clubs and
their audiences.

For women's voices Brewer has written not a little. The best of these
are "Sea Shine," which is particularly mellow, and "Treachery," a
love-scherzo.

For the violin there are two pieces: one, in the key of D, is a duet
between the violin and the soprano voice of the piano. It is full of
characteristic tenderness, full even of tears. It should find a good
place among those violin ballads of which Raff's Cavatina is the
best-known example. Another violin solo in A is more florid, but is
well managed. The two show a natural aptitude for composition for this
favorite of all instruments.

For full orchestra there is a suite, "The Lady of the Lake," also
arranged, for piano and organ. It is smooth and well-tinted. A sextet
for strings and flute has been played with favor.

Brewer's chief success lies along lines of least resistance, one might
say. His Album of Songs (op. 27) is a case in point. Of the subtle and
inevitable "Du bist wie eine Blume," he makes nothing, and "The
Violet" forces an unfortunate contrast with Mozart's idyl to the same
words. But "Meadow Sweet" is simply iridescent with cheer, a most
unusually sweet song, and "The Heart's Rest" is of equal perfection.

The best-abused composer in America is doubtless Reginald de Koven.
His great popularity has attracted the search-light of minute
criticism to him, and his accomplishments are such as do not well
endure the fierce white light that beats upon the throne. The sin of
over-vivid reminiscence is the one most persistently imputed to him,
and not without cause. While I see no reason to accuse him of
deliberate imitation, I think he is a little too loth to excise from
his music those things of his that prove on consideration to have been
said or sung before him. Instead of crying, "_Pereant qui ante nos
nostra cantaverunt_," he believes in a live-and-let-live policy. But
ah, if De Koven were the only composer whose eraser does not evict all
that his memory installs!

De Koven was born at Middletown, Conn., in 1859, and enjoyed unusual
advantages for musical study abroad. At the age of eleven, he was
taken to Europe, where he lived for twelve years. At Oxford he earned
a degree with honors. His musical instructors include Speidel, Lebert,
and Pruckner, at Stuttgart, Huff the contrapuntist at Frankfort, and
Vannucini, who taught him singing, at Florence. He made also a
special study of light opera under Genee and Von Suppe. He