New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-11-06

of popular festival Scarcely have YOU for
gotten yourself, scarcely have you had time to
lose yourself in the contemplation Of the joy Of
ohters than unwearying Fate again announces
its presence. But the multitude does not con-
Germ itself with you. 1t does not even look at
you, nor note that you are solitary and sad.
How II enjoys itself. how happy II Isl And you
want to say that the world is gloomy and
rowful7 Nay, there is such a thing as 10y, as
simple. primitive, vigorous Joy. Rejoice in the
Joy of others and 1t will still be possible for you
to live. That is all that can tell you about
the symphony. my dear friend Naturally my
words are neither clear nor exhaustive but 1t
lies in the nature OF instrumental music not to
admit of analysis.
To this analysis Tsohaikowsky made an In
teresting addition In letter to the composer
Tanefen, who had written to him after the first
performance and expressed his opinions pretty
freely about the work THE men were dear
friends. and the biograply is dedicated to
Tanefen) TaneTef wrote, In brief. that the I'm
preston made on him that the first move
ment was too long compared with the other
movements. and made him think that It had
been conceived as symphonic poem. and the
other movements added to make It symphony.
The recurring trumpet fanfares, he said. and
the frequent changes OF tempt In this second
theme made him think that the symphony was
programmattc music. He liked the scherzo but
not the trio. which sounded to him like ballet
music, did also the middle portion of the
andante and a sort of march in the finale. In
these portions the image of the prima ballerina
of the opera involuntarily came before him. A
week or after receiving this letter Tschaikow-
sky answered it at length, saying:
Your fear that you have been too severe in the
discussion Of my symphony is unwarrarted.
You only give your honest opinion and for
that am grateful. L need opinions. not dithy-
rambs. Nevertheless, much in your letter made
a strange impression me. l positively do not
know what you mean by ballet music. and why
mean every merry and rhythmically marked
melody? In such yoU would have to quar-
rel with the majority Of Beethovens SYM
phonies where you meet such melodies at every
turn Or 90 you intend u say that the trio in
my scherzo is written in the style of Minku
Gerber or Pugni? This, It seems to me- would
scarcely be deserved On the whole, l cannot
see why there should be reproach in the ex-
preston ballet music. The music OF a good
music-Delibes's Sylvia, for instance. And If
1t is good music it ought to be a matter of in
difference whether or net our prima ballerina
dances in IT. L am forced to the conclusion
that the passages in my symphony which do not
please you fail to do so only because they re-
semble ballet music, not because they are bad
music. You may be right Still, I do not
understand why dance melodies should not ap-
pear episodically n a symphony, even If they
are purposely mixed with slight dash of rude
ana vulgar humor Again call Beethoven as a
witness, who mad. frequent use of this effect.
But let me add that cudgeI my brain in vain
TO think where you found ballet music in the
Allegro movement. That is truly riddle. AS
regards your remark that my symphony sounds
like programme music. l agree with you en-
tirely, only l do lot that that fact can be
set down fault On the contrary l should
fear the opposite-that is | hope that no svnl-
phonic works will ever come from my pen which
mean simply dalli:nce with harmonies, rhythms
and modula lions. My symphony is certainly
programme music only II is utterly impossible
10 put its programme into words; 1t would have
comic effect aId certainly be laughed at Is
IL necessary thata symphony, the most lyric of
all musical forms should be that and that only?
ought II not to give expression to all those
things for which there words, but which
Moreover, let me confess that in my simplicity
had believed that the idea of this symphony
was SO clear thit 1t would be understood in its
general phases by every without pro-
gramme Do MT think that l going to make
parade Of deep feelings and lofty thoughts I
am not trying or moment to say something
new. On the whole my symphony is an imita-
ton of the fifth symphony of Beethoven. e. I
have initiated nat work, not in it's musical con-
tent, but in itsfundamentai idea. How fancy
L hear you sar, Is there a programme of the
fifth symptom? There is not only pro-
gramme put here cannot be the slightest diff
ference or opinion as TO what It is designed TO
express' About the same is at the bottom of
my symphony and if you have not understood
II follows thatI am not a Beethoven, of which
fact l have nver had the slightest doubt I
VIII add that here is not a single measure in
this symphony e., in mne-which I did not
feel intensely md which is not a reflex of my
soul-life. To tits there is possibly an exception,
the only one the middle of the first move
ment, IN which there some forced things
some patchwGk-in brief which is manu-
featured.
an hrf n will civ