New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-03-07
MUSIC.
THE KNEIsEL QUARTET CONCERT.

hat
tet Oh Ig1 by Beethoven, week ago "
,ftarnoon and again last night were srateioi "
the repetition. The attitude Of the hneisel .s =,
ence TO the srt of which the kneisei ~"
our highest exempiar is the most pedu'ii ~
festation of intelligent affection that can wen "
,r,.,;rsd Among the regular listeners are many
who cultivate chamber music practcahS
selves and many mere who look upon ~ ~ N
most exalted form of the Instrumental ART 10
of these the opportunity listen again 10 "on
which Beethoven himself set down as MS sie'
creation in the department to which IT belohes "i
something of the impression made oy 'he iHs
performance still remained In their MINUS was
blessed opportunity. The inenaoie HSsteiS
beauty which lies enshrined in this quartet anu i's
four fellows (the last fve the "Pentaide' as HVHN
denomnated them is not TO be graspeu o5
single lifting of the curtain, even when MI hheiS
and his men make the exposition. Lenz' "hlie pre-
dieting that they must become common properly,
for that their spirit immortal. yet deciareu
that IL would not be within the nineteenth cen
tury Their vast severance In time from bee'hoFen
other uuartets would alone lead one TO suspect
that Beethoven intended to present In them an
entirely new phase of the quartet idea fhey
make up Beethoven's Swan song. and fourteen
years elapsed between the composition OF the hfst
Of set and the last quartet that preceded It.
Five years the last of the composers lie' "eie
given to them Silence had long before closed
around him; sickness racking his poay' 40
nestle troubles embttering his nina ne
withdrew himself more and more from the world
and the conpanions of his thoughts to be
those Instruments which naturally the medium
of the musicians most intimate communinSs with
his art-the pianoforte and string quartet.
1t is therefore not at all singular that the quail
tiles which mark the latest compositions oi
Beethoven receive their most eloquent expression
In last groups of pianoforte sonatas and auartets-
In the former as in the latter may be found that
brooding melancholy mote 1t In the opening adagio
of the quartet played last night. that deep WIS.,
fulness which, palmer than of the singuarltleS
of writing, tell how completely the ear OF tue
composer, closed to the sounds of the external
world listening to the revelations OF the inner
There is greater freedom In the handling OF tours
a complete emancipation of he four instruments
from each other Chat is, participation In the ex-
position idea by all four on terms OF equal
ity) and the composers tendency to let his fancy
wander on and regardless of conventional limits
and worn paths has reacaed its extreme. so that
the quartets have the poetical freedom OF lproFl-
zations In the sharp min or quartet ne recurs
again to the variation form which better tnan any
other seemed to afford him a vehicle for soulful
poetzing for prayerful aspiration and ce-
lestial hymning but the variations are
vastly different than those OF the sym
phonies Now there as the freest conceivable
interchange of key, tempo. harmony and rhythm
and of the pattern work of the old type there is
not a trace remaining; the variations flow into
each other; the connecting links do not present
themselves badly. but are themselves howerings
of the melodies
The quartet invites poetfcal interpretatloh' mot
only because of its contents. but also because OF
the romantic device which it discioses in having
been conceived by Beethoven piece whose
parts not TO be separated by the conVeh-
tional pauses Naturally enough. this prompted
the programmists and interpreters to look In II
land of IL, for that matter for poetical con-
cet which could be developed consistently along
a line which would into the moods to whicn
its different parts gave utterance- Among the
most fancifui and yet reasonable of these inter-
pretatons is that of Richard Wagner. in the essay
with which he celebrated the centenary
of Beethovens birth. In this he seeks TO find in
the quartet delineation of the emotional expert
during day of creative artist In the
fugued Adago at the beginning there Is an ex-
preston of his melancholy awakening and con-
templating day which he fears will be joyless;
also a penitential prayer and communion with the,
Deity. The Allegro which follows tells of the
awakening OF the creative desire within him and
its sweetly sorrowful dalliance. In the Andante mis-
powers being revived. he addresses himself TO his
work. conjures UP beautiful beatified appartion.
and enraptures his soul by beholdng the trans
formations which 1t undergoes in the refraction Of
the light rays which he throws upon it (the varia
tions). Then comes the Presto. in which he gazes
contentedy at outward nature, life venting itself
in a joyous dance He ponders how he might, may
hap. give IL tune (Adagio): 1T is the dance of
the world itself, wild delight, the amentation of
anguish. ecstasy of love. highest rapture misery
rage, voluptuousness and When sudden
i
high above all the mighty player smiles himself.
for the incarnation TO him, after ALL only a
play. Night beckons him. His day is finished"
OF course, Wagner could not leave out his dash of
pessimstic NORWOOD.
Sixteen years ago DR.. Damrosch gave the sharp
minor quartet at the Academy of Music in the
orchestral garb In which Muller Berghaus had
dressed it, The plea made for the transcription was
that the thoughts which 1t contains were too large
for utteranee by thu four instruments TO which
had N ed HON arIaa
have some justice then, but the arguments vanish
into thin air in the presence of such performances
as Mr.. Kneisel and his companions have given the
work-espeeially that OF last night which sur
passed Its predecessor of last week in spontaneity
ana tonai charm, In spite of the fact that the at
mospheric conditions which prevailed were I'M
favorable for strings The quartet entered its diff
cult task like sacred duty-the performance IF
which. however. was to bring a pious pleasure 70
players and hearers alike. 1t did that duty marvel
ousy. and the delight which IL provided was trans
porting. Verify these men have worked their wav
near to the heart Of the composition and felt its mil
saohs' twice IN the course of the performance the
audience broke out into rapturous applause and ar
'he ehd there was protracted season of delighted
siatuiauohs HAD there been more opportunities
the manifestations would have been equally nilmer
Gus; but Mr. Kneisel so far as circumstances nar-
mited him. followed the wishes of the composer in
uniting the seven sections of the work. Beethoven
desired that there be pause but when II WIS
urged that brief period of was necessary for
the listeners, ana also essential to enable the plav
efs 10 tune their Instruments he yielded a point
ana sanctioned pause before the Presto Iaub
having finger extended to him. took a hand and
made another pause after the Presto. Mr. KneiseI
followed his example. 1t would be we'll if the COM
posers original intention could always be carried
out but this would be difficult when the work is
put at the beginning of the programme as was the
case last night. Late corners there will always be
and