The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-10-29
MUSICAL.

The concert of the Beethoven Society," on Thurs
day night, one of the finest performances ever
given In this city, and deserved larger audience
The selections were from Beethoven Onslow and
the first composers, and rendered in the most
mastery manner The "Duo Brilliant of Gre
goirc and Servais for piano and violincello, richly
deserved the which greeted Messrs Schnidler
and Jungnickel at its conclusion. The piano part
under the accomplished manipulation of Mr.. Scheid-
Ter was prominent and acceptable feature of the
evenings entertainment, despite the Judgment of the
critic who finds that instrument ''detestable' in
rendering classical music. Accepting the critics
opinion as correct, what a mistake Beethoven
made when he wrote his Senate Pathetique his
Aoonshine Sonata and his thirty to forty other So.
natas for this 'fdetestabe' instrument and Weber,
also, when he composed his Concert stuck and Bach
when he gave US his forty eight fugues-the gold
mine OF artistes, as they have been termed-for
piano alone How far behind our progressive
friend were Haydn, Ferdinand Ries the
pupil of Beethoven, Mozart, Mendelsohn
Schumann, List, and host of others, whose eff
forts have risen to the dignity of classical compost
tons. ..
Our critic has hardly escaped some other inaccu-
racies-as for instance, when he speaks of the
quartette of Beethoven as being not of his best
and refers to Nollweier ''daring compiler"
II we had space, we could show by an ANALYSIS of
the construction of the quartette referred to- that
1T is by all the rules of musical art one of the
authors very best efforts, ard so it has al
ways been regarded by the most competent
judges. Noweiller, who is so slightingly
spoken of, was hailed rising star of the first
magnitude, when his sonata in G minor secured him
the first prize at the hands of the Committee of the
Northern German Musical Society, of which such
men Louis Spohr and Henri Marschner were
members. So far from being ''daring compiler"
he was composer of originality, whose writings
bear the impress Of great Gaze and are characterized
by the strices adherence to the rules of classical
composition. The allusion to the Austrian
National Hymn as "a pretty conceit," will only
provoke a smile from those with whom it is famil-
lar At the risk of seeming prone to find fault,
we must also object u the recommendation which
this learned Theban gives to the Society, to vary
and change their programme with frequency, and
constantly engage ia the pursuit of novelties. The
name of the Society," implies, if we have understood
it Alright, that their chief attention will be
given to the production of classical music
Now it is notorious that this class of music
must be heard often to be thoroughly appreci-
ated, and it is the experience of every one who has
given it proper study and attention that fresh
beauties are dscoverabe upon each successive per-
tormance, in which respect it differs from music of
a lighter and more ephemeral character. For this
reason, while not objectng to such variation in the
bills as will serve to relieve the performances of
monotony, we hope the Society will adhere to the
plan upon which they have commenced, and give
us such repettions of the more scientific pieces as
may be necessary for their complete understanding
and enjoyment.
We cannot, in this connection, withhold our
commentator of the very admirable instrument
furnished by Messrs. VIM. Knabe Co., which
was used by Mr.. Schneider on Thursday night
The piano is a grand one, of entirely new con-
struction, being furnished with what is called the
orer-str'ng scale, which adds vastly to the volume
of sound, and ensures greater equality of tone
This is the only of the kind which has vet been
manufactured here but the success attendant upon
its production has induced the Messrs Knabe to
order the construction of several more.