Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1870-03-31
LIsZTs DANTE.
Rehearsal Of the New Yerk Philharmonic
Society.
From the n. Y. Herald, 2sth.l

tiOns, Daute's sublime " Divina Com
edia.h We heard il for the first time
yesterday, and although a first re-
hearsal cannot be expected to develop
all the extraordinary features OF such
a work. vet a definite opinion can be
given generally of it. 1t is in three
nlOvenents-Gll allegro fre71etico, d13ddlafe
OyllOr0sO and lYiGeStOsO. Beethoven
choral symphony furnishes numei-
Gus points for the working up OF
some of the main features, es-
peciallv when the voices are
introduced. The opening recitatiEe
of trombones, followed by tremOlO
Of the strings and the terrible CURSE
L0scidte Ogl1i Sperdazd, rot en- eltFdte
given BY trumpets and horns, with
the widest discOrds of strings, reeds
and brasSes that ever afflicted human
ears, ali show power and intimate ac-
duaintance with all the resources OF
the orchestra, but it is power uncon-
trolled by judgment or taste. No
matter how chaotic the subject may
be there should be poetry in It's musl-
cal INTERPRETATION. No man ever
brought out richer treasures nom the
orchestra than Beethoven or Weber,
and vet they never OverStepped the
bounds which divide true music from
chaos. What can be more effective
than the incarnation scene Of " Der
FreischutZ." in which Weber deals
with did6lerie, such IS Cagliaostro
himself would shrink IRON; yet
it is music - true, melodlous,
sOuI-reaching music - throughout?
What can attain the empyreal
REGIONS of sublimity into which Bee
th0ven scars in the ChOralSymphony?
and vet he never divests himself Of
the garb Of poetry end music. Sim
plieitv is akin to sublimity in other
thipgs beside music; but never so
much as in the divine art. High
sounding phrases DO not constitute
greatness in literature, neither do eX-
TraordinaTy musical phrases II the
sister art. True greatness must be
spontaneous; List Is never 50, There
fore we take exception, despite Its SEN
sational character, to his musical de-
scriptiOn OF inferno. There Is neither
harmony nor melody in It. and those
are essential characteristics OF music.
The dudaIte has some very pretty
passages, or rather fragments OF
Them but the want Of gritv OF
idea il the movement neutralises
the pleasure that its component parts
otherwise would give. We care not
for any musical blackboard or Mosaic
groundwork in which no two ideas
assimilate. In this work one can see
that LisZt IS more successful with the
wind and percussion instruments than
with the strings. The latter form the
part Of every musicai
structure erected by BcethCyen ant
Weber. LisZt ls z constant buhgi6T
with them. They seem in MS hands
TO be tangled skeins, a Gordiau knot,
which ne cuts by hurting on it all the
power of the braSses. The themes in
the Gnd0nts are unmistskably Italian
in origin, and some quaint dialogues
between the clariOnet, oboe and
cor hrglGis occur. After this cpl
sOde a palpable "Reminiscences Of
the choral symphony comes in
the working up and gathering to-
getheT, So to speak, OF the entire
OF the orchestra to q grand
climax. 1t has not, however, the
graduated power and sublime genius
of Beethoven. In the one it is Ike
mighty billOW, a wall of water, sweep
ing toward the shore to break thereon
with resistless force; in the other it is
but 2 succession Of smaller breakers
IN the wake of their larger
Tie close, in which ev-
arything from a fiddle 20 q dinner
gong is introduced, iS an. instructive
lesson ta Eil Christians y lead good
lives and not endure such tOrments as
the damned must suHeF i ever this
symphony is played for them.
The next part, ''PurgatOry," is
more toIerable. = opens quietly, and
a feeling of sadness pU-vades it. a
sort of rsgmentary chOrale, IN which
the oboe and car 4ng5dis are prOmi-
nent, is followed by beautiful theme
given by the first viOlins. 4 iugue
with an uninteresting subject intro
1uces the voices (the vocal part at this
point was omitted on yesterday, and
works them up into grand chorus. |
The resolution of the subject into a |
more JOYOUS aid triumphant strain, |
n which the 'MagnidcaI' is sung by |
/ chorus Of boys is another reminls-
,ence of Beethoven. We doubt !" !
JOys' voices are alone sufficient TO /
rive adequate expression TO the /
lynn OF triumph, especially /
With such an orchestra to /
,verweigh them. Again, it would /
,e b6tter 20 place the boys more in /
rOnt and not Immediately behind the |
instruments. Looking at |
his work in general, we are Of Opin-
on that much valuable time and tai |
mt have been wasted upon it, and /
hat it can only be Interesting as mU- /
ical curiosity. Machine music is the |
most appropriate name that can be /
riven to il. What a relief from it !
we're BeethOyen's Coriolanus Over /
ure, although it is by no means the |
most interesting Of the Titan's works, |
md the ever welcome, never tireSOme, |
overture to " Euryanthe," the bright |
st, freshest, most melOdiouS and /
most varied ever written by Weber! |
L Was indeed Paradise after LISTS |
infernO.R
THE New York Tribune says:
Tbpra ara lively times amonor fba