, at Cincinnati and New York. It is a symphonic prologue to
Heine's tragedy, "William Ratcliff." The different psychological
phases of the tragedy are presented by characteristic motives which
war among themselves. The Scottish locale is indicated vividly, and
the despair of the lovers presented in one place by the distortion and
rending of all the principal motives. A dirge with bells and a final
musing upon, and resignation before, implacable Fate give a dignified
close to a work in which passion is exploited with erudition and
modernity.

_W.W. Gilchrist._

The prize competition has its evils, unquestionably; and, in a place
of settled status, perhaps, they outnumber its benefits. But in
American music it has been of material encouragement to the production
of large works. In the first place, those who do not win have been
stimulated to action, and have at least their effort for their pains.
In the second place, those who manage to win are several hundred
dollars the richer, and may offer the wolf at the door a more
effective bribe than empty-stomached song.

In the city of Philadelphia lives a composer of unusual luck in
prize-winning. That large and ancient town is not noteworthy for its
activity in the manufacture of original music. In fact, some one has
spoken of it as "a town where the greatest reproach to a musician is
residence there." The city's one prominent music-writer is William
Wallace Gilchrist; but he stands among the first of our composers. He
is especially interesting as a purely native product, having never
studied abroad, and yet having won among our composers a foremost
place in the larger forms of composition. He was born in Jersey City,
January 8, 1846; his father was a Canadian, his mother a native of
this country; both were skilled in music, and his home life was full
of it, especially of the old church music. After a youth of the usual
school life he tried various pursuits,--photography, law, business;
but music kept calling him. A good barytone voice led him to join
vocal societies, and at length he made music his profession, after
studying voice, organ, and composition with Dr. H.A. Clarke, of
Philadelphia. He was a successful soloist in oratorio for some years,
but gradually devoted himself to church work and conducting, and to
composition, though none of his music was published till he was
thirty-two, when he took two prizes offered by the Abt Male Singing
Society of Philadelphia.