New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-05-31
MUSICAL COMMENT.
THE NATURE OF MUSIC; AN ATTEMPT At
ANALYSIS = DISHONEST ANNOUNCE
MENTs-DoINGS OF THE MUsI-
CLANS NEWS NOTES

has often been commented on by musicians
Perhaps the explanation Is TO be found In the othef
fact that they feel much More than all other artist
musicians creatures OF emotion indeed, they an
bound to be- since emotion plays larger part in musc
than In any other form Of artistic production In THU
latter day. however, change In this respect Is coming
| over the musical world. Music has got out OF III
state OF naf creation and entered upon that of analysis
and criticism. Among It's devotees are RiemanDs and
large compositions appear preceded by polemic,
| wagner's dramas and LISTS symphonic poems have
occasioned literature which threatens in the near
future 10 be volumlnous that evoked by Goethes
Faust" We do not 10 discuss the significance
value Of this phenomenon, but simply refer to 70
| direct attention to a highly suggestive pamphlet
recently published by Robert Clarke & Co. in Cncn
natl, entitled "An Attempt at an Analysis Of Muaes
The author OF this essay is musician snt
a woman-a circumstance which is remarkable enough
In itself, and appears doubly so In the light
of the terse, forceful and philosophical style
most OF The invest CATION The author Is Miss Heles
NJ sparmann. a sisterinlaw OF Otto Singer, whose
activities as teacher and composer were gwen 10
NewYork twenty years ago, and herself teacher and
pianist OF merit. Miss sparnann has attempted 10
ground the nature OF music art. She Is dissaus
fed with the definitions and explanations OF men Ike
Spencer. Darwin, Kant, schelltng and Hegei and ~
TENNIS one on her own account. Music she says IL
form OF notion which Ii represents, and It's effects
are produced by association OF IDEAS Her pppot
ton is better than some Of her arguments. Her rea
sonng against Spencer, for Instance, VIII never nun
him. His theory that the origin OF music Is TO BE-
found In the variations Of voice produced BY vara
tons Of feeling In other words In the emotional
cries of primitive man, propounded by Rousseau
and schabe before him. and inclined 20 believe
that it will stand so long the world believes that II
Is the emotional part Of man from which the musical
impulse springs and 10 which music addresse itsen
most powerfully. When the art reaches state in
which the intellect alone will be moved when sonatas
Will be merely the result Of ingenious mathematical
processes then process OF differentiation will set
Mr.. Spencers hypothesis aside as the basis of the
simple music Of an ingenious olden time. When
Miss Sparmann drops into an argument like the fol-
lowing she ceases to reason III, as Herbert Spencer
says music is the developed language Of emotion, al
what stage of the development did II become an artf
Since he says nothing on that point, must we assume
that all resonant and impressive vocal sounds pro-
duced by emotion are mustc7 We should then have
to call the mule musician. II not. emotions can
not be said to be the origin Of the art
Equally unphilosophcal is Miss sparnanns illustra
ton of the associations which be awakened by har
mony which seem TO spring out OF plctorx
conception OF music created by conventional notation
We cannot understand that tonic and dominant rep
resent relation in space yet Miss spsmann would have
believe that the empty fifth in the closing chord OF
Mendelssohn's funeral march in E minor " makes the
hearer feel vast distance, emptiness, which In
combination with the OF the piece he associates
with that OF home when returns to for the nrst
time after some one beloved has been carried away
from II forever The omission Of the third In the CLOS
ing chord seems like the absence OF the beloved obe
from the place where II used to be the solace and Joy o.
him who now mourns.' This is pretty, but not pro-
found The effect OF the empty fifth Is that Of
vagueness because Of indefniteness of mode solace
and 10y, would not be restored to Miss sparmanns
empty house II the chord were filed By
minor third. The distance which she speaks
OF between fourths and flfths and the Keynote
is distance created in her Imagination BY the picture
presented by scale in the conventional notation and
the keyboard of a panoforte. Let her think Of IL In
the tonic sofia notation and it Is gone. Harnonicaly
the fifth Is the interval 20 the tonic next 10 the
octave. If she wishes to study the real purpose OF
composers In using empty ffths let her look al the
BEGINNING of Beethovens Ninth symphony the first sub
iect of Wagner's "Flying Dutchman" overture, and
best of all the phrase with which Wagner represents
the mystical and supernatural power of the aTnhelm
In his Niblung tragedy. still we wish that more ma
scians would think seriously Of music as Miss
Sparmann does
The reckessness Of amusement advertisers and theh
indifference to truth traits which the penpateuc
philosopher may study at any hour OF the day on ue
dead-walls Of the town, Or seated in comfort, may
gather from his newspaper. a sentiment uttered oy
Mr. Curtis recently in his Easy Chair department o.
bills of very cheap opera company if 1t had been
spoken Of that companys npertory. farce with
music Is advertised the only comic opera In town.,
though it belongs TO class OF entertainments thai
holds the boards Just at four othet theatres, and
is as little comic opera" as it is tragedy. In
cultured community things of this kind do no harm
save to the advertiser. but it IS different when social
and artistic prestige paltry shows is given by ths
invoc alton OF distinguished names An amateur %
chestra announced concert fo last THURSDAY Us VSlns
under the most distinguished patronage OF tne ftOh
BENJAMIN Harrison, President OF the United s.atsi
the Hon. Grover Cleveland, eX-Iesident OF the OMea
states the Hon. David b. Ill., Governor OF the stas
of New York, and the Hon. Hugh J. Grant, mayor "
the CITY of New-York" There Is great deal Of con-
placency in the American character, and u IS poe'los
that consent obtained for the use OF these names
bear them. and a fraud on the people who were poe
suaded to buy tickets on the strength " inc ah1u
was nominany to benefit from the concert does na
change the moral aspect OF the case the fea osne
fcary was the Conservatory under whose auspices
the concert was given. We need honesty in at. =,
AT Chickering Hail next "Wednesday Afternoon 70
ginning at 80 O'clock Miss Amy Mana 5Sy ~ sS
which means that she Will play number OF pia31.,
compositions and talk about them. one OF h,n ss 6St
pupil Miss Laura sanford. aged ten wears. sN w.
rom Albany and has been s ThSer ' m cse twice
first when she was seven years s. DID, 3D. ara a.e intro
d sS%s d pe nss dancing she calls Thy
Miss Helen Willis. Her part Of the pr0SdSm noo "" b.
List Rubinstein and Chopin.
The musicians are scattering for Their SUNNI. .ss
vacations Mr. seidl has taken a cottage n nS
CetSdlls iii the opening Of the Brighton Reach season.
Mr. Thomas and his orchestra are swing clneec.s, !.
the West prior to the launching OF the Sss Nan Se,
prise Mr. Danr0sch Is in Europe where NJ van ~ \,
Sucken would also be il the saengerfest al 49,
Jnly did not demand his presence here. VT, ~ -
hcm who must hereafter be classed among New ., -
musicians has gone to IDS home in LONDON onn
transfer 1t TO this city next October Nlr. h.rs
viii fins week toin Mrs Rummel at their smmee nom,
near poughlpepsie on the Hudson. Mrs RumneL w..
&c a daughter OF Professor Morse, was tle rec
many social attentions during the winter. w 49,
appv coincidence that she was beck IN her 3 rI.h y,
on the centenary of her lllustrous faiee Dn
Anr OF though the fact that not even the ia
of The city or country took note OF the day mus ,.
psined one accustomed 10 the reverence LOT ON s sSs
which is so ingrained among the people WIN Wno -,
has lived for a decade. Andrews Dppei, ue ~,
sailed for Europe yesterday. lie viii study wiz, s'.
nertI then finish his engagement IN BTenen s stsv
nm IN the tinted states next season 10 devote hn
:" Concert work and ANYTHING else that oilers w 10