New-York tribune., 1909-12-17
MUSIC
THE PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY.
First Performance of Mr.. Mahler's
First Symphony.

The third regular subscription concert for
the season of the PhllharInonic Society took
place in Carnegie Hall last night. Its pro-
gramme. which will be repeated this after
noon, was composed of schuberts I'm
finished symphony in II minor. BeethOven's
"Coriolan" overture and the first symphony
of Mr.. Gustav Mahler. the conductor OF the
orchestra. The final number was a now
city and was heard with a great deal OF
interest. The audience. consisting for the
greater part OF the old subscribers of the
society, recognizing in the work very
radical departure from its traditions.
ceived il with what might be described
courteous applause, mitch dubious shaking
Of heads and no small amount of sruu-
blings. Why this should have been the case
will better be understood when time and
patience permit OF a dispassionate discus
sion of the composition. which. let IL be
confessed, is not the case now. II belongs
to the record of incidents. however. to say
that for the first time In a generation at
least the society's official programme con-
tained neither description nor analysis of
the composition. Instead the neatly printed
pamphlet which is put into the hands of
the auditors this season contained the fol-
lowing notice:
the annotator of the Philharmonic So
cietys programmes refrains from even
an outline analysis of the symphony
which Is performing for the first time In
New York on this occasion, as also from
an attempt to suggest what might be or
mas been set forth as It's possible pOetical,
dramatic, or emotional contents. IL Is
due To the composer. however. to say that
When applied to for the score he placed
~ az the writer's disposition without hesi-
tatlcn or reservation. Mr.. MahlerS con-
NictlOn, frequently expressed publicly az
Wei as privately, is that IL is a hindranCe
70 appreciation to read an analysis which
WIN the help OF musical examples lays
bare the contents and structure of a com
position while IL is playing. All interest
ana attention should be concentrated on
the music itself AT concert" he says.
one should listen. not loOk-use the ears.
not the eyes. AS TO the exposition OF
the probable, possible or likely pOeticat
contents of the music (the programme"
as ~ Is called. the book. poem. picture,
incident. or what not which prompted the
work and Influenced the composer in its
construction. or the train of thought or
emotion which may be called up by it IN
.hs minus OF the hearers-all this, ne
thlnks, should be left wholly to the imag
lnation of each individual All writings
about music, even those of musicians
themselves; he holds 10 be injurious 10
The symphony in ID was composed in
1888 while Mr.: Mahler was associated
Municipal Theatre in Leipsic He was
born on July {, 1860. at Kalischt in Bo-
nelhla, ana before going TO Leipsic had
been assistant conductor in Cassel and
Prague The symphony was performed
for the first time In Budapest in 1891. In
1924 II was feature Of the music fes stival
held In Weimar and in 1900 IL was pro-
duced at Philharmonic Concert in Vien-
ma under the composers direction.
The performance OF the Schubertian frag-
ment brought out much OF it's IoveIiness.
especially in the andsnte, though there was
considerable violent accentuation of dy-
mamie contrasts. and Il was not necessary
10 be purist 10 make one deplore the loss
OF refinement which came from the fire.
quent doubling OF the voices of the wind
Instruments. The performance of the ia
mihar overture was dramatically urid. All
through the evening the tympanist bonn
barded the ears OF the hearers HEX