The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-04-30

whose soul experiences ought 70 b lamp
and a Ruids 70 lesser mortals. One thing
is beyond dispute. The critics Of this school
write with more latitude than those OF any
other.
Imagination . one Of the drst qualities
Of their art. They aim 70 translate into
poetic or at least hgurativo description
their sensations. They paint 10 words
a picture Of q competition. They do not
deal 10 plain and simple statements Of fact,
as the program annotatou seem 10 do.
They have been rightly called impress
sionistic They record impressions. They
even make impressionistic sketches OF
compositions. Their work Il good reading,
and Il has lie place and its value IN the
scheme Of art. II u stimulating. II is a
creator Of enthuslasmA, II u q producer
Of impulses.
But there IL room for doubt a. to whether
II goes very far toward the establishment
Of convictions. In and Of itssf II Il prone
10 instability. The adventures Of q soul
among masterpieces are likely 10 be ad-
ventures, and nothing more. To-day
Beethoven excites and elevates the soul
and tomorrow WeingartneT does IL.
Every new figure that swims into the
center Of the great sOa Of art arouses new
ar 1 splendid emotions 10 the adventurous
soul. Standards are hurled aside. Laws
arc overthrow. Fundamental principles
arO Ignored, and all because the soul Il
stirred by new experiences. The adven-
furious spirit IN criticism lives too much In
thu pnAsent and finds too little nobility in
the past That which l. old h outwon
for II. Novelty leaps into undue promi-
Thu raaSGrff0vs ~ The old Nkn
soil from which the new grows Il obseured.
Paternity In art Il no more seen, and the
sons Of lion fathers loom eelf-created be-
fore the heated vision Of this adventurous
soul
DiAmetrioally opposed to this kind Of
criticism Ia that which seeks to issue verdicts
and pronounce judgments for the public.
The fact that the public usually gives not
a faHhing for thess pronouncements
appears to have little weight with the
judicial commentators. They are the
state. The word is with them and in them.
Too many readers Of criticism expect this
kind OF comment. Indolent themselves,
they arc pleased to have their opinions
handed down to them. They buy a news
paper in the morning to find out Whistler
they approv we'd the performance which they
heard yesterday. II they meet with an
article merely suggestive and thoughtful
they are disappointed.
The man comes to no conclusion. They
desire most heartily 10 have him say that
II was good or bad, and to dispose Of this
singer or that composer for good and all.
For them the authoritative critic Is the
man. He tells them what 10 think, and
therefore they do not have 10 think II for
themselves.
There Is still another method. which for
the want Of better name may be called
the eclectic. This, a. the term Implies,
Is a combination OF the other two. The
eclect ic critic may sometimes analyze with
all the learning Of the authoritative CON-
mentator, and again he may find Il better
suited 70 his purpose to employ picturesque
description.
At any rate, his hand b free. He may
praise with poetic imagination or condemn
With pungent satire. Humor u one Of
his tools, and when ne elects 10 use the
coldheaTted statement of fact he does 30
with enlivening results. His knowledge
may not shine 30 brilliantly in his writing
as that OF the authoritative scribe, nor viii
he embark upon fortuitous adventures OF
the soul among Masterpieces.
He will strive above all things to be an
intelligent observer Of the passing show.
and viii take no little pride in the fact that
he IL a good reporter. He will never in
dulgs In such vainglorious boasting as
Runcimap. who grandiloquently said Il
push Brahms contempt uously aside nor
will he be likely TO soar into such scintillant
regions Of prose as the glowing Huneker.
No more will he fall into the platitudi-
nsus manner Of the oldfashioned program
annot ator. who was wont 10 record that
the first movement began With q theme
in fat, given out by the oboe, and that
at the sixth measure this was modulated
into A major and repeated in the new key
by the bassoon and clarinet in octavea.
He will endeavor 10 describe the structure
of a work In lively terms and to indicate
its esthetic value in phrases Of pungent
vivacity.
But one thing both he and the authorits-
tive critic viii surely do They will hAmt
standards IN the face Of the public. IL IL
not the duty OF the critic to write at or to
the artist. The composer and the per-
former are the furnishers Of subject matter
10 the critic. The critic does not aim TO
teach them their business. He writes about
than, and that Il all
II he helps than or hurts them. that IL
none Of bis business. He writes wholly
for and to the public. His principal purpose
Is TO induce the public 10 think about art,
not TO take Il az passing amusement.
He ought 10 occupy a pOsitiOn very similar
to that Of judge upon the bench.
The public IL the jury. In the end Il
pronounoes the verdict which must be
final II IL for the men and women Of the
world Of music lovers to decide what masters
shall live and what shall die. II h for these
same men and women to decide which singers
and players shAll be acclaimed a. supreme
aud which shall DO relegated to secondary
positions or TO utter oblivion.
But the critic endeavors to charge the
jury, II 10 for him 10 Get forth calmly
and judicially the law. The law IL the
standard Of high art and he must charge
the jury to render its verdict accordingly
as Il finds that the musician complies with
the law or not In a word the critic stands
between the artist and the public. Fortu-
nate is he II he be not ground between the
two as between the upper and neither stones
Of a mill.