The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-17

Il auditorium OF the Claypool Hotei
by the Kneisel quartet, Of Bos-
HlMSlt ton. on next Wednesday evening
80 will introduce the quartet TO this
public at the height Of It's accomplishment
for the numbers representative OF WIDE
iy varied aspects OF the best of music The
list:
Beethoven. Quartet in B-fat major
Chopin. ...... Lento for the cello and strings
Grieg 800. Romance from D-minor quartet
DVoTak. .-...-.-...--....- .N1udTtet an ihoJOA
This Beethoven quartet is the last of set
OF six ne published I'm 1901. The opus num-
Der is is The master was then thirty-one
years old and his work, though 1t showed
the influence Of Haydn and Mozart, was
none the loss so diffused with original gent
us that il was alarming. His old teacher,
Albrechtsoerger, of Vienna, warned his pu-
pills against the detection, saying that Bee
thoven never would accomplish any
thing good. The quartet form ranks with
the symphonic. and Beethoven wrote some
OF his important music In 1t. Altogether
there are twenty auartets by him. At the
closing of his career, when deafness came
on him and he was cut off from the world,
he retired within his house and himself and
devoted his remaining time to the compost
tion of sonatas and quartets. These last
quartets are complex that the most ex-
pert critics do not pretend to analyze them
TO entire satisfaction. Beethoven was writ
ing for himself alone and his mind was
ravaged by many Affections. His first quar-
tets. OF which this B-fiat major Is one. were
composed when Beethoven was entering up
on the glorious period of his life. and he was
tremulous with the love OF life and melody.
The themes are simple and are developed
In a fashion entirely clear The composer
of writing this set of quartets and II was
finished before 1890. The set Is dedicated
TO the Prince Won BObhowitz.
DR. Antonin DvOrak the Bohemian COM
poser. came to America in 1902 and took
charge of a conservatory in New York. He
IS a confirmed nationalist and took a great
interest in the American negro folk songs
sung and played for him by his pupils. The
result was symphony (''The New World'O,
a quintet and a quartet. The last I'm
major. Is to be played by Mr.. Kneisel and
mis- associates on this occasion. The sym
phony was written in New York, and the
quintet and quartet were written at Spill
willie. Ia, where there is a large colony of
Bohemians. 10 which DIT. Dvorak paid
visit. H r. Krehbiel, the critic. was de-
sirOus that DIR. Dvoraks American work
should be entirely understood Mr.. Krehbiel
himself has ade more exhaustive study
of American music than DIT. Dvorak could,
for obvious reasons OF time and nationality,
and besides discussing the symphony and
the quartet and quintet In his newspaper,
the New York Tribune, he prepared a
derived from that pamphlet. the first cop
les OF which were distributed at a concert
given by the Kneisel Quartet In the music
room of friend of Mr.. Krehbiel's in Wash
ington. One OF the guests, a New Orleans
woman, entered the room while the Dvorak
quartet was being played, without knowing
hostess. Tears came 10 my eyes, for l
thought heard the darkies singing on the
plantation What was that quartet"
Yet none OF the themes of the quartet is
distinctively a Southern melody rather, the
whole composition is imbued with the spirit
OF the plantation songs. the only folksongs
the country has. The negroes are inner
emily musical. and the conditions of their
lives as slaves in the South were condu-
Give to the development of the emotionality
out of which music naturally springs. DR..
Dvorak found in the American music the
syncopation that is also so marked a char
acteristic OF Slavic music This consists in
deferring the emphasis OF accent from the
first beat of the measure TO a long second
note that follows a short first note. In
Scotland this Is called the snap or
catch" and IL occurs frequently in Scotch
songs. DR.. Dvorak has also used the pc
culiarity OF the fve-nOte scale. which is
most naturally melodious.
The quartet has the same principal theme
as the New World symphony. 1t be
gins cheerfully. The second subject is ro-
\ mantle and mysterious. The third move
, 1nent is a scherzo, and the finale too is
merry. II is all ingenious and honest
as Haydn, the working out is easy TO fol-
low. and the old rule. beauty, cearness
and good meditation IS obeyed. OF
course. Or. Dvorak's quartet has been i'm
mensely popular, both because OF its subjec-
interest.
was played for the first time in Boston by
the Kneisel Quartet. and within the next
year the I<neisels were called TO give il
ninety performance.
The LentO for violoncello. with accompa-
niment OF two violins and viola. is an ar
Management by Franchomme of Chopin 5
etude for piano, Opus %. No. p. This
study has the melody in the bass and
therefore has been so attractive to the
vioIoncellist that no less than ten different
arrangements Of II are Catalogued. Des-
vert arranged * for solo cello and full
orchestra Here the solo part OF Fran
chomme's arrangement viii be played by
Alvin Schroeder.
Evard Cried, the Norwegian composer.
has written only one quartet. this In ID
minor. DIT. Hanslick calls him "a Men
delssohn in sealskins." but the similtude is
not good as applied TO the quartet. for
three of It's movements are constructed of
rugged scandinavian rhythms and har-
monies. and only in the romance. which is
part Of this programme, does the COM
poser seek tender eaphony.
Karl Schneider conductor OF the Indian
apolis symphony Orchestra, has definitely
decided not 20 give series OF symphony
concerts this season. The orchestra's agent
made a test canvass OF three weeks, which
did not prove quite satisfactory. Most of
the FORMER patrons were very willing 20
renew their subscriptions. Others said they
had spent their amount set aside for music:
but had they known the orchestra would
give concerts they would have given the
preference 10 the orchestra. The approach
OF Christmas also distracted from the sinh
scription list. After due consideration the
conclusion was reached that the orchestra
concerts could not be made a financial snc-
cess so the most prominent factor in the
musical lie or the city, and the pride OF
lovers will IL