Monday, Feb. 25, 1924

In Chicago

Three Conductors. The Symphony Orchestra put three conductors on display in a single concert. The regular director, Mr. Stock, began the program, giving place for the central items to Mr. Eric DeLamarter. Mr. Carl Busch conducted his own Indian Rhapsody.

Indian Music. This last was a well constructed and pleasant piece. Somehow there exists a sort of mysticism and sacredness in the act of basing music on Indian elements and in the opinion that the true, real and essentially American music will be built in part on Indian elements. Something of the same attitude exists with regard to Negro music. Of course, both Indian music and the Ethiopian characteristics in Negro music are utterly foreign to Caucasian Americans, and the use of such a base for the music of the U. S. is about as reasonable as the use of Chinese or Tasmanian music. Still the very exoticism of the idea has its attraction, and the reasons for the fad for

Negro and Indian music are a mixture of "it is so native to us," and "it is so strange to us."