The sun., 1908-12-02
a AEV TRIO By MAX REGBR
SOHE WONDERFUL PUZZLES
IN SOUR HARMONY.

Musical Architecture Perf0F b
the Adele Margulies Trio-The SEQ
Ond Movement IL Almost Pleasing
At the first concert of the Adele Mar
gllies Trio In Mendelasohn Hall last nigh
the first number was the L minor trio
opus 1o2. OF Max Roger. This work wal
novelty. The audience heard II with
wonder and amaze, for IL was crestior
out OF the depths Of profound despair
MIR. Rogers music has attracted a dea
Of attention in Europe Of late. and some
Of 1t has pleased music lovers even or
this side Of the Atlantic but 1t 10 not al
all likely that the minor trio will be
heard again by any one who heard It last
night.
In form II Is not at all revolutionary
The first. movement. marked allegro
moderate, ma con passione, is q most
extraordinary production. Itbegins with
a motive Of three notes out OF which the
thematic material Of the movement Ia
developed. The first theme is the GUS
tomary agitated melody and the second
is in contrast TO it by reason Of less agita-
ton and a nearer approach to oantilena.
1t is. however. a parabolio approach and
never arrives.
The working out is a vast and oorrus-
eating tumble Of dissonanoes. n Djarring
against one another, tossed about from
piano to strings and back and issuing In
utter harmonic chaos. The composer
seems TO have been bent on making
dissonanoes merely for the sake Of annoy
ing his hearers. But the truth is that he
had nothing to say and his method is one
which strives to disguise that fact under
an appearance Of profundity. Better
times come with the second movement,
which Is an allegretto. 1t has at least a
certain piquanoyI Iof rhythm. and in the
contrasting second theme the composer
so forgets himself as to wander into the
green fields OF diatonic harmonies with
results temporarily cheering to the now
thoroughly detected hearer.
The third movement. a largo, is the
kind of music that ia easiest to compose.
1t just meanders and meanders till enough
pages are filed and then it stops. 1t is
30 vague that it does not even tire one
to listen to it. You cannot become tired
listening when there is nothing to which
to listen. The fourth movement, allegro
con moto. is like unto the first in that il
deals literally in acrid harmonies and
sardonically smashes many Of the ancient
laws Of the theorists. But what 1t fails
to do is to present a pregnant theme.
This is the chief deficiency Of the entire
1t seems 70 be a practice
of latter day musicians to assume ar air
Of insorutable simplicity in the formation
Of their thematic matter, making sub
jects which are merely studies in the fifth
lex nihilo nihil fit But
IL one makes enough to do about it one
seems to have produced something. 1t
one of the marvellous feats Of
the courtiers Of Lilliput 1t will be re-
called that Flimnap. the treasurer. was
the champion, for he could turn several
on rope no thicke. than a
pack thread
, Upon their pack thread ideas these
now composers turn many somersaults
and go through various contortions aud
the world looks up to them with the
wonder which is the sweet. reward of
But here and there some
ioubter shakes his head and vows that
throwing somersaults on pack thred
Is not just the sort Of exercise for Cabi-
net Minister and wishes that these learned
pundits would come down to earth and
emit an idea.
Miss Margulies and her associates.
Leopold Lichenberg, the violinist. and
Leo Sohulz. the 'cellist, might better
spend their time in studying real music.
Doubtless they are actuated by an honest
desire to let us hear everything new in
The field OF their organization. but IL
The prolific Mr.. Roger indulges In any
more Of these musical riddles these
players would do we'll to let them be put
On sale In the department stores along
with the picture puzzles which are now
the community. The other
number on the programme was the
minor trio, opus IS, Of Dvorak. n COM
poser who had many tuneful fancies
md a manly affection for sunlit har-
monies