The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-11-23

Mr.. surctte Discourses on Haydn and
the symphony"

lht symphony
Mr.. Thomas Whitney Surctte delivered
his third lecture ON "rhe Development
OF Music" at the Il. NJ. G.. \. Han last
night
1nese lectures. of which thcie are six.
sTc known as "lnc University Extension
Lectuies' and are belns delivered under
The auspices OF The Ncdnesday Club.
Ar. Surettcs subject LAST mgnt was
Haydn and the symphony and as
usual. ne handled il Iu a. most mastery,
clever, ana concise manner.
IutruQuctOfily, AIR. Surctte said That
without insisting too strongly on these
dividing lines. u may bee sala that Bach
founded to the fuil the course OF pure,
yoyphonic music. the close OF his life
marNs ulc close OF the second great
period in the history of music.
The first composer 10 take any steps
away from the school OF Bach was ms
son. Philip Emanuel Bach. who. while
influenced by his fathers style of writ
my. seems 10 have teit the necessity of
nuuing some moro pldsuc medium Tor
his thoughts than the old and somewhat
sun ami formal style of the Fugue his
music has many curious phases, beng
AT times pOlyhponic, ana AT Other times
reaching out as II TO Try new ideas and
methods.
Ills chief service was in bringing about
some order IN the movements of the
sonata. in increasing their number ana
ia taking away from IL the adherence 10
the suite form. which had characterized
all the first sOnatas. lie prepared the
way for Mozart and Beethoven.
MIR. Surette spoke OF the simple beauty
Of his music, and dcplored that he had
been relcgated To the limbo OF the un-
known-hc, as well as So many other men
who have been oVcrshadOwod by The
greater lights OF tho musical world, Is
we'll worth studying
In taking up the life OF Haydn very
delightful picture OF him was drawn Dy
the lecturer. his character was discussed.
and all the things which bore on his music
were brought out IN a way tnat gave The
audience "a complete ana vivid conception
OF him and the times he lived IN. Mr..
Surette's idea is 10 show how such men
as Haydn did their work, why the Work
itself was OF a certain kind or type.
how the times they lived IN affected
their thought. aud how they in their turn
affected their contemporaries and sue
oossors. lie teaches his audience how
to listen intelligenuy IN discussing
piece OF music he goes 10 the piano ana,
playing 10 bit by bit. gradually lets you
see how the thought OF the composer
was worked Out-what mis- methods We're,
he shows how one thing leads into an
other. how a portion OF a melody IS
taken apart and worked out by. itself.
until you finally have the whole thing
before your mind. and the music makes
the impression on you which the COM
poser intended II should
Haydn was the father OF the symphony;
before his time there was no symphony.
as We understand the term; the word
had been applied 70 the interludeg or
preludes to operas OF oratorics, as In
The Messiah, whore Handel calls one of
his ntsrludes. '1'he Pastoral symphony"
The symphony. with Haydn, was piece
~ music FOR orchestra. IN three or four
movements. each longer than the Pas
,oral symphony" and contrastcd with
each other IN tcwoO-fast and slow
and having. especially In the first move
nent a well-defned purpose TO work out
an. idea. accounting 10 certain laws.
which had been gradually a5ccrtained by
The different men which had gone be-
fore. and which Haydn himself added 10
by his further experimcnt-lsws similar
10 those which have guided men In me
Gradual development OF painting