:e an. lrrpresnlon- It Into which on mu not -'y If the f C ' '. "- "6 News, Everything, The; extend pur sincereappre-; ;S'" 0 : . - Scdfcern ftrercci: 5 QHHRLOTTB, N. vr retain their splendor in the tame cold light. . , r One attribute at least of the true artlat belongs to the players in the cafes: they never look for applause. In the great army of artists who make the world pleasanter for their music and their color, these at least deserve a place of respect and appreciation, who o : admirably perform a task whla many would not think worth undertaking, at all. They may be thet unhappy creatures of decadence an Artificiality, out they do some thing to redeem both, and all artifi ciality Is not bad art, though the learned critics of the Jay would say that it could never be great art. But they who aim only at a perfect com mand of such i surface nicety, set themselves no mean task and if they succeed, l do not think k It proper, that those who occupy themselves with greater matters should withhold from the former a measure of admiration.- Their muslo 1 a fountain heady of memories, gay and terrible. It is art within an 'art; and the shell if you breaf. it tenderly, will bring to view a curioue kernel, sweet and mar velously wrought, out cradled; in poi son. And, ah what power to1 cor rode hearts and lives, what cancerous corruption of peace and fortune may not He within those tweet and biting strains. w.t-i Ji' -v f',1" .,T'"V 'tstsMMsMsssii 'i,"";, :i ':""-j" -y1. ,! -..-'"' f""'t '? -1"' ' . , c '' ' ' "'.'" ''' H It strikes me that among those who are given to talk music ' nowadays ion, more rightly ignorance as to the ion, more rightly, ignorance; as to the meaning of the term "classlo" In mu i 9ny "he other day I heard A trivial ballade of the Calibre of "Love Me and the World is Mine," referred to as a rather ' classlo composition. The expounder of this opinion teem ed to be quite serious about it and labored evidently under the delusion that anything of slow tempo, endowed with an overdosis of sweetntng, is classic. I ; am quite- sure that the author of this little banality, Cole, Jones,: Ball or whoever he may be, never dreamed In (his mont ambitious reveries that his compowltlon would be called such a name. - Others seem to think that, everything in art that hat attained a certain xlecent attd re spectable age must needs 'be adorned with the cognomen "Classic." Even old V.Sainte-Boeuve" apparently en countftred Jlke opinions on his paUi, for he once very emphatically wrote: i'Les ouvrages ancient ne ,sont pas classlques -parce qu'Hs aont . vleux. mals parce qu'JIs ', sent energique!, frals et dispos." ; Of counts his dpfi nttlon of ' the Word "classic" Is a lit tle veiled, and, one might even sty Inadequate, for the - word 'dlspon" may mean "cheerful." or eUn "d -posed" or 'orderly;' and too many compoKltlonj which are truly not c1-m-slc would nevertheiess answer t!iio meaning and rank under this he i lngr. Mcttlnks that the word " : m rlc" refers, to the style -In co"ir(1 i tlon who?e 4nsd?n!a aro a gra.i.i 1 calllv correct lansttirnre. In v ?t words a strict adherence to i r1 l of harmony and coutcrpo'nt t 1 l! down .ly 1 ,-h an I corm.", n-. I v !-j d."3ned,,.'H''t !'y i" ' r, ;, s - rhy! Urni and v h-, c r' r - ! ( rd I i' h, I ' '. I v.' !, it; 5 . 1 s f ' 1 Vest Tf SL : ' H to a certain century, but to a class of eompMltiont, the tendencies of which' are varying from and often opposite to thoa of the classics- These mod erns could thea be' tubdivlded into various classes of ' their own, as for example: : Wagnerlans, Romanticists. Neo-Itallans PhlUsophert who , use big phrases oryelled meaning and so f ortn. -; fittU that even would not comprise all, for there it one tort of composition, which only grows in this country,? and which is name -rag. time' a very tigniflcant and appro ?ia fiarn4 to receive this into .T'll ,ven tne most daring and Droad-mlnded moderns wbuU ttrenu ously object, I believe. : Ergo! "ra ime, remains unclassified, by iteif ' cn lonely heights or profound depths at you please,- . " - J- NATl'IML lUSTOnV. Washington Star. '". Come hither. Hollo, prihg thy beok And qpea it before me. thus. Upon a.e ereaiuTve w. .wi a - which "nature writers oft discuss. T1i 'u!ltLlJ?on,",y ' make fcy all. the lickings he can tuke. And keep on kicking Just the same. Tnt E,Ynant with glue,' Ihough thick of .kin, tince years i lie somehow , has contrived to be A ie4dlng feature of the sh0w. , And prohibitionists so slout ' Should love the camel, don't you thl- k W'lo trudges valiantly .bout ' or days and never takes a di-lnk? O'er aU of thes'we llshtly p,- Th'n fuU we" but whife t When, bufit and Bears stamiwd. t , Tn wnole menagerie cut joouc: " ' ' HAxr's. BalUnure Sun! . ' . The hands of the happy r rVt And ili hnl of tiit wt'nrv The hands have a Upkump ii . v it tells of the Iivps hid Prosperous hands are o i,,h; And ladylike hamls are o t--" But, h, the hands of thti t cure'. ..,-..-. Phruuken, and tha, and rale! The bonds of the mis; Mr aro ro- The hands of the humile r l. The hands of the must,-,-, ' , With bnuWt's of r"l i, t -. . The hands of the to-r a-,, , " With tan of the t h u With here and tiir lu t,i , Of the constant Urcr;-!.! - (n , Oh, hand ran b Mmi'r n- i t -And lisifxl-4 ton to uv.ik I i lint two I n!.. ;,,ri in of , , AkI.1i' (.,- '! a I' ! :WS (',,: , ., .... Two I,; :!o t -"i,U t - Are tiiuf-j i ' '. ii t ! i , t Fit f'r .i I . ( !,,..- la tn f,..;,l ct :t e . s , i: i r i . .!.' I. :) 11 . - . J.. '., Tint , . - A - 1 i I S 4 t i lA t l t - ;:..) io i It U : i 1 3 r -; S'-iun-l; i, i ; - 1( , t i . j f -.'. -I, T ' r:.;,l. i :1 3 ' I i Iii: V 1 J ' '.''I t t. - ct &: t' ; '.-S I' ll n ''l '1 v ' ' c1 ' - as b..-at- i ,r 1 ...... ,.f , t. 3 V ;ht i it wou! 1 y r
The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Dec. 22, 1907, edition 1
17
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75