New-York tribune., 1894-01-01
MUSIC.
DyORAK'S AMERICAN COMPOSITIONS IN
ROSToN


a concert by the Symphony Orchestra Its suc-
cess with the public. while pronounced, not
SO emphatic IL was In New-York for which
fact an explanation might be found In the circum-
stance that 1t not 20 well played. Mr. Paur
had evidently taken ample pains in studying It
with his band bur he misconceved the tempo Of
overy movement 80 completely that the work
robbed OF half its charm. II reminded one OF the
dinner al which everything was cold except the
icc-crearn Every movement played with great
moderation except the larghetto. which played
much too fasc. The temptation is strong to say
that MIR Paur. a newcomer in America. uncon-
sciously gave & certificate of national character TO
the worl. in showing convlncingly his lnaoiiity
TO grasp it's spirit. The newspaper critics In their
reviews unanimous in prasing the beauty OF
the music AMI denying It's right to be called Amcr-
can The sarcastic and scintillant Mr. Philip hale.
~ 'rhc Boston journal" In particular makes merry
ever the term ard thinks IL wOndroas amusing that
arythng should be called American which has at
tributes or elements that also found among the
reou,es Of the O.d World Much Of this kind Of talk
is mere oubblirg. Mr. Hale does not deny that
DR. Dgcraks melodies reflect tire characteristics
If the soncs,of the negroes in the South. ard that
tive symphony Is beautifully and consistently made
If so why should Il be called American? Tnose
songs though they contain .nterY2lNc and rhythnic
pcc.i,iaritias OF african origin, are the product OF
American Institutions: OF tho social political ard
,,oographical environment within which the back
~,av,. was placed here: Of the influences 10 which
he vas subjected here; Of tfe joys ana sorrows
which fell To his lot here. The crude material may
be foreign; the produc, is native In the sense wicn
e4,;,s to be playing hide ard seek in the minds or
the critics and musicians who object to the iape,
there il american music and can be none.
Every clement Of population must nave IFS
own characteristic musical expression, ana not
one element set up to be more American
imam another But suppose the time come "hea
the wor., OF analg,n,a ton ghou,l b. complete and
III developed
a fonGn-ss for certain peculiarit!es Of melody ana
rhythm which onGness in turn shal! disclose itself IN
, decided pre'liecon for compositions in wnich
those pecuiari;les have been utilized; VIII that
music be American? VIII it be racy of the SOL!
Wiz such compositions be better emitted to be
c,;.el American tran the music OF to-day, wnioh
4rnplovs the same clements. bat coni'sse9 mat II
bo~rows tn.m rom the songs OF tne southern hc-
efoes? Those songs are fok-songs ~ the "u'"'
sense. that is they are me songs OF
folk created by fox. not by an IN
aiytluaL giving voice 10 the emotional NE OF
, folk, fr which ~, America IS responsible Ihey
are heau,irl songs. aad Dr. Dyorak mas showed
that :hey cen Furnish rymphcn!e material 10 tle
composer who knows how 20 employ H. 10 use
.,t. material mos. effectively Il Is recfssary 10
catch something of he spirit Of the people TO ""o"
II H. or a, leas; Il seems. ilichatc' : h".Ne'H u
American oueht % be abe TO % ths
nuiei;er and better than fore.SH'r' "''
be VII not b. abe - 30 Il At al ""'eSS
he have the gft OF udnHma'iNS
rs secs or foeis into music II H. have the H'as'c
,,,,.,, ,.-n,,s ne may writ American muslc;
II r.. have il not he WIZ not write music a an
me ,uigh, as well b. = Hotcatoi AS an American,
= b., not occurred % Tho Tribune 20 cain that
wiki his symphony Dr. DForak has l'"h,'' "a
toral school ~ compositions ife o"'' '"''s '
has b,on u,..l n the ri-t;er is hat -" has sno"ea
,a,+ .har. ar.. "a. same possibilities laeAt IN me
c,ir.-sangs which have grown ~ N America a. III
the fol.-son2s % other peopl'F iaos' io'h-so''sS
are ,ccp,,,l. .hed facts. They viii not be a"dei 10
r,r the reason that their creators nave ou's'o""
ih. coritlons which alone IT ide tn'm posS'o''
Modern civilization is as great an obstacle 70 IN"
c~.,-ion Of true foll-song it l. 70 the creauon
Of lorenls ana mythologies. II has a'roph'su '"'
faculty which brings them form ohy onoe !"
iore while DO see II stirred ih'o aS"s''' -
tn, op'r among peoples who are living TAR IRON
,h. destructive Influences Of modern ne i"S
,,.-,irc,i.u os railways IN Germany sNe
r,ee % a locomotive myth. but Il was among ''''
n,fva and ignoran. peasantry OF iS'a''l, NV
same noop,e accounted for the trnmph OF the rus
alan arms IN 1856 ~ !nvcntiAg n IeSeAH y '"0
..... I'M. bismarck had GOT .ne reede-gun from
In. de.n IN exchange for his sonl. bNt sue" "a.
r,..s . tho faculties tha, create myths ana ioih-
sr,.s are growing scarcer daily. II j. irconc%Nao'e
that America snail aid 70 her store ol ioNSo'e''
Whatever characteristics of tonaiiy or rhythh 'ae
nos. NJ. fliu:c American school OF conlpoSl'0hs -
:, hay. must therefore. be derived from the songs
3
those SONGS have, been written down, and to those
which have been preserved the scientific method
has not yet been applied. II ought 10 oe .oohso
up9n as d privilege. II not duty 10 save theH'
and the best-equippel man In the word 10 10 '"'S
and af,ervarl to utilize the materia! in the manner
suggested b. Dr. DvOrak. ought 70 be the American
composer Musicians have never been 50 conscious
as Row az tie value OF folk-s0ng clements MUSIC
IS scsk klas new vehicles OF expression ana IS seek
ing them where they are most sure 10 De loun'-
/ in the ncld of the foik-scns. We have su'n iiei
and II = rich. Why not cultivate lt' why uese
snrers at the orly material wncn lies 10 our hd"u'
What matters II II the man who points out The way
ro L bohemian scarcely Two years In the country!
/ The peripatetic gypsy is the universal musician,
arI he makes fIunyarian music In Hungary. span
len .nlsi, in spain. Russian music IN Eus,la ana
rrco.,niac the ini,.duai!:y OF the musician n h,'
mISic Dnt also the lset thai h,Wey'r 7 usopnisui p'ic
OF ,ha Va -1ieness which haunts TIE musical mlnl
let ns say II b9;'r vh1, ~ !S !navaty a @ is upon
tins is cited As i Proof that II Is no, % Ame,-
aiity as Dvorlk sh5G.l conceal himself in a COM
position bur Il would pe ereater ply II me Joe, inTt
! Which is, as Yet non-eXs;ent There are In Music
schools 0f materials schools Of manner ana schools
OF models. The new symphony u hlS'iy suS-
| cessful experiment In the Met OF these .
me symphony WAS the iirst composition whlcn
! Dr. Dv6rak wrote in America- 1t vas vr.tt9n -
yiMr GIN In spylil. iowa. he composed t~o other
WORKS in N caa,ical iotnsr },'Ev, ana ,.I t1,
;neseI ,J,,nrttt this ,vcnlng in Boston. The per-
fSrniancr viii no. b. embarrassed b. misconceptions
! of The coinpOser'S puvpOsc. and nO doubt ire re-
Viewers ard iauslcans o. the cy VI. eInora.s tle
/ opportunity 10 continue their studies IN musical
nationllisia 1t viii make ior ,;ooi th"t ne Guares
Is 10 he heard before ;he impf ''soHS mac, ny ,.e
i;ynir,ks mind W., YET warm v IN tae SLOW created
! by his work on the SYMPHONY. That Is oovoC5i
to the first glance at the score Vol vIlS ne
i'm, the formal material also of She first movement
~ hr symphony has been cqrrlei\oyer into the nrst
! u
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