Daily capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1896-1899, 1898-06-18

the choir Of the Sisters Convent at
Mt. Angen? l do candidly believe
this latter composition to be his best.
1t bears the character of genuine
Christmas carol and the unfeigned
simplicity of a Christmas pastoral
without becoming booTish or common
place, as the bulk of Christmas music
is. found also amongst the scraps
in Jodie's music an unfinished "Cra-
die Song (for piano and Mezzo soprano),
extremely tender and sweet, as sweet
as Gao be and yet not common, child
like and yet far from being childish.
After Jodie's premature death, Mrs.
Cowles,-a sister Of Jodie and the
picture Of him-had the kindness to
send me, as a souvenir Of our lamented
young friend, his last composition:
Farewell to the World. "A compost
tion equal in merit to Weber's Last
Thought and Wollenhaupt's Last
Smile. To call this last song touching,
is not the proper word, it makes me
actually homesick for Jodie, when 1
only remember it. He sings himself
out so sweetly and calls upon, and
hearkens to, the angels coming to take
him to a better world, He must
haYe had a presentiment of his
approaching death which occurred on
the 2nd of May, 1897, after he had
long fingered in wasting consumption.
Poor Jodie was too good for this
wUrld,-in his character an innocent,
guileless, amiable child all his life
long like Mozart ahough in music he
was a master. l do not hesitate a
moment to say, that he had the
timber" of Mozart or Beethoven
or, to be exact, rather OF Beethoven
than for Mozart. He was a wonder
child, like Beethoven, not so much as
a performer but rather as a composer,
though he was a really brilliant
player. He played with his whole
soul, with a great warmth or express
sion, drawing out the composers
hidden sentiments and Interpreting
the ideas which lay at the bottom Of
the composition.
He never composed anything trashy.
On all his music you invariably find
imprinted the stamp OF classical
beauty and refinement. The charac-
teristic of his music is an eyer ready
flow of the sweetest melody, never
heavily laden with harmony, and as
natural as the smile on his face. and
entirely free from sentimentality and
affectation.
He had an exquisite taste, or rather
he was incarnate good taste. He
hated everything low. In his com
positions he never sought cheap noisy
effects of which musician are so fond
in order to coYer the shallowness OF
their ideas. With instructive taste
for Greek moderation he looked for
simple,sbeauuy. In this, point he
resembIed Chopin, whom he cherished
most after Beethoven; though, land
this shows his good judgement In
music,) he became somewhat tired OF
him, after he had had his fill Of him,
and found him rather mannerist.
Neither would he stoop down to
play a low piece for anyone. How
often did he not come to me
disgusted and perfectly mortified by
the bad taste of those who asked hin
to play something vulger. I sometimes
think, it good, that he was takeI
away so early from this world. Fo
like Chopin he was fully determined
to defy the whole world, and rather II
starve than pander to vulger taste ant
the prevailing public opinion.
Toward the end Of his life hi
musical sensitiveness increased stead
lily like Beethoven. More and NOR
he complained, that all that he hear
was out Of tune.