Show 111 = L An Old Musical Demonstration L Among the many unpleasant tnqks AmoHb 1 which fall to the lot of 1 concert < tent dlfllcult Is to decline the I not the least dlJcult declne virtuosi will lout tempting offers of certain Wl their very sensitive feel I out hurling ltvc fugs Such oilers Infrequently con GIst of a suggestion that the agent shal find the money and take the risk whil to pIn t the i virtuoso shall condescend i and pocket about 90 per cent oC the profits wherever there are any IIons II When Pan Ogle TrepanowSkl wrote j io me from Poland In this sense my flst I Impulse was to indite n very firm refusal re-fusal Reading his l letter a second Imo however I gathered from the mixture of English and what nppcarci I o bc Volnpuk in which hls intention I 1 were conveyed that he waM followlni nu Its heels with such truly artistic 1m heus petuoslty that no reply could posslbl I reach him In time to = prevent his departure de-parture In addition t thin time actor ac-tor he mentioned the namo of an os teemed 01 acquaintance of mine In St PC tcrsburg 5 that I felt the Imposslblll ty of escape t As a rule I 10 not like virtuosi even when they keep themselves clean Especially Es-pecially I do not lee pianoforte vlr 1 t IIIY Besides I had already more oC them on my list than I knew what tc t I do with It was to this class that Par Trcpanowskl belonged His let I Oglft repanowslt I ter left no doubt on that point Al I his qualifications were duly set forth ix Of course his hair he enclosed a photograph photo-graph and his names were unexceptionable unexcep-tionable the rest I did not go Into I tonable I was finite out oC the question for me tc 1 run any pianoforte virtuoso on my own 1 account unless Indeed it had been the Paderewskt himself At the same time adcrewslt something pathetic in the idea of this man traveling right across i Europe with me for his lodestar and I felt unequal to meeting him with a point blank refusal I was a case for diplomacy I gave myself tenl four hours to think t out and then matured my plans I In the result I posted four letters one i of which was addressed to Pan Ogle at the Hotel de 1Europe to meet him when he should arrive there on the 13th I I Invited him to tlc luncheon with meat r me-at Norwood on the llth I I had not I done this ho would have come to my I olllcc In Regent street before I could execute my plan I explained in the clearest possible I manner the way from Norwood station e to my house and even gave a I i sketch I mal of the route Nevertheless on the morning 01 the 14th I received a telegram couched in these terms Locomotive Lo-comotive twelve hours permit that one encounters me to the station Trepan I owskU On solving thIshe had evidently f evi-dently got It word for word from a diet tinnaryI die-t gathered that the professor was coming by the 12 oclock train and wanted to be met at the station I I went down mrself and saw the train In Pan Ogle was thereil private pri-vate detective could not have missed him He stood well over six feet and was broad even for his height Despite De-spite the warmth of a summers day he wore an Immense furlined overcoat with collar and cuffs of sable I Introduced Intro-duced myself to him and he received me I with so much effusion that I was hal afraid he would embrace me However I r How-ever by holding out my hand promptly I 1 escaped with a partial dislocation of the wrist and got him into a cab lie spoke English rather worse than he wrote it but fortunately understood fairly well what was said to him I I shall make no attempt to record his patois verbatim He was full ol questions ques-tions about the series of concerts which tons he supposed I had already arranged for him I avoided giving any definite replies re-plies as well a I could until we reached the house During luncheon I was saved any trouble by the artists appetite which was well sustained and did credit to l my housekeeping We retired to the y music room and I got Pan Ogle behind g a big cigar before breaking to him that r had not yet arranged any concerts I explained that It was very important to select dates on which there were no counter attractions that It was diffIcult to throw a brick within several miles ot St Jamess ball without hitting D j student or a virtuoso who had Just I given or who was going to give a pin nop forte recital I told him that many I most deserving foreign artists spent their first decade In London playing fgr nothing at the functions of wealthy patrons of the art and In giving their services at charity concerts or in fact wherever two or three could be gathered gath-ered together to hear them The professor received all this with greater calm than I had expected He removed his cigar slowly from hlH mouth and Haid Ach Ja but I shall lilny to you and you will see He looked longingly across to the piano Jlc J said Ze English are not vat one stiy musical nation but I shall blay f I I and you will see I said that was a popular error into which all Europe seemed to have fallen i fall-en 1 told him we were the most 1 1 musical nation in the world that the piano in the board schools and similar Institutions had brought about a revolution revo-lution which Europe had not yet rca ognled I sank my voice to 1 confidential dential whlsntr I said The real reason rea-son we cannot get audiences is that for some time past the listeners have been i to n man or a woman better perform I lE than those on thu platform Pan Ogle looked incredulous but he weakened perceptibly I thought I glanced at the clock on the mantelpiece mantel-piece It indicated a quarter to 3 I was time to lead trumps I said HI will wager an > thing you like that the first tradesman who calls at this house this afternoon will play you any one of I Beethovens sonatas you choose to name Pan Ogle laughed aloud puffing out great clouds of smoke You make what you call ze fun Is it I not he asked lr was never more serious in my life I replied I rang the bell the servant entered Parkin I said ask the first tradesman who calls to step up here Mr Blunt the pork butcher in I downstairs now sir said Parkin Well aBle him to spare me a moment or two kin Yes and sir disappeared replied the impassive Par I had just time to explain to the pro fessor what a pork butcher was when a knock came at the door I did not explain ex-plain that pork butchers dp not usually 1 call on their customers and Pan Ogle was quite unsuspicious The door I opened and Mr Blount walked In He I was in his shirt sleeves and had on the blue apron which seems Inseparable from the vending of pork A large steel depended from his waist by 0 leather strap He rubbed his hands together and bowed WIth professional politeness What can I do for you today sir I he said I have just started a new line ot sausages which I can thoroughly recommend I call them tuo Dimin 3 I uendo brand merely for distinction I they taper toward one end you see None are genuine without our trade mark a dotted crotchet on the wrapper wrap-per I suppressed a smile I was not in connection with you profcssion that I wanted to Ie < you Mr Blunt but to get a third opInion opI-nion on a point In dlncusaion between the professor here and myself Do < you plan the piano Well I do sir or rather I did In fact I very much wanted to go In for music whim I left school but my fathe would not hear of I He said then was no money in It The music business ness IH played out he would say jla el there are too many at It but the art of making sausages will always provide pro-vide a competency for the few I 1 dont tolecnc thot he WHS right air It 1 does provide a competency but still 1 I sometimes have my yearnings Porl has Its limitations and it is often vcrj wearying I am sure it must be Mr Blunt I assented especially to a mIn or your temperament Now the professor profes-sor and I are at issue as to the tempo of a movement in one of Beethovens sonatas and I should be grcallj obliged if you would play it to us and let us see how it strikes you Ah the sonatas of Beethoven said Mr Blunt sententiously are like sausages sau-sages you must study them closely tc find out all there Is In them Which sonata la i sir The first movement of Opus III I said looking at Trcpanowskl for confirmation con-firmation He noddod In a puzzled sort of way The pork butcher sat down dcfentlally on the pianostool and shifted his belt so that the steel hung down behind him He presented a singularly unmusical spectacle He struck D few chords In a tentative manner by way of prelude Opus III he remarked Is a twister twist-er I have not had any practice l for months still to oblige a customer and he struck the commanding phrase which begins the Introduction Before he had played many bars the pork butcher had disappeared and the artist was revealed The colossal phrases of Beethovens last sonata were given out with a certainty a restrained force a nobility of tone an allcompelling rhythm which tool the listener by the throat and held him in bondage Pan Ogle Trepanowskl leaned forward for-ward In his chair and gasped for breath H c held his cigar poised in midair as if turned to stone The white ash dropped on the floor unre garded The cigar went out When the last chord had died away there was a hushed pause Then the professor burst forth into a torrent of polyglot superlatives He embraced the reluctant reluc-tant pork butcher He demanded of me why such a player did not devote himself him-self to the career of a virtuoso I assured as-sured him that there was no room that this was not an Isolated case that Mr Blunt was a fair specimen of the public to whom artists had to appeal In England Eng-land The professor seemed unconvinced uncon-vinced But he has everything genius ze fingers zeJe ne sals quoi Yes yes I said we expect that here Under our system such qualities ties are developed in three out of every foul scholars of ordinary intelligence I dont know whether you are aware of it said Blunt speaking to me but your two servants are capital hands at the violin and the cello They come round to my house for a trio sometimes some-times when they get a Sunday off Dear me I said I fancied I heard Parkin humming the first subject sub-ject of Tschalkowsky the other morn InC Let us have them up and see what they can do I looked toward the professor He seemed slightly dazed He nodded his head in a hopeless manner and relapsed re-lapsed into his chair I rang the bell and Parkin again appeared Mr Blunt tells me you play the violin vio-lin Parkin I said Please ask William Wil-liam to bring his cello and let us bear a trio Yes sir answered Parkin as placidly pla-cidly as if I had ordered whisky and soda He returned almost immediately bringing his violin William followed him and I saw at a glance that ho had overdone his part He had got his coat off and his shirt sleeves were turned up to the elbows Apparent disturbed in the art of blacking boots his hands and arms bore unmistakable signs of his employment this evidence being eked out by a large black smear down one side of his nose He carried car-ried his vlolincello in one hand and his bow in the other I had some difficulty in keeping l my countenance at the look of dismay on the professors face You did not tell me you played the cello I said to William No sir and I ope my practlsin aint disturbed you sir I sometimes as n tune In my bedroom but I always al-ways puts the mat against the door and stuffs up with the cracks with paper papero No I am not complaining William in fact 1 should like to hear you I want to show this gentleman how three Englishmen can play this trio of Sme tana Do you think you can manage It1 itI I handed him the music which I had taken from the bookcase He laid down his bow and rubbed his hand on his 118 trousers before turning over the leaves with a gingerly thumb and forefinger l looks rather stiff but Ill have a go at it sir I placed two musicstands and chairs In position and set out the parts William and the Impassive Parkin took their places while Mr Blunt resumed re-sumed his seat at the piano and sounded sound-ed the A They tuned There was one moment during which I trembled for the success of my scheme I was when the two string players looked to Mr Blunt for the signal to commence There was n suppressed twinkle in Blunts eye which was nearly too much for William I saw the answering1 grin begin to expand over his countenance legn Fortunately Parkin remained unIn fected and saved the situation The technical difficulties of this romantic work of Smetana are extreme even when they arc familiar but to render the composition at sight with the freedom free-dom and abandon which it demands might fairly be deemed impossible Nevertheless on this occasion the astounded as-tounded professor heard a performance wherein the complete mastery of the several instruments was surpassed by the unanimity and poetry of the rendering ren-dering The players would have ceased at the conclusion of the first movement but Trepanowskl Insisted on hearing it all Ills enthusiasm was unbounded He declared he had never heard such an ensemble His admiration was so frank and generous that I began to have scruples of conscience I was to late to go back however though I endeavored to compromise with myself my-self I had been no part of my plan to ask the professor to play but now I pressed him to do HO He declined politely but firmly He said we had hoard enough music for one afternoon 1 Ho did not feel In the right mood He offered other excuses but 1 play lie J offerel would not 1 dismissed the performers with thanks for the exercise of their skill the professor adding many compliments otherwise ments both Intelligible and When we found ourselves alone Ire panowskl remained silent Jnnowsl < You see how It Is I remarked He shrugged his shoulders slow comprehensive shrug his head sinking down on his chest to meet It I Is merveilleux lie ejaculated at length What then are your public artists lkeV You have heard DEugcn I inquired in-quired In turn Tn Ja he is magnlflguc Well he left England Why did lie leave England 7 You shall answer the question for yourself lla gave another shrug I shall think I shall write to you one thousand time thanks He moved to depart but I Insisted on seeing him to the station On the way Iendeavored to converse with him but he was wrapped In a gloomy silence Only when he arrived on the platform did he recover a little A harshvoiced porter was calling out the various stopping stop-ping places ofthe Incoming train The professor touched him on the shoulder My friend what instrument do you blay he asked sadly The porter looked at him In surprise sur-prise 4 Third class behind he said from sheer habit and passed on I parted from the professor with mingled feelings I had begun to lute him When I returned home I found my three friends H S F H and T W an intelligent public will fill in the blanks engaged on a Beethoven trio They always play trios when they get together They declined de-clined to stop until the moement was finished Well did we do It to your satisfaction satis-faction they inquired You did it splendidly I answered but whether I am satisfied or not I am not at all sure I heard from Trepnnowskl in due time but his letter was dated from Poland He had decided not to try his fortune In England The Sphere |