Those mistaken persons who maintain that "music has no frontiers" have
been sharply rebuked by the patriotic action of the management of
certain concerts, who boldly opened the season by expelling all German
music from their programmes. It is all very well to say that this is
confounding the Germany that we honour and admire with the Germany of
the other sort, of which we have had more than enough. The step has been
taken on the highest patriotic grounds, and although the ban has been
partially removed since the season began, it is clearly indicated that
this conciliatory attitude will only last so long as the main German
fleet continues to skulk behind the defences of Kiel. If there is any
aggressive movement, then let it be understood that TSCHAIKOWSKI'S
_Pathètique_ Symphony will be worn threadbare by nightly repetition
sooner than that we should have any truck with BRAHMS, WAGNER or BACH.
Already the occupation of Brussels has caused the scratching (at the
very last moment) of the SCHUMANN concerto.
Of course there is more in it than meets the eye. If all German music is
eliminated there are bound to be prodigious gaps which must be filled up
somehow. Very well. The result can only be a new state of activity in
the home composing industry. This is no time for giving away secrets,
but perhaps we may be allowed to say that the continued attendance last
week of Sir HENRY WOOD at the offices of the Board of Trade can only
mean that he too is taking his part in a comprehensive and
well-considered plan for making war on German industries. Now is the
time for the native producer to get to work. Germany must once and for
all be ousted from this market. There need be no difficulty in obtaining
samples, and we look to British industry and enterprise to do the rest.
We are not sure that neutrals should be allowed into this thing. An
exception might be made in the case of Italy, but, apart from her, we
should limit the exotic features in our programmes to the works of our
allies in the field. It might give a needed fillip to the national music
of Japan.
* * * * *
How it strikes our Contemporaries.
"Yesterday's eclipse of the sun was itself eclipsed by the world
shadow. Shortly after noon a large inky blot obscured nearly
three-quarters of the sun's surface and a violet haze hung over
London, but very few people were heeding the phenomenon in the sky.
The hawkers, even, were too busy selling patriotic favours to offer
smoked glasses."--_Daily Mail._
"Londoners did not permit the war to eclipse the eclipse. The
hawkers' cry, 'Smoked glass a penny,' was heard everywhere, and
there was a ready sale for the pieces of glass which enabled one to
view the darkening of the sun." _Daily Mirror._
The allies should come to a better agreement than this.
* * * * *
"Spies Output Down Again," says a contemporary, and we were just going
to congratulate the authorities when we discovered that it referred to a
Petroleum Company.
* * * * *