New-York tribune., 1910-09-18

claSSiciSt he might be, commonplace, TnOnOtOn0E
and uninspired; but a morbid publisher of popE
and mandragOra. never. And, Chopin is morbid
despite the fact that SchUmann declared him t.
be the bodest, the proudest soul Of the time
MendeIssohn, with a caIrner view than Schu
mann thought his playing "a little infected By
the Partisan mania for despondency and strain.
ing for emotional vehemence.'
I do not know that Mr.. John F Runeipan
who says many things only to startIe his read.
ers. ought to count when he classes Chopin
among the -'inheritors Of ricketts, and exhausta.
physical frames: but ne has many among thz
composers admirers who believe with him thz.
his music is sick, unhealthy music" Dr.
Niecks. his greatest biograI her. conresses that
there is seductive poison in the nocturnes a1i
prescribes Bach and Beethoven as antidotss
Heinrich Pudor is a greater extremist than Run
cinan. one who affects ct least to despise a
modern tendencies. no less decadent-" b.
writes. the reference being to Wagner and Lisr
'is Chopin, whose figure comes before one 9
flesh without bones-this morbid wonanis
slip-slop. powerless. sickIy. bIeached sveet-ca:
anel Pole Or. BE is more discriainatrs
An enthusiastic adrlirer OF ChoTin's music I.
yet utters protest against putting It in L.
hands of the young
g
closely allied to decay, for perfect ripeness IS
but the fOrebOding Of corruption. Children 4
course, do not know this. and Chopin rius1
would nave been much too noble ever 70 "a!
bare his mental sickness to the world and is
greatness lies precisely in this: that he prese-vz
the mean between immaturity and decav rs
greatness IS his ariStOcracy. He stands am0-s
musicians in his fauItIpSS yeStIlre 2 noble Inn
head TO foot The subIimest emotions toward
whose refinement whole generations had tenda1
the last things IN our soul whose forebodingE
interviewer with the mystery of Judgment G27
nave IN ms music found their form.
This is rather extravagant. but Chopfn erhr@
lasts are prone 10 hyperbole and as we haz
permitted Runciman and Pudor to have thzc
say we can only in justice give the other sd
hearing. Thus Huneker ("Chopfn. the NE
and his Music" p. 11G): Chopin neither preacha
nor paints, yet his art is decorative and drz-
matic-though in the climate Of the ideal H
touches earth and its emotional issues in Polant
only; otherwise his music is a pure esthetc DE-
light, an artistic enchantmert freighted Wit
no ethical theatric messages. 1t is poerr7
made audible the soul written in sound
Rubinstein:
The piano bard. the piano rhapsodist The
piano mind. the piano soul IS Chopin. Tragic
romantic, lyric, heroic, dramatic. fantastic
soulful, sweet, dreamy. brilliant grand Simple
all possible expressions are found in his COM
positions anu all are sung by him upon his II
strument.'
And Tappert:
If ever a composer deserved the title tone
poet, 1t was Chopin He set chords 10 vibrating
which had never been touched before. and have
not been touched since. He asked little aboE:
rule and formula, and what he learned IS o.
minor Importance in his works He dipped his
transporting melodies and harmonic COmbina-
tlonS out OF an original and brimminS fountain
OF invention Unlettered in the sense Of any
particular pedaSogic tendency. he handles rs
natural gifts with the utmost freedom. IN ne
matter OF the pianOfOrte, its teCbuiC and al
that relates TO the two Chopin must be set down
as the greatest and most skiIfuI genius Even
the unIeSt leaf of his graceful arabesqUes can
De traced from a poetic impulse. He never
AIMED merely at vain bravura The once
homeless stranger has everywhere found
nome IN HE the suffering exile won a crown
OF thorns: grateful posterity crowned hin
with laurel He passed into the land Of etern4
harmony He came, charmed and-died.
Like many of the virtuosi-cou7uosers who pre-
ceded him, Chopin wrote almost exclusively f0f
the pianoforte. Among his compositions ars
seventeen settings of Polish poems for voice anu
planoforte, and these. together with five works
Ior pianoforte and orchestra, four chamber
pieces IN which the instrument is used in COM
pination with strings and Il rUndo for four
which are not pianoforte solos The enure
list of published works including a poN-
naiSe OF doubtful authenticity numbers close
on to two hundred For piancfGrte anu
orchestra there are two concertos. a "FantaS~
on Polish Airs" 4 "Krakowiak'' and a SET q
variations ui1UOf0rfe nd yioI0ucfliO .