New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-12-09
MUSIC.

CONCERT OF THE SYMPHONY SOCIETY.
The most noteworthy thing in connection
with the second concert of the symphony Society, "icn
,as given in the Academy of Music last night ater 'no
novelty on the programme was the Improvement sno"n
IN the playing of the band since the first concert gea
step 10 advance taken during the lnterVai Vi Ies
study and the result was concert that was iu u on
foyabe surprises The audience was larger oh'' W.
considering the disagreeable rain WHICH, WHO !. i' =,
have hinderel many subscribers from attending h"
messing efeetIpOn the box -Odice sales Inc Piob
was of an interesting character II opeheu Wv" 80
new symphony in c minor by p TschSiAo"oNy, az
this came a set of three pieces for string oio"'S
RANGED bv & RachIich from two Of Bachs soi"."s "
violin alone Finally was given the incldeh'ai ihsI ~
nIondeIssobn IN shakespeare's" Midsummer NSn'
Dream" Only three numbers but tnieo
unioue character and great muslea pef"'' o.,
The Tsohaisowsky symphony was gwen i'S III 81 H0"
side NJ the Atlantic and Tan uncommon thhg III
it,o.l DAVIS, Il revealed itself as composition ue-
serving to remain permanently III the ns' Vi H'o syn
pbonies 1t is work OF marked onar"o'oi' anu no ~
considerable degree of originality The composer aPu-
nil Of Anton Rubnsen bids fair to be MS success" DIS
Che greatest of Russas tone poets several years ss"'
d a ia vet Young some his compositions ana those
of some similar minded French musicians eu d. wy
Bulow TO observe that the best German music except
that OF Brahms and Raft was now being composer I'D 81
Petersburg and Paris. The Frenchmen 10 Wnon Ho
referred were sant-saens, Lslo Massenet and Debes
This new symphony was pat illustration IL Is mgn-
class German music tinctured with strong siaNohc
character which, like all national essences mas III ~
noent yitazing power. This character gives the "oiA
a gloomy tnge which not only permestes the them"uc
material, but also the Instrumentation. The moou
sounded in the introduction is preserved with adS'ie
slil throughout the work 1t is tragic symphony ali"
tt commemorative Of the musical art OF the RUSSIANS
In its instrumental phase this art Is haru! mort '
a century and half od IT had Its Dhtn ID lne uie VI
Peter the Great, and 1t still echoes the WHO sprit
that perod Peter knew little Of instrumental music
e.cept the rude martial airs OF his soldiers ana wheh nc
attemped TO encourage It, II WAS by engaging large
choir of bsgppes Like modern Nero the instrument ne
plsyed was the bagppe. Tschaikowsky new symphony
is full OF barbarc bone and muscle; It's last movement
ia made VI Of variations short tune that mas Cos
sack widness the scherzo though suggesting remn
isoences of Saint Saens is full of the same rude Vgor
The slow movement is u march i'll moderate time Inc
work was played in spirited manner, and DE- Dam
rosch's reading was strong and Intelligent
The Bach prescriptions, announced as being per-
formed first time supposedly in NewIork nave
we believe been given here before. They consist OF
Prelude and Gavotte from the sixth sonata Tin m0or
and an Adago for the middle movement from the third
SONATA in minor They enabled the string players to
.how their skill The GaVotte was demanded and
given second time.
The charming music which Mendelssohn wrote for
shakespeare's "A Midsummer Nights Dream Whhe II
has seldom remained long out OF the coneert-room'
seems lust now to be enjoying unwonted favor at the
hands OF musical directors. Last month when the nun
drdh anniversary of the founding Of the National The
atre in St Petersburg was celebrated, new ballet
based on Shakespeare fairy play was pro
duced, and in 1t all OF Mendelssohns music
used; little later It was In the schene
of one of the Covent Garden Concerts in Lon
don two weeks ago Mr.. Thomas brought 1t out IN the
second concert of the Brooklyn Philharmonic Society
last Tuesday il was given Newark under the direction
OF Walter Damrosch and now we have had II here Inc
dainty melodrams which Mendelssohn wrote TO accom-
pany some speeches in the play OF course had 70
fan away in these performances but Dr. Damrosch gave
the short fairies march following the scherzo which nad
been omitted Dy Mr. Thomas. This addition was OF
no moment for the march is trihe and only adds a
little TO the monotony OF the en music which nils the
first two extended numbers For fifty years there mas
been no loss in this exquisite music IL stands
today not only as a model for style OF composition
toward which this country there Is shown spirit OF
Indifference which nothing else than shameful but also
as one Of the most graceful OF the many
monuments which Mendelssohn raised to his
genius 1t is not hard to tell what
inspired It, Teck and schegel had just set the romantic
pulse of Germany throbbing by their TRANSACTIONS OF
sbakespeares plsys and music answered the impulse
simultaneously with webers "Oberon" and the overture
to "a Midsummer Nights Dream The opera was the
work Of composer the zenith Of his fame the overture
of lad Of sixteen In both the compositions ellis ana
fairies for the nrst tiIne louhu III uoHhea'ou 1"
music In q manner that IL as singular Is II is I'M
accountable part OF the melody OF the Mermads song
I'm Oberon found its way into the gifted boys overture
Marx says that the overture written IN July and
August 1926; "Oberon sketched in January, 1876
and brought out in London in Aprtl of the same year
Ddthe melody Of the Menads song reach Mendelssohnt
cart 1t is impossible though extremely unlikely Per
hans IL was case of unconscious cerebratOn" Writers
hesitate to the puresouled Mendelssohn OF pa
giarism Mr. Ella thinks that the Ia covered By
Fusels favorite sphorism which defines the boundary Of
imitation: "Genius may adopt, but never steals"
The music was performed with the help OF Nine Chris
tine and Miss Charlotte walker sopranos ano
the women of the NewYOrk Oratorto and Newark mar
monte Societies. DR.. DaInrOschs tempt III tbe wedding
march and i'm the IntermezZO unacCOuntaby rapid
and cost the numbers much of their CHARM The singers
did admirable service.
,nDru .DTCnN