New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-01-20
MUSIC.
upooKTyN pHu,HARMoNIC CONCERN.

HROOKLYN PHILHARMONIC CoNCLhl.
"a. Rroot,vn music lovers last night enjoyed one
= ~ fruits of Mn Thomss's recent ana comparative
kaotsvfty Is q conductor. At the THIRD concert OF
n n Philharmonic Society one OK The ieauers worSs
transcription was played IL consisted Oh Two
movements, the first and secono, OF hachs ni1n
sons, tor clayier and violin. This sonata, which
= IN tbs hay Of minor has long enjoyed the repu
,.ton Of beng one Of the finest specimens OF Baehs
chamber music 1t is known. however, only to the
fsw its style being anquated, It's beauty Oh the KIND
that appeals To the small class With whom music IS
moro than the plaything Of an idle hour It belongs
10 the category Of works which, at the time OF It's
composition were called tries. not because three In
INSTRUMENTS were used in their performance but DO
ru.s thev ware written In three voicesin this case
tvo voices being given TO the elavier (that is the
prinet op hsrpsichord and to the violin. 1t is
rct liha,v that any one win seriously question the
,acssusarv of suoh q preceding Mr.. Thomas IN
t.siug a composition whose beauty has long chai-
iensed hin admiration and adapting 1t 70 tho sppro-
citation OF today by transcribing 1t for The most dig
pihed OF al muncal instruments the modern orchestra
Nut n any enc, hiding behind the cloak Of "purfsm
so-oaled should enter protest and urge the
sntsnsnce of the integrity of Bachs score. he could
esxy and enectually be answered with the statement
that tradition and the written page agree In proving
that THIS sonata for instance, would not be nearo
either e. Bach imagined or performed 1t II two play
ere vero 10 eonfne themselves to playing the notes
Is they appear In the most authentic publication Oh
Bach's works. Not only is there a great difference
between the modern pisnoforte and the hsrpsichora
for which Bach wrote but there Is evidence In tho
music thai Bach expected the support of an accom-
panying keyed instrument at performances OF the
sonata In various places, generally at the oegin-
ming Of formal division Of movement, Bach has
written out In figures the harmonles which he de-
sired the acconpanst to play; and in one place he
specifically prescrbes Accom- abbreviation for
accompagnamento.s
All students of music ought by this time 10 be In
formed concerning the manner In which musicians OF
Paoh and Handeps time were wont to supply the
accompanying voices to o figured bass. All the
work which Robert Franz has done in the case OF
Bach's cantatas and Passion Music as well as the
chamber airs and duets is based upon this under
standing. the indicated harmonies not played
merely as full chords, bus melodo material as well
was drawn nom them and woven into the musical
fabric. Mr.. Thomas seems to have gone to work in
an entirely analogous manner In trsnscribing this
sonata for full orchestra The harmonic structure
being fully indicated either by figures the three
voices he has neither added to subtracted from
Bach in this respect He has however, wonderfully
multiplied the sorority by calling In the aid Of the
mult-voced apparatus under his control In the pre-
face 10 the volume of the Bach Gesellschaft which
contains this sonata, Dr. Rust has shown by a brief
exposition of the mechanical construction OF the
hapschord with its several sets OF strings and It's
coupers which made 1t possible for player to COM
mand notes of four, eight and sixteen feet tone with
a single handl that the music on the staff by no
means indicated all the tones that were heard at a
performance aside from the accompaniment. When
such effects were desired the drawing OF a coupler
tmany harpschorts had stops like organs, which not
only regulated the character but also the quantity OF
tone by shifting the Jacks so that their tiny quilts
would wsng one two three sets Of strings tuned in
Hnison and the octayc9 would place volume Of
sound at the control of the player much greater In
proportion to the normal tone OF the instrument than
IS possible on the grand pianofore Of to-day, which
Jacks all these devices. Equivalents for these added
tones tho orchestra supplies in plenty, and knowledge
of these facts would be apt 10 suggest the plan
which Mr.. Thomas has followed in his effort to re
habntate composition that, because Of its archaic
style and the loss Of the old art Of accompaniment
playing, had fallen into desuetude.
Mr.. Thomas has dedicated the transcription 10 the
brooklyn Philharmonic Society. he wrote it. we
believe, last October and since then has also ar
ranged the two remaining movements. bis sppsra-
tus consists Of two hutes two oboes, two carnes, two
bassoons, four horns, three onbones and the strings
AS rule, he has left the original violin part In the
strings Of the orchestra and transcribed the clay.er
part for the remainder of the band. This Is most
specifically true Of the first movement where the
violin part is broad cantilena In three-two time,
one Of those Bachian specimens of almost endless
melody like the familiar Air from the Suite In d.
This instrumental song Mr.. Thomas permits all the
volins and violas 10 sing In unison, while he devel-
ops the theme out OF which the threevoiced cavier
part Is composed In the parts Of the windinstru-
Snents. Hero and elsewhere, whenever complement
airy harmonic matter is needed, he applies It in Bachs
STYLE deriving the phrases from some portion of the
original themes. 1t is Of this first movement. a
Largo, that spitta says ne movement is imbued
with desire, not agitaed, but of inexpressible in
ssnsity, for redemption and peace and spreads its
wings at last with such mighty span that It
as 1t would throw Of every earthly tie" This is an
acoorate characterization of the emotional contents of
she mo~ ement, which, indeed, has the dignity and
beauty Of Of the finest Of Bach's church music.
ats spirit is much Ike that Of the first number of the
"Fasston music according to St. Matthew
The programme Of the concert consisted Of Gucks
Overture to ~lphigenia in AuIsS the Largo and first
Allegro from the Bach sonata Chopin's pianoforte
Concerto In Il minor (played by Herr MoriZ Rosen-
thai, and Rubinstein's Dramatic Symphony. Herr
Rosenthsfs playing was brilliant to degree, and
the impression he has made in Brooklyn seems 10 be
every bit as profound that left by HIS first per-
H. hnpa