ANTON DVORAK.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1889, 18 October 1913, Page 11

ANTON DVORAK.

Glaxo Builds' Bonnj Babios.—AdYt,

Several prominent" American composers, among them Rubin Qoldmark, William Arms Fisher, Henry Waller, Harvey Worthington Loomis, and Harry Rowe Shelley have reason to feel grateful to Mrs! Jeannette M. Thurber; for all these young men, with others, including Harry Burleigh, the coloured baritone, and composer, were able to benefit by the invaluablo instruction of Anton Dvorak during the three years that he served as director of . the National Conservatory of Musio in New York, of which Mrs. Thurber is the founder and president. In thev'Etude" for August, Mr. ■ Shelloy gives a most interesting account of his experiences with Dr. Dvorak. Few studied with him. Many wanted to, but ho refused to waste his time on any but those who had real talent; and with those he was a hard taskmaster. He kept Mr. Shelley, for example, for forty weeks on the development section of a symphony, with three long lessons each week. He never, under any circumstances, gave a theme to a pupil. "No," he would 6ay,_ "you must make some music, then 1 will show you what to do with it." Sometimes the inspirational mood came over him during the lesson, and he sat down at the piano to show the way in which ho might treat the theme himself. Those were lucky moments for the pupils. He advised them in oomposing not to wait for ideas, but' to sot to work and get into that condition of mental intoxication whon ideas leap forth into life —"pulsating, healthy, strong, rljybhmic life, insuring to the performer or listener that same responsivo throb which obsessed the composer at the moment of conception."