New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-03-08

~.
cour,e should eealesee with and interpret them. Nd
g., ,r,r,;.e.n and "reveries" must therefore be
,.,r,,,.d nv the words in vocal music. surprise
81 ..,,cd an interruption of the rhythm Is deter
10 the vord.. or some unexpected and striking
,tord Ins,ruuertal music Is derived from vocal mu-
"a. ana the ability of the ear in ordinary to grasp
melody i. lust in proportion to the quality of thai mel
ov 20 bear words measured on equal versi6cstion Of
four or eight lines When. however, the composer
dispenses with words be csn throw aside these me.r
cal chains and interrupt his melody at will and this
going off at a tangent, constitute. the chief eIemen.
of reverie, which enters largely into Beethoyen's
symphonies.
We endesvor 10 explain dramatically these things
in place of the ordinary rhetoric to which we OBJ
ject The form of a symphony deserves no
tice IL 10 composed of four disconnected
movements, averaging seq fourteen minutes
each more or less This is a senseless formally
The logic which measures out q sonnet into fourteen
lines superior number, is not feeble. Italy
mother Of musical forms-gave Scarla;ti, who
shaped the sonsts-the symphony being the same form
enlarged. Now why there should be four movements
more than forty or four hundred would puzzle any
one to determine. Why a composer cannot develop
his resources show the apex of genius in nstru.
mental music without such miserable plagiarism Of
empty FORM know not but such is the force of
tom in minds generally that to write a symphony
in four is made test Of lyrical superiority
The supposed connection between the different
men,s IL all imaginary, unless the composer chooses 70
interpolate The very necessities OF variety reject such
repeitions they possible under the change of
time which chsracterizes each movement There IS.
according TO DR. SCHNEIDER certain meaning attached
to the symphony in hand II is the wrestling Of the
soul with Fate, and all that sort Of thing the usual
talk about symphonies Il opens with four notes,
three the same, and then the fourth third below
that IT, Fste knocking the door II music be ips-
bic Of such whimsical Identities, may equally call the
fret four notes three andsix pence Illustrative Of the
price Of putty any thing else Let the critic
plain the new Instrumentation OF the work-the odd.
tiles Of rhythm But truce 20 this sort OF mysticism
and search for meanings which the composer never
could have had because music is incapable of porir Tying
them. The first movement il largely made up Of the
four notes above named principles accesso-
ries, combined and varied in the same way that the
frat theme Of a fugue interpenetrates the entire
body Of the competition The second Is an Ada 10 elo.
ca1tly instrumented-ihc Dir literally displayed and
varied in different forms Iis character passionate
Among other things may be noticed bold modula-
ton from the key 10 the third above making way for
the open notes of the treble brass instruments which
were very limited when Beethoven wrote for them
they then had no valves. Instrumentation in that de-
partmont is now much more extensive This a3agio
received a merted encore. The S.Aerso is OF course
bizarre The last movement IL here the chief; il
deals largely in simple chords treated herocsy and
generously Particular notice of the hs1nony, melo-
dy, OF shape Of q mu zeal composition Is impossible
without ample means of quotations with performance
srd where do they exisii
The second piece the finely written Overture
to JessoldaT by spohr. The author is not a striking
methodist and hence needs that which gave Weber the
first rank a dramatic composer. Indeed Germany
shows but two great dramatic composers equally
cessful with melody and harmony Mozart and Weber
The third piece was q Concerto for the Violin. by
De Beriot 1t given splendidly by that admirable
virtuoso Mr. Joseph Burke. His runs of double chro-
mSiics were particularly fine. Number four was the
Hunting Song" by MendeIssohn Apart from such
fine old scintillatons of English squirearchy The
dusky night rides down the sky" there is that exquisite
offspring Of the great French composer Mehul, T6e
Chase Of IOHR9 Henry, which gives a stsgtragedy in
q style again to be equsled Then there Is too
the superL chorus Of Won Weber in Der FreischHt;
and besides that the hunting chorus fresh and
euline, in Rossinie UaliGl Ten with is hardy horn
unisors. One cannot forget such specimens OF hunt
ing music. MendeIssohn should be sgnalzed for hav.
ing in bis piece thoroughly excluded melody beauty
and originality for certainly to write somewhat, long
quartet and be able to steer clear Of anything striking
or memorable deserves credit Number FIVE wac a
Dialqgo Brilianfe, in which Messrs Kyle and Gron-
evedt displayed their supreme skill respectively on the
flute and clanonet Six was Serenade by William
NJ. A. Il
thing worthy of their beautiful Interpretation We do
not know Mr.. William Mason a composer. but hope
to hear plenty from him after such specimen The
audience showed their appreciation by vehement
encore.
The last piece q Scotch Overture "In the vi "a.
lands, by n. W Gsde" Overture means the opening
piece opera aud it is Illogical TO call this "a over
ture. lt.houd have been called symphony the proper
word, as the Greek derivation shows Whether i, be
in one movement two or bakers dozen, II i. no less
q symphony To say that Mr. Gade's work was well
instrumenied is TO say pretty much all. 1t is called
"n the Highlands" and it might well be called "in
the Five Points for any unmistakably local coloring
which the music has. Boildeu in his White Lady over.
tuTe, has given exquisite rendering of Scotch
music In its andante he coquets so beautifully with
the Scotch scale and the snsppsh shor notes in the
allegro the HAhs COekaGs is dsinfily trsvestied
" In the Highlands" expect composer TO drive his
Pegasus zigzag TO dash even from minor to d minor
in the rude dance OF that locality in word 70 give
the Highlands by association. We do ind this in
Mr.. Ghde's performance. He has shot wide Of the
kilt and tic heather Mendelssohn, In his Fingals
Cave, has succeeded better Notwithstanding 1t is
descriptive piece, there is nothing TO describe The
conosvity Of that place more be expressed in
music than the oOnvexiy Of pound Of butter Ii the
idea be paint murkiness and yastness il mi as well
have been called a Ready made Coffin Warehouse"
for tha, s equally drear aud suggests the grave and
the majesty Asd inhny of the awful future
The simple truth is that descriptive music muS no,
deal in gag" its sims be limited and the proper
scope OF the art passion and emotion be regarded
n composition
Our remsrks have been chiefly on the styles and
orms Of the pieces given rather than the perform
'nees which were good leave little for the critic
10 treat Newiork may congratulate herself upon the