New-York tribune., 1901-12-22
MUSIC.
CONCERT OF THE PHILHARMONIC So
CIETY


leon On Friday afternoon and last night the
S.-rL.--,ouic Society brought forward a new work
., ambitious form by American composer
- o hearing 70 one Of the best Of living violin
- and reintroduced to the attention of its sub
frers one Of the striking compositions Of the
,re revolutionary. Richard Strauss. Each Of
.bese occurrences invited 70 ample comment. but
..-,-r,etances do admit Of the acceptance Of
he invitation Only the opening number, Beetho-
--s '-Fidelio" overture. kind to the re
tsvrzr being familiar a household word, and
asEirg nothing but complimentary word for the
,-g-ed and effective manner in which it was per-
.o,r,ed-a modest sprig of bay with which the
,rsat composer would have been satisfied. and
which must suffice for the conductor and performer
,.nIess all notions Of symmetry be thrown
10 the winds
The new work which was produced was the sym
rbony in T minor by Henry K Hadley. entitled.
spTbs Four Seasons which has won as much
celebrity is its due (and more notoriety) from
'te fact that It recently carried off prizes al
most simultaneously. The circumstance involved
ogestons Of professional ethics which do not
are discuss The significant fact in the case is
.bat the symphony carried of both the Paderewski
snd New-England Conservatory prizes two months
sFo and was thereby acclaimed the best orchestral
cernposl-ion which came under the notice Of two
taies acting independently and unconscious Of each
nher's existence That IS one fact established be-
vond cavii; the merit Of the work may be said TO
be & mixed question of fact and opinion TO which
this review must he addressed--that IF the actual
ner: Ct the work. 4 description of the
work based upon the confessed purposes
o. the composer has been printed in this journal
We gre therefore saved so much exposition. The
rest IS expression of opinion based on a knowl-
edge of the written page and the impression
sted by hearings. It might have been better
for Mr. Hadley had he not protested so ruuch-had
De :hundared less in the index. Where he is pro
grammatic ne Is least interesting. He wrote the
symphony. as Wagner composed his Ring of the
Nibelung." backward and II is q compliment
rather than censure. that his symphony improved
in inverse ratio. He is most original in his first
movement, which aims 10 depict the rigorous ard
sustere aspects of winter. and least original and
effective when he tries paint scenes and incidents
which he associates in his fancy with autumn,
summer and spring. In the second and third move
uents he shows little too palpably his glimpses
al Mendelssohn's scores tthe Mystery Chords
but a paraphrase OF those Horns from Elfiand.
family blowing from the overture TO "A Midsunl-
ner Nights Dream'), but the first movement has
strong. virile beauty, and in construction and
color ne throughout shows masterful command
of technics. which holds a fine promise for the
future. The symphony does not point the way TO
any new original path for American music, but
it keeps open the door Of hope.
The climactic music of the evening came with
the concluding number, which Richard
Strauss's Tod und VerkIarung.'' which played
with such thrilling effectiveness under Mr.. Paurs
direction that the conductor had TO return 10 the
stage at the close Of the concert TO bow his ac-
knowledgTnents Mr Hadiey similarly hon
ored at the lose OF his symphony.
Il may he assumed that during the nine years
which have elapsed since Herr Strauss work was
first heard here there has been development in
popular appreciation along the line which he
marked in Tod und Verklarung,'' but il is
question whether not the fundamental issues
have heen met by the growing admiration Of his
censorious critics. Granted that his music is
narveIlously and eloquentIy graphic in character.
and that il makes powerful appeal TO the aesthetic
sense. does it follow that tie merely physical
poets of dissolution form an appropriate subject
for musical illustration for music? We not con-
cerned with the question Of the appropriateness
OF such music in dramatic representation II
q drama the context would play very important
part We might be edited and uplifted by the
picture and words of q dying Christ bat scarcely
interested (uness with vulgar and self-incrimnat
ing norbidity) in the death Of an incouseQuGntial
one Of the million This is undemocratc. Of
but the hopes and aspirations Of the democratic
masses must become ideal before they can be con-
sidered in the realm Of art. And
when the ideality OF bodily decay comes in. The
dissolution OF q mind a souI-sh that were diff
ferent subject and for its representa- ton would
not ask the material which IS called TO hand by
Strauss. In his bedchamber lies dying. He
has lust passed through a convulsion and lies
hausted his couch, his face Oct US give to the
musical poet all that he asks rejecting the dream
OF childhood which occupies his wandering fancy
-
table This picture. obviously conceived for the
sake Of quiet introduction. is Of brief duration,
and is dissipated by q return of the struggle be-
tween the vital forces and death In the midst of
the mortal agony thoughts OF the delights, am
bitions and strivings of youth and manhood Ill the
sufferers mind. and the question whether or not
death realization Of life's dream forces itself
into notice. The struggle ends with the body's
enemy triumphant as the soul enters into realza-
Iion Of musical redemption and TRANSPORTATION.
L or1obr rhar- he
such a combat and victory may be illustrated in
music IN a TO disarm criticism Think Of
the c minor and D minor symphonies of Beethoven!
But Strauss with a consuming love for pictorial
ness. chose TO mix grossly materialistc manner
with the idealism invited by the artistic aspect of
the case. He strives by musical means 10 delineate
the irregular heartbeats and the stertorous breath
ing Of the dying man, going so far in his pursuit
Ct externals as try suggest the fiickering of
the candle in its material as well as symDolcaI
aspects The impression made on Friday and last
night was the nine years ago IN
SPITE Of the greater familiarity With Strausss
rusic and methods With the climax pre-
cedinE the final really transhguring hymn OF
trtunnb the COMPOSER carries into the hos
pi:al He revels in his delineation of the awful
struggle and seems 10 rejoice that ms arls
enables him 10 do what the Parrhasius vainly
lenged TO do in the old pOeU-to paint dying
g-osa. Such marriage Of music and pathologE-
We nllIst what was said nine years 4so-
seems 10 rs an error in a symphonic work which by
sverv nature must be idealistic even when its SUD
kcts are such as would be beautiful II presented
by imitation There is indeed, a great deal OF
iseaasrn in Herr Strauss's composition. but II Is
confined almost wholly the Anal scene OF trans
fEgratlo1 Between tire melody which syrnoo4Ses
the solution OF the eternal problem anc ire theme
which in its various phases is made 10 give express
son to the ambitions, hopes and striNlhss VI me
there is a relationship Of beautiful sighlhcdhce'
but the efficiency OF this poetcal device seems 10
Us te be rnarred by the Grass realism OF the music