New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-01-07

Papanini treated him with marked consideration.
and predicted great future for him long before MS
powers were developed. List, who of all artists
appears to have been most richly endowed Win
genius for friendship, figures as his comrade ana
correspondent. His inlmacies in the United states
were largely with the literary class and Mt Gam
bridge especially his was a familiar and beloved
presence. His first visit to America, in 1s43|45,
was attended with all the phenomena of popular
furore. Vleuxtemps and ATtot were here at inc
same time but they were speedily ecpsed by their
more sensational rival. America had few stand
ards of comparison at that day in musical matters !;
hardly any artists of the first rank had then ven
tured across the Atlantic; and it inevitable that
the startling and intensely emotional performances
If Ole Bull should be preferred to the pure and
beautiful art OF the most refined classical school.
The frantic enthusiasm of the multitude was
matched by the rhapsodies OF essayiss and letter
writer's When Ole Bull came q second time In
1852 he received a cordial but much more rational
welcome The American public learns fast, and
its applause was much better worth having, now
that il was bestowed with some discrimination
OF the criticisms belonging to these first and second
American tours. quoted in the memoir, that con-
trbuted by Mr.. George William Curtis to lHF
TRIBUNE ia remarkably perspicuous, just and COM
prehcnsive indeed it is the only one OF the sDeci-
mems here preserved which stands the test OF the
ripe judgment of thirty years later; and yet IL
certainly is not lacking in feryor In his more
recent tours the violnist showed much less passion
and excitability than in bis youth. ana stlrlms
scenes such as were witnessed in first visit were
rare The mood in which he oftenest presented
himself was one of sentimental and wandering rev.
ery and although his power of execution ana his
incompatible beauty of tone were as marvellous as
ever, the prevailing spirit of his music was gehte
and soothing This is only what was to be eX-
pected. when we bear in mind what has been sald
of the source OF his inspiration. and il was quite I'D
keeping with the modification of his tastes that as ne
grew older the love Tor his Norwegian home becah'
more and more tender and absorbing passion. JO-
seph Joachim is credited with the remark that
faults in Ole Bulls playing are more nolceabea rs
he advances IN age but artist in our time has pos
sessed Ole Bulls poetic power no onehas ever sur
passed his playing of the adagio. l think all his
cultivated auditors Will say the same" Tins Is
high praise from high authority But the
rank which 1t assigns to the vonst is by no means
the highest. Ole Bulls creative power was sligh''
His compositions have htte intrinsic value, ana on
the occasions-fOrtunately not too frequeht-"Ileh
he essayed the Interpretation OF great classical
massrr-works, he showed neither intellectual grasp
nor even very ardent feeling At such times DC
rose to the level of the music before INN ohIy III
| fragmentary passages, and OF course he taleu 10
lift up his audience The really great artist is IN
spired bv great themes Ole Blu II was only inspired
| by romantic ones.