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Show HUBBARD AT THE BEUCAOEiY It would be a most difficult and perhaps per-haps impossible feat to becure from any or all of the known books on music a more complete and comprehensive compre-hensive resume of the art than was secured from W, L. Hubbard and his two assistants Alfred H. Burgen, baritone, and Gordon Campbell, pian ist during the two hours they spent before the large audience at the Weber We-ber Academy assembly hall last uight. For many years Mr. Hubbard was music editor and critic on the Chicago Chi-cago Tribune, and his reputation as a critic has become known from coast to coast and extended into tho music centers of Europe. His acceptance of a 'brief lecture tour engagement with the Redpath Bureau was received with joy by the music-loving public of America. Mr Hubbard appeared in this city last night as the fourth num ber on the Weber Academy lecture course. The greatest accomplishment of this man is his ability to talk music so that everybody can understand and enjoy it. The beautiful simplicity of his language, the ease and informality of delivory, made his lecturo enjoyablo to the accomplished musician and tho layman music-lover alike. v Onr one point Mr. Hubbard makes himself very cloarly understood at tho very outset. Ho does not believe that just because a person may not understand under-stand and enjoy the so-called classical ruuslc they are necessarily a musical ignoramus. To big mind, ragtimo is not worthless and he does not brand the popular melodies with their catch-as-catch-can time as ridiculous and degrading. de-grading. If 3'ou profit by the advice of Mr. Hubbard you will not be ashamed asham-ed to acknowledge that you like ragtime rag-time or any other form of popular music. In his opinion ragtimo may mean something to vou, and if so, you havo profited for It is the meaning ob- t talned from tho simpler things In mu-Bic mu-Bic which lead to an understanding and desire for better things. The value I of a musical selection, said Mr Hubbard, Hub-bard, is gauged entirely by the sug- ' sestlou you get. He furnished soma beautiful illustrations of the suggestive sugges-tive value of music. After pronouncing the Germans the greatest of all song writers, Mr!' Hubbard Hub-bard stated that he was opposed to opera in any other language than that of the country in which it is produced, pro-duced, claiming that in Germany operas op-eras must be presented in German aud In Russia they are sung in Russian. Rus-sian. In fact, he asserts that America and England are the only countries where operatic stars can command largo salaries for singing in a foreign tongue and ho olaims in connection with this that America and England are held up to ridicule by -these selfsame self-same stars as a result of this shortcoming. short-coming. The same opera, ho said, that costs $5 In Italian, comes for $2 In English. As an illustration of the humbug to which Americans are subject, Mr. Hubbard related an amusing Incident which occurred during the presentation presenta-tion of Italian grand opera in a prominent prom-inent city of the United States. Tho prlma-donna was near the footlights as the tenor came down the stage and burst fofth In a ibeautiful outpouring outpour-ing of song, supposed to be an expression ex-pression of his loves The Americans applauded, but were at the same time astounded when an Italian in a stage box burst out laughing. It afterward developed that instead of tender love messages the tenor was singing in Italian, "Keep your face to tho audi- i ence, your back hnlr Is coming down. ' Beginning at tho very start, as all j . lecturers should, Mr. Hubbard explain-' ed music from its very first inception ' to its highest development of tho I present day. Ills illustrations, as depicted de-picted by Mr. Burgen and Mr. Campbell Camp-bell were enthusiastically received by the large audience. 'Mr. Hubbard and his assistants furnished one of tho most entertaining numbers which will be enjoyed during the entire course. t The next number on the course is j John B. Ratto, Impersonator. |