Scan 16
Musical Courier 1895-11-06: Vol 31 Iss 818, 1895
51 lines. Read by computer on 23 September 2026. Printed page 17. See the scan on archive.org.
1Mendt is one of our boys; we all know him; we all knew his father before him; good teachers both; Heintz has lived among us, and nobody has ever charged him with anything."
3Alas! The good burgomaster knew that he had stolen Armine's heart, and had ravished a kiss from her maiden lips in the still moonlight in the city park.
5"The other candidate," continued the orator, "is the Court Musicius Peter Boxius, of Foghornville. He belongs to the orchestra of our neighbor His Serene Transparency, he is a court official in good standing, an elderly man of quiet, good behavior, in fact, a man worthy of all confidence. The discussion is now open."
7The first to speak was Alderman Smyth, who spelled his name with a "y," wore patent leather shoes and had a wife who pointed out to him the path in which he had to walk. As she had a daughter for whom she desired to capture Arthur Treibler, the rich young man of the town, and as Arthur had been casting sheep's eyes at Armine, the alderman waxed so eloquent in behalf of Mendt that the opposite party became furious. Alderman Brummer at length jumped up exclaiming: "At last I can get in a word. Boxius is our man. Not this young hop o' my thumb! Boxius is not only a musician, but one who can represent us. Can you compare that piano thumper to Court Conductor Boxius? Not only is he a good musician, not only is he a respectable man, not only is he a court official, not only has he an Order—think of that now, an Order! Why, the burgomaster does not possess one! Not only all this as aforesaid, but he has a noble, manly ideal aspect with his lordly Capellmeister locks!"
9This phrase startled some of Mendt's supporters. They were married men, and all the women of Fiddletown had gone into raptures over Boxius' redundant locks, as they waved around his coat collar, whether he stroked them back meditatively, or shook them mightily, or let them drop in melancholy. So "Boxius!" was the cry. It was with difficulty that the patriotic Fiddletowners managed by filibustering to get a resolution passed that a public trial of skill should decide between the rivals. The town clerk, a nice old man, who played on the 'cello, had composed an opera, The Hero of Fiddletown. This was to be the touchstone. Mendt was to conduct the first and third acts, Boxius the second, and the votes of the audience were to decide the question.
11Then wire pulling began. Poor Mendt, a very modest youth, could do nothing but sigh and think of Armine; he could not and would not beg for votes. Boxius, however, went to work, shook his fiery locks in all the ladies' faces, and canvassed everybody. Armine's aunt was strong on his side, poor Armine could only sigh for Mendt and cry, "I don't belong to the town. No! Never!"
13The day of the trial came. The house was full, the audience all in excitement, Mendt came in accompanied by one of his pupils, and took his place with fear and trembling. But he soon overcame his fright, entered into his work, and directed with a swing that inspired his musicians, "divinely," as Armine proudly declared. At the end of the act great applause greeted the young man.
15Boxius then stepped to the conductor's desk and respectfully drooped his long locks to the audience. He swung his baton solemnly, he waved his locks harmoniously up and down, and a paid claque he had put into the gallery broke out in "spontaneous applause." In the great scene of the second act the Hero of Fiddletown, who was represented by the blacksmith of the town, has to vow vengeance on his enemies in a long air. The big blacksmith brandished his long sword through fathoms of space, advanced, retreated, bellowed as he had never bellowed before; backward and forward went the Hero's sword, backward and forward went Boxius' locks, as his nose at times pointed heavenward, at intervals bent down till it touched the prompter's box; louder and louder sang the Hero:
17I'll have thy head—
18Thy hea—ea—ea—ea—ead!
20Fiercer and fiercer he waved his sword, now turning to the wings, now with his back to the audience confronting his foes; ah, brave Hero, they are many, thou art one. He recoils for one final effort, back, back to the front, till his cloak brushes away the prompter's spectacles, he brandishes his sword for one final thrust—and then a titter is heard, then laughter and then the orchestra went wild. On the Hero's sword was the head of Herr Boxius, at least the best part of it, his glorious hair, the pride of Fiddletown's dames. In his surprise he rushed to recover his vanquished locks, he clambered on the prompter's box, then that frail fabric gave way and he and the prompter went down to depths below. The orchestra was a scene of anarchy, the Hero ceased to bellow, the curtain fell, and Boxius and his Capellmeister locks were seen no more at Fiddletown. Mendt was conductor, fair Armine his bride, and her golden hair was hanging down her back.
22WHY FOR NOTHING?
24THERE is a report in circulation that William H. Keith, the baritone, has refused to sing on trial in New York. So far, just so good and right and proper.
26Now, Mr. Keith is an artist of reputation. He has just returned from the Worcester Festival, where, even had he earned no previous artistic record, his pronounced success was sufficient to establish him indisputably as an artist of sterling merit. Mr. Keith's professional diploma was all signed, sealed and delivered by public and critical verdict before he set foot in the city of New York. Mr. Keith is not suing for a hearing. The case was not a case of charity. Then why and wherefore should Mr. Keith be invited to give a so-called trial performance in public for nothing?
28He flatly refused, and he was absolutely right. In taking this stand this singer has earned the thanks and approval of every legitimate artist, whose hard won field is too often permitted to be invaded by paltry professional beggars for a hearing, or, still worse, by half trained amateurs, who will calmly take the bread from honest artists' mouths to gratify their own frivolous ambition for a passing public appearance.
30Things all value for something or for nothing. The something, corresponding to the status of the artist, is usually pretty accurately measured for them by public opinion. Any singer or player worth a something, however small, has passed the stage of experiment. They have earned their claim to a certain price for a certain labor through native talent backed by hard work and frequently by heavy expense. Once this claim has publicly been allowed them, unless it be done voluntarily in the cause of charity, any artist who gives his labor without his hire wrongs not only himself but every other fellow artist, as well as helps to undermine the proper basis upon which a public should receive its education and enjoyment.
32That many good artists fall victims to the hope or promise of some permanent engagement and give one trial performance gratis is a mistake to be deplored. If worth listening to for once, they are worth paying for once. Let them say, "Yes, I will sing or play for you once on trial in public, and ask to make no binding agreement, but I will take my ordinary fees for the trial appearance, they are so-and-so." This compromise is quite as much as any self-respecting, established artist should be expected to make. Consenting to be experimented on after a reputation has been already acknowledged is a concession in itself, but consenting without any emolument therefor bring backs the professional to the platform of the amateur who makes his primary bid for the artistic suffrages of the public.
34Every time a song is given to a committee or management for nothing, every time does some qualified artist suffer for the cash value of that number, and every time is a material public taught to think that of all things cheap and valueless nothing can be so little worth the buying as the product of human art. But if artists themselves fail to take the attitude of Mr. Keith and set a price without fluctuation on their own talents, who else is going to do it for them? Not philanthropic managers, nor church committees, nor, still further, art worshipping private individuals who are sometimes supposed to feel that all their gold offerings were poor requital for the sublime boons conferred by artistic genius. The art world itself it is which must become a steady phalanx, each man's price upon his own head, and without that price—which is synonymous with self-esteem—no member of the ranks should be forthcoming. Until this is comprehensively resolved upon there can be no calculable source of income for artists any more than there can be any fixed standard by which the public may form comparisons and be aided in their judgment and approval.
36The vitiated pass to which singing on trial has been brought in churches, particularly in the city of New York, resolves itself into a species of artistic blackmail. Out of fifty-two Sundays in the year there are churches which manage to wiggle out of paying a soloist for more than thirty-five, perhaps less. The remainder are filled in with soloists who appear on trial and of course don't suit. A new one is tried each Sunday, until there are probably no more with any pretense to suitability left to try, and then the church is compelled to engage the singer who should have been engaged in the first instance, and who meantime has been enduring inconvenience—perhaps necessity—while the other volunteers have been economizing the church finances.
38Now, if these volunteers who have been so liberally cheapening art, as well as their own worth, were to have upheld their value and refused to sing unpaid the case would have been made one of speedy and honest competition. The church would have been coerced into forming its justest judgment quickly, since nothing was saved by postponement, and the surviving fittest would have entered in proper time into their own. Every church is not accused of driving a trade in the direction of obtaining singers gratis on the trial pretext, but it is a fact that, even if they themselves have not compared notes about it, that churches can afford to be dilatory in choice when the ball is kept rolling for nothing, when if they had to pay for experiments they would decide more peremptorily on exactly the singer who suited them.
40It would seem an abasing and melancholy fact that, even in many cases, artists and owners of the divine spark beyond the power of earthly purchase should often rate themselves lower than the commonest tradespeople or even of objects of mechanism or articles of material usefulness. A piano, a bed or a bicycle will be sent out for purchase by trial, but you pay for the period of trial in proportion to the full value of the article, and if you return it with new marks of wear or tear you pay for these same in addition. Any man or woman who has earned the right to hang up a sign, be it of tailor, milliner or carpenter, will undertake to do some small particular office just for a trial, but they get paid for the trial let results be good or bad. It seems left for artists, the choice and gifted workers of the world, to stand at the public beck and call as objects of trial not worthy even the passing hire, and presumably oblivious to the wear and tear of any exertion or disappointment.
42It is not all the fault of the managers. Artists have cheapened themselves, and spoiled, indulged and begged with managers, until now the latter have brought them to an extreme of inconsiderate exactation. The yield on the side of artists has more than kept pace with the shameless demands made upon their services, and for much they have only themselves to thank. Employers of musical artists now have to be brought up with a sharp, quick turn. "Nothing for nothing" is the motto needed to confront them, and when they read it in the case of something they really want they won't be in any wise deterred, although probably a little disappointed now and again that they are balked of one free trip on trial.
44Among the brethren it should be created an offense punishable by a vast professional snub should any artist cheat his fellows and debase his calling by doing any work unpaid for. Members who violate this proper esprit de corps deserve a flagrant sign upon their forehead marking them black sheep within the fold, the enemies of music and musicians. They will continue to be asked? Of course they will. The worthy ones will more steadily continue to refuse.
46WOMEN OR MEN TEACHERS?
48THE question is constantly mooted in the vocal world as to whether or not women should make the best teachers of singing for women and men for men. Prospective vocal students vex their heads with this problem, and among none is it so torn to shreds in discussion as among teachers themselves. As a rule the stand is taken among women teachers of singing that they alone are fit to train the voices of their own sex, while the male professor decides himself equally qualified to teach one and the other. To do female teachers justice, they only claim the feminine monopoly and talk little or nothing about their capacity to handle baritones or basses, as the case may be.
50These women teachers base their claim to monopoly on the ground that it is essential for any teacher to be able to give a practical exposition of the tone formation in the pupil they require, a something
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