The sun., 1903-03-26
MUSIC BY Mr.. YON GAERTNER.
HIS NEW FANTASIA, "THE GODS
OF GREECE" PRODUCED.

We'll Received Last Night at . Concert
In Carnegie Hail-A Composition
This. with a Highly Imaginative Pro-
grammo-Three New Songs Heard.
Louis A. Won Gaertner's music is to be
heard. whether conductors produce it or
not. Not long ago Herman Hans Wetzler.
industrious and ubiquitous conducted this
composers tone poem, Macbeth Last
night at Carnegie Hall a concert was given
to afford a second public hearing to this
composition and TO permit others also to be
heard. These others were three songs for
contralto voice and a symphonic fantasia
Mr.. Won Gaertners works occupied the
first part Of the programme; the second part
comprised Liszt's E-fat piano concerto,
with very young Arthur Hochman at the
keyboafd, and Tschaikowsky's sixth sym
phony with not very young Rudolf Butler
jain on the conductors platform.
or Macbeth" which was personally con-
Quoted by Mr.. Won Gaertner, nothing new
can be said. or the three songs, which
Ada Crossley sang nothing new or old need
be said They were called AN den Schlaf,
-Orpheus With his Lutte and Nun wer die
Sehnsucht Kennt.' The first has an or
chestral accompaniment and the other two
piano accomplishments, and violin obi
gait. or the symphonic fantasia a great
deal might be said, The composers own
statement Of his plan may be used as a
labor-savhg device. The title OF the fan
tasia Is -The Gods Of Greece and the music
does not follow Schillers poem OF that
name. Mr.. Won Gaertner's scheme is this;
Love. the offspring of a sod and mortal.
warike in his nature, is angry at the attitude
Of this pure and peaceful creature, blinds
Love and banshes her e poverty and and sIiG5 n1iS5
deatS ea s0oHs Of t6s q Sf love shall regain
guard. consisting OF peace, hope and charity
20 guide her. in her blindness. Mars. who
is In sympathy with the -Zeiteeist" and his
sends his bodyguard, gloom. ,pillor. lear
and strife. TO add confusion and thwart the
hs Of ss Sf 'hH IN FY@ %s
comes under the spell Of Love and her com;
panioDs. and surrenders OF his own free NH
his life, that Love may regain her sight. 1he
"Zeitgeist" dies whereupon Love. having the
power TO SEQ bevins her sweet work of evo-
luton She turns the antaxoIistic elements
and through her the @Ieitseist Is a1ain born.
70 live with her forever Even Mars seeing
pened and the West received It's light
Mr.. Won Gaerner thoughtfully continues
his notes with these few explanatory re-
marks
It Is easy TO see that this story. affords the
SoPGsf tone pnneS snd dramatic
TO characterize the different powers az work
Won Gaertner uses not less than eight dis
tinct motives among which those Of Love
and Of War can easily be dscerned And
the occasion TO show the combat of the or
posing powers is utilized by the composer for
IN alahorata diSTlay COUtTaIlluth art
The musical con struction follows along the
lines Of the story, and when Love finally con-
"Zeitgeist." a sort Of trarsfguration OF the
thematig material takes PLACE leaving no
All OF this is as true as Gospel, but not quite
as import ant With its aid. however, and
that Of the preceding story the hearer can
trace the advance OF the predatory Zeit-
eest upon the happy home OF Love, can see
dagses os deprv"d seS of Tsion and sen
into exile, where there are weeping and
wailing Of clarinets and gnashing OF contra.
bassoons. One can see the gods, moved
as they are by this deplorable fate, and can
ward In tonic triads 10 combat gloom, pal
lor, fear and strife, which, being four. speed
ilv fall into parallel oct ayes and are event-
ually lost in the dust and CRIME of a caia-
clysnic fugie.
The .Zeitgeist' having been slain by
broadside from the battery, Love begins
her sweet work Of evolution through
wreathing phantasmagora Of muted strings
and harp till Mars peals his delight through
a little French horn in B fat and the West
receives the light from fiddle harmonics
and the long drawn pipings Of voluptuary
flute.
Let US add rs tho conclusion Of the whole
matter that Mr.. Won Gaertner's composition
IL carefully and generally well scored, that
Il shows musical skill Of respectable order;
that il displays originality Of very plenti-
fu order: and that IL Is fully as clear and
comprehensible A. the story which II IL
quite unable 20 tell without the aid Of text
Mr. BullerJahn conducted 1t with great
solemnity.