Music and Some Highly Musical People Part 25

White has presented for its approbation.

The work is composed of six studies for violin, where the princ.i.p.al difficulties of execution which that instrument presents are confronted.

One remarks in these pages ingenious combinations proper to develop the mechanism of the left hand.

The committee approves these six studies, called to fortify the talent of a violinist.

(Signed)

AUBER,

_Director of Conservatoire, and Pres. of Committee._

Then follow ten signatures of members of the committee.

As a token of his artistic value, four great masters have presented White with their likenesses, with the following dedications:--

"Remembrance, admiration, and thankfulness are offered to my young friend White, a violinist very distinguished.

"(Signed)

"G. ROSSINI."

"To Mr. White, whose talent is an honor to the Conservatoire.

"AUBER."

"To Mr. White. Friendly remembrance.

"AMBROSE THOMAS."

"To my young friend White.

"GOUNOD."

The numerous medals sent to him by the musical societies are homages rendered to his merit.

What remains to say after all these proofs of an incontestable talent?

There is nothing we might wish for Mr. White in what touches his art: in it he unites every thing. He is certainly one of the most toasted and most appreciated professors of Paris, the soloist beloved by the public.

We repeat it, we can say nothing more, but that we wish to hear him as much as possible.

And here his biographer, after thus expressing, in terms the most affectionate and flattering, his inability to say more that would add to a fame so great, so n.o.bly and so rapidly won throughout Cuba, France, and Spain,--here he closes the record.

With all these brilliant and remarkable achievements, with all these rare honors so enthusiastically awarded him by the most distinguished, the very _elite_, of the musical profession, both singly and combinedly, and by the sovereigns of France and Italy, White might well have rested, indulging himself in no further acquisitions.

But men of such transcendent powers, men within whose souls the fire of musical genius so brightly burns, _cannot_ stop; for the essence, the very soul, of music, is the predominating, the all-absorbing quality that forms their natures; and therefore it is that their ever new, their ever charmingly beautiful revelations in divine harmony, cease only when the sacred flame is extinguished by death itself.

Thus, then, it was with the subject of our sketch, who was to gain new laurels in still another country. To speak of the same briefly is the cause of this continuance of his history.

Although born so near the United States (in Cuba), White had never until the year 1876 visited this country. In that year, however, he came to New York. In keeping with that modesty of demeanor, which, despite the many and rare honors he had won in Europe, had ever characterized him, he came to our sh.o.r.es unpreceded by that blowing of trumpets (usually paid for) which generally heralds the approach of the foreign artist; and quietly, unostentatiously addressing himself to the _duties_ that belonged to his beloved art, little was heard of him by the general public for some time. But such almost marvellous power as this artist, this master, possessed, could not long remain unrevealed. People of musical culture were ere long electrified by the sweet tones of wondrous melody which with perfect ease he drew from his violin. That terrible barrier so often, even at the present time, erected in this country, that shameful obstruction, _color prejudice_, could not long withstand the attacks of this quiet yet courageous musical genius; and people, at first indifferent because of his complexion, were won anon to his favor, not alone by his exceptional skill as a performer, but also by the polish, the ease and dignity, of his manners, so refres.h.i.+ngly free from ostentatious affectation on the one hand, or hesitating timidity on the other. They found that he was indeed the true, the conscientious artist, who loved music for its own sake, and was imbued with a spirit of truthful enthusiasm, in such pleasing contrast with the characteristics exhibited by many of the foreign artists who had preceded him, as to render the same decidedly charming. The possession of these rare traits of character served, of course, to add to the attractiveness of a form which was one of most pleasing symmetry.

A knowledge of his great abilities as a soloist spreading among musicians in New York, he was induced to appear in public. It is needless to say that his success was unequivocal. Of the impression he made in New York, a city that has so often been the scene of the success or failure of the foreign artist, I shall call another person--a purely disinterested and competent art critic--to testify in the following, written from New York to "The Musician and Artist" of Boston of March, 1876:--

"Joseph White is in some respects the best violinist who has visited this country within my remembrance, _not_ excepting Wieniawski. He and his companion Ignasio Cervantes, pianist, made their appearance in this city some few months since, very modestly advertised, and unheralded by any sensational newspaper paragraphs, and at their very first concert insured themselves undoubted future success. This success has been due entirely to White; for, although Cervantes is quite a nice pianist, he is nothing wonderful. But White was a _revelation_. His first New-York introduction to a large general audience was at a philharmonic concert (the date of which I cannot now recall), when he played the Mendelssohn concerto and the Bach chaconne. The Mendelssohn concerto was excellently played, especially the last movement; but it was in the Bach chaconne that he proved how really good he was.

I have heard this composition by every violinist of eminence (except Vieuxtemps) who has visited our city; but I never heard so satisfactory a playing of it. The three voices flowed on so smoothly and evenly, never seeming to be in each other's way: there always seemed to be plenty of bow, and just in the right place for each individual voice to receive exactly its due prominence. The vociferous recall that followed this worthy performance was well earned. White is a Cuban mulatto, fine-looking, and extremely gentlemanly in appearance and conversation. A Brooklyn writer speaks of him as follows: 'His style is perfection itself; his bowing is superb, and his tone exquisite. His execution is better than Ole Bull's; he possesses more feeling than Wieniawski; the volume of his tone is greater than that of Vieuxtemps.'

All of which I indorse."

On March 12, 1876, he appeared in New York as soloist at a grand concert given by that justly celebrated and almost perfect body of musicians, the Theodore Thomas orchestra. His performances on this and several previous occasions elicited the most enthusiastic and unbounded praise from the critical "Arcadian" and the other New-York papers, nearly all of whom placed him beside the three or four great violin-artists of the world.

On the 26th of March, 1876, White appeared at a grand concert given in the Boston Theatre, in company with Levy the renowned cornetist. I shall long and delightfully remember the emotions of thrilling pleasure produced in my own breast by this virtuoso's magnetic execution, and the feelings of joyful pride that I experienced when witnessing, on this occasion, his great triumph. After he had played the first few bars of the "Ballade et Polonaise" by Vieuxtemps, the audience felt that he was a master; and his reception readily became a grand ovation. He received a double encore after the performance of each regular number on the programme. But of his grand success on this occasion I shall let the journals of Boston of March 27, 1876, speak.

"Daily Globe:"--

"The concert at the Boston Theatre last evening attracted one of the largest audiences of the season; and it is seldom that any artist receives such an ovation as that which was given to Senor Joseph White, the Cuban violinist, who made his first appearance before a Boston audience. The numbers on the programme a.s.signed to this gifted artist were a 'Ballade et Polonaise' by Vieuxtemps, and 'Chaconne' by J.S.

Bach; but a double encore to each of these was responded to by other selections, including the 'Carnival of Venice,' and a gavotte by Bach: all of which were rendered with a perfection rarely heard in violin performances, and recalled the best efforts of Ole Bull."

"Boston Journal:"--

"The chief feature of the concert at the Boston Theatre last evening was the appearance of a new violinist, Senor Joseph White, a Cuban, who has lately created quite a sensation.

Rarely has any artist created so great a _furore_ in a single hearing as Senor White. His really wonderful playing took the audience captive at once. His tone is remarkably true, pure, and firm, and his execution at all times clear and perfect. In short, he seems to have perfect command of the instrument."

"Herald:"--

"He handles the king of instruments with the utmost ease and confidence. He has no useless flourish in his manner, and none of the 'hifalutin' in his style. He draws and pushes his bow, and the instrument responds with delightful sweetness and pa.s.sionate eloquence. He is probably ent.i.tled to a place in the catalogue of first-cla.s.s violinists.

Certainly those who heard him last night accorded him praises which would have perhaps ruined a less vain man."

"Daily Advertiser:"--

"But the success of the evening may be awarded to Joseph White. He plays in a style together firm and strong, and delicate and refined. His masterly rendition of Vieuxtemps'

well-known 'Ballade et Polonaise' at once captivated the audience, and he was enthusiastically encored; and, the audience still calling for more, he played 'The Carnival of Venice.' This second selection was played without accompaniment; and he again was triply encored, the last time giving an air from 'Sonnambula.'"

I have reserved for the last a very excellent critical a.n.a.lysis of our artist's performances. It is taken from "The Daily Evening Transcript."

"The Sunday-night concert at the Boston Theatre last evening was made memorable by the introduction to the Boston public of Senor Joseph White, the Cuban violinist.... The musical fraternity, however, was very fully represented, the musicians knowing something of what was in store for the evening. But not even they were prepared for the wonderful and delightful playing of Senor White.... The first of his work last night was something of a disappointment. There appeared to be a deficiency of tone, owing, as it seemed, to the use of an instrument not loud enough for so large an auditorium. But it was soon evident that the selection of such an instrument was in accordance with the style and taste of the artist. Possessing the most perfect ease and freedom in his command of the resources of the violin, with a fine breadth of style, and an evidently strong and quick sensibility, yet he did not aim to produce his effects on a large scale of tone. He seemed to desire to confine his exhibition of the violin to the range where its fineness and sweetness, rather than its power, may be ill.u.s.trated, and to check himself inside of the limit where a coa.r.s.e, scratchy body of tone is obtained at the expense of purity and delicacy. His bow, though 'dividing the strings with fire,'

seemed never to touch them. The direction or the position of its stroke, whether up or down, at the beginning or at the end of it, could never be told from any changes in the quality of the sound extracted. The tone flowed as though after the keen incisions of a knife-blade, not as if sc.r.a.ped out by the friction of horse-hair upon catgut. When to this delicious quality of tone was added an exhibition of the most perfect _technique_, the triumph of the virtuoso was complete. The mysterious flowing softness and smoothness of tone was carried with unflagging facility through the most rapid and difficult chord and harmonic playing; and this, with other wonderful feats of bowing, added new and bewitching charms to the _diablerie_ of violin variations.

The reception of the artist was cordial at the outset; but at the close of the first performance, a 'Ballade et Polonaise' by Vieuxtemps, the enthusiasm was overwhelming.

In response to the encore, Senor White played a 'Styrienne'

of his own arrangement; and this was followed by two more stormy recalls, the audience refusing to be quieted until he had again gratified them, this time with the 'Carnival of Venice,' arranged by himself in an elegant transcription of the familiar commonplace variations. At the conclusion of his second number, Bach's 'Chaconne,' a famous and difficult violin solo, which was played, and _interpreted_ as well, in a most masterly manner, the applause was again equally enthusiastic, notwithstanding the character of the selection; and for an encore the scholarly artist responded with a finely intelligent and daintily clean-cut rendering of a gavotte by Bach. The tumultuous recalls that followed this would be satisfied with nothing less than another performance; and Senor White gave a rich and pleasing arrangement of his own upon a popular air from 'Sonnambula.'

With these two 'double encores,' amid such excitement as is rarely witnessed at a concert, Senor White may well add Boston to the other American cities that have 'adopted'

him."

And here, for the present, we will take leave of our great violinist.

It is not probable that he obtained, while in this country, a very great pecuniary success; and, from what has been heretofore stated in regard to his characteristics, this will not seem strange. White was not a _showman_. He has ever been too purely, too entirely devoted to his chosen art to admit of his using the means generally employed by the mere money-seeking musician,--means which seem so out of keeping with those finer aspirations which a contemplation and practice of the n.o.ble art of music are expected to promote, and the use of which, detracting as it does from his dignity, lessens the respect, the admiration, which people of culture would fain feel for the gifted performer.

A few months ago our artist sailed for Paris, the scene of his earliest triumphs. He has gone from our sh.o.r.es with his brow laden with new laurels, all honestly won; and he leaves behind an admiring mult.i.tude of musical people who will ever watch with deepest interest his future career, and fondly wish for his speedy return. Therefore we do not say to him "_Adieu!_" but "_Au revoir!_"