The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-02-22
Their Composition in "Song
Form" Has Attracted Uni
versaI Attention, and Is an
Original Style.
STYLE DIFFERS MUCH
FROM TOPICAL SONGS
Chadwick, Parker, Humphrey
And Others Bear Compare
son With the Great German
Masters of Music.

son With the Great German
Masters of Music.
Boston, Feb. 2O.-With a hush of ex-
bectancy a large audience In Jor-
dan hall of the conservatory building
In this city awaited the other evening
the last number on the program of &
song recital-a new piece Of music in
what is known as long form, fitted to
both words and the ideas of a fine old
Irish poem. The composers problem
was stated beforehand in the literary
production, for the stanzas were
printed on the program-each involv-
ing a different sentiment, as might be
ssen by reading.
Thereafter came the presentation,
from the manuscript of the simple but
subtle music written by George w.
Chadwick, composer, director of the
New England conservatory of music,
dedicating this latest work of his in
song form to F. Morse Wemple, a
member Of his faculty, whose recital
was just closing. AS the song pro-
crossed, those at familiar with the
technique-and in a city where there
are ten thousand music students that
meant most of the audience-appre-
ciated fully the skill with which with
out breaking up the unity of the work
the character of the music shifted, in
accordance with the changing moods
- n nh oro ntor nincn of Cn1fin lit.
orature.
And that, of course, is the mark of
the song composer as distinguished
from the writer Of popular songs
that ability to make music express and
interpret the moods of a piece of lyric
literature whether it be grand or tri-
vial. In the merely popular song you
get no play of varied and contrasting
emotions. but just the same jingle
jangle repeated through stanza after
stanza. One musical motive keeps
our friend afraid to go home in the
dark all the way through a long SER
les of verses. But he composers of
really excellent song music follow the
changes of the poets thoughts.
So that this wedding of poetry and
music in the "song form" is some
thing more ambitious than arranging
. .sing-cong for the accompaniment OF
the words of Poor John"
That the United States is slowly but
surely developing a school of compos-
ers who are capable of PRODUCING song
skethces similar to those which the
great Germans have made popular. is
becoming apparent to observers who
are watching the increasing interest IN
neutrality-suspicious. in this country.
These songs based on literary motives
are certainly taken more seriously
now than a few years ago when Robert
Franz. one of the greatest of all song
pose wrote to his friend Louis
C. Elson, the well known Boston music
critic adm conservatory teacher: IN
this country they have looked quite
condescendingly on these small forms.
taking a silly notion that these forms
arise only incidentally in music. Yet
the s%ing-song form is really one Of the
chief foundations Of our art: l know
you share this conviction with me-"
A surprising number Of pioneer
workers in his field of writing songs
that rise above the level of topical or
popular airs has appeared in h last
twenty years. .
We have as a foremost figure among
the writer's of this kind of music Mr..
Chadwick himself. not by any means
exclusively a song composer, for his
publised works include the opera
Judith, several symphonies, choral
works. string quartets and the mag
niicent ode for the dedication Of the
Worlds Columbian Exposition at Chi
cage in 1898. In the midst. however
of a very active career as director Of
the largest and best equipped musical
conservatory in the world. and of va
rious duties as conductor, MIR. Chad
wick has found time to write a long
series of small sketches in song form.
Mr.. Chadwick has always been a
strong believer in the value to the
musician of writing these short pieces.
So too. has his former pupil, Horatio
". Parker, now professor OF music at
Yale university and author ct the cele-
brated "Hora Novissima.' One of Mr..
Parker's ambitious achievements as a
young boy was to set fifty Of KaKte
Greenaway's poems to music in a cou-
ple of days with melody n accom-
paniment which still passes muster.
He has since then written a great deal
OF song music. One work. Once I
Loved a Maiden Fair was presented
on the same evening with Mr.. Chad
wick's latest work.
Everybody knows how the late Ed
ward Mcdowell helped to popularize
certain songs with skillfuily written
pianoforte accomplishment. His
Scotch ancestry perhaps was respon-
sible for the sympathy with which he
cave a musical Interpretation to
poems of Robert Burns.
Among American composers who
have written successful songs have
been several who studied music under
the late Professor Rheinherger at
Munich-a teacher whose influence II
still greatly felt in American musi-
cal education. since among his many
pupils were George w. Chadwick. Ar
thur Whiting. Henry H. Huss, Wallace
Woodrfch, now dean of the New Eng