New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-09-29
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
.oov az MUSICAL, HISTORY.

..,,.,o., HISTORY BRIEFLY NARRATED AND Nd
REALISTICALLY DISCUSSED. T MIN and do Places Of
tSsr Births ana Deaths BY e. A. MAcf 61n NN'
Snreh: Adam and Charles Black PIP --"
This little book, whose scope fully setIor'n ~
s,e title il one Of themost interesting aua
.o,,ributions to recent musical literature
author has fairly won the right TO DO calea
eru.lite of English musicians, ana 'nousu o 80
sn;r;t Of the last few years has lett MIN oohin ~
p an, conservatives in music, 1T cannotIh INC
enc 20 chic rcv,ew accuse HIN either OF ignorance
80 urf,;rpess The look is reprint. with aini.h-
tions Of m article in the current ledtioh Oh; 'No
sr,c,clonaaia Britannica" and III certai"i9 10 :"
.,oaai If encyclopedic writing, III tie hatVei VI
s,eorne,s tsrseness and comprehensiveness' iouon,
;nc the vex,ng questcnsof modern muslcal poie'iC'
Ar Macfarren is exceedingly circuinsPeot, 'nO"s -
his leaning away from the latest views Gu oi""i'.
,,,.ic Is plain enough from tie tone CT ms p"s VI"
WAGNER lie lays much stress on ire influence
.he German rcv0lutioDists polenlcai "ri''uSs' anu
n,nts cut that largo degree OF his SUCCESS
tha world was due to his. extraordinary ih' quo "
bringing them (Iis dramas) cchspicuouS'y 80
az nublicp He denies to Wagner the mcrit Vi
having. originated his princ'pi0S "'U
subiect With these words
En- %;s theoretical and practical merit; Few wears
will determine the pernanehce OF iS 0t bere
his productions SO many woraS W. H., fr his
haya bean spent or an individual Dut ICE NE
natoriety throughout Europe and through h IN
A,oerico and for tie widespread peuei thaC i 20
nnn,rnos,tiors and tie limitations or the Same ny
other writer's are to supersede all music.
sTba last remark is tincturcd slightly with
.x,remisn. Tie most widely spread belief among
vail informed though fanatica admirers OF wagner
IA that Wagner's influence, 50 far as IL goes OUT
t,o,, h;s compositions at least is concident only
18th the field in which he worked, namely, the
onero The talk about futuristic fiddle fandaneos
and what not usually comes from his enemies OF
frcm affected amateurs.
Mr.. :Macfarren confasses to running counter u
conventional belief in some matters pertaining "
zinc early periods of musical history. III ono
;nstance his views seem to us short-sighted. lie
rstusss TO date the systems called respectively aiter
Saints Ambrose and Gregory back to the tunes Oh
those bishops chiefly the ground that music OIL
that period could not be preserved In TINS ne mas
underestmated greatly the conserving power OF the
amman memory. and has overlooked the fact that
in sacred music there has been iron ume
immemorial aud among all peoples disposition 10
oscr;be 10 the melodies of sacred chants potency
mite "a great as that attaching to the verbal 1or
nIaries. The history CT charch music is crowaed
with evidences that this feeling has not entirely
disanp.ared even now. Besides music among the
ancients was admittedly the best aid oil memory |;
before the invention of writing and even long AFTER
,nusio was relied on to preserve laws, annals and
sacred writings.
The book is imported by John Ireland