The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-11-24
PROPHETIC CRITICISM.
Coreer's idea of What Musical Crit
NAV Saw in the Year 1870

CorGer's Idea of What Musical Critics
May Say in the Year 1850.
Mr.. Frederic Corder, second Principal of
the London Royal Academy of Music, and
one of the most promising composers of the
modern English school, is also editor of a
from the current number of which the fol-
lowing is taken:
The musical criticism of the past has been
shown. by various excerpts. to be reading at
once amusing and instructive. A prophetic
trance has enabled us to quote some of the
criticism of the future. Here is an extract
from newspaper seen in a vision, 1t
was Tor rather will be) published at Mexico
in The year 1850:
IAN interesting chamber concert took
place last night in the Albert Hall, London.
This concert-room is eXcellently adapted for
chamber music. and it IS pity that the
large halls are so frequently engaged for
that purpose, as all delicacies OF perform
ance are but too often lost in wide areas
The principal item was new ceutettO for
pianoforte, stringed, wood, brass, iron, cop
per and platinum instruments. The piano
forte part was exquisitely rendered by the
composer. Mr.. J0nesbrOwnski. Whatever
be thought of his compositions, there can be
no question that this young Tartar is a
pianist OF the very flrst order. Though he
had given recitals at Calcutta and Buenos
Ayres on the preceding days. no sign of
fatigue was perceptible He never once OBJ
scured the other ninety-nine performers
and he does not use DlanofOrte of the con-
struction favored by the more muscular
pianists. His excellent Krupp has strings
which are even in the bass only three feet
thick, and the weight of each hammer is
scarcely IS pounds. His touch (middle fin
GER weighs 203 pounds; little finger, 1913;
right fist, 947; right foot, ton 20 pounds.
THE COMPOSITION AS MUSIC.
"With regard to the composition as music,
we regret being obliged to speak unfavor-
ably. In the centet, and also in some solos
ana some vocal compositions, Mr.. Jones'
brownski showed distinct traces IF the in
fiuence of those new false lights which
have deluded so many young musicians re-
Gently. Let him return to the heartfelt
simplicity of Bach, the Oiympian calm of
Beethoven. even to the pellucid melody of
the much-despised Wagner; these men
however much MIR. J0nesbrownski's school
may loftily look down upon them-never-
thelesS knew how to create that which is
pleasing as well as scientific. They never
wrote ugliness and called it profundty, nor
drowned the voices by noisy accOmpani-
ments, nor tortured the performers with
needless difficulties. nor ruined singers by
writing i'll clumsy, unvOcal style. Would
that Mr.. Jonesbrownski-wh is undeniably
endowed with great talent-might perceive
the error of his present ways! Some of his
songs were given by Miss Blankni, for
whom we were heartily sorry. To hear her
beautiful voice and perfect style wasted on
such unmelodious and thankless stuff was
really distressing. How great was the con-
trast, and how delightful a change it was
to the audience-still more so it must have
been to Miss Standardization she sang
the closing scene from Wagner's 'Gotter-
dammerung.' We do not join with those
who condemn the additional accompani-
ments now so generally used to Wagner's
music. His orchestration, however it may
have sounded in his own day, is too thin
and poor for modern ears. To hear that
long strain of simple mel0dy-so beautiful,
so vocal, yet SO dramatic-with the rich
orchestration of the twentieth century is
indeed a relief after the pretentious ugly
works of the present day, with which we
are too much tortured. We are told that in
these enlightened times it is beneath man
of genius to pay obedience to the laws which
the great masters Of the past respected, or
to consult the convenience Of the performers.
Yet Wagner did not fluid it necessary to
violate any of the rules of form and har-
mony, and could write dramatically without
ceasing TO write v0eally. Let his example
be lesson to Mr.. JoneSbruwnski and all
others who are tempted to follow in his
steps. What Haydn, Mozart and Wagner
all did, what even Bach and Beethoven did
not disdain. cannot be otherwise than right
FROM HANDEL AND BACH
Down to Wagner and Dvorak the same
story is repeated. Not one harsh progression,
herent idea can be found in the huge mass
of notes they have left us. We are told tina.
opera-goers are no longer satisfied with
Mozart and Wagner, and call for something
more advanced All such crazes will
doubtless have their day, and then the pub
lie Will return to the old masterpieces to the
noble passion of lphigenia,' the weird
romance of Der Freischutz,' the dongio-
vanniosity of Don Giovanni the simple
charm-call it triviality if you will, we care
not-of Tristan und Isolde Gluck, Weber,
Mozart. Wagner accom- plished wonders with
the tiny orchestras and small resources of
their day. and always kept their public in
view. They may not have been fully appre-
cated by their contemporaries, but no one
ever treated them as wild revOlutionaries
advocating the destruction of all that is
venerable, and posing as the apostles of a
new creed. They were content to work on
the lines laid down by their predecessors,
for in the eighteenth and nineteenth CEN
turtles no one imagined that a thing was
necessarily good because it was new. That
discovery was left for the young highfliers
OF our own age, who threaten destruction to
the art unless speedy return is made to the
old paths"