The San Francisco call., 1910-04-11

is simply different medium of
conveying spiritual ideas and other
arts, such as Miss Allan's may be
combined with it.
Miss Allan's dancing is of a
higher type of beauty, a spiritual
type of beuty, and it is through her
motions that she conveys a spiri-
tual emotion. There is no possible
reason why emotions can not be
expressed by conventional motions.
There are certain motions, certain
postures, which mean to the espec-
tator definite ideas-of joy. or grief.
Of Of veneration, of love. Miss: Allan
those conventional motions, just as
Madame Sara Bernhardt has per-
Iected the expression of emotions
eyes, by facial plays.
1t is a new art, and while music
has been developed there is no
reason why this new art may not
parallel music in expression of the
emotions.
Nathan Landsberger the violinis
had a question to put first in openin
the discussion on Maud Allan's dane
ing He said:
wonder if Bach. Chopin, Mo-
zart and Mendelssohn would have
liked to. see their music expressed
by dancing?
I think that the Spring Song
could be interpreted. but in differ
expressed a definite, certain thing.
Never have 1 had identical ideas
when listening to or playing the
same selection at different times.
Now, if you were to hear Wag-
ner's music without seeing ~ the
drama enacted before your eyes,
would you have the Identical i'm
preston that would be conveyed
drama enacted? No. You would
never know from the music Just
what the drama was
There is no conventional idea
expressed by music. 1t is only Gus
tom that makes the spring song
suggest spring to US, and only GUS
tom that conveyed to us the idea
of funeral pomp and a catafalque
when we hear Chopin's "Marche
Funebre" That march. of course.
might convey the idea of sorrow. of
grief, of melancholy, but if it were
not for the association of its name
we would not see the hearSe in our
minds when we heard the strains.
That music is futile when it tries
to convey definite ideas has been
Strauss. the greatest composer of
this age. When Strauss was pre-
pairing his drama of "Eleckra" he
went to the stage mechanic and
had him invent a mechanism that
would give the sound of a rusty
hinge. If Strauss believed that
definite idea could be conveyed ex-
pllClIly Dy UIuSlC lie WOuIu not nave
gone to the stage carpenter on that
errand, but would have the violinS
or the obee or the clarionet convey
the impression of the opening of
the rusty hinged door.
But Miss Allen must show some
thing with her art. / know that she
as an accomplished musician, and
SO she must have a strong sense of
rhythm and her dance must be
rhythmatic. I think that while she
is dancing she feels the impress
sion as keenly as she would If she
were playing on an instrument.
Johannes c. Keith, organist and choi
master of ST. Marks church, and
pianist and violinist, was one of Mis-
Aliens audience yesterday Afternoon
His criticism of her dancing was shoT
and concise
Il do not believe" said he, that tn
of the great masters ca
be expressed by dance, postures. panto
mine or gesture. They are too far apar
to admit of such Interpretation. Fo
instance, Miss Allen did the Sprin
Song this afternoon. It was a beautifJ
picture, but it might have been any
thing else than the Spring Song Their
is nothing definite about music whic
can be translated, expressed in an
other medium. 1t is futile to attemp
such an expression