New-York tribune., 1909-01-06
MUSIC
THE ELGAR SYMPHONY AGAIN.

ance was neglected. The singing Of group songs
by Miss Geraldine Farrar one Of these feat
ures. though not the most consequential. the ac-
compartments Of Mr.. Damrosch being really more
significant than the vocal performances of the
lady. Nevertheless song by Gluck and Debussy 3
"Mandone" given with much charm of man !
ner and small beauty of tone and expression /
On both occasions Miss Farrar added much to the
pleasure OF the meeting. though all else in the pro
gramme was. for reason or another greatly !
overshadowed by the new work which. as has
already been said here, doomed UP with unusual
largeness of the popular notion that great
things in music must not he expected to come out
of Great Britain the wonderful degree OF |
/ success which the work won, the spontaneity ana
heartiness Of the approval Of the audience Mr.. |
Damroschs direction of the work was splenoldS
contributory. The conductor conceived the sym
phony in an exalted spirit and gave it out with
superb breadth and eloquence He has done noun
ing finer If anything fine. in years and 70 MN
not only the public, but the composer as WELL
ought feel deeply behoden
Much ado has been made in London and also mere
about the character of Sir Edwards new music
At first Il seems to have been assumed probably
because the symphony is the work OF a composer
who thoroughly modern in thought ana manner
OF expression. that this music must OF necessity De
'programmatic the phrase goes We are not
inclined to quarrel with the phrase in general
way for have written elsewhere the purest
and best music in the world is in sense pro-
grammatic music. its programme beng that hgh
ideal of goodness truthfulness and beauty which
is the content of and for which all lofty
ina ginations strive Not only in this sense, but
even in anotner, nearly all Of Beethovens music
is prOgrammatic; it is not only in the third fifth,
seventh and ninth symphonies that We hnd music
expressive of those psychological struggles which
Beethoven felt and more called on to depict,
describe or illustrate he more and more
shut out from comranionship with the external
world And though Beethoven generally has bond
of unity between the parts of his great works
which it is possible to put finger. he does not
always do Neither does such community Of
rs " In
Dvoraks From the New World" and many other
works change these pieces of absolute music into
programme symphonies. Sir Edward Elgar illus
trates community of theme in this work in a
peculiarly interesting way (by putting two widely
divergent expressions OF musical idea at
the bottom Of his Scherzo and Adagio !
ana connecting the movements without a pause,
Dut the TACT did not make upon the impression
TO which Mr. Damrosch gave utterance that Sir
Edwards was to illustrate the struggle OF the human
soul against an awful and ominous oVershadowinR
fate. Such phrases have become trte: since the
spirit or Romanticism became dominant in SYM
phontc music il is heard whenever work IS brought
forward which Is not a simple. frank, unabashed
oaiIlance with musical forms. 1t is the model
which symphonic composers make their pro
gramlnes. or the analysts for them When Tschai-
koWsky wrote an explanatory analysis Of his fourth
symphony for his patron, Nine. Meek he found
himself thrown back upon II, though he frank
eT more theatrical and less deeply poetical his
bald quotation OF his motto-the Fate theme
than Sir Edward is Of his use OF his superblv
large and impressive principal melody. The idea OF
/ story, romance. something Of the kind is in
Vited by the subdivisions OF symphony in it's
classic form:-the first presentation contrasting
themes and their warning development in the first
movement; the streak Of sunshine in the jocose
section the period OF and spiritual refresh
ment in the adaRo; the truInphsI outcome in the
/ nnale Modern works less prone end with
/ q proclamation OF JOY, and the thought Of the
development Of poetic conceit lies them
In consequence. II is impossible to think Of Tscha;
kowskys last symphony Chat called Pathetic
despite his protests) which digs deep the pit OF
gloom and despair without attributing 20 II some
! thing more than merely musical purpose In
/ fact, the contents to be not Oniy pro-
grammatic. but distinctly autobogra phicaI But
Tschaikowsky a man OF abnormal emotions
! who actually lived his music while It occupied his
mind, suffering the agones expressed by his poig-
| nant harmonies. with pain that individual
as it actual
Doubtless widespread notion that there is some
thing peculiarly 1evout and m! stlcal about Sir Ed
wards character has led good deal Of xomanc-
ing about his music. 1t began with The Dream of
Gerontius." and because OF what was said then We
are hearing great lot OF nonsense about the bio
| graphical character of the symphony. As
! The Dream of Gerontus' was supposed 10 be an
Interpretation not only Of the composers religious
notions but also OF those OF General Gordon just
before his death It was concluded widely that Sir
| Edward full OF mystical notions As a matter
of fact, he is sound and and sweety sensible
as any good and reasonably pious Roman Catholic
Christian need he. 1t is true he did associate Gen
eral Gordon with his oratorio but the extent
the told OF in the gossip of the day.
/ He told the story at the time discourage the
! idea that The Dream Of Gerontius' was &C
casionaI," written order for the Birmingham
! festival The story and its sequel may he retold
now without impertnenee
This is the beginning of IT he said 20 the editor
| Of The Musical Times, producing a copy OF the
| poem. The book wedding present TO me
! from the late Father Knight. OF Worcester. at
/ yb Oh 7 wa | O
me he copied into it's pages every mark inserted by
| General Gordon his (Ciordon's) copy that
! have the advantage OF knowing those portions or
the poem that had specially attracted the attention
| ~ The great hero. II seems absurd 70 say that
have written the work TO order for Birmingham.
The poem has been soaking In. my mind for at
least eight years. All that tire been Rradu-
| ally assimilatins the thoughts of the author into
my musical promptinss.
! The reference to General Gordon's marking OF
passages in Cardinal Newmans poem recalls an
! incident which also much discussed. After
| Gordon's death the story out that with the
| hook he had prepared himself for the end before
Khartoum and the fact cited in evidence Of
his interest I'm the teachings OF the poem that he
had marked many passages. contributor to "The
! Churchman," Of this city, on September IT, 1898
took the trouble write 20 the sister Of General
| Gordon to clear up the story Of his connection
| with the poem Of which, judge from
the incident related by Elgar an effort toward Sec
tartan propaganda making. The result
a letter from Mrs. Mof1t OF Southampton, the
| sister in question. saying and proving that the
| Khartoum story wholly untrue Mrs. Mofit
also sent her brothers. markings TO the writer I'm
| "The C'hurchman" who made study Of them TO
| nrova that General Gordon had never approved OF
the book as a whole. and had marked nothing
! contrary to his Protestant belief
II is NOT our purpose to deny but rather 90 con-
firm the splendid upft, the loftiness Of idea. the
reaIv noble sweep Of Sir Edwards new music; but
confirming these things is to save the work from
the pettiness which would attach it If there