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<h2>THE LIFE-DRAMA OF A MUSICAL CRITIC</h2> IN FOUR CLIPPINGS I. ADOLESCENCE From the Centerville "Clarion": LOCAL TALENT MAKES SPLENDID SHOWING The concert held last evening in Masonic Hall was a great success. It certainly showed what Centerville could do in a musical line. From the opening duet, played by Miss Violet and Miss Nancy Stubbs, to the very end of the program, the audience seemed to thoroughly enjoy every number. But the feature of the evening was the singing by Mr. Harry Bowers of "Rocked in the Cradle of the Deep". This noble song gave the popular young druggist an opportunity to display his remarkable low notes. Another person deserving of special mention was Miss Helen Smith, who, attractively dressed in pink and carrying a bouquet of fresh flowers, rendered[Pg 203] "The Rosary" with great effect. All in all, the concert was a great event, and a considerable amount of money was raised toward the new fire-engine. <cite>Abraham Lincoln Simpson</cite>, Music and Art Critic. <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i_203.png" width-obs="400" alt="Man and woman singing." /></div> [Pg 204] II. EFFERVESCENCE From the "New York Chronicle": GOTHAM ORCHESTRA PLAYS SCHNITZEL Warmth of Oriental Color Adolf Schnitzel's symphonic poem "Aus Bengalien," which was admirably performed last evening by the Gotham Symphony Orchestra, shows a masterly understanding of the folk-music of India. The Bengalese have from the earliest times been noted for their proficience in the arts. Their principal instrument is the bimbam, an elongated drum, played upon with any convenient article, such as an elephant's tusk or the bone of an ancestor. When struck at one end, it emits the sound bim; when struck at the other, a clear-toned bam is produced: hence its curious name. The following melody, known as the "War-Song of Prince Brahmadan," gives one an idea of the capacity of this instrument: Bim-bim-bam, bim-bam-bim. The chorus is also characteristic: Bim, bim! [Pg 205] At the religious ceremonies of the Bengalese, the Futrib, or high priest, plays upon a peculiar one-toned flute, producing an effect of awe and mystery, as this hymn to the sun-god aptly illustrates: <blockquote> Too—oo—t! Toot, toot-a-toot, toot-a-toot, toot; Too—oo—t! </blockquote> With this wealth of material to draw from, Schnitzel has constructed a work that is nearly perfect in form. Beginning with a soft bim-bam-bim, which is followed by a sinister toot, toot, he works up to a climax of marvelous contrapuntal ingenuity, in which the two themes are combined thus: Bim, toot, bam, toot-a-toot, Truly the apotheosis of Bengal! A. L. S. [Pg 206] III. ACQUIESCENCE From the "New York Chronicle": "WASHINGTON" REPEATED Last night was a brilliant one at the opera. "Washington," the new American music-drama, was given for the second time, with the same cast as before. Among those who attended the performance were Mrs. Pierpont Astorbilt, who wore pale nesserole garnished with soufflée; Mr. and Mrs. Plantagenet Carter, the latter in an exquisite creation of blanc-mange; and Mrs. Sibley Harwood-Stevens, in gray limousine, air-cooled with insertion. Mrs. Reginald Carrington's guests were Lord and Lady Shrewby and the Duc de Vaurien. The latter wore a black dress-suit and a white shirt. Mrs. Gaybird was present for the first time since the death of her husband. She wore her skirt at half-mast. (Unsigned) [Pg 207] <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i_207.png" width-obs="500" alt="Occupants of a box at the opera." /></div> IV. SENESCENCE From the New York "Evening Spot": BASSOON CONCERT A RELIEF FROM MODERNISM BY A. LINCOLN SIMPSON New York is suffering from a plethora of concerts. The fact that the halls are generally crowded is no excuse for giving so many performances. It is unfair to the critics. Yesterday afternoon, at the concert of the Gotham Symphony Society Ludwig Käse played that great German master-work, the Leberwurst bassoon concerto in F-flat major, opus posthumous. ("Posthumous" does not[Pg 208] in this case have its usual meaning of written after the defunction of the composer's brain: it refers to the fact that Leberwurst did not live to publish the work, as his audience lynched him when he played it from manuscript.) This concerto, dedicated to the composer's patron, the deaf old Duke of Pretzelheim, bears the title of "Spring," and this vernal quality was admirably brought out by Herr Käse, particularly in the movement representing influenza. Indeed, it was impossible to hear his sublime sniffulations without being moved to profound coughing. François Grisé's "Gingerbread Suite," scored for viola, piccolo, trombone, and celesta, might have been interesting had it been more of a novelty; but, since it had been heard in New York five times within four years, its performance on this occasion was a mistake. The program included also a symphonic rhapsody on cow-boy melodies. As this is by an obscure native composer and has never been heard before, there is nothing to say about it. <hr class="chap" /> [Pg 209] <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/i_209.png" width-obs="300" alt="Concert hall." /> Even people sitting behind pillars can enjoy her. </div> [Pg 210] <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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