New-York tribune., 1906-04-29


composers.
The John Church Company has published a
book of George Henschers songs which, both for
artistic Typography and for its artistic contents
must be counted among the most important mu-
sical products Of the season. Mr.. Henschers
familiarity with song literature is deep intimate
and aHectionate His compositions In this Geld
show lovely harmony between the melodic
setting of the words and the pianoforte part.
There is no predominance OF the latter as is so
frequently the case in the songs OF young revo-
lutonaries Of Germany and France, yet the har-
monies and the contours Of the accompaniment
are always opposite and always interesting.
The Oliver Ditson Company has added two
volumes Of Handels songs TO the admirable COL
lection OF publications known by the title "The
Musicians Library" The volumes are for high
and low voice and contain songs from the operas
as well as the oratorios. These have been edited
by DR.. EbeneZer Prout who prefaces the vol
umes with essay which is critical and analyt-
ical as well biographical. There is q brief
note on each song, but more interesting by far
is DR.. Prout's comment the accompaniments
for the pianoforte which have been arranged
from the full score. Commenting on these, Dr.
Prout observes:
In the numerous airs which are accompanied
by four-part harmony for strings the adapter's
task was comparatively simple, being merely the
alteration as possible. for the piano. But many
numbers are also to be met with in which Han
del gives little beyond the skeleton Of the har-
mony the only accompanying parts being violins
In unison and basses. AS familiar examples of
this method Of accompaniment may be named
the two airs in The Messiah" But Thou ddst
not leave" and IT know that my Redeemer ltv-
eth" In other cases only unigured bass is
given as in 20 Sleep. why dost thou leave me?'
and "Se un bell ardire." Here more RESPONSE
bility is thrown upon the arranger All availa-
bic evidence is against the hypothesis that such
pieces were intended to be left either with only
an outline of the harmony, or with no harmony
at all. 1t Is traditional that Handel himself at
the performance Of his works filed up the har-
mony, mostly on the harpsichord. more rarely
on the organ. The task of an editor in such
cases is 10 supply the missing harmonies as
nearly possible in the spirit of the original
Often Handel's BASES so strongly suggest the
implied harmony that doubt is scarcely possible;
at other times the accompaniment is constructed
from material already furnished by the composer
himself. The song "Se un bell ardire" tust re-
ferred TO, illustrates both these points Except
in tho opening and concluding symphonies no
harmony whatever is indicated in the score, and
the voice is In unison with the bass throughout.
Yet here Handel's Intentions are almost self
evident, and the difficulty Of filling up his sketch
was far less than might be imagined.
The use of the word symphony made by DR..
Prout in the above extract from a preface to
the songs of Handel published by the Ditson
company calls attention to another publication
from the same press for which, unfortunately II
is not possible to speak unqualified word of
commendation. This is a book of terms and
definitions called "Elson's Music Dictionary"
There has long been need of concise. cor
rect and well ordered dictionary of musical
terms. We cannot recall one published within
the last quarter Of a century which could bear
comparison with that Of Stainer and Barrett a
reprint of which would have served much bet
ter purpose than this work Of Mr.. Louis Elson's,
n aDF,fae h. III,
cessor the "PrOnouncing and Defining Diction-
ary of Music by W S B. Mathews and Emil
Liebling, and adds TO them copiously on its own
account II ought to be plain TO publishers that
a musical photographer who undertakes TO pro- |
vide a phonetic system of spelling to enable :,
persons unfamiliar with foreign languages to
pronounce foreign words ought to be familiar
with those languages associate with him |
somebody who is. The desire TO believe that Mr. |
Elson has thorough acquaintance with any one |
OF the languages which contribute words to the |
Technology Of music is made difficult by much |
that appears in the pages of this book. Some |
uines indeed, we cannot even except the Ian |
BuGse In which the book is written. Elegance |
oI expression may appear less essential than |
correctness OF definition in dictionary. but cor
rect use OF words must be insisted upon always. |
we 90 not believe that anybody who writes on |
musical matters in Boston except Mr.. Elson is |
IN the habit Of using the term "Orchestration'' |
IN the sense OF a performance by an orchestra |
Even the ordinary dictionary makers know bet |
ter than that, but Mr. Elson, who takes Ii upon |
hlmsef TO correct popular errors, few of which |
ever have found their way into popular prints |
or ordinary conversation, gives the perform
ance OF an orchestra" as the primary meaning OF |
the term. After that ii is not at all surprising
10 hnd him correcting a vulgar error which
never existed by disseminating the false infor-
nation that IL was only after the advent Of |
haydn that the word (symphony) began to mean
sonata for full orchestra" The sense In |
which DE- Prout uses the word is utterly ignored |
py Mr.. Elson, though DR. Prout offers evidence
lLlat that use is stan current in England and by
Ihgnsh writer's in America How misleading
-Ar Elsons corrective comment is will be plain
10 everybody who has kept abreast with mod
ern musical research and the publications of the
antiquarian societies OF Germany The SYM
Pnonists OF The Mannheim School who preceded |
aAyon composed symphonies which were
sonsess Tor full orchestra (at least as full as |
IAyohs. or nearly so) and called them sym
phonies This is a matter of historical criticism |
aho needed not TO have been called up at all |
tao not MT Eson sratuitously disseminated |
"lihIIiIoTinat!on on the plea that he was set
ung a popular error at rest There are other |
oehhitions within the proper scope of the book |
Loi "iICH tHcTe is neither extenuatlon nor apol-
ogy "A due" or "A 30 does NOT alone mean
lot TWO voices or instruments: in fact n very
seldom Is used in this sense Most often when
appears IN orchestral scores IL means directly /
the opposlte-ViZ., that two Instruments are 10 |
play IN unison as one. bass flute Is not IAN /
instrument or the bassoon special" but exactly |
Mhat lts name indicates a deep toned flute
Inc dumka" has not been introduced into the |
symphony by Dvorak. though the "dumky" is !