New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-07-20
MUSICAL COMMENT.
The Changed Positions of Music
and Musical Literature.

,-.. MAS when all the pretty writing about u
- COMPOSITIONS was after the music had
-, ON Of the mind and heart of the composer.
t.eo set down paper for the perusal of the
,-,or4ng and performed for the benefit Of the
,,oUgng and unknowinS alike Then music and
.,eioal literature amiable companions, n
Terng along hand in hand, the latter always
IttIa in the If the former, but good friends,
eyen when a bit az cross purposes. Then 1t was
.ha, il could be tTutbfuy said of the beautiful
art that in The beginning was the deed" Only
after the composer poured forth his message did
she theoretical dlssector come, and with cunning
hand and glittering sCapel guided by reverent de
yotion, disclose the laws which. working together
in loving harmony, had been applied to the pro-
auction II the work. Then il was possible to
realize how true and how great a sense music
was Thing Of the Imagination. a child of that
lofty faculty which bodies forth the form of things
unknown q seer in the prophetic sense calling
The things that not though they We're, and
forever deighting dwell on that which is not
tangblv present. beautiful sound vtaIized by
emotion giving voice TO thoughts which refused to
be formulated and feelings which defed the bind
shackes of definition Then composers wrote
music and permitted others TO write dispositions
upon II: with many a peevish protest Of course,
FOR now could another know more than the eXter-
mas OF an utterance in its essence so individual.
50 intimate only with the nature Of which il
an ef1orescence2 Bach, Haydn Mozart, Beethoven
what sorry ngures they would have cut IN me
literary world! Why, when some of Beethoven's
letters were first published there not want
ing cflucs VINO denied the authenticity OF some or
tAen because they contained passages Of superb
eloquence. while. as rule. all that Beethoven had
written sadly dsordered-in spelled. III punct-
uated. III expressed. To read criticisms of the
oO1ectors who were guided by internal evidence,
like those who are setting the Holy Scriptures to
rights. one would think that because Beethoven
wrote a script which scTaWled and sprawled all
over his pages which ignored capitals and punctua-
ton marks and seemed eInancipated from consecu-
rfveness of thoUght-because he was most SLOW
erly literary housekeeper in short-he was incapa-
bic OF entertaining large thoughts or formulating
lofty emotions.
Vastly different are things nowadays. Not the
deed but the word is the beginning Of all com
position. In the beginning is the word; all things
are made by the word, and without the word moth
ing musical is made that Is made. First IS
Nietzsche and then is Strauss's Thus Spake lara
thustra": first is Cervantes and then the must
cal tones initiative of Creaking windms and bleat-
ing sheep. First are essays on musical progress
tnleaning the negation Of all the aesthetic prin-
cples which Bach HaS yn, Mozart and Beethoven,
in their simple souls held dear), and then the Illus
tration OF the new principles coupled with pref
etory anatheHa for all unbelievers. If and
heart refuse 10 respond 10 the appeal, back with
thelr owner 10 the rear rank OF the Phiistines!
Music knows no laws either OF ethics aesthetics;
Il IS what he who makes II says 1t is Under the
circumstances all should be grateful when the
composer enuncates his principles before he writes
down the symbols Of sound and afterwards inspires
his literary secretaries as to their profound mean
ing.
Readers Of musical writings in Germany have !
recently been regaled with the literary ucubratons
OF three Observation-Disclosures Strauss Felix Vein
GARNER and Ferrucio Busoni. The new music
must needs have its literary bureau fancy latter
cay symphonic poem without its analytical appen
dix, TIE bureau has a double duty;-hrst TO pro- |
test that explanatory programmes are unwelcome
and undesired, and then 10 supply them for the |
progressive compositions. So Strauss, launching !
a vehicle for propaganda, pleading his unWill- /
!ngness 10 write about progress or anything else !
touching music (Which IS sufficient in itself
good music Ike his own OPENS his mouth in the
familiar yawp against all who would put bars TO |
progress. ard proclaims the dcifcation Of ugness
as an aesthetic principle We!ngartner is stiH !
mas f4rT al III T-arrr che r-14,
than mere traces Of conservatism. Quite natr- /
rally. n the minds Of his always advancing col
leagues he is qualifying himself TO enter the
9a1!hs 81 the feacuohaTlcs. why not "nen ms |
ambitions thwaTted in Berlin court circles and |
people remain sceptcaI about the merit Of his |
coTnIc5-loHsE He has recanted his youthful ut /
terances concerning Brahms and Schumanu. and !
having once been enrolled among the modern !
suglfs ne IS now WinkinS at them publicly, IN a !
sha-nefuliy telltale way He has published q
Musical WalpUrgis Night" in which " satircally
overthroTs the gods who ancient of days and !
purs their modern SUCCESSORS through their PAGES !
OF the new Olympus. Among other things there
IS an account OF a concert Of the Dsharmcnic So
cety IN Berlin. which the newest work OF the
composer Nonsense IS brought forward But, |
alss, says Or. Schmidt in the 'Tagehlatt." II is
easy here note the pain which Welngartner
feels 81 the thought that be has not yet been ap
pointed Music Director General, with the rank
O. Colonel" Motifs recent promotion by the way,
70 the ONCE Of Royal Court Opera Director in Mu-
nich with it the rank belonging to all
officials IN Class II OF the Bavaran Court Cal
endar.
B2soni IS rot composer in the active sense that
his literary colleagues are composers, though he.
too, has been IN the modern Arcadia. He has
stopped exercising his fingers long enough TO write
e Sketch for New l41sthetcs Of Music and two
opera tbreJtos and has published sketch and opera
books under single cover in Trieste DR.. Schmidt
helps Us outline Of BUsonis ideas. Music, as
art, is a child that is just learning to walk.
Bach and Beethoven conclude nothing; they only
marx beginning. Absolute freedom IS the goal OF
musical development CThis is the catcAwofd OF all
]
70 all things else in this world, but music may,
nay must. 90 changing forever; and change IS
progress REGARDLESS Of aim OF result Inc
lstionship, shaken of as the shackIes OF
form have been. Third tones and sixth tones must
ae accepted, well as whole and semi tones
There are longer such things as dlssonance5
And yet, in the midst Of his impressIonistc vaga-
r!es. NJ Busoni utters criticism Of the methods
OF his colleagues Of the progressive school which
might have come from the mind OF the infantlle
Beethoven. II is worth quoting literally:
The greater part OF modern dramatic music
BUFFERS from desire to repeat the incidents trans
piTing the stage, instead Of sticking 10 its real
mission. which is portray the psychological con
dition Of the dramatis persona during the prog
less OF the Incidents. When the stage presents the
Illusion Of q thunderstorm Il IS enough that the
eye is filed with the spectacle. Nevertheless, near
ly all composers labor in addition give musical
oeinesti0n the storm, which Is not only an IN
necessary and weaker repetition but also neg
lect q duty The dramatic character on the stage
IS either Influenced psycholo6IcalIy py the STORM
Or persists unrnov-d in course because OF pre-
occupation with thoughts that are more competing
Inc storm IS visible and audible without the Help
ef music; but that which goes on In the sou! o.
man IA the while. which Is invisible ana IN
audible. t.at f. IS which music should disclose
Good. Beethoven might have written that, even
after composing the thunderstorm in his pastoral
tymphony-"nore an expression Of feelings than
iCT s.EI he modern