New-York tribune., 1909-12-18
MUSIC
ABSOLUTE AND PRoGRAMMATIC.
Mr.. Mshler's Symphony and the Phil
harmonic

significant Of a tendency which has been
foreign to concerts of that organization
during the Two generations in which it has
cultivated high class music, the production
OF his symphony, which was played at Car
negle Hall on Thursday evening and yester-
dsy afternoon could be disposed of with
very few words indeed. But Mr. Mailer
has been e considerable figure in the world
Of music for fifteen years or more: he has
shown great seriousness of striving as a
composer by devoting his attention almost
exclusively 10 the large forms, and he is
become a potent influence in the musical
life Of this city. His symphony cannot.
therefore, be as summarily dismissed as we
are inclined 10 think that il ought TO be-
The circumstances accompanying its pro-
duction raise questions much larger than
those invited by the composition itself
When the symphony was composed. or at
least when il was first performed, and for a
long time thereafter, Mr.. Mailer was a
confessed writer Of that kind Of instru-
mental music which. because its signif-
canoe, II not its beauty, depends upon it's
association with scenes or incidents which
have found or can find expression through
another art, is called programmatic He
still belongs 10 the illustrative school.
though he has entered a protest not only
against all official analyses Of his works on
ths programmes of his concerts, but against
descriptive titles in general and against
the custom which musicians have followed
since the composition of descriptive music
began. centuries, nay millenniums, ago. of
indicating the progress and sequence of
thoughts or emotions which prompted the
composition The fact that ne has thus
protested does not affect his attitude toward
music one iota. There is validity n his OBJ
lection 10 analyses which lay bare the struct-
gre OF a composition with such minuteness
that they can only be followed with the help
az the Interpretation which the orchestra af-
fords, and SO must be read while the music
S playing. Such reading divides attention
which ought to go wholly TO the music.
Very properly Mr.. Mailer has said that in
z concert room the ears should be used. not
the eyes-that ali audience should listen.
not look. But the axiom, wholly admirably.
IN the case OF compositions of the higher
order which make appeal at once to the
sense OF hearing, quickened by culture and
refined by taste, the emotions and the lofty
r. faculty Of imagination. which. as Ruskin
has said, sees the heart and inner nature
and makes them Felt is "a seer in the
prophetic sense. calling the things that are
not a. though they were. and forever de-
Lighting 10 dwell on that which is. not tangt-
bly, present" becomes less admirable when
music is approached which depends not
upon Itself. but upon external things with
which il has arbitrarily been associated by
its composer, for its coherency, significance
and beauty-beauty Of g different and lower
order than the other.
M Aahler Is a composer OF programme
music and his symphony in d is of that
c-ass- The fact does not save il from criti-
c-sEus bur IL il were not so the condernna
ton which would have 10 be rneted ont 70
Il would be swift, summary and. for the
sake q the art, vigorous. There is abundant
evidence in Mr.. Mahler's COMPOSITIONS that
II constructing them he follows extra-rnI1st-
ca suggestions; and there is more in their
history. The first performance of the SYM
phony n D took place in Budapest in 1881.
three years after IL was written. Touching
that performance We have no information.
L 1884 1t was performed in Weimar at
festival. and then it bore the title Titan
the reference being TO the romance of that
name written by Jean Paul Friedrich Rich
ter The title was withdrawn before a per
tormance in Berlin in 1897, but on that oc-
c-siOn z friend OF the composer supplied an
explanation Of its supposed emotional and
poetic contents. partly by reference 70 an
Incident in Mr.. Mahler's life, partly by quo
tatIons from poems IN the folksong vein
written by the composer. At that time the
tempo indications were in Italian Gin the
published score they are in Germany, the
second movement was designated a scherzo
and the third ALA marcia funebre." We
saau recur 10 this programme presently.
i IS not recorded that il met with protest
ard ia part al least il is opposite. Mr.
Nahlers second symphony was heard in
N-arr -
concert Of the Symphony Society on De
Cember s, 1908. In II he employs solo
voices and g chorus. the text being poem
@. his own For all music OF this charae-
rer z programme lies in the words which
are sung The third symphony is still
stranger TO local audiences. II has, or had,
programme, written by the composer. con-
Eis-Iug OF q general title and subtitle for
every one OF its six movements, thus Sym
paony No g. in T. a Summer Mornings
Dream" L Introduction, Pan Awakes'':
Allegro. Summer Marches In; II (Min-
Uer), What the Flowers the Meadow
Tell Ne; III (Rondo), What the Animals
in TIE Woods Tell Me- " CcontraIto solo),
What Man Tells Ne; V (chorus and
solo) What the Angels Tell Me-; W.
What Love Tells Me" and. TO indicate
that divine love is meant there is q motto,
creature be lost"
The fourth symphony was produced here
hy the Symphony Society under Mr.. Walter
Uamrosch On November 6, 1964. Il bears
10 title but its last movement is a So
prsno solo in the music of which there is q
Etcapitulation Of the earlier themes, and
the words OF which (an old German folk
Eeugl are a description OF celestial Land
Of Cockaigne, an imaginary place Of idle
less and luxury The fifth symphony is
LhlsbelIed and purely instrumental, and, Ike
al its predecessors, is strongly tinctured
with folk tune. II was played here by the
Boston Orchestra on February 10, 1906.
u wit be observed that New York's
music lovers have heard enough Of Mr..
Mshler's symphonies TO know their quail
ity. both as programmatic and absolute
music The impression made on the writer
a. the first performance, and confirmed at
the subsequent performances. was that Mr.
Mailer is by instinct a naive though unorig-
iHal melodist, who. had he not been drawn
into the iatter-day swirl by a desire 10 ex-
piot new coIors. new harmonies and new
notions about form. would have become a
true syraphonist There is no reason why
he should be a prophet Of the ugly, as he
cisclOses himself IN the last movement OF
TIE Symphony in D. lie makes that plain
IN this very movement by interruptlng a