New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-01-01
GA efs 1855 81 - aszsp II
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Professor Breslauer IS quit. right il saying that
this interval is common II Hungarian music, and if
he had heard how obvious vas the likeness between
Mr. Zolotaryoff's rhapsody when the music reached
example and the sRakoczy march, he would
have been more convinced than ever that these
melodies taken from the mouths Of the Jews IN
Russia had been put into those mouths by gypsy
fddIers from Hungary. But It was plain enough
to the discriminating listener that a larger part
OF the likeness was due to Zolotaryors employment
Of ideas Of harmonic and instrumental treatment
derived from the familiar setting Of the 'Rakoczy
march made 81 Berltoz, as there were other cyl
dences On certain pizzicato scales ascending and
descending1 Of his willingness and capacity also to
annex devices from Tscnaikowsky. Moreover. there
are some singular things 70 be noted here
IN the frst place though Breslauer thinks that
The Jews are readily assirniIative among stranger
peoples he overlooks the fact that no people in
The world cling to their distinctive traits with such
+enactty as they. Now there traces Of Rus
sian folk song III this melody, neither is there
trace Of this kind Of Orientalsm for the element
is unouestionably Orienta) in any Of the hundreds
Of hundreds of genuine Russian folk song which
We have examined. Did the Hungarian gypsy find
only the Jews in Russia susceptible to lis in
duence which VAS. after al. only feeting and
sporadic one compared with that which went out
from the people among whom they had taken up
their abode? It is. moreover. a question whether
or not the gypsy musician who VIGOROUSLY adopts
the music of every land in which he Toans.
though he does graft Oriental elements upon
It did not himself take this feature from the
Magyars who themselves Eastern
people Just as they did the rhythmical char
acteristio the propulsive syncopation which Is
he characteristic of the Hungarian cadence, and
which this writer has shown to be a derivattve
from the Magyar language. Another thing.
In some Hungarian melodies there are two of
these augmented fntervals-one between the third
ana fourth the other between the sixth seventh
steps. Csee the "Rakoczy' maroh) Now the ear
mark of the Hebrew scale. as embodied in the first
example is that the interval occurs between the
second and third steps, thus: A B-fat C-sharp.
D E F-sharp G-sharp, a. Writers Hebrew
music call this scale JisChtabach. It is common
in the hymns and prayers proper 10 such solemn
days as ''Rosh Hashonah' and ''Yom Kppur." We
have found It in a kaddish for Goshen and Tai
South German "Jisgadal Xxi keschimcho ken
.ehifossechp" a familiar 'Tikanta Sabbath" the
familiar 'KoI nidre'' of the Day of Atonenent ser
vice and many Individually ancient melodies 1t IS
not confined to the German Jews. for we have
found it also In 'Yimlocr" and a "PlSnlon OF
the sephardin. AS the Hungarian scale places the
interval it is found in the folk music OF the Dan
uban municipalities. in WalIachia- Rumania, IN
Arabia Turkey and Egypt Rubinstein and Gold
mark are not the only composers who have used It
in their operas; Verdi put 1t into the priestess
song temple scene of Aida ard in the ballet
music When Ruhinstein set Heine's Der Asra,
which tells Turkish story. he used it TO lend local
color to his music.
II Is Oriental and it belongs to the Gypsies be
CAUSE they are Orientals It is Oriental and by the
same token it belongs the Jews because they are
orientals The noteworthy feature of the story Is
.ba, they should have adhered in their secular
music in Russia, But are not sure that the
Jews outside Of Russia have retained the old Gus
tom Of gathering about the family board ana
cheering their hearts and strengthening their fort
,+,,dA with song The old feeling is still strong;
Hog shall we sing the Lords song in strange
Iand7"
The other melodies which provided ZolotArFer
rial al
Co. the reason which applies the first, pecul-
iarlv nathetfc tune, which We could imagine to
have come from the synagogue. Is the second
slow and heayy-hearted measure with grateful re-