Show MUSIC AND MONEY the speculative tendency of musical composers in a sharp criticism of the purely money getting spirit evinced by many writers 0 music prof louis lombard of utica N Y has this to say occasionally at least every musician should play or write what he likes rather than which ho thinks will please or sell musical composition is too often turned into commercial speculation tho moneymaking money making disposition of our people hy causing them to consider the pecuniary before the intrinsic value of their art products is the greatest obstacle to their artistic development for the purpose of money getting some musicians offer almost any thing however bad others more honest than wise persistently try to ram into the publics ear compositions that can neither be understood nor without a preliminary education which they know full well the public has not had commercially this is soon found to bo most unprofitable and as no artist is devoid of a stomach though ho be the most refined among men another course is soon followed the musical missionary gives up his post rather than starve lie no longer attempts to nourish souls by the process used in fattening geese for pate de foie gras iba bold art cru falls into the ranks of dol lar bickers in the attainment of desirable thins thin s extremes should bo avoided A national musical taste can no more be created by bachs dugues fugues than by the vapid jingle called popular music Is there no golden mean ono is tempted to ask must artists stoop to peoples pockets or shoot over peoples heads can they not cultivate the taste of their hearers by gradually introducing a better class of music in our homes our schools our churches and our theaters in doing so judiciously they would benefit themselves quite as much as the public for in time they come to bo regarded as educators while now they are known only as dealers in pleasant noibe wo have many musical temperaments that only await the opportunity for development is able to pay for the best instructors what grander things too than our mountains canyons caves forests and rivers could be found on earth to inspire compose ris Is it not sad that music should bo at so low an ebb in a country so richly endowed by nature and where in almost all other fields men have attained the greatest results the blame for this deplorable condition of our music lies with those musicians and their name is legion who busy themselves exclusively with moneymaking money making to the detriment of the art life of t heir country |