The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-03-19

IRA u always the foremost petsohABo IN
the drama. And such an orchestral
For the performance Of "Taillefer' Strauss
asks for is yiolins, 10 violas, IL 'cellos, IL
BASES, ? picoolos, flutes, obOes, English
horns, o clarinets, a bass clarinet, bas-
soons, contra-bassoon, 8 horns, o trumpets,
4 trombones, ? tubas. : kettledrums,
snare drums bass drum, cymbals, triangle
and glockenspiel. And even at that Strauss
wrote one passage Of five different notes
for tympani TO be played at such a speed
that Ave drums were necessary.
OF course Frank Damrosch did not
provide the ~ violins nor the fun compile
ment In the other departments Of the strings
The Oratorio Society has no Col Higginson
behind L.. Only Handles Messiah fur
nshes II with the sinews Of war for battles
Of Strauss variety-for a battle, after all,
II the goal Of the composers fancy in this
ballad. Taillefer strikes the first blow at
the battle Of Hastings, and this historical
fight, which delivered England into the
rule OF the Norman conqueror must be
celebrated with believing Of trumpetR,
laundering Of drums and changing OF
cymbals.
II you can hear anything Of the words
sung by tho chorus you learn what causes
this dire turmoil in the orchestra. II you
do not hear the words you can read them
In the little pamphlet gratuitously dis
tributed by the compassionate directors Of
the society. Mr.. Damrosch in the per-
Torrance Of Tuesday evening honorably
endeavored 10 temper the wind to the
shorn strings, but yet was there strength,
labor and sorrow.
After all however, Il was not such a fine
fight as that in Elm Heldenleben.' How
could this be expected? In the "Helden-
leben' Mr. Strauss was engaged in setting
forth his musical a photography. The life
Of a hero was the life Of Strauss. He com
posed for us his hopes his aspirations his
deadly and croaking enemies the critics;
his own love and the love Of Mrs. Strauss,
who sang so eIquisitely through the medium
Of a solo violin and so badly IN proTrid
Dersond, his achievements in tho mad strife
Of a coward world and in the peace Of his
own retirement, and finally his actual
apotheosis.
II was a grand and glorious subject. It
was topic on which Richard Strauss could
not fail to be magniloquently and spectac-
ularly orchestral. Who, then, was Taille-
fer? serving man who sang common four
cornered tunes and never saw an Orches-
ira. Try "a he would Mr.. Strauss could not
lash himself into a passion about this var
let.
The battle Of Hastings-what was that?
An episode In the history Of arrogant Eng
land How could an honest minded COM
poser, with proper respect to himself, raise
that TO the same level as the stupendous
battle Of the Straussgeist in Elm Helden-
lebenr2 No, there are limits to which the
imagination Of your true tone poet leads
spontaneously but it cannot be driven to
them, even by the incentives Of six clarinets,
four trumpets and forty staff score paper,
made especially TO contain the array Of
instrumental parts. Mr.. Strauss is a great
man, a very great man, indeed; but shall he
make a sword Juggling Taillefer greater
than himself Perish the thought!
so he did not. He revelled in his vast
array Of orchestral instruments and smeared
great rows Of notes over his forty-staif
paper But he had little for his chorus to
sing, and still Jess for his solo voices. Mr..
Strauss has written some Of the most beau
tiful songs Of our time, but there is no evil
dence Of his skill In lyric composition in his
"Taillefer.'
or course It was worth while for the Ora
NOIlo W pIO1uSVA ho NOlhs "p LAhoe
have novelties, and In no other department
Of music do we need them more than in that
OF the chorus. The Oratorio Society is
compelled by popular demand to perform
THE Messiah once a year. People who
never 60 to hear any other music 60 to hear
this oratono, secure in the comforting be-
lief that It Is the greatest work ever written.
They cannot be induced to attend per-
Torrance Of any other oratorio or cantata,
What is poor oratOrio society to do?
It must live somehow, and 80 the earth must
be secured in the search for novelties. Per-
chance some day a choral work may be found
which will delight the populace. 1t is not
20 be expected that anything will be dis
covered 1T to take the place Of "All we like
sheep which has such beautiful personal
appropriateness; but perhaps we may hit
upon something which will serve as good
second.