New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-07-04


Weimar. which were OF such value 10 wagner
he writes TO friend:
Richard Wagner. n Dresden conductor. has
been here since yesterday. That is man OF
wonderful genius, such brain splitting genius
! indeed as beseems this country-a new and brill
/ liant appearance in Art. Late events In Dresden
/ (the revolution) have forced him 10 decision IN
| the carrying out OF which am firmly resolved 10
help him with all my might When nave hau
a long talk with him you shall hear what We
have devised and what must also be Thoroughly
realized In the first place. We want 10 create
success for a grand. heroic. enchanting musica I
! work the score OF which was completed year
/ ago. Perhaps this could be done In LONDON
! ChOrley for instance, might be very helpfuI 10
him in this undertaking If warner mex, VIM" ,bo
could go to Paris backed up by this success, the
! doors OF the Opera would stand open to him. no
matter with what he might knock.
The grand heroic. enchanting musical work
was "Lohengrin." which List himself brought
out in Weimar in the following year. Chorey'who
was counted on 10 help along the project OF
London production. was music reviewer for THE
Athenaeum." In an extremely Interesting letter
to the Imperial Russian Councillor OF State
Wilhelm Won LEM. author Of beethoven ct SOS
Trois Styles" List takes issue with his sub
division Of Beethoven's works and argues the
point thus:
For us musicians Beethoven's work is Ike the
pillar Of cloud and fire which guided the Asrac!-
ties through the desert-a pillar OF cloud to guide
|
so that may make progress both DAY ana
night" His Cbscurity and his light trace FOR VIZ
equally the path we have to follow; they are
each OF them a perpetual commandment an
infallibe revelation. Were II my place to cate
gorze the different periods Of the great masters
thoughts rs manifested in his sonatas sym
nhonies and ouartets | should certainly not fix
the division into three styles. which is now
pretty generally adopted, and which you nave
followed; but. simply recording the queSu0ns
which have been raised hitherto, should frankly
weigh the great question which Is the axis or
criticism and Of musical aestheucism a, me pom.
to which Beethoven has led us namely III nov
far is traditional or recognized form necessary
determinant for the organism Of thought?
The solution Of this question, evolved from the
works ~ beethoven himself would lead me 70
divide this work not into three styles, or Ferrous
the words style and period being here only
cOroary subordinate terms or vague anu
equvocal meanng-but quite logically into TWO
categories: the first, that in which traditional
and recognized form contains and governs me
thought Of the master: and the second. that in
which the thought stretches breaks ana reCre-
ates and fashions the form and style according
to Its needs and inspirations. Doubtless In pro
ceeding thus we arrive In n direct line al those
incessant problems of authority and liberty. But
why should they alarm us? In the region or
liberal arts they do not, happily, Drlne III an!
of the dangers ana disasters which their oscilia-
lions occasion in the political and social worid'
for in the domain Of the Beautiful genus npme
is the uthorty and hence. dualism disappe aflnR,
the notions Of authority and liberty are brought
back to their original identity Manzoni In de,
fning genius as "a stronger imprint VI , ~ '''''''
4 double value belongs TO the letters, which.
the most widely published and most generally
road of musical letters hold their supreme place
oui,e as much because Of their literary charm
"a for the light which they throw upon the man
and his art. The new compilation ana 'raHS'a
ton has none OF the drawbacks when we nave
been obliged to condemn in the bulky volumes
in which La Mara has preserved so much that
,s not worth preserving In Mr.. Alexanders
nea. little volume we find the charming de-
scriptions Of Italy which all lovers OF Meh-
delssohn have long admired. including the eN-
tremely lively and interesting account OF the
music sung In Rome during Holy Week; also ''e
s,y,ss tourney the famous accounts u his visit
10 Goethe and Wemar and the letters 10 fas'"r
scbubring who compiled the texts Of his ora
torios We are glad also 70 see the one written
"a Herr Sonchay. Of Lubeck. in which the q'ies-
lions Of the contents Of music It's capacity 81 eN-
nression and the value Of programmatic titles
are discussed with q clearness and authoritative
ness quite without parallel in musical literature
Herr Sonchay had, we believe. written some
poems which he imagined conveyed in words 'he
sentiments which Mendessohn had attempted
10 express in some q his Songs Without WORDS
He then asked Mendelssohn whether he the
Doet. had properly understood the music. Men
delssohn replied:
There Is q great deal OF ldik about i''"7'N'
and very little said 10 the purpose. MY own
belief is that words inadequate 10 express H.
and II II were otherwise should END by iehNlns
off composing music altogether. Ohe cohS'd"NS
HEARS Deople complain that the meaning OF music
is SO Indefinite Il leaves them In 90 much douD'
as TO the significance intended 10 be conveyed III
IL: and vet they imply that II is int"iilslbie 10
everybody With me it's exactly the opposite Anu
that not only with complete sentences aIu 80 Oi''
but single words also seem 10 me vague N
definite and very open 10 Misunderstanding ~
Comma r,son with real music-the music that mis-
ones heart with thousand things inner thah
any Language. What any music care Tor nf"hs
TO me is not an indefinite feeling when one
might render definite by translating II into WORDS
hui something perfectly clear. And therefore all
attempts TO express these ideas strike me as ac-
curate perhaps, but always az unsatlsIylhg anu
that is the impression ! gained from your own
Now that Is your fault: II Is the fault or lah-
/ Ruage itself which. indeed. must fal snort mere
II you ask me what was in my nina WINE coIr
posing a particular gong. answer the song l'SeIl
precisely az Il stands. And II. indeed. theie WAS
in anv case some particular word, "A particular
sentence in my thoughts | can tell no one Whal
II was precisely because that word does h0t
carry the same significance 10 one person tnat ~
does 10 another, and IL is only the song itsct
that can express the same meaning, or suggest
the same emotion 20 one as To the other
Resignation melancholy worship a hunting
call-theee words do not call up the same feeling
in two different persons what is resignation 10
/ one Is melancholy to ther. while a third per
con attaches no definite significance 10 ether. IT
ono were A downright keen hunter by nature
perhaps the hunting-call would come 10 signliy
10 one pretty much the same thing as Worship.
I and the notes Of the horn be Verttaby sort or
anthem. We should hear nothing IN II but me
hunting call, and. however much we might as
cuss Il with the huntsman, we should never come
10 an agreement The word would stlll be many
sen ed and yet we should both understand the
music.
Will YOU let that pass for an answer 10 your
question? II is a. least the only answer know
! how to make. and IT is nothing itself but words
of doubtful significance.