The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-05-16
It's issue in the exquisite nsatness Of his
nanakaiofin,

it's issue Ia the exquisite neatness Of his
construction.
1t Is essential to remember that al
though Mozart lived and died in the course
OF a part Of Haydn's career, the sym
phonies which Haydn wrote before bis
advent are rarely heard In these days-
The truth Is that Haydn found in the
melodious symphonies Of Mozart stimu-
lation for his delicate taste and his appe-
tite for perspicacity. Haydn was in this
sense q follower. but the direction In which
his instincts guided him led TO results OF
high Importance in the development OF
musical art.
Haydn o symphonic forms are 50
sharply defined. the workmanship Is 80
sc,lptures1ue. that no student can fail
to discern in his scores the basic laws OF
sonata construction. II his earliest quar-
tettes are slight in substance, they are
unavoidably comprehensive. II his early
symphonies are to-day musioally unim-
portant. they are none the less excellent
examples of method.
But IL these things are true OF his
earlier compositions in these forms they
are still more convincingly demonstrated
in his more mature productions. The
brevity, c~ompactness. logic OF develop
ment, nicely OF architecture finish and
chastity OF decoration in these COM
positions has preserved for them their
honorable position in the esteem OF pro-
fessors and historians and their approba-
ton by audiences. 1t Is understood that
when a Haydn symphony Is played no
one Is to expect ~profundity Of thought or
tragedy OF passion, but that fastidious
taste in material and handling and the
craftsmanship OF a musical jeweller are
to be welcomed with that glow OF genial
satisfaction which waits upon the accom-
plishment OF a Cabinet Minister in the
high court Of art. 1t is no small part OF
Haydn's glory that he polished and re-
fined the sonata form to such an extent
that Beethoven could carry its purely
technical beauties little further.
In every branch Of music it has been the
business OF certain masters to clear away
technical underbrush. Domenico o
latti accomplished much OF this kind In
the development of the keyboard; Corelli
did 1t for the violin, Monteverde and
Alessandro Scarlatti for the opera, Mozart
for the lied. 1t was Haydn's fortune to
begin the connection between Bach and
Beethoven, and after Mozart had carried
it far forward to take with gratitude the
suggestions given by the glorious boy and
complete this splendid technical work.
The development Of art ia a gradual
accumulation Of principles Of method,
for art is the method Of expression. The
ultimate purpose of all art is the embodi-
ment Of mans conception Of the beauti-
full. Art itself is the technics OF this e1-
preston. The process Of determining
the vital laws of this method has been
slow. In music ten centuries were re-
ouired for the advance from b Gre
gorian chant to the majestic cathedral
compositions Of Palestrina and Orlando
Lasso, but in the course of those CEN
turtles many OF the principles underlying
the entire art Of music were discovered
and clearly defined both by theorists
and practitioners.
Because OF the enormous work accom-
plished by the masters OF the old French
school between 100 and 1900 and the
Netherlands school between 14O0 and the
middle OF the sixteenth century. 1t was
possible for instrumental music, once
launched upon its separate career, to
move forward with greater rapidity than
choral music had in all those earlier GEN.
turtles. Nevertheless it's professors had
no small task before them in clearing the
vay for Mozart and Beethoven. 1t was
in the blazing Of this trail that Haydn did
q mans work.
The completely Of an art form must
never be perplexity. Nevertheless high
organization is essential to all dis
tinsuished forms Of art. In music the
symphony or sonata for orchestra, upon
which rect the overture and the symphonic
poem, is the compendium of the essential
laws OF large instrumental form. Even
IL the symphonic form should eventually
be abandoned, ID some commentators
believe it will be, the laws Of which 1t is
the c~learest and most convincing demon
s~tration will continue to govern compost
ton in extended construction.
Richard Strauss, writing his 'Helden-
leben," was no more able to escape the
authority OF the laws underlying the
symphonies Of Haydn than was Liszt
ia building his piano oonoertos in con-
nected movements. Even Richard Wag-
ner in his endeavor TO impart a more
definite expressiveness to the opera by
the employment Of representative themes
was compelled in altering these themes
in accordance with the varying dramatic
thought or mood Of his action to utilize
PROCESSES Of thematio development SINH
lar to those used in a less subtle manner
by Haydn.
That Haydn was able to grasp the sig
~niicanoe Of the uncertain experiments
made by his ~forerunners and to select
from them the examples pregnant with
good for the future Of his art is sufic ient
to entitle him to the name Of pathfinder.
He cleared away much Of the under
brush and made the path clear to the
mountain for the feet Of Beethoven and
Brahms.
This IL one part OF the splendid work
which Haydn accomplished, but it Is
by no means all. In the field Of instru-
mentation he was certainly not a nonen-
tity, though here Mozart wa a more
conspicuous figure. In the domain OF
oratorio too he achieved results which
affected the character Of all the orato-
rios succeeding his. OF these achieve
ments something may be said later. At
this time We should remember with graft
tude this simple and gentle man. work.
ing honestly and without suspicion Of
"a --A-sL.> - L.. -.~ a. -.tr. a. a.