The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-08-30
THE KREUTZER SONATA.
kkeeERP1S FROM T0tST0rS PRESCRIBED WORK
THE EFFECT OF MUSIC WONDERFUL MURDER SCENE.

tention, and essays to assume an air of
Indifferent animation. Oh, how suffer!
She is light-hearted, she ID merry. And the
hatred increases tenfold, and still must
bride it, for know in my heart that
there is no reason for it. sit playing
load him with special attention. then get
agry with myself and want to leave them
alone. And really do. But hardly do
gain the street when am seized with an
other f1t, saying to myself: What are they
doing inside? ! return under some pretext,
or else do not return. but remain stand
ing at the door and listen. How can she
humiliate herself and me, how can she
thrust me into the unworthy position as
suspicious listener? How vulgar! How
beastly! and he, he! He? He is like all men,
like me when was single, before had
wife. He takes pleasure in exciting jealousy,
say: "What do you want? II is my turn
nowv Oh, terrible is this sensation, terri
BILE the venom Of this sting. II Icould
but once inoculate into some man this
poisonous matter. II could but once be
justified in suspecting man of serious in
tentions. he would be marked for life, ssif
vitrol had been thrown in his face.
In abiding to that wondrous piece of
music which was evidently the tonic chord
of the whole following dissonance Of sent
iment which Tolstoi strives to set forth, his
TRADE against music is amazingly feeble.
He strives in one sentence to make music
appear evil In its effects and then goes on to
show how wonderfully IT appeals to him.
He compares it to hypnotism and declares
1t should be placed under legal supervision
and restraint. Perhaps had this modern
moralist paused to question the effect Of
evil literature he would have better used
his brave and sonant words.
Here is what he says of the effect Of the
'Kreutzer Sonata:''
/" They play the 'Kreutzer Sonota.' Do
you know the first presto2 Do you?
Ohv he cried out, and was silent for q
IAN awful piece is this sonata! and par
tioularly this presto. Horrible in fact is
music. And what is music? I do not
know. What is music? What does music
accomplish? And why does it accomplish
what it does accomplish2 One is told music
elevates the soul: Nonsense. A lie. vii
myself, it has mighty effect, but not
soul. elevating one. Its effect is neither ele-
waiting nor lowering. It's effect is directly
upon the soul, in other words is psychical
EXETER. How can ! explain this more
'clearly? Music compels me to forget my
one, forces me into strange one; in fact,
under the impression which music has upon
me, feel really what do not feel. I'M
derstand what really do not understand.
do what really cannot do. The way
explain this to myself i as follows: Music
is like yawninR and acts like yawning CT
laughter. am not sleepy, but yawn.
when sec others yawn. I have no reason
to laugh, and still / laugh whom
! hear others laugh. Music trans
ports me into the psyche Of the composer.
and upon my mind ID made the same inn
preston as was created upon the authors.
Our souls come together, allow him to
carry me along from one tendency to an
other. Why do that I do not know. He
who writes music knows wherefore he is in
that particular aptitude. For instance, the
'Kreutzer Sonata'-Beethoven we'll knew
why he was in that particular frame of
mind when he wrote the sonata. This ten
dency can be attributed to certain actions,
therefore the result of the tendency has an
Importance for him-but not for me.
Therefore music is not only exciting and
stimulating, but leads to conclusions. A
military march, for example. The soldiers
march to it and the music leads to . con-
clusion. The dance, dance. The music