The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-11-16
SONATAS BY RUIZ OF THREE.
BEETHOVEN Tucked OFF ny
THE METRONOME.
Why the Great Ludwig Is Made wearixomr
by 50 Man, Piayers-Testimony a. 10
the Masters Own style Of Perform.
ance-NOt Cold or RiEid Pianist a. Al.

There are many reasons why Frederic
l.amond's Beethoven recital, which took
place at Mendesschn Hall on Tuesday
afternoon, was not genuine musical de-
light. In tho first place Beethoven's style
Is 30 Characteristic that one must in two
hours grow weary Of the constant repcti-
ton Of certain musical fiRurations, certain
sequences of harmony, and certain idioms.
all wholly Beethoven's and used a. freely in
his musical speech a. the verbs -to be" and
ito have" are used in the significant Ian
| guage of this twentieth century. In the
second place the sonata form as employed
By the great mastery Is as clearly drawn
rs the great forms of architecture. To
sit through an afternoon Of Beethoven
sonatas il like wandering for a whole day
among Doric temples.
| The profoundest taste will inevitably
call for little contrast. One would have
been glad of a little Ionic Schubert or
| glimpse of the luxurious Corinthan capi-
tails Of a Chopin ballade. Jupiter Tonans
| In a great god. but he overpowers us with
| his mighty master. We become hungry
for a stolen smile Of Cytherean Venus or
even the distant, cool regard Of panoplied
Diana.
! II we are obliged to hear Beethoven
played steadily for two hours in the now
traditional academic fashion we become
FESTIVE. We even mediate flight. and II
that I've not practicable. we presently begin
TO breed thoughts Of violence. Why should
any one play five Beethoven sonatas in
| row? II Is hard enough TO sit through
| recita Of Chopin. but Chopin is frosted cake.
| while Beethoven is roas, ed meat. Never
| theess the solid food Of Beethoven would
| be far more palate able IL II were not for that
| extraordinary tradition which leads so
| many pianists to serve IL without sauce.
| They treat the music of Beethoven aS If
| II were dead language 10 be placed before
| the studen, in a compendious literal trans
| lation with glossary and notes and APP
pen1ccs. They ask us when we sit down
| 10 listen 20 the Bonn master 70 go 10 school.
The result liz that they play Beethoven
| alphabetically. They pass his measures
| over to us ia dead level Of rigid accuracy,
| which may I've highly instructive as to the
| character and structure Of the composition.
| hut which certainly does not convey to
us the emotional message contained in it.
Considering the fact that Beethoven's
music was the germnal impulse of modern
| III Pioii' NohP''''ic'' ~ -
| absurdly wrong to treat 1t thus. Metrono-
| mic accuracy has no place in Beethovcns
| works Too much ink has been split in
the discussion of the metronome markings
of the symphonies. Tho ticking little
machine has acquired altogether too much
| importance in the minds of students Of the
master.
There has developed belief that Beet
hoven player must adhere ineNorab,y to
the expression marks and also TO the alb
sence of such marks The adherence TO
the marks il right, but not the other thing.
Beethoven has to suffer from what seem TO
superficial students of his music TO be his
sins Of omission. For example. why should
the cantable of the first movement OF the
"Waldstein" sonata always be taken AT a
speed winch il obviously too fastY The
music pleads most earnestly Tor slower
performance Its lovely cdntiend is Jostled
on, Of it's sweet repose by the tempo which
| IL accurately carried forward from the first
theme,
But Beethoven has written only Dolce q
motto ligato" He says nothing about
slower tempo The first theme Is marked
Allegro con brio" and allegro con brio the
movement has to be TO the bitter end. That
l. only one Of many examples which might
easily be quoted. Whence came the idea
that Beethoven desired to have his com
positions measured with p"dometer?
Certainly il never came from him He did
not play his own music with rigid accuracy.
He was mighty thunderer of the keyboard.
who as,onished his contemporaries by de-
parting widely from the smooth ana pol
ished style to which they had been accuse
toned. ,
Not even in his day did the old style die
out II lasted through Dussek and Hummel
down 10 Adolph Heselt. who died only few
short years ago But AZ to Rrthovens
playing we are not without certain kno"i-
edge We can call witnesses into court
OF the great Improvisation contests be-
tween Beethoven and his temporary rival.
woelfl, Seyfried says: There LAT me Metz-
lar villa outside of Vicnnal the highly inter
esting rivalry Of the two athletes not seldom
supplied the numerous and very exclusive
gathering with indescribable enjoyment OF
art: each performed the latest product OF
his muse; now the one or the other would
give free, unchecked course to the sudden
inspira, ion Of his glowing imagination, now
both would sit down at two pianofortes.
improvise alternately on themes mutually
proposed and thus produce many Tour
handed capriccio, which, could II nave been
brought to paper at the instant OF its birth.
would surely have babe defiance TO time and
decay"
1t would have been difficult, perhaps
impossible. to award the palm OF victory
To either champion by preference for his
mechanical skill; Woelf had indeed been
the more kindly treated by Mother Nat
ure, who had furnished him with gigan-
tic hand capable Of stretching tenths As
easily as other mortals take octaves, thus
enabling him TO execute with lightning
like rapidity continuous double.note pas
sages In the intervals named, In IMPROVE
sation Beethoven at that time already
discovered his bent toward gloomy weird
hess: once revealing In the world OF tones,
he was quite lost to earth. the soul had
N f.tt