The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-11-29

ity by the intention of it's creator. Mr..
Damrosch deserved the applause he re-
ceived for putting the case so clearly. He
added that Wagner did not display, in the
score of "Parsifal' any advance in melodic
inventiveness since the composition of his
other works. The old figures are used
again, but in different arrangement Wag-
ner had perfected his musical system before
he started to write his last music-drama.
This point was obviously confirmed when
the orchestra played the four excerpts.
1t need only be added, in regard to Mr..
Bispham's part, that he sang the Lament
of Arfortas with his usual dramatic power
and intensity and in his most ringing tones,
but the concert was the initiation of an
| orchestral campaign that calls for further
words. The orchestra will play every Sun
day afternoon at Carnegie Hall, and seats
are sold at from Is cents to 81. The quality
| OF the programmes may be judged from
that announced for tomorrow: Braham's
third symphony, Grieg's piano concerto.
Listz's fourth rhapsody. Mrs. Bloomfield
| Heisler will be the pianist, and Mr.. Schulz
will add a solo for violoncello to the list.
Mr. Damrosch will continue his explanatory
remarks. and he has masterful command
of competent band of musicians. The
| appeal Is to the popular desire to know
about music, and no doubt it will succeed
handsomely. On Sunday evenings the
orchestra gives concerts of light music at
the West End Theater, in Harlem. The
name of Damrosch has long been conspicu-
Gus in musical activity, from the time DR..
Leopold Damrosch began his labors to the
| present prosperity of his sons, Mr.. Walter
Damrosch and Mr.. Frank Damrosch, the
latter of whom is conductor of the Oratorio
Society, the Musical Art Society and the
| Young Peoples symphony concerts and is
supervisor of music in the public schools.
| XXX
| There is no alloy in the pleasure of listen
ing to and discussing the concerts of the
Kneisel Quartet. which gave its second of
| the present series at Mendelssohn Hall on
Tuesday evening. The audiences fill the
hall and are of distinguished quality. The
| applause is discriminating and unaffected.
On this occasion the programme was made
| OF Caesar Franck's Quartet in d major,
| Smetana's trio for piano, violin and violon-
cello, in G minor, and a quartet by c. Won
Dittersdorf, who lived from 1879 to 179s
That was day when the Joy of living
| and the sadness of death, as expressed in
music, were pure; before the tribe of wag-
ner, List, Berlioz, Richard Strauss and
lesser lights had arrived to try to make
music ''phlosophic" and literal and to
| succeed in large degree in making it murky,
| frenzied and stammering.
To be sure. 1t was day of bitter social
| prejudice and the blight of superstitious
delusion, and these have paled little, but
there is no sound reason to believe that
they shall not entirely pass away, no cause
for doubt that the part of music is not to be
to cheer the fervent heart and the striving
intellect. The results gained by Mr.. Kneisel
and his associates at their best, and the de-
light with which those results are received
by their devoted audiences, are good for the
optimist. AT this second concert the clear,
answering tone from Mr.. KneisePs violin
and the full. throbbing voice of Mr.
Schroeder's violoncello were especially in
spring, and the whole four played with
the beautiful unity and dignity that is
steadily characteristic of them. The Caesar
Franck Quartet is not lucid in three of its
movements, but its scherzo is of marvellous
delicacy and it was executed perfectly.
AT NJ. Thibauds first recital at Carnegie
Hall, he was heard in a sonata by Caesar
| IiduCh anu lOuS llSl OF Olner COMPOST
| tions, mostly French, I'm which he displayed
the softness, fiuency and variety of tone
that already had been generally commented
on after his appearances in orchestral con-
certs. His technic is impeccable. The
claim is not made for him that he is an
artist of firm authority or intellectual emf
hence; violinists other musicians of that
class are indeed rare in Europe not to
speak of America.
| Mr.. Wetzlers second concert brought a
repetition of Tschaikowsky's Pathetic"
symphony, that cry of a commentator on
life ridden" as Mr.. Henry James says.
by the twin devils of observation and i'm
agination," and not sustained by the ability
to hold his spirit above the wreck. The
passionately mournful message was not
conveyed in the manner of the Boston SYM
phony Orchestra or the Theodore Thomas
Orchestra. but Mr.. Wetzler's performance
was creditable and the audience was fas-
cinated by the symphony.
|
The teleg-aphic dispatches carried the
news Of the opening of the season of opera,
and comment in these letters on the first
performances must be deferred a week
HORACE LANCASTER