New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-12-17
MUSIC.
THE SYMPHONY sOCIETY's CONCERT.

the lovers OF orchestral music who patronize the
society would be justified in request TO the con-
ductor to cease his educational efforts and try to
give concert worthy OF the excellent band and their
generous support There preliminary talk
Of such purpose at the beginning OF the season, and
1t is probable that those who go to hear Mr.. DAM
roschs expeditions Of the programmes before tho con-
certs think they sec It, But VIC fancy that ono
really familiar with tho evolution Of the instrumental
forms in music would find II somewhat dioicuit to
reconcile the last concert with any rational historical
| theory or even with any one Of the canons OF tasts
and Judgment which generally guide an Intelligent
conductor in the compilation OF a programme Tho
that all the composers represented ex
cept GIuck, Frenchmcn, and that all tho vocal
music sung French indicated that an exempi1ca
ton Of French methods had been attempted, but note
what q hodge podge OF works and styles was chosen
for this purpose First there was GlucRs overture
TO "Iphigenia IN Auis7 which received noble per-
formancc only few weeks ago at tho hands Of The
Philharmonic Society," while that OF last night though
smooth, tame and undressing There came an
aria In Glucks most dignlfed style, o malhcureuse
Iphigenie,' from Iphigena auf Taurs' on one wishes
TO follow the titles, not" in Taurfs As tho pro-
gramme had III, which Mr.. Damrosch might have In
! trusted to Frau MoranOlden Madame Fursch Madl,
but which Ill adapted to the voice, style and
experience OF Fraeulein Bettaque Mozars Or sal
che ponore, or the finale Of Wagners Goetterdaem'
merung' would have been. After the sad msc@r'
rIage which resulted from this blunder had been
endured the orchestra played that archaic piece OK
tOnal claptrap, Mehups overture TO La Chase du
Jeune Henr,y with its unconsconable amount Of
| tonic and dominant alienation. its single drum
beat, which used 10 appear startling and
altogether sensational to our grandmofhers
and its horn episode, pretty that the composer
could not get enough Of It. After this overture Praeu
len Bcttaque sang (but not velD a rather arch and
pretty seenade, with accompaniment for harp organ,
violin and VIOLA by Salnsaens, which, far a. It's
historical significance in the scheme is concerned,
was calculated Ia make one open his eyes vide with
puzzled wondement, only TO have them closed as By
a blow from the next number which the segueds
from Bizct's CarmenH-a piquant BIT OF music. but
that consorted with the opening numbers Of tho
programme and the music that followed 1t about as
well as fist and an eye,' as the Germans forcbly
put it, The seguedilla the only song which
Fraeulein Bettaque sang well, II the only song
with which she seemed familiar and which was
adapted to her style. To ask her to sing the Gluck
air, with its strain Of lofty passion and sustained
nobility was as unjust TO her as 10 the music. Tho
concluding number Of the first part was Massenets
overture Phedre,' and the concert brought TO
conclusion with Berloz's symphony Harold en-
Ialie,o in which Mr.. Nahan Franko played the viola
obblgato.
In this list Of compositions there are two pieces Of
fat-footed programme music-the kind whose formal
characteristics patty 10 the label and there
fore blessing 10 the expostor and those who Like 10
sentmentaze music. OF course, the two pieces
referred 10 are the overture by MENU ana the SYM
phOny. In the overture the hunts-upr of the horns
suggests the greenwood and the chase the drum-beat
papably the shot that brings down the quarry and
out of the merry anuphony between horns and strings
can imagine the blthest kind Of tantivy. So too
in the symphony. With the aid OF the label one
knows that the slow Introduction speaks Of mean-
choly, the succeeding rapid ement Joy and happi-
that the Turkish patrol effect $50 dear to tho
hearts of the smpe pictures the passing OF the
pilgrims chanting their plous csntice that the mita
ton Of the music Of the piferari. with its drone bass
1.-THE kind of music so idealzed by Handel In his
Pastoral Symphony that royal but lunstic
George was inspired 10 say. One can see tho stars
through It ~, is a sercrade sung under window in
the Abruzzi that the cater and crash. aud rush. and
of the orchestra in the last movement depict an
orgy Of Italian banditu; and finally that the music
Of the solo viola suggests Chde Harold wandering
amid the thus depicted dreamy and medita-
tive. All this is possible because the composer tells
and because all the effects are wholly external
But ought not sincere lover Of the beautiful, whose
have heard the melody Of Byron's lofty lines
and whose heart has warmed toward the poets
sublime pilgrim, resent every degradation OF thu
poetical deal7 And what else is the title OF this
symphony but such a degradauOni The Italy Of
Bcrloz is the Italy of the cheap romancer not the
Italy OF Byrons Chde Harold" The fourth caDto
of the poem from its familiar opening lines to tbs
magnificent apostrOphe the ocean, publishes only
the loftiest contemplation as it reviews the past OF
political and Intellectual Italy. It has nought OF
chanting pilgrims, dronlng lovers or revealing bandits
In fact the story of the symphony itself proves tie
righteousness Of the belief expressed In this Journal
in review OF the Fantastic Symphony" some gears
ago. that Bcr.ioz's profcssed love for the literary
masterpieces of the world mere afectation his
maunderngs about their influence upon his creations
no than mask with which he sought to give
them greater value and significance than they have In"
trinsicslly. He started to write composition in
which Paganni might display peculiarly fine viola
which he owned; he concluded that It was not brill
liant enough for this purpose Though there ars
paIpabe strivings for display in the first movement
and worked out a piece OF symphonic pro-
portions with viola obbligsto; then. poring about
I'm literature, as his wont, for a fanciful
title he bounced on Chde Harold The imsglna-
ton and judgment employed IN the work are the same
cratic and constituencies faculties which transported
Faust Hungary for the sake Of a march, adopted
Garricks commonplace conclusion Of Romeo and
Juliet" because It theatrical wound up the Fan
tastc symphony" with a musical rout in which the
poetical idea is suifocated, and fosted an alleged
sarcal purpose uron us sequel. There is some
highly Imaginative music in the symphony, sut tho
greater part of II depends for its interest upon the
maginngs excited by the programme rather than tho
music and So fails under condemnation by virtue Of
the excellently sound principle enuncated by schu-
mann, who said while good music loses nothing by an
explanatory inscription It is bad sign when it needs
The excellence Of the band was attssted by tho
generally capable performance of all the compositions
there points in the evenings work calling
for especial comment OF a complimentary character
Mr. DamrocRs indifference TO the quality Of tonal SYM
mery between the different chors,-the quality which
has its best complication In America in the Boston
Symphony Orchcsua-was noticeable Throughout tho
evening, and robbed the viola obbigao of its effective
Notwithstanding that Mr. Frankie had excellent
instrument, played well, and stood before the band
as If he playing concerto.
------as.-s-ss~s--->s
SCALING CIDDY HEIGHT.
From The Chicago News.