The sun., 1909-02-11
WEIRD MUSIC BY Mr.. JUON
SECOND CONCERT or TIE HESS.
SCHROEDER QUARTET.
An Alarming Tonal Disturbance In Men.
deissohn Hail-Modernism Runs riot
and Audience Learns ThinEs-seme
Music BY MAX schIIiings and Brahms.

| MUSIC by MAX Schiiiings ana Hrahms.
The weather cleared up last night whom
the Hess-Schroeder Quartet came to town
and gave its second concert at Mendels-
sohn Hall. II was fortunate that 1t did
80. because II there had been a gale OF
wind outside while the tonal earthquake
was going on inside Mendelssohn's walls
would certainly have crumbled. The
cause of all the trouble was Paul Juon.
He Is Russian discomposer and he is
tired of music. Some time ago the Adele
Margulies Trio played trio Of his and sent
people home sad and detected. Last night
Willy Hess and Alvin Schroeder Of the
quartet. with the cruel assistance OF Err
nest Schelling at the piano. played for the
first time in this country Mr.. Juons Trio
Caprice" opus Se and sent an audience
away with ringing ears and shattered
nerves.
Mr. Juon acknowledges that the source
Of his inspiration was the COSTA Berling"
Of Selma Lagerlof. We have never read
the work, but IL Mr.. Juon's tonal picture
Of it Is faithful reproduction il must be
a narrowing tale. The trio Is a direful
oonoatenation OF sounds, few Of which
seem to have any kindly feeling for one
another. The most soul piercing dis
cords are the fruit of the composers soul.
He revels in tonalities which would de-
light Debussy. but the Frenchman would
handle them with consummate skill,
whereas the Russian wrestles with them in
vain.
This trio melted the three musicians
to deeds Of violence. The two gentlemen
with bows whipped their instruments as
with knouts, while Mr.. Schelling. rising
gloriously TO the occasion, went at IL with
bare hands and pummelled the paino to
the ropes in each of the three rounds
The instruments vainly cried for mercy.
The poor audience had to sit and take it,,
but men stared at each other in wild sur
mise. like the men of Cortes on the peak in
Darien.
Once in a while an image or an eidolon
of a theme poked its innocent face through
the blood red bars of the polyphony. but
Mr., Juon is an iconoclast and he can slay
any theme with one stroke Of a chord Of
the infuriated Cossack ninth. In this trio
he does it every time. There were only a
ic" thcihCS' Dut tiicy All uicu tuc ucdth'
The three musicians seemed to revel in
the chaste and general slaughter.
The first number on the programme vas
a quartet in A minor by Johannes Brahms,
a composer who fourished in the nine
teenth century. This music was de-
cidedly old fashioned and simple in style
and doubtless may have been whistled by
the people who used to listen to that sort
of thing away back in 1895. As modula-
ton from this mellifuous music to the
Simon Pure modernism OF Mr.. Juon there
were two movements, an andante and an
allegro, from the + minor quartet OF Max
Schillings. a living but not too utterly
up to date composer
Mr.. Schillings's music was delightful
to hear. It has thematic substance and
beautiful workmanship in the treatment.
Some OF the harmonies are close and
pungent after the manner Of the time.
but they form part Of general scheme
whose purpose is Ineligible and which
ultimately makes for eloluence OF eX-
preston. Especially commendable is
the polyphony of this music. Most Of
the part writing is admirable in its So
lidity and sorority, an achievement
reached by fine skill in the distribution
of the component notes OF the chords.
1t should be added that the members
Of the Hess Schroeder Quartet played
the Schillings excerpts much better than
the wondrous concoction Of Mr.. Juon.
But then there was something in it 10