The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-03-15
ANOTHER STRAUSS BATTLE.
rms TIME 1T rs IN HIS CHORAL
BALLAD, "TAILLEFER."

Gcore Paper With Forty slaves Required
20 Hold His Instrumental OutburIt
The OratorlO Veterans AstOunded
--DyOrak'S "stabat Mater" Pieases.
7, Is the sad fate Of the oratorio Society
10 he compelled to live by "The Messiah
alone Nevertheless, the organization must
have some artistic existence above and be-
yond the repetition once a year Of the COM
position which brings money into It's Golfers.
lis third concert last night at Carnegie
Hall. the final one Of this season, was de-
voted to the performance Of the "Stabat
Mater OF Antonin Dvorak and the 'Taille-
fer Of Richard Strauss. The first Of these
has. Of course, been heard In New York
before. but the latter was performed for the
fr-t time in America.
This work was composed by the indus-
tnols Mr. Strauss in the last months Of
1902 and the first Of 1908. II was produced
at Heidelberg in the latter part Of 1908 as
sor Of thank offering for q university
degree. The gentleman about whom Mr..
strauss has wreathed his latest clouds Of
RECOMMENDATION was a trouvere who OBJ
tanned from William, Duke Of Normandy,
permission 10 strike the first blow at the
battle Of Senlao
Singing songs Of Roland and Charlemagno,
Taiiefer rode forward, tossing his sword
into the air and catching II with all the
deftness Of iongleuT, and carved his way
through several doughty knights before
he fell pierced with a hundred wounds,
The opening which be made In the fOe-
mans line was the gate 70 victory.
The version used by Strauss, however,
j. that Of INLAND, who, being a good Ger
man and having respect unto the senti-
mental tendencies Of his people, gave the
tale a happy ending. TaillefeT is an esquire
and he sings all the day. William likes
singing and asks who IL Is that carols 80
l.uhCy. Taillefer, being something Of
dIDl omat promptly announces that he
could serve bett or in a higher station, and
so he is made a knight and the Dukes sister
informs herself in the secrecy OF her cham
ber that he Is the finest knight Of them all
William goes TO England with his army
Al the battle Of Hastings Taillefer strikes
the first blow, but lives TO hear the Duke,
now William the Conqueror, say:
come now, my gallant Taillsfer. and drain cup
Thy song hath often ehsered me. made pain and
Na,hecss the strain thous chanted on Hastings
shan never be iofgottsn, but nh my ear Away"
Doubtless the unsuspecting reader has
visions Of a composer enamored Of the
conception Of a singer filling the earth
and sky with beautiful melodies, but the
unsuspecting reader knows not MIR. Strauss
81 Munich. This composer ia afflicted
festival in mind when he began this work.
lie wrote 20 the editor of the London
Musical Times:
As at these large festivals there are gen
orally huge orchestras employed, I\do not
see Why the wind instrument players should
merely double their parts. Therefore
intend 70 write independent parts for them
all. and I have ordered from Paris some
special manuscript paper Of forty slaves.
Il was the battle that dwelt in the mind
- - 81 INalN laN.a
felt that in his former work he had made
his battle too mild, and all for the want OF
independent parts for the wind and forty
stan paper. This time all was TO be APP
propriate and the battle OF Hastings shoult
be heard afar Something had to be done
to explain it all, 50 the composition took
the form OF a choral ballad The chorus
tells the story, and solo voices are en-
ployed to speak the speeches Of the per-
3 images in the narrative.
The first theme is Of folk song character
and this reappeare near the end Of the COM
position In a choral form with telling effect.
II is one Of those tricks for which Strauss
Is famous After writing for a time In an
incomprehensible tumble OF sound, noise
and confusion, he suddenly puts forth a
straight tune whereat the populaoe mArvels
greatly and exclains: What a grand
Climaxl'
sTaillefer,' to be brief, is an orchestral
piece with explanatory text. The tone
painting Is entirely Instrumental. The
voice parts, especially those for the soloists,
ire ineffective. In one OF two spots In the
choral numbers they are good. The in
Ftrumentation Is huge and intricate. from
bones labor In stertorous gaspings, and
piccolos shrek wildly Bels are ham
mered In a way which suggests that VIII
liam's forces stopped In the heat Of battle
TO shoe their horses.
Wohns indulge in whirring figures,
suggestive OF whizzing arrows. Drums
bang and thump incessantly. The battle
Is the real Strauss article. While 1t was
going on the veterans Of the OratoriO
chorus stared in shocked amR0ement at
the indecent antics Of the orchestra. II
any one can find anything uplifting or
inspiring, orleyen specifically beautiful,
in this composition, be Is a discoveTer
81 much skill.
The Dvorak sStabat Mater" Is a far more
serious and dignihed composition, but it il
too old a work TO require discussion now.
II was performed last night In a staid and
decorous manner, which caused no undue
emotion among the hearers. The Strauss
number was given with abundant energy
and earnestness, but IL Is not difficult to be-
heve that there was something more In Il
han was heard.
The chorus sang vigorously all the even
ing except at the very beginning, when
the tenors broke down entirely in the open
ing Of the Dvorak composition. The
soIoists were: Lillian Blauvelt, soPranoi
BSddoes, tenor, and Herbert WitheI-
spoon, bass. Their singing was respect
able and that ~ the best that can be said
for il, Frank Damrosch conducted the
performance.
MRS. BORDEN-LOW'S RECITAL.