New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-10-15

III by Auber; IN that KIND OF opera the musIc -
fast becoming Of secondary importance,-a good
thing too" lMendelsSohn TO Moschees, February
:, 1885. ,c.,;o, .
SO you have at last written some Studies
you cannot fancy how impatient am TO GET tnenl,
what treat it will be TO me- and how refreshing
to have something new TO study. For really the
piano music OF the present day is such thaI can
not make up my mind TO play 1t through more
than once; it is so desperately empty and poor
that l usually get tired of it on the irst page. l
positively dislike Thalberg's work as regards the
compositions and the good piano passages seem TO TO
them. | could no more play his music tnan l
could ever make up my mind TO play note OF
KallIbrcnner's; it goes against my nature ana i
should feel mean if | attempted such hngcr-work
with serious face. Chopin's new things, 700,
! don't quite like, and that is provoking. "-IMen-
delssohn to Moscheles. April 6, ls3'
After yours / had Berliozs overture, Les
Francs Jugcs' to conduct. We were all curious
TO know what the result of French genius would
be- | say French, for so Ear no other country but
France has recognized Berioz as Genus p buts
oh What a rafting of brass, fit for the Porte
Saint Martin! What cruel. wicked scoring as II
to prove that our ancestors were no better IMAM
pedants! And, oh again, for the contrast OF the
middle subject, that would console us with vau-
deville melody, such you conld not hear 10
more advantage in 'LOurs ct lie Pacha' or the
'Vienncsc in Berlin Then the mystic element
a progression of screcching harmonles unlntclll-
gibc to all but the March cats! To show that
something terrible is agitatng the fevered brain OF
the composer, an apopcctic stroke OF the big drum
as also the auditory nerves of the assembled audi
ence" -lMoscheles to Mendelssohn, February II,
1884.
What YOU say of Berlioz's overture I thor
oughly agree with. 1t is chaotic, prosalc piece,
and yet more humanity conceived than some OF
his others 1 always felt inclined to say with
Faust,
He ran around, he ran about
His thirst In puddles laving: -.
But nothing cured his raving:
And driven last, In day,
He ran into the kitchen
For his orchcstration is such frightful middle,
such an homogeneous mess, that one ought to wash
ones hands after handling one of his scores. Be-
sides it is really shame TO set nothing but muir
der, misery and wailng to music; even If 1t were
well done il would simply give us record of
atrocities. At first he made me quite melancholy,
because his judgments on others are 50 clever, so
cool and correct, he seems so thoroughly sensible
and yet he does not perceive that his own works
are such rubbshy nonsense -CMendessohn to
MOscheles, April, | S34.
Il am surprised to hear Of Doehlers being lion
lied. His playing only interested me the first
time afterwards he seemed to me very cold and
calculating, and rather dull What very differ
ent stuff List and Chopin are made of! Why
soul in his little finger than all Doehler has from
top TO toe-at least so it seemed to me'-lNlendels
sohn to Moscheles, July IL, 1913.
Benefits minor concerto is an excellent
piece of work, and was received very warmly at
the Philharmonic; that he has taken you for his
model IS however, evident throughout. | have
also made acquaintance with HcnSelts Studies
and find them very interesting and useful, al
though in style and form not varied enou GIL
Anyhow, prefer even the romantic sighs of love
warbling composers to the aggressive audacty OF
those torturcrs of harmony who would take the
universe by storm. ChOpin's Studies have much
charm for me, although there is good deal in
them that appears unscholarlike to me."-lNlos
cheles in answer to the preceding.
am very glad you improved your acquaint-
ance and friendship with Chopin lie is certainly
the most gifted of them all, and his playing has
roo .l,ppr IlaxrS tSyfi nfrfr lora oaI
should be very glad: for notwithstanding his
npalatable contributions to the papers, am fully
impressed both by his playing and by his striking
personality Berlioz's programme that you send
me is a very silly production. | wish | could
any pluck or originality in it, but to me it seems
simply vapid and inspd. Has not 0nslow written
anything new? And old Cherubni? There is
man for you have got his 'Abencerages and am
again and again enjoying his sparkling fire, his
clever and unexpected transitions and the neat
and grace with which he writes. l am truly
grateful to the fine old gentleman 1t is all so
free, SO bold, so bright! (Mendelssohn TO Mos
cheles November 80, S39
List has been here for the last six days.
His playing, which is quite mastery. and his
subtle musical feeling that finds its way to the
very tips of his fingers, truly delighted me. His
rapidity and suppleness, above all his playing at
insight, are qualities quite unique in their way,
and that have never seen surpassed. With all
that you find in him, when once you have pene-
trated beneath the surface of modern French
polish, good fellow and a true artist whom you
can't help liking even if you disagree with him.
The only thing that he seems to me to want is
true talent for composition, l mean really original
ideas. The things he played to me struck me
very incomplete, even when Judged from his
point OF view, which to my mind is not the right
one And, if / am not mistaken, that explains
why Thalbcrg would meet with more success in
many places-England for instance. He. in his
way, is just perfect; he plays the pieces he has
mastered, and there he stops: whereas LISTS
whole performance is as unprecedented, as wild
and lmpetuOus, as you would expect Of a genius
but then / miss those genuinely original ideas
which i naturally expect from q genius. 4 mere
pianist he is not, does he give himself out as
such: and that, perhaps. makes him appear less
perfect than others whose talent cannot be com.
pared with his" -[Mendelssohn to Moscheles
March 81. $40.
The only thing regret in your charming let
strange attempts at making comparisons between
SpOhr and myself or the petty cock-hchts in
which, for some inconceivable reason and much TO
my regret, we have been pittcd against each other
in England. | never had the slightest idea Of
such competition or rivalry. You may laugh at
me, or possibly be veXed, at my taking up such
silly matter so seriously. Bat there is something
serious at the bottom of it; and this pretended
antagODism imagined and started by Heaven
knows whom, can in no way serve either of u.s.
but must rather be detrimental TO both. Besides
never could / appear as the opponent OF master
of SpOhrs standing, whose greatness is so firmly
establishes for, even as boy, ! had the greatest
esteem for him in every respect, and, with my
tned." -lMendelssohn to Moschcles, March IA,
1871.