New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-01-13
MUSIC
CONCERT OF THE PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY.

CONCERT OF The PHlLdAhMONiO eoS
Cnly one Of the compositions comprislnstn e schouo
:, .hs third concert of the Philharmonic society at
-. metropolitan Opera House last night had the III
,arest compelled by novelty. This was movement.
,om Brabms's scxtet for strings op 10, thene anu
,sr,aions played by all The strings OF the pahu, IN
c,ndInc tho added double BASES The NUMBER heia
ne avn In list devoted otherwise wholly 10 mozart.
beethoven and Schubert, which is compliment eno"sn
and significant of the present attitude Oh branms III
the world Of music.
rhs other numbers of the programme were ex-
.remely familiar but none tho less welcome our
noble Philhar nonic Society best funis us mssion
when II acts as conservator OF masic wnose oeauts
Is not in debate because IL is above ana peyonu al
questions of transient taste Such music is Mohares
Great symphony in major lsurnameo 'upier''
Beeshovens seventh symphony, and the air and song
sanp nv Miss Emma Juch {" Dove soslo" from 10
Nozze di Figaro, and Die Junge Nome" by Schubert
Miss Juch's sympathetic and lovely voice anu her
honest and unaffected vocal manner had ful eAemph-
acaton in both OF these pieces, yet she did not ex
haust their emotional contents For the schubert
song sbc lacks power breadth and dramatic intensity
The song sounds some Of the depths
Of feeling and to interpret 1t fairly, especially
against LISTS orchestral Accomplishments, played by
SO large a band that of the Philharmonic sociey'
REQUIRES larger voice and manner 1t is to be men
toned with regret moreover that Miss Jnch changea
the concluding melodic phrase on the repetition OF
ing on the keynote schuberps dramatic instinc's
were not awry when he left the conclusion OF tho
song with the pathetic touch which came nom inc
simple repetition OF tho phrase with i's close on the
third of the scale. That alleluia' is not an out
pouring of triumph; 1t is an expression at once OF
profound faith and resignation SCARED by the struggle
that is Just past. The Mozart air with It's preceding
recitatve Miss Juch sang in Germany.
There is something certainly appropriate possibly,
ALSO interesting be said touching the performance
Of the symphonies. In regard to Mr.. Thomass read
ings nothing revolutionary to be recorded; in their
broad lines they were characterized by that
sincerity, dIrectness and freedom from afectar
ton, as well as that Crisp precision and
auence of tonal beauty to which Mr. Thomas and the
Philharmonic Society have accustomed us. In the
details Of their execution there were new features some
of real some Of doubtful value. We say although
attention was called to them in this journal early last
season. Following the example Of Dr. Carl Fuchs, Oh
Dantzig, Mr. Thomas is seeking TO introduce IN his
orchestra the system Of phrasing which DR.. Hugo
Remann has developed and applied to the pianoforte
classics He does not 60 10 the extreme OF Dr.
Fuchs, who (as any one may know who will take the
trouble to read his bcok while he may DO al
yocaune a reform Is by the impertinence and Vu|
raIfty of HE literary manner and his exmbiuon Oh
egotism doing all that he can to hinder It, Thus I'M
Mr. Thomas seems TO have stopped at careiul re'l-
sion of the bowling In the string parts and com
paratvely indications for phrssng In the resi- oil
tse score. In soIne instances the changes nave
worked unquesuonable good, for instance In the SLOW
movement of the C-mlnor symphony OF Beethoven
payed with the new marks last season but In Others
the ends desired have been purchased at an equally
unouestionabIe cost of beauty. The new bowling Is
awkward in many places merely because the changes
were made to satisfy the peoanuc
dissectors analysis of the physiological structure
Of the composition. An illustration was ei'ea
from Beethovsnss seventh symphony last
fall In this place. The grosser part OF the de-
feet We are glad to see, Mr.. Thomas has now cor
rected He no longer asks the woodwnds to play The
. ,,ot,va consisting of q half note and a quarter,
which IL so ngeniously and beautifully developed In the
scherzo staccao but permits them to heed the lega'o
prescribed BY Beethoven extending the sur, however
over group so to avoid the marked accent on each
first beat which is likely 20 result when the motive
is played independently at each recurrence. Iheo-
retcaly, however, he st maintains that the correct
reading of the motive though It consisted OF the
last ouartsr IN one bar and the half note In the next
Thfs ia evident from his treatment Of it in the string
parts where 1t stu sounds detached. Now, no mat
her what law DR.. Rienann may have lad down as
deduction from his studies of the nature OF rhythms
there ought to be no doubt that Beethoven wished
this motive to be played precisely he wrote 1t down
that in fact he conceived 1t for treatment as consist
Ing Of half and quarter filling bar ana was per
ss willing " S n ssPs ses h The
motive was one which he carried in his
mind long time before he used s
~ Students who TO follow tne
masa and Will look into the composers sgech books
published by Nottebohm win see the motive worked
IN In various ways connection with the preparatory
sKdses for the overture op It's, well as the
seventh symphony and fnd IT, too msshSd aassIy
4" reconcile uifl the theory that Its rythm'cll con
structon Is Mr. Thomas presented Il last night
pedagozuss would not hesitate to put aside the plain,
est and most authentic markings Of Beethoven himself
fen ms
~ thu Gcsellschaft der Musikfreunde
in Vienna and might easily DO consulted: Every
scientific principle concerning which the composer
was unhappily Tor, happily ignorant. II would
seem, however II the final appeal might be made
to tho ear and 10 that sense of tho beautiful which
has not only been satisfied but delighted with the
traditional readings Tin these respects ever since the
day Of the composer himself