Books › The violinist, 1903 › scan 27
Scan 27
The violinist, 1903
20 lines. Read by computer on 3 September 2026. Printed page 5. See the scan on archive.org.
1glory to this nation than a thousand war-ships. Such instruments of death cost two to five millions apiece, while a national school could not require, for some time, a larger sum, but we seem to take more interest in war and dischord than in life and harmony.
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5Kocian and Spindler
7THESE two artists have played three concerts in Chicago, and here as elsewhere musicians have been generous in their praise, even though popular success has not been so great as that attained by one or two others. If musicians must be so judged, then Fritz Kreisler, the greatest of recent visitors to these shores, stands very low in the scale of artists. It is rather surprising that so scant praise has been vouchsafed to Mr. Franz Spindler, for his playing of all Kocian's accompaniment, without notes, is little short of miraculous. Perhaps the pleasant little gentleman is modest, for when asked where he studied, he replied, "Oh, I did not study: I just came from home." That is all. But he tells with pleasure how he and Kocian played publicly when the violinist was six years old, and that they have grown up together in music.
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11Comparisons
13IT has occurred to several readers to ask the editor for his private opinion of Kocian, whether he is as great or greater than Kubelik, et cetera. Now, it really seems to me that Jaroslav Kocian is quite enough of a musician to be considered on his own merit. Men of little individuality can be compared, for they are of the same general color, but to compare these two young talents is equivalent to saying red is a much nicer color than blue. For me, give me a red rose and a blue sky. I don't like blue roses or red grass. Neither do I enjoy Kocian's playing of Paganini pieces, but he plays some other things in a style not to be excelled. I would not expect Joachim to play Paganini pieces any better. The public demands these technical displays and the violinist who seeks a popular success must play them. After he is well established in the musical firmament as one of the fixed stars, he can afford to leave Paganini alone, and devote his energies to Bach and Beethoven: He is sure of a hearing, in memory of past deeds. The young artist must show off, so that all may see that he is indeed one of the elect. 'Tis sad 'tis true, but 'tis true. The public is to blame, for it demands showy effects from its entertainers. Where will you find multitudes ready to applaud the great classics?
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17Soul and Magnetism
19EVERYWHERE the critics speak of Kocian as a man with a soul; and then add that he is lacking in magnetism, a very fine distinction, but of course, the critics know what they mean. However it usually happens that a manager magnetizes the audiences long before his artist is seen, by sensationalism. In this Kocian was very unfortunate, while his fellow countryman had an ideal manager. The latter's hearers easily magnetized themselves when they arrived at the concert hall and saw 4,999 other persons, all drawn by the advertisements. 'Ah, so many people! He must be great.' Which shows that musicians are gauged very often by the size of their audiences. Having no other way of measuring, for the average hearer knows precious little of art, the public seizes upon any fact which seems to show in what degree of favor a soloist is held by musicians, forgetting, if it ever knew, that musicians make up an exceedingly small portion of the audience at any popular concert. On the next page appears an interesting article from the well known Boston writer, Edith Lynwood Winn, who views Kocian differently.
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