New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-03-22

itolatry. he can alec compose anybody's system
- philosophy. The simple fact CT the matter
is that he cannot compose either the one thing
or The other end remain within the boundaries
% music. be they set with never so great a Hber-
aIty one might De willing even to forget all
the old considerations OF beauty Of thought.
florence - thought, sequence ot thought natural
ness. loEicalness and symmetry % development,
which have prevailed from Tho infancy OF the art
down 20 to-day. and admit that iuEsrioUs instru-
mentstiou- yielding alternately marvellous sono-
rides and astonishing and raviShiuE color effects.
and skin in thematic workmanship arc properly
tho be-aI and erd-aU % mas.s.--yet the aim would
not be attained. Too much admiration cannot
be expressed for the skin and technical learning
which Strauss discioses in this work but after
the Introduction. which IS stupendouslv proclaim
ant and worthy of message - humanity
lofty az that contained in Beethover's Ninth
symphony. there IS nothing iu Also Sprach
Larathustra-" except attempt translate
Nietzsche's scheme Of world redemption" into
tones To apurehend OF even 10 guess at the
manner Of the attempt, one must know all one
can know OF the auegorv I'm which Nietzsche
laid down that scheme. and also tho tricks and
devices used by Strauss I'm his toual pronounce
ment together with tho siEn.1garces or values
which he has arbitrarily given them. Those
values all lie outside the music no matter how
ingenious and opposite thcv may appear tho
raised iwaEnation heightened fancy Of one
whose mind is the verbal programme. The
analogy which Dr. Strauss's euIoriats assert
Ne7 ''eAFNe-lt lli7 MUSIC ..i. ll-it ' Nas-4''
does not exist AZ all In Waruer's dramas music
= only one clement or several which are con-
sorted under a principle OF mutual dependence
or hto7deiendsnoe Tor tho sake Of nraratln
expression. No matter what Wagner does with
his musical symbols. the progress Il his art
work is NOT retarded. The people the pictures.
the words, the deeds. tho gestures. are there 20
s1ve value and vitality TO a single tone. II receS-
sarN OF the most frarmentarv phrase. toasort
dramatic or even lyric text with music. and
al manner 90 toual device may derive explanation
or 3AStiiletil"n from The words bur ln plTeiF
S'tdil'illal music the arbitrary purposes OF a
composer cannot replace III" siErlhcai''e "ilcn
must Ne IN the music itSelf-that is In emotional
and aesthetic content II docs not lie IN intel
lertCaI content. for thought To become aruculate
demands speech A composer may alter the char
acter OF musical phrase. change Its beauty.
ny inveTtinE IT, but Fl does not follow that the
inversion carries with y "a sense ot the a0tjaeSiS
or Us original emotional proposition ct II Is
upon p recognition OF the ingenuity ana SKIN
which Strauss has applied iu analogous proceed
ures thar The interest in such pieces as Also
SDraCh Zarathustra' and ''F-u Mathematician de-
ponds
The fact must he emphasized Tor in it lies the
explanation % the circumstance that DR. strauss
music has left the hearts or the masses unaffected
ihe million cannot be musical ANALYSTS. They can
apDrehend only that which makes direct appeal %
their aesthetic and emotional faculties. In his
means Of expression DR. Strauss IS not predomi-
nantIy senSuous and psychological rut p-edoni-
but studied not inpusiye and inspired. but
Elective His so-caed meanings rest on the use
of technical devices Now theme docs not re-
Ceive anything except a new musical significance
bv Inversion characterization. 5lr-frt-tir- or any Of
the transformation 10 which the learning Of 4
composer may subject &c. Science cannot be
satirized in fuEuo. II the flEue be sound and
beautiful. thou the science Of fuCue writing s.
not only INDICATED in itself but rorided by the kiss
% art u the fu-ue DO bad. science is left uu-
soathCd. but the composer oltraEes art and pub
fishes only his weakness and imbe~ility. To send
his nearer o-rt Of the concert room with Giscord
to~turir- his aural nerves IS not mako him TO-
feet profoundly ON the urs7IvabiIity Of the Oh
word riddle but sd temrerodly ON the cruelty Of
tho musician. for ugly music irritates the nerves
and spells good nature; il IS a wanton assault
and neither science nor art. nor philosophy nor
poetrv The CHAMPIONS ~ Strauss defend uEliuees
i- music because music must De- au expression q
truth md truth IS not always beautiful. Truth
tef1-a -,-e--fo-'' IS a- admirable maxim IN the
plastic arts and has IFS Justification also IN the
lyric drama. where r. has found refuge under the
its own sake will never be lifted into principle
in music ASSOCIATED from words pictures because
q. o-+-s,es and -ontra6irtz the nature Of the art
There Sc -, analogy between the use Of dssouance
Cor tho sake u heightenla- the effect ~ con-
sors-ca and Tn. use % ugly noise 10 deliueate
e,-rrest an urlv thing 70 is both foolish and
vicious 70 cite the example Of Beethoven and
Wagner 10 Justify the reuelaut sounds in Also
s-,-r~b Za-afr-st~a" and "Elu Heldenleben."
which derive their alleged ST = Gcances from OK
.--.1 ana wholly extra musical sources These
,-,cs ,,r,s- Dc held 10 a rigorous liability.
and 81, must the a-a,ye-s commentators and eu.o-
g3sts v-5o following the r-eva lent tendency Of
things away from ideals which make for purity.
- -. -. sec-t se-Irrt in Tho shifting Of