The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-05-21
all the music and poetical temperament of
so cultured an audience.
ANNA M'KENZIE.
THE ORCHESTRAL NUMBERS.
Festival Opened with the Great Bach
PrsIude-Worlxs in Detail.

PFsIude-WorI<s in Detail.
With the majestic harmonies of the great
Bach prelude and fugue this years May
Festival was last evening gloriously inau-
gurated
The names of the great German past
masters Of music Bach, Handel, Beethoven
Mozart and Weber, were on the pro-
gramne, a worthy opening for music
festival, since we owe to the four first
mentioned, in conjunction with Gluck and
Haydn, the whole development of modern
tonal art. With them began the musical
renaissance; they constitute the galaxy of
immortal composers who achieved the
reconciliation between classic art and mod
ern spirituality
Promptly at S:15 Mr.. Van der Stucken
amidst "a storm of applause, assembled the
platform, raped for order, raised high his
baton and with its first downward stroke
began the ninth annual May music fes-
tival of Indianapolis Faultlessly pure and
sweet were the ethereal tones of the pre-
lude as they breathed themselves from the
souls of the violins and then died away
a moments silence, then horns, trombones
and trumpets crashed in with the mighty
choral So splendid is the brass of this
orchestra, so faultless are their attacks,
that the whole mighty volume of sound
seemed to come from one instrument.
Scarcely was the choral over when the
first violins intoned the theme of the
fugue: Splendidly uniform was their bow
ing. This fugue theme, after the EXPOSE
ton in all four voices was completed, was
followed by a repetition OF the choral
which was soon again lost, however, in
the growing fugal development.
AT those passages, however, where the
full brass came in against the strings the
weakness OF the violins was very, evident
for IN spite of the fact that the brass in
struments were most discreetly handled
yet the fugue theme in the strings was ut
terly drowned. Aside from this shortcom
ing the performance was faultless and its
effect on the audience unquestionable. The
festival could not have been more worthily
inaugurated
AT the time of Bach Germany experienced
IN the realm of music the same artistic
reviVifcation which Italy two centuries
earlier earle had received from her great sculp,,
from her great Elizabethean poets, or Spain
from her CerVantes.
BACH AN EMANCIPATOR.
In Bach we recognize the emancipation of
modern music, especially as concerns the
independent development of purely instru-
mental music freed from clinging cere-
ments of ritualistic syllabification in the
church and devoted to the furtherance of
purely musical IDEAS. Haendel created the
new art form of the music epic commonly
called oratorio; Gluck was in the dramatic
realm the foreshadower of ancient Greek
ideals infused with the spirit of medieval
conceptions of life; Haydn, the father of
the symphony and modern chamber music;
Mozart the universalist in the art of tone
like Shakespeare, the great combiner of
tragic and comic, classic and romantic,
Wnlie Beethoven is the climax of polyphonic
instrumental music in the, expression and
Interpretation of the most deeply subjective
and intensely characteristic soul life.
In humble accord with several leading
art historians 1 am decidedly Of the opin-
ion that the climax, the flood mark, to
speak, in each special line of art is only
once to be obtained. Since Phidias and
Praxteles, in their molding of the human
tural style of Greek ParthenCn, since the
Gothic and Romantic masterpieces of the
Cologne spire Florence and ST. Peter Ca
thedrals, nothing higher has been attained
Homer is still Incompatible in epic poetry;
Shakespeare supremacy as dramatlst IS
fdence assume that in the instrumental
polyphony Bach, and in the symphony and
sonata Beethoven, can never be equaled
much less surpassed.
Let us consider in this light the brilliantly
executed arrangement of the Bach prelude
and fugue, as worked out by Albert, the
version given last night. The choral, which
is masterfully woven into the latter is
imposing in its grandeur and 1t is aston
ishing with what ease the technical Difficult
ties connected Herewith are overcome To
than spontaneously received, but neVerthe-
less it resounds majestically rich--like
song of praise to the great master OF fugue
as a chant of gratitude for that which he
has beQueathed US.
With much reason the fugue, the most
important of contrapuntal forms has been
compared with the Gothic in architecture.
AS in the lofty Gothic dome the massive
is relieved by richness of elaborate detail,
so in the. fugue massiyeness OF harmony
melodic motives in the various voices. TO
this one might add the further parallel of
faith and dogma. The etherially inclined
Gothic spirit makes use nevertheless of
huge quarrystones, whilst spiritually aspir-
ing faith likewise makes use of dogma, into
whose inner mass it infuses the breath OF
life
So genius overrides the demand of style,
dogma and limitations of form in order 10
reveal to the mind and heart OF mankind
more perfect beauty and truth in novel
forms of expression, and so Gothic art,
faith and fugue are the varying expressions
of the wild striving after the formless' IN
tangible inexpressable ideal, which has
freed itself from the limitations of curcum-
scribing and superficial boundaries and mas
scared aloft into light-suffused atmosphere
of the transition-the apothesis OF human
ity, the true essence of the divine.
THE CHORAL FANTASIA.
The third number was the much-looked-
forward-to choral fantasia. Again there
was a storm of applause as the audience
caught sight of the indianapolis artist,
Oliver Willard Pierce. The solo introduce
ton to the fantasia is work both difficult
and ungrateful. Mr.. Pierce approached his
task with the seriousness of thoughtful
artist He had transported himself into the
classic spirit of the composition and ne
achieved the really remarkable feat of
bringing out the poetic content of the work
even in those places where the waves of
brilliant technical display are apt to swamp
all else. His ensemble work with the or
chestra pleased equally well with his solo.
"Cest lie ton, qui fait la muslque, says
the Frep Gilman, and that appears the
croWning feature of Mr.. PlerceS playing
that it is always characterized by this rich,
full beautiful tone. In view Oh the mar
music, and it's greater SUITABILITY 70 the
Instrument. l defer further mention of Mr..
Pierce till he performs the List concerto
on Saturday afternoon.
In this number, also, the festlVal cnoruS
was heard for the first time. The work is
written for piano solo. orchestra and
chorus. Considered from technical stand
point it is difficult in ensemble, thankless
for the pianist, but extremely e1ectlye Tor
the chorus. From an artistic STANDPOINT
the chorus part has Value only as d lore
RUNNER of the ninth symphony
The attack of the chorus was llttle
sharp but soon developed into free, true
singing and the antiphonal passages de-
served the praise of even the most critical
listener Equal precision OF rendition was
close of this number long continued APP
nIauSe resounded, which rose from forte TO
fortissimo as Mr.. Pierce was presented
with a laurel wreath. -Four times was the
popular young artist recalled ana each Tune
greeted with the same enthusiastic APP
1IauSe Bravo cries reSounded and the