New-York daily tribune., 1843-12-25
THE r RIB y n E


loss. from the indefmteness of terms IN common
usc when applied to close analysis. 1he fIrc q
ZEAL for instance, is rather oddly applied to Ole
Rru, and he must be a stupid man who would
mistake it Tor the Ere Of genius. Besides,
the fire Of zeal, though burning hot!y as ever
consumed a fanatic would never bring out har-
mony from any instrument. We presume his
;dca is--there may be strong excitement
without being united with mental power, and
this excitement, by the mere force ol sympathy,
may produce excitement in others. This may be
true of Ole Bull. The article, however, Shows
,onch skill and observation, and is worthy OF .
careful perusal. Ea lfao.
To the Editor Of Tie T,t5Mne:
This great City has been quite excited
nv the performances of this distinguished Artist
crowds have gathered with eager anxiety to lls-
ten 10 him his talent and execution have been
themes of almost universal conversation; ne has
been lauded and praised to excess by the public
press. and in some cases IN most fulsolne, eXag
gerated and servie manner. The time has now
come, perhaps, when u calm and dispasslonatc
criticism cf the Artist, and of the style and ila-
ture Of his execution, may be made. He has
enjoyed every advantage; he has reaped an abun-
dant harvest In pecuniary point OF view, and
been crowned with the laureis OF public favor
Let justice speak at length, and IN order that the
truth of criticism may be evident, let US base
it Oh strictly analytical and scientific tounda-
ton.
The Artist is especially the child Of Passion
if strong deep passion does not move and ami
mate him, the professor is not an Artist. BY
dint of practice, he may acquire great perfection
in the material part mechanical execution) Of
his art be it music, painting, sculpture, or any
other branch Of Art but if the Passion, the Soul,
does not animate him, the beautiful material ex-
ecution is but ltelcss f0ras. The first question
then TO ask, if we wish to understand and criti-
else an Artist, is, whether he has passion; wle
ther the sacred fire OF heaven anlnlates him.
the next question is what is the nature, the value
Of this passion.
In answer to the first question, we will state
tbs. Ole Bull possesses passion and also that ne
possesses it in Il deep, intense degree, and that it
is this passion which gives hun his peculiar
power, and excites SO powerfully the feelings OF
his audience What we have now to examine IS
the nature and degree Of elevation of this pas
SION; upon It's nature and exalted character dc.
pend the Man and the Artist. Let us endeavof
to analyzc this passion, which in fact constitutes
the moral organization OF the man. o DO TINS
50 as TO be understood and to convey clearly our
meaning, we must examine briefly the nature oi
Two OF the sentiments or faculties, which VIC fad
strongly predominant in the artist III question.
The first. is enc of the deepcs! passions OF the
Soul; it IS what we viii cali the passion OF I'm
tdusiasna or the cilivairc devotion to the lils
and true. 10 the beautiful! and divine III moral,
intellectual and material harmony,-harmony II
Art, in Science and III Mature. 1t embraces the
active functions Of the faculties, which phre
noloeista de,onlillate, ideallty Imagination and
subllnllty
This passion is the principal source OF chiyal-
ry or enthusiastic devotion and exaltatlon, OF
art and poetry, which have already been deveI-
oped collectively more less intensely N the re-
mantle ages of civilization, and particularly IN
the time of the Crusades, when all Europe was
united in false political Unity and chlvalrlc TO
nance. 1t unltes and produces & fusion OF am
bition and the spirit Of romance as orange color
is fusion Of the red and yellow rays OF hght-
When it is allied with delicate ecnse OF sight
in individual performance, It produces the great
Painter when allied Ill unison with meioGy, tine
sense OF hearing and the perception ol the mar
mony of sounds,) IL produces the -hrSlciah' anu
with other senses IN material ai!lancc Il produces
artists Of different order; and wnen The UNISON
is with a passion OF a mora! order, 1t produces
Poets OF a particular character, accofong 20 Tue
moral sense Of feeling or lInaglnatlon winch pre-
dominates This IS the true Or Just order OF &C
lion or development; but the false or SuoVeFsl'e
order OF development has very different chaF-
acter. The throbs OF the suoveIsIve passion III
rs pent up and compressed condition, leao tue
mind into deluSiou, and The tire 0t Zedt IS cdSify
mistaken for superior Eent"S Ihe HalVloudi
pants for romance, for enthusiasm and exalta-
ton. and often for be v;'dering excitement and
crude ambition mikes with despotic feeling to de-
lude the person in whom this passion Is predorll-
nant into belief that he is capabls by dlnt OF
genius TO astonish and overwhelm the world, to
exait it by the power of his IMAGINATION, ana
that he is called upon TO teach 1t the truth and
be & standard III Art and Poetry. Tins passion
is generally OF blind, incautlous ana tlery ma
ture, and where the cunning side OF another pas
sion, which we will call the Spir1t OF Intrigue,
Is strongly developed III the same individual with
out the love of truth and without CONSCIENTIOUS
ambition to govern and keep 1t III sublectlon,
Inc contTastcd oscillations between lrretIectlve
and reflective zeal, and enthusiastic exaltauon
ana calculating cunning produce strange and
contradictory effects which are puzzling to the
general observer. Talent mixed with self.suffi-
cheney and excessive iniatuation and vanity,
characterize this sort of madness,-the subver.
sve passion of romance and enthusiasm, mixed
with intrigue.
These passions, more or less pent-up and in false
action are at work in Ole Bull. He possesses to an
astonishing degree the fire Of -eq but not true and
exalted genius. He does not possess the latter e;
what may be said to the contrary This fiery zeal
rendered rnnre intensc hu other unlrrrn na ss;ors