New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-03-13

an
injurious we were to all this; lie also KNOWS nov, nUw
YEARLY we have struggled through the I our Nii
bred and odd pages OF thshIsS uerr Kohl has
to do with Beethoven mat aDd now lnuon - ~;
certain Herr Ludwig NObl, who has useu up III H ~;
work huge quantity OF university hoteuoohS, ~
which ALI sorts of things possible concerning arr,
civilization, etc, had been taken down ,;i INV
grand sound the headings OF the sever e fancv
oursel yes Mt the threshold of wholly new SENSATIONS
hut when we look into the confusing nacnlheIY VI
words and words we are instantly struck by p T.
ous emptiness of thought, which nestles ltselt most
comfortably behind bombastic iustlah anu oiuS'ei-
| ing pOmposity. ... s.,o,, +rov
cling Rhine-wne agcnt.and not OF the composer VI
FideO" have here dissertation on eilo ;mo9
of the Rhine. lie writes: me ooohhatorrr that
NAV he intended to meanl and therefore arc IN i az
a means Oh sustenance, Rhine WINE cAcItG i vnp
| Of Rhine winesf What satisfaction mat ylelus
| ns! All. we do learn something from a-1iogiaPnS
of Beethoven In his enthusiasm Iieti The
| Rninelander enjoys the pleasures OF vino ~
drinks it to enjoy it, and indeed so lomg ,nH S
relshes; not merely until his thirst Is quenenoo'
Tor that wonld lie hut appeasIng the animal appe-
tite The RhnelandeI drinks Tor the s3ke 0 vi nm
ing. from delight IN the NOBLE INV EGu1 thankf1 must
we be fol the brand new characteIlsIle botboyrn
has hitherto escaped all bographcrs oI brclnoI'
The Rhnelander drinks so long as IL tastes So ,IIo
Herr Vohi sings the praises of the RhenlSh taDIcS
d'hote and then pungcs into REMARKS euuSiIi
found upon the duties OF the STATE 10 ~ b PnVo
the condition of Germany before inc fTcncII
intion on Lessing Handel Bach, the HoVcIeisnLLS
of women; on KlOpstOck, Lehnltz, hant on inv
American Revolution, Frederick the Great uoeVlic
etc Such tedious loquacity can NOWADAYS pc
Tic hook is boatcd W, til needless matter thread
hare wOuld.be aesthetic balderdash-theses ana
antitheses alsurdly intrudcd. AackneNed aAioln i
and more of the like. :. II the ncNI Two toit
nnps do not show an entirely dlte;cut treatment Va
the subject both publisher and author are likely 10
gain not very pleasing experience
Hanslck, now tocile wincepS of German musical
critics reviewed the volume in the Ocstcrr0chSche
UocheuscbriH June IL, 1860. His notice Is
written in a very kindly spirit, and be reSttans MS
characteristic tendency to severity ct expression
Nohl had been for some time III Vienna; llanslcN
knew HIM, and evidently wrote OF ms BOOK WIN
q sort of compassionate contempt Sparihg that
sarcasm which he can use with much elect as
moor Noh has since had occasion to know. We cite
but a few sentences:
The original research which Her Nohl has under
taken for " Beethoven Youth distinguishes the
book essentially and favOraOly from ms LlIe ol
Mozart" which is but sort of condensed anu pop
ulariZed "Jahn." In the warm hearty tone, tuo
enthusiasm for tho subject. and the easily flowing
style lOh. Mr. Hanslick 7, this book resembles lhe
other unfortunately. also, IN ITS tenIehcN ~ pIn
liXity, to lyrical extravaganza; amt Hnalil' 10
every sort of eXcurSus foreign TO his subject IN ie
interest of the later volumes. we Will not suppress
the remark that III our opinion fifth or sixth part
of the book might have been cut ont without III
iurv So many long series of general observations
such as ill the first two chapters ION the county
and ucOple of the Rhine and Ncstphalla, on the
politics of the "Ancien Regime ciG'l OF lier oil;
the Nptonalitcs Of Austria. ON the MaIstllaae ana
the like are apt t. awaken III the reader VINO 'ly
sires learn something new about beethoven ccI-
lug, of Impotence and disgust, etc. etc.
This, though perhaps not so meant, IS certainly
TO use the words OF Pope to =" damn with FAINT
p1aIse" It was Nohl's good luck that Mr. lianNlick
did not then know the extent to which Nohl was
indebted to The 4ddnttc 1Onh'y for ms Original
researches"
This will suffice 10 give the reader correct ana
lively idea of the reception which Non! iIrSt vol
ume met with from the leading German critics
rho second appeared i'll 1867 Citations concerning
it are supeIGuous; for not until work is com
pletc do reviewers discuss it as whole and
determine so far as they are able, its real value
and its present and future position i'll the literature
of its subject Now, I'D books as often as IN othef
things the proverb holds " \ bad beginning makes
n good ending: aud the ridcule which over
whclmed NOll's first volume may so have enlIghi-
cncd and pr0itcd him that he may have avoided
Scvlla and ChaIybdis in the further prosecution OF
his VOYAGE and nave merItcd at tie last com
pcte reversal in the tone OF criticism. lie TOOK
time enough tor the two parts oi his last volume
did not leave the press until lS7 and 1876.
Among the men whose criticisms on works OF
TO German public opinion, the following are
monument: DR.. Eduard IIanslick, professor in the
University at Vienna, author of several valuable
and interesting volumes musical topics, elite OF
the Neue Frce Ire5se, and occasional writer Tor
other influential periodicals; Dr. Franz Oehrlng'
professor in the same institution. musical cIitc oil
the Vienna Dcuische Ze,tnq and contributor to the
best reviews; DR.. Semar Baggc, successfully
| Editor of the Deuische Musk Zeiiang and the
AlLerleine Musk ZtiilHg, and now at the head OF
| the great music school at Basic; Dr. Friedrich
| Chrysander. author of the exhaustive biography
! of Handel a very learned and prolific writer, and
| now for many years Editor of the eIudlte Aiige-
meme Musk ZeitanJ; Dr. Hermann Dciters' director
| Of the ROYAL Gymnasium ut Posen, valued con
trhutor TO the AligcmcRe husiE /CituRg and ono OF
the learned editors OF the proposed series OF ancient
Greek writer's on music; H. NJ. Schlettorer. author
! of the very valuable biography OF j. X Rcichardt
! (stin unfortunately, Incomplete dOmkapell-
mcistcr at Augsburg, and musical contributor to
| the renowned augsburg .1tJcmciHe Zefung; Dr. otto
| Gumprecht, now for noie than thirty years the
famous musical critic of the Berlin National Zct0hB;
| Ions Eblert. q composer Of talent and popular
musical write. contributor to such Important re-
views as the EcutscSe RuHdSchaa; DR.. Alfred Kali
scher OF Der in, a valued writer in the NUe B'r-
! liner Npsik Ze;ianq, Der Flarir- Lchrcr etc. We
need not extend the list these representative
men Just and generous Us we'll AZ learned and ac-
complished critics who withhold no due NEED OF
comnendation to any contribution to musical lit
erature of real and permanent value. When NohPs
work was at last completed, 10y third volume Of
nearly thousand pages, how did these men receive
it7 We do not all the periodicals published in
Germany and Austria, but for years nave had daily
access to the leading newspapers, magazines aud
reviews published in the German language, and
| Ia hnr trlp
devoted to a review of Nohl's completed work. GER
| tainly. we believe none by any Of the above
| named critics One dares not affirm negative;
| but so far as we can learn, chapter upon the no.