The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-04-10

phunN " tsuafaN MaNl%r Nue fulnmeula
shi"h s~rr mads on 'b--- works a. the
'i1a" ~ t''"ir Gre, app-aranc"- h~r~ -essn
," 'ha pr---ut writer whsn reviewed
81 the -a,i & the -ss-on % havs hssn Ta-
'ionsl End iu-'
''n'' leading critic. 90 lSs sure con,sntsd
him. rlr With q brisi complaint against
'h- cruelty ~ Conductor Mas Flssiler In
playing the D'lndv muair a. "a When all
E- asked Wa- Ca bs 1T Slon~ This Wa
the plant - . very gentle spirit which
>hrinks from the sea. isle-- wTithinR
agonis'- Ut tortured diAcori- and dis-sctsd
cOuntsrp0int. Nat randJr conpsla the
admission that although Mr.. d'indy dnes
the thing which We do no, love. no mover
| theless doa- Il intellectually and with
artistic dignity. FrrthennOre he doea
u With the tsohnic of q master. In plain
: English, he knOwr hia business
! That unfortunately canRot 10 Aaid
II hundreds ~ aSpiranta for hOOors In ths
field Of composition. Even thu dis
tinguishsd Mr.. RSchmaninOR. Who visited
u IN 'hs siren gth % popularity created
( by angle prelude and Who IL q cO1dpossT
/ al no small ability. has not the fine grass
Of his material that D'lndy shove.
There u q subtle variety Of form not
the form taught in the cOnssrvatories
and within the reach 81 the youngest
pupil--but the form that makes . man
find the correct idiom for his thought a.
q painter divinss the mixture that will
producs . certain compounded tint
This 10 the form.o OF which D'Indy. with
all his warnings for acid chords and
painful spsculations amid tho aortd
fields Of polyphOay. posssasss in . degree
which entities him 60 respectful CON-
sitsration.
Mr.. MahIer's symphonies impress this
writer a. lacking just this supreme mas
terry Of form. They arc In many partic-
ular- most admirable. In some they are
mastery. Al times they are inspirin9.
But too frequsn,ly they lack inner CO.
hersnce. Too often they fail in @sthetic
sequences. They are not inevitable in
their nov Of idsaS,
There IL weakness in tho joints OF
their structure. SomStimes the artic-
ulation oG the joints cIeaks hudibiy.
Yet Mr.. Nlahler IL one q the leading
instrumental composers Of Europe to-day
and hir compositions arc received With
profound consideration.
None u thsss conditions j. hsartsn-
ing One now piano concerto We pro-
dur~d ia the course Of the seaSon. and
Il prOvod 20 he a msdiOore work. The
symphonic poems newly heard almost
fell hat. 81 weak and unconvincing wore
they Hence the newspaper common
tatoT who j. Obliged to combine news
with criticism. must confess that the most
importan. musical productions Of tho
season xer- oUsrat!c even when thought
Of purely a. art creations
setting aside the revolving -Elektra-
(which las ss~nI.d tO ~ pure and holy
to many il ~ quite CERTAIN that Tschai-
koNpkN'. opera -P1que Dame was more
important srtsticslly than any OF the new
inst rumental compositions produced for
The d-l Ghi of this p,iblic
IN concluding this C,Ir-0Ty glance
Over the -"sson IL hecoIne- ue'-s~aTy
- refer nnCs more - the proCluction
Of The Pp- 81 D-sir. THF SUN
representative has received numerous
letters co'nplaininR bitterly ~ the IN
ability Of the singers 10 enuncists ia"
text uf the DpaVa. The Sritsrs Of the-s
Iotters -."u ~ think that II the text had [,
t.aen heard IN. OPERA world haze BEEN
n, ~ -,I.s,.--fui
- ~ hasten ~ assure them that such
J. not tn. ca@s The less OF tha: text that
was heard The bette n Il had all beer
heard the opera might mover have been
performed a second time. II was utterly
unpOr,,c. hopel~4sly uD-ingnbls and fer
guen,ly uninielI' Eibl".
Nevertheless. the comment Of The letter
writers is not without good reason. The
.nuncia non WA Rad and there 10 no
reason why " should b~ II 10 childish
Ia sndeavor TO escape the responsibility
~ clear diction by svcrrinR that English
ia un~ingable II 10 nothing Of the sort.
a. any performance 81 Handles Messiah
gill ron~Iusively prove. There arr always
som" orator.o singers who can and do
enunciAta. The variety hall singers all
snunciate. They have 90 because the
words ~ their songs are essential TO
their success. Tie singers % the Gilbert
and sullivan opersttss used TO snunciats
for the same reason.
To 10 sure these people were not singers
II the fir, rank. and they sacrificed
tone 20 clsarn~s- ~ diction But SinEers
o. the first rank ought 80 M able 90 pro-
vide both Othsrwiss they ought not
70 claim to be in the first rank.
Ifitis possible for Mr.. Bonci TO snunciAte
his italian ~ clearly when hs sings a.
whom he speaks. Il ~ IL possible for Mr.
Oilibert to deliver French IN cong 30 that
every syllable can be Understood. II "
was poesible for lean De Reszks to sing
nd en,Inoiats perfectlv in three languages
none IL them his own. then there 10 no
excuse for Americans and English who
canno, enunciate English text. when they
are singing.
Of the reasons for this deficiency this .
il not the time go speak. II " sufficient !
To- Say nov that when a singer cannot |
en,Inciats u - final. incontestabls aud |
overwhelming proof that the vocal method |
10 radically incorrect. But this - another |
story.
The appended table gives q hst Of the \
important incidents Of the musical season |
Of 100 90 Would Il were wOrthisT;
August 81 -OpeninG 81 Oscar Hammer
stems educational season of opeTa AZ The |
Manhattan Opera House. lie Prophetes
revived after ain years rect
september = Beginning ~ q season OF
italian opera hy the I'slisn Grand Opera
4 company 81 the Academy q Music With
" AIDA
september o Ia Juivs- given at the