New-York tribune., 1901-06-23
MUSICAL COMMENT.

NINE. LEHMANN-SPEECH IN SONG-HER
STUDY OF ONE OF sCHUMANN's
LIEDER-THE sAENGERFEsT AT
BUFFALo-ANoTHER NOTE ON
PADEREwsKrs OPERA
Here is an excerpt from a letter received in New
York some weeks ago which viii interest the many
friends and admirers of Nine Lilii Lehman:
Last winter was frightful-like most winters in
this northern climate. missed the blue SKIES ana
warm sun of New-YOrk. how often do long Tor
them! have been industrious. have sung great
deal IN concerts, practised great DEAL learned
much and been in good condition The terrible
cold which ] contracted in New-fork TWO years
ago. left gradually but ii troubled me a year
and half-that is, felt the effect at every change
OF weather. That not pleasant; nevertheless
sang more than enough; fitted continually De-
tween Paris and Vienna
T,hink OF n, lately gave a duet and song re-
cital with Emil Fischer EmiIs voice IS WONDER
fully beautiful; you would be surprised he mas
not been in such good form for years. / believe
he has not abandoned the idea Of going to the
United States. and might turn up among you al
most any time. VIII come? hope SO. How ana
when I don't know myself; nor viii the desire
suffice. However, ] want TO come with ali my
heart.
II appears to me that in fifteen or twenty years
the German market will be full OF American sing
ers. On all hands one hears beautiful superb
voices and observes diligence and intelligence;
patience and endurance alone are wanting Ihat
will improve with time. Perhaps II is good thing
TO have a little competition; it will make the
singers more industrious, and compel them TO do
better work Then they win not go TO America.
but America win come TO Germany. Thus you VIII
get back what formerly was taken out of your
country and be the gamers in the transaction
Nine Lehman by the way. who has become
more Of a feuilletoniste than ever. recently en-
ployed her forceful pen in an extremely valuable
discussion which the less interesting be-
cause autobiographic. In the "Berliner Tageblatt'
she defended a device of which she is fond. and in
explanation analyzed one of schumann's songs.
The device in question $50 judge from the arti-
cle) is that OF abandoning melody at climactic
moments of great tragic pathos and resorting TO
tnpassioned speech. Years ago. at the Mstropoli-
tan Opera House. in ''Fidelio" she used TO give
supreme emphasis 10 the words Immediately pre-
ceding the trumpet signal c'Anotner step and you
are deadr") by uttering them in an awfully agi-
tated speaking voice. In this she had an eminent
example. and an eminent Endorsement before her.
Nine. Schroeder-Devrient was by unanimous con-
sent the greatest OF all Fidelios and Wagner. who
admired her beyond measure. tells with enthusi-
asm Of the effect produced by her speaking the
word dead" instead of singing it. The indie
scribable effect of this" Wagner wrote. mani
Tested itself all alike in an agonizing plunge
from one sphere into another; and its sublimity
consisted in this that with lightning Quickness a
glimpse given TO us Of the nature OF both
spheres, of which was the ideal. the other
the real.'' The moment is one Of terrible excite /
rnent Just before Fidelio had thrown herself be-
tween her husband and his would-be murderer 4
with the cry: First kill his wife, there Is a /
second of CONSERVATION, then Pizarro hurls FL I
deHo aside and again advances upon Florestan 4
with dagger drawn. There is but seconds grace; /
the time is indeed, short TO admit Of the pro
duction of the measured song-tone without stagna-
ton Of the action FIdelio rushes between the (
men, presents a pistol and shrieks out the words !
ql.oted Immediately after the trumpet call is (
heard. Rocco explains its purport; the accents or
the orchestra publish an indescribabe awe. Never /
was music Of such tragic pathos written before;
nothing comparable has been written since; we do /
not believe that its like will be written again
long the world stands
We do not recall that Nine. Lehman Sc
verely faulted for taking liberties with Beethoven's
text but The Tribune did speak apprehensively !
lest the thing overdone; for Herr Niemann. too.
declained when he ought have sung, and Herr
Robinson also. A very different question was
raised when a German performance Of Gounods
Faust" Nine Lehman spoke the monologue
which introduces the ballad at the spinning wheel,
and in the Nile scene Of Aida" delivered the ex-
quisite monotone phrase. under the oboe melody.
'slo! no. mai pin mai pin" in a speaking voice.
mendousy exaggerated, appeared in Nine. Leh-
mann's song recitals in schumann's marvellous
''waldesgesprach." Here, after working up a /
large climax in the first lines of the third /
stanza. she suddenly dropped the song-voice and :
in tone of great trepidation declaimed:
"Jetzt kenn ich dich, Gott steh' mir bel,
Du bist die Hexe Loreleyr'
Whether she declaimed all of these words in a /
speaking voice or only the first four. agttato. .
and then returned gradually to the melody, we do /
not remember; but the innovation made a strong
impression at the time. and was recalled by Mime. .
Lehmann's feueton in the ''Berliner Tageblatt" /
which we purpose TO reproduce IN translation. /
Evidently it called forth by critics strict
ures on a similar performance in another Of
Schumanns songs
The article is headed "loer spielmann Won Robert
Schumann," and in effect is follows:
II critics were as willing or eager to learn as |
mature artists there would be material enough in /
existence for inspiriting coloques which might |
prove beneficial the public well. / have be- |
fore a musical criticism which discusses my J
last concert and more especially Sehumann's
Might Il not be Interesting the public to learn
how such songs originate in the fancy Of the !
artist; she certainly does claim to hold a |
brief for the creative artist-the compOser) The |
song attracted me long ago. II tells story in |
which the fate of three human beings is developed
with fr1ghtful rapidly. That pleased me. An in
teresting picture, and piece well adapted TO COM
A little rustic wedding with music and dance: |
the pale bride. the fiddler who is not the bride
groom, but plays for the dance nevertheless press
ing his nddle against his heart till IL flies into
thonsano pieces; compassionate spectator who is 1
gr1evec 10 see the ruin OF young heart which |
longs for JOY The sudden outbreak of the hddler's
insanity rIldely interrupts the spectators refec-
lions. WHO told you TO point your finger at me?'
ne shouts wildly Another poor musician drops his |
frlghtened gaze to the ground and prays God to /
save him from such a fate