Diagnóstico y Tratamiento de Lesiones Preinvasoras

A musical artist without any jealous feeling toward his brother musicians would be almost as rare as one who does not think himself perfect in his chosen art. But when jealousy enters a family, one might expect it to meet the fate of the " house divided against itself." An extreme case of this kind may be noted in a tenor named Ansari and his wife, who lived about a hundred years ago. These kindred spirits were so enraged, if perchance one secured more applause than the other, that they were known to employ men to hiss each other off the stage !

55.-PREJUDICE.

We hate to be convinced that our preconceived opin- ions and hastily uttered statements are not in accord with the facts of the case. Musicians and musical critics (the two terms are not always synonymous) are like the

MUSICAL GRATITUDE. 57

rest of the world in this. Few of us like to reform our ideas and retract our dogmatic statements even in the face of overwhelming proof .that we are wrong.

An amusing incident illustrating this peculiarity of the human race occurred during the rivalry that existed between Sontag and Malibran. The former lady was

a German. It was a favorite idea of the friends of her rival that only Italians, or those of the Italian school, could do any singing worthy of the name ; hence, Son- tag could not sing.

So great was the prejudice against German singers in their own country that Frederick the Great, when asked to hear Mara sing, declared : " What ! Hear a German singer ! I should as soon expect to derive pleasure from the neighing of my horse ! "

It is true that Germany has produced fewer great sing- ers than other musical countries. While Germany

boasts Devrient, Titiens, Lucca, Mara and Sontag, for every one of these we have a score of non-German sing- ers of equal or greater worth.

An Italian critic who had not heard Sontag was, in

spite of this prejudice against German singers, persuaded to go and hear her one night. After listening a short time, he rose from his seat and made preparations to leave the house.

" What, you are not going ? " said his friend, who was an admirer of the German songstress. " Stay a little longer and you will be convinced that a German can sing."

" I know it," answered the Italian ; "therefore I go ! "

56.-MUSICAL GRATITUDE.

Liszt was not the only musician that took holy orders. Josquin de Pres, chapel master to Louis XII, of France, was also an officer of the Holy Church. It seems the king had promised him a position which gave an in-

$8 ANECDOTES OF GREAT MUSICIANS.

creased income, but had forgotten his promise. Josquin reminded the king of his lapse of memory in a peculiar

way. He composed an anthem for the chapel service, using the words (from the iiQth psalm) as his subject: " Oh, think upon Thy servant as concerning Thy word." His majesty took the hint and bestowed upon the quick- witted musician the promised appointment.

Josquin was equally good at expressing gratitude in a musical way, for soon after he produced, as an anthem of thanks to the king, a composition set to the words from the same psalm : " O Lord, Thou hast dealt gra- ciously with Thy servant."

57.-THE GREATER THE COMPOSER THE GREATER THE STUDENT.

The greatest composers have been proud to acknowl- edge themselves the pupils of the masters with whom they studied. In fact, the only one among " the immor- tals " who did not have thorough drill in all departments of composition was Schubert; and his music shows

this. For, while he has seldom been excelled in melodic inventiveness, his thematic treatment is weak, and he has not been able to make the most of the goods the gods gave him. Recognizing his lack of technical knowledge in the line of contrapuntal treatment, he made arrangements to study counterpoint with one of the best teachers of the day. But illness overtook him, and the grim reaper carried him off ere he could profit by his studies.

While this is true, while the greatest students of music that ever lived and those to whom most genius was

given were eager and anxious to study as hard and as long as possible, we have, on the other hand, many who, relying on the mite of talent that has been given them, attempt to strike out for themselves, and who are so blind as not to see that with their untutored splashings

AN IGNORANT TENOR. 59

they do not make the most dignified and successful progress in the tonal sea.

Every one who can conjure up a bit of melody thinks himself a full-fledged composer, though he may know naught of the spelling, grammar, or rhetoric of music. Others who have considerable talent consider that it supplies the place of study properly directed by com- petent teachers.

The writer was approached not long before penning this sketch by a man who claimed to have written sym- phonies, operas, string quartets, and dear knows what

all else, and who wound up by boasting that he had never taken a single music lesson of any kind whatever. When his claim and list of compositions was made

known we felt as though we might be standing in the presence of some unknown and unrecognized Beethoven ; when the final statement as to taking no lessons was uttered, we felt as though we were standing in the pres- ence of a fool.

Perhaps it would be better if we could all be as con- scientious as that honest old German teacher, who, when approached by his admiring pupils with the exclama- tion : " Oh, Herr Teufelsberg, you know so much about music ; why don't you compose ; you could write such perfectly elegant pieces ?" exclaimed : " Nein, nein, I vill nod write mine museefc. Mein Gott ! dere ish genug bad museek in de vorlt, alreadish ! "