New-York tribune., 1905-12-13
MUSIC.
CONCERT OF THE KNE1sEI QUARTET.
M d'Indy's Visit.

Two of NJ. Vincent dIndy's compositions in the
chamber music department were performed at the
second concert Of the Kneise1 Quartet in Mendels-
sohn Hall last night. In Of them the composer
took part. thus bringing his missionary labors in
behalf OF the young school of French composers to
an end. On Thursday he viii sail for home. carry
ing with him, doubt. pleasant recolections Of
courteses received and artistic friendships formed
well, probably, mixed impression as to
what anable effort ct propagandsm has accom-
plished. Novelties such have attractive power
in New-York. as opera directors and the managers
of oratorio. orchestral and chamber music organi-
zations can testify. The vast majority of music
lovers believe with Selden that old things best
In the case Of good music familiarity breeds adj
miration and affection; the people love the SYM
phonies and operas and Quartets best which
they know best. It is reflection upon their
taste or Judgment that even the best new music
is received with hesitation. and sometimes even
with protest. Good music will make its way
and hold its place in popular appreciation
and 1t may almost be set down truism that the
better 1t is the longer it will wait for general
recognition. The enterprise which brought NJ
d'Indy to our shores was an amiable one and has
been carried out with dignity and grace. 1t
made plain by the attendance at the two concerts
of the Boston Orchestra last week and the KneiseI
Qurtet last night that the music Of NJ d'Indy and
his coterie of French composers did not arouse any
appreciable curiosity. This may have been due. in
part at least to the circumstances that some of it
had been heard and had not met with approval So
far as NJ. dIndy's compositions are concerned the
first effort to habtate them here made by
Mr.. Seidl when at a concert in Steinway Hall
December 1, 1888, he brought forward the "Walen-
STEM symphony, rather orchestral trilogy. Its
harsh harmonies and rude noises startled and
dumfounded them So far this writer
member. it never repeated. 'Istar," which
figured on last Saturdays scheme of the Boston
Orchestra, received its first performance Feb
ruary g. 1899. under Mr.. Ger1cke. who seems to
have done all that could bs considered his duty by
NJ d'Indy at least. On November Z 1903. he pro-
duced la Foret enchantee," and January u of
this year the symphony in fiat which had
repetition last Thursday The pianoforte quartet in
A minor in the performance of which the COM
poser participated last night. heard at one of
the Kneisel concerts in Mendelssohn Hall Feb
ruary 26. 1902, with Nine Helen Hopekirk playing
the pianoforte part. This UP the list of NJ.
d'Lndy's compositions which have been heard pub
Icly IN New-York
The quartet for strings in E major. which opened
the concert last night novelty, and he
would not have a difficult contention to uphold
who should say that the last two of its move
ments. with all its earmarks of the ultra modern
style the finest music that the composer has
yet given us. 1t is a singular composition. The
principal theme in each of its four movements is
variant of four notes. and these notes (the first
second. fourth and third of the major scale, thus
ordered). have done service, we dare say, thous-
and times Mozart used them a. motive in one
of his boyhood compositions, and again in the
ter" But never have they been treated in so
extraordinary a as in this quartet, never
given such great variety of expression, twisted into
so many rhythmical shapes surrounded with such
a multitude of harmonies. The work is polyphonic
from beginning to end; in scarcely measure do
the four instruments pursue homophonic course.
The treatment of the four voices is quite as ex-
traordinary: each proceeds it's course with alb
splute independence. shifting their relative posi-
tions continually, bass and middle voices soar
ing over the head of the first first diving
into the depths while the others soar over
it. then emerging and climbing to the high
est attitudes possible the instrument For
two movements puzzled wonder and startled
interest are the only emotions aroused. In the slow
movement, however, strange beauty rises like
incense from the Interviewing voices, which grows
in intensity until the listeners carried off into
a new world of aesthetic pleasure. The finale Is
full Of animation. but also of charm. Yet when all
was over the strongest impression left was that
of admiration at the performance of MT. Kneisel
and his associates. L was little short OF Hracu-
lous in its precision its purity of intonatiou It's
elasticity, its muticoloredness AS compared with
the quartet, the pianoforte work which followed
sounded like the creation of a schoolboy gifted
with large powers of reflection and mastery of
musical mathematics. Singularly reticent and un-
interesting Is the panoforte voice, and M. d'Indy
made no effort change this characteristic in his
PLAYING of the voice. 1t all as dry the
Desert OF Sahara. NJ. dIndy was warmly greeted
on his entrance-evidently mark of apprecia-
ton Of the beauties in the string quartet-and twice
recalled after the panoforte quartet. And then
there came sunshine unalloyed. The Kneisels
played Faydn's Quartet in D major, 81. No 8.
A smile numerous spread over, the faces of the
audience and when the last chord was sounded
there came an outburst of applause which made
that which had been bestowed upon the earlier
music sound infantile. H E. K