The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-05-03

COntrnltO.
beethoven continually gives evil
dence Of his mastery over this Import
ant element in composition. The beau
ty OF his melodies never pals. Be-
fore that point Is reached there Is some
sudden change OF feeling some unex-
lpected turn OF melody or meditation,
some brusque expression that shocks
us out OF our dream. He Is pcrticu-
.larly fond OF the latter device, and FREE
quently lulls us into a fancied quiet
only to awaken us abruptly when we
least expect It,
uWith him everything he's ITS proper
tionate value, so that we get a clearly
defined impression Of the whole work.
Just as in fine novel the values are
SO carefully preserved that we feel
come to know the characters as we
know our own friends.
"One who thoroughly familiar with
the andante of the Fifth Symphony
feels this quality, as predominant. We
are not cnraptured by the theme ITSELF
as we. are by that of NIozart's andante
from the sring quartet, but we feel
the charm OF incident and by-play, we
are just as much interested In the con-
other part OF the piece; and we think
OF 1t all as we do Of finely written
play. where one incident hangs on an
other. and nothing happens that does
not bear on the plot.
mus Judging music from the stand
point of universal human feeling, Bee
thoven reaches the highest point in
its development No other composer.
before or since. has equaled him In this
~ All OF, III
the. more we find In him. Repeated
hearings do not dim the lustre of his
genius, nor have the great composers
who have followed him had as broad q
survey of human life as he possessed"
In speaking of the Scherzo, surette
writes In his book entitled THE Ap-
probation of Music"
The theme is Of very curious char
acter. certainly nothing like the usual
busting scherzo theme. but on the
contrary mysterious. vague. cropping.
Berlloz says of 1t: ut is as fascinating
as the gaze of a mesmerizer." After
seventeen measures of this, more
energetic, rhythmic theme succeeds, given
out by the horns. fortissimo, with
| rugged chords in accompaniment, In
| which we recognize new variant OF
| that motive OF three short notes and
a long, which was so prominent in the
first movement.
The trio Is irresistibly ludicrous In
the elephantine antics through which
the unweldly double basses are put
They announce scrambling fugue
| theme, which is "answered"-in imita-
tion-several times at higher pitches
by the other and more agile stringee
instruments. A sonorous close Is
reached at the double bar.
| "Then comes a most grotesque anc
amusing passage. in which, three sew
eral times. these poor numbering double
BASES iurl themselves upon the theme
twice only to give up in despair after
the first measure and pause as If for
breath The effect OF this brave attack
! and utter failure to keep up the pace
is irresstibly comic. But the thire
time proverbially never fails, and n
| the measures following they hold t.
their effort with bulldog tenacity. ant
succeed in reaching safe haven
lThereupon the theme enters once NOR
above them, and is once more carried
i through an exciting fugal chase. thu
& entrances occurring each time littl'
higher up. The cadence is reached, ant
the entire passage from the inept on
slaughts of the BASES is almost liter
ally repeated. except that now 1T be
. comes ouieter and quieter. and f1nall!
leads back to the mysterious scherz
theme.
t This time the ruggedncss Of TIL
second strain of the scherzo has al
disappeared, and 1t remains delicate
almost ethereal. AS has been stated, n
complete pause is reached before tn
finale, but instead Of the cadence W
. have placed at the end, there is a lon
; passage leading over into the splendi
marchlike theme of the last movement.
Work of MncDowcll
Another prominent feature of til
Saturday afternoon concert will be
suite for orchestra by the late Ed
t ward Alexander Mcdowell.
4 The death of Edward Alexander Mac
@ Dowel on January ed, at the az
n of forty-seven. removed perhaps tn
t only American musical composer VIII
. had universal recognition as a maste
e 'of his art. Indeed. NIacDowell we
Q ahead of his time, and his high amp
ton and tremendGa as energy be,
- bring about the nervous breakdow
), which couded his last two years. +
:, spent his student years abroad, at IL
9 Paris Conservatory, at Stuttgart, Vie
g baden, Frankfort and Darmstadt.
S was admirable training for his poet
! temperament both In musical thnl
n ing and In that patient systematic @
J. fort at which the Teuton eNcels I
re Cdlle sunders& inc influence oil SuCn II
% spring personalities as Clara Sch
h mann and List (who is said to ha
!. once asked the young American to pl;
:. one of his compositions at a Zurich IN
: Sic festivaD, but In spite of the
!" fourteen years of foreign study at T.
u formative age, Mcdowell remained
10 American and drew his best inspir
d ton from his native land Els son
ID and more ambitious compositions, IL
the Indian Scribe" and New En-
land Idylls," are always sane a
healthy, His work was subtle b
!. never decadent; and he leaves a lar
measure Of accomplishment both
: composer and as a teacher who
u seven years was a fountain of inspir
q. ton to the students at Columbia III
in versity,
ne MacDowells musical inspiration
X peculiarly his own, His melody is Il
D. mistakable, having a certain physio
on nomy OF It's own. a certain turn
q phrase that would always be reco
-. nized as his by any who knew his N
=, sic. His harmonic sense is seven me
- Enthusiastically his own. He Is fond
", certain dssonant progressons IL
OF have pregnant emotional power a
Is depth, Il potent cNpressiveness. a
a that seem to BIO indissolubly at c
set with his melody. There are cert,
re- rhythmic traits and peculiartties Il
.