MUSIC.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1204, 12 August 1911, Page 9

MUSIC.

; -4 ! (Br Treble Clef.) Sousa on Conducting. Wherever the name of John Philip Sousa is known—aiid his natno hos'-become a.household word—his method (of; conducting ha?:' on.-'. Some doscribe his gestures as:"antics," "to some they find classification with "tho homely homogeneity of..tho; cakowalk," while some regard the beat' of the famous "composer, with its accompanying physical manifestations, as "quite psychic in its influence upon the spirit oi his band." Anyway, it is sufficiently distinctive to render his. remarks on the art of conducting of especial interest. He says: "For my part, I have always believed in the effectiveness of conducting in curves. Take as an illustration or precedent, if you like, 'the method of the trained orator. Tho orator may bo absolutely passive for the first five minutes, but afterwards he must indulge in some pantomimic gestures to reinforce what he says, or his audience will become cool. I think the orator is, perhaps, a very

good ninn to follow • from the standpoint of tjic conductor of a. hand. . In :i composition of a sensuous nature, if j-ou conduct with angularity tho picture is spoiled. Tho music breathes one feeling, and your action 'suggests another. Conducting within a small circle to me appears most effective, and if a man's mode of heating time absolutely belongs to himself it can never seem incongruous to those who look at it! But if one stands up before a body of people and has not the authority of his own individuality, he is ineffectual. His gcstuie* will.be somebody else's; lie will ,ba imitating Drown, and people resent that! TVe.i-eo that fact demonstrated ■ on the stage. An imitator leaves no impression, yet from the standpoint of mechanics the performance may have been excellent. Ho may faithfully follow every action and, tone of the other man, but his performance is entirely unsatisfactory. You must bo yourself." Certainly Sou-a is. "himself." ne has the courage to be anything, but he is at least that. , And it will be Sonsa himself whom we nro shortly to sec' this side Of the Liue—Sousa in the pristine perfection of his powers, as undoubtedly the greatest bandmaster that ever lived. It is gratifying to note, also, from reliable sources that at tho present moment he is presiding over the greatest band he has over led. .