Victor Herbert's American Place Music In

4 MUSICAL AMERICA October II, 1913 to make successful fusion impossible. The him have dragged more than one charming instance is practically one of musical oil score to an unmerited oblivion. The in and water. It is credible that with further credible fatuities of tbe "Natoma" text VICTOR HERBERT'S PLACE IN operatic experience Mr. Herbert will at have served almost to make of this book a tempt no such venture. Momentary appli mock classic. And yet such defects seem AMERICAN MUSIC cation of the grand style to ' comic opera in no wise to impede the easy flow Qf Her is permissible, and in some cases even de bert's inspiration-an unfortunate matter, sirable. But the reverse is a flagrant error, for this lack of discrimination is bound How His Many Operettas Have Distracted Attention from His a practice to be shunned at all costs. Mu eventually to result more or less disas sical delineation of the lighter moments of trously. Strange to say, Mr. HerQert has Attainments as Profound and Richly Gifted Musician grand opera cannot legitimately be accom written some of his best music to some of A Commanding Figure in Realm of Serious plished in pure operetta manner. The best the poorest poetic passages that. confront comic opera passage forfeits its most char ed him. And yet he has a saving Composition acteristic excellence when transplanted to power of dramatic understanding and ut the more august lyrical environment. terance-consider the magnificent tone poem A close. observer of musical progress, Mr. that ushers in the third. act of "Natoma" By HERBERT F. PEYSER Herbert is yet no copyist. That of which and the splendidly impassioned soliloquy of he may see fit to avail himself is well sat the Indian maiden shortly afterward. urated with the essence of his own artistic It would be futile at present to split hairs H ERE are times when the element of characteristic utterance is in its way as personality before it forms a component over the question of the "Americanism" 0.£ T genius concentrated in a single indi distinctive, as individual, as free as that of part of his own scores. His craftsmanship, Victor Herbert's work before some defini his dexterous manipulation of technical re tion and some tangible exemplification of vidual capriciously assumes a variety of every great foreign composer of comic opera from Strauss to Arthur Sullivan. sources, as may be inferred 'from all the the archetype of "Americanism" in music forms more or less related, and in so doing His melodic flow is facile, superabundant foregoing, are probably unsurpassed, by can be clearly pointed out. Suffice it to develops into an embarrassment of riches and generally original. To be sure, his ex- any' American musician to-day. The fact remember that of all the American-made capable of proving a poignant handicap. operas heard in the Metropolitan Opera House in the last decade, "N atoq1a" stead Humanity, ardently appreciative of artistic 01 _\ ily maintains its place as the best. If it is ta'lents manifested in one specific manner, now to be displaced it can be defeated only would seek to constrain their possessor by "Madeleine"-which, after all, will from altering that medium of expression. merely signify a further triumph for Victor Herbert over Victor Herbert. • It may actually seek to belittle if not repu diate altogether his endeavors to utter his message along lines more gratifying to his PHILHARMONIC SEAT SALE faricy. For the world likes to see its Substantial Increase Already Shown in geniuses and talents duly labelled and clas Advance Orders for Concerts sified,. and, having associated them with one sphere of action, it takes unkindly to The New York Philharmonic Society's public sale of season subscription seats for an enforced readjustment of perspective. the New York series of concerts has Rubinstein, it will be recalled, went to his opened at Carnegie Hall. The tickets are grave thoroughly embittered at the thought for twelve Thursday evenings, sixteen Fri that his fame as a pianist militated insuper day afternoons and twelve Sunday after ably against his serious acceptance as a noons. The Friday afternoon series, al composer. Offenbach's dearest wish was ways well attended, is practical1y sold out to convince his contemporaries that the ac by advance orders, and there is also a sub customed ribaldry of his works had not stantial increase in the subscription to the made him incapable of seriousness. And so Thursday evening and Sunday afternoon he wrote the "Tales of Hoffmann," which concerts. The Thursday evening series he neve'r lived to complete fully. Liszt has been reduced from sixteen concerts o'f grew to abhor his piano in his ambition to last season to twelve concerts this year and devote himself to creative labors, though the Sunday afternoon subscriptions were to the public of his day Liszt was first and increased from eight to twelve concerts. last the transcendently brilliant pianist. And Conductor Stransky, who has just re in our own day Paderewski enjoys not a turned from Europe, has issued a' call to tithe of the distinction he merits as a cre the orchestra and rehearsals will begin at ative power, solely because of his potent once. The opening concert of the season fascinations in an interpretative capacity. will take place at Carnegie Hall on Thurs This strange and unhappy tendency has day evening, October .W, and on N ovem contrived to deprive Victor Herpert of ber 2 the orchestra wil! be heard at Sym some of the profound respect due him as a phony Hall, Boston. consummately gifted musician and serious composer. Mr. Herbert has written up to the present stage of his career some thirty Wilhelm Bachaus Made Court Pianist five operettas. Now, in despite of plenteous The Grand Duke of Hesse has bestowed available testimony to the contrary, there on Wilhelm Bachaus the title of Court persists a well-grounded belief in America Pianist. The honor is one that is greatly that the· purveyor of light opera cannot coveted, and it is regarded as an acknowl j usUy lay pretensions to esteem as a pr? Victor Herbert, Eminent American Composer, Whose Opera, "Madeleine," Is to Be edgment of the exalted position which found musician. And, therefore, even m Bachaus now occupies in the musical the face of the exceptionally wrought oper Produced This Season by Metropolitan Opera Company world. Bachaus recently wrote Loudon etta scores for which he has stood sponsor. Charlton, under whose management he is his full significance is not as universally cessive productivity has not suffered him has not yet received the recognition it de to make his second American tour, that he grasped and appreciated as it ought and as to maintain anything like an' even level of serves. His sensitivene.ss to cont~mporary had prepared a' series' of programs of this it unquestionably is destined to be. excellence. He has Cicca~iDnally lapsed into technical advancement is appa~ent in his much heralded trip. His first New York Withal Victor Herbert must be rec\wned banality and has not infrequently stooped light operas, which in fascinations Qf har appeir:mce::is scheduled for November 19, with as one of the commanding figures in to conquer. Against the writing of essen mony and richness of color maintain a and his first Boston recital for November contemporary American music. His opera, tially cheap "topical songs," seasoned for steady advance from year to year. 20. Regarding his orchestral appearances, "Natoma," susceptible as it may be to cnt Broadway approval, he has had no serious Mr. Herbert's main weakness is not, Mr. Bachaus writes that he considers Dr. icism on several grounds, would alone suf scruples. On the other hand, his ability to strictly speaking, musical. I t lies rather in Neitzel's concerto extremely effective and fice to prove this. To precisely what fur surpass all his previous efforts in Qoint of his congenital insensibility to literary he hopes to play it in this country. On Oc ther extent his new opera, "Madeleine" sheer melodic wealth, delicacy and refine values. The utter inanity and insignificance tober 8 he will play this work in Sonder (the Metropolitan's American novelty for ment o'f feeling and amazing fineness of of many of the operetta librettos set by hausen, and on October 24 in Dresden. the coming year), will enhance. hi~ statu:-e workmanship, as he has done in the re remains to be seen. The essential IS that m cently produced "Sweethearts" is little short an enumeration of native composers of the of marvelous- al1 the more when one re first rank Victor Herbert be not an after flects upon the number previously put forth. INDEX TO SBASON'S FORECASTS OF If/E CITIES thought. To dismiss him lightly is t? .err So obviously abundant are the man's re grievously. To undervalue the on.gm~l sources that, properly husbanded, they Atlanta, Ga. .. .. ........ ...... .... 59 Montclair, N. J ........................ 139 characteristics of his musical personality IS should not be exhausted for years to come. Ann Arbor, Mlch ................. : .... 96 Minneapolis, Minn. .. .. ... ......... 55 a confession of egregious ignorance. But if Mr. Herbert possesses one strong- Baltimore, Md. .. ........... .... ...... 73 Norfolk, Va ... ............ .. ...... 117 Mr. Herbert has written orchestral ly characteristic style in his lighter · scores Birmingham, Ala . • .... .. ..... .. .. 121 Newark, N. J •............ .. ......... 117 suites (the New York Philharmonic once he boasts of another, widely different but Buffalo, N. Y.. .. ...... ... ............. 69 New Albany, Ind ........... ... .. .. .. 85 gave his "Romantic Suite" and might re Boston, Mass. ........... .. .... 21, 22, 23 Nashville, Ten'n ........ .... .. : . .. 113 quite an unmistakably individualized, in Brooklyn, N.

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