New-York tribune., 1910-03-07
DAMROSCH AND THE NINTH
SYMPHONY.

SYMPHONY.
To the Editor OF The Tribune.
Sir: In your notice of the performances
of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony by the
New York Symphony Society this week
you take the position that the quadrupilca-
ton OF the solo quartet is not q desirable
! innovation. VIII you permit the expression
of somewhat contradictory view from an
observer who has watched this experiment
closely each of the four times Of its pres
entation?
! The orchestra OF to-day. with its very
large string choir and generally increased
numbers. forms a background for the voice
parts in the choral finale very different
from that which Beethoven himself could
! command when he undertook to compose
his greatest work. AS A consequence 1t
has always been my experience that the
J solo quartet failed 10 fulfil its mission as
the composer imagined it should Further
more, whatever may have been the psyche
/ logic conception in Beethoven's mind when
he introduced the singing voice. there is no
doubt that his treatment OF these parts is
/ In It's effect purely instrumental. And since
/ there is no outcry when the orchestra per-
forms the other movements of the SYM
phouy with a vastly increased instrumental
family, IT seems hardly fair 10 quarrel with
the similar reinforcement for purposes of
balance CT tne new instrumental voices in
troduced by the addition OF the choral part
in the finale.
But It is alleged that the effect sought is
not gained by this device. Here We trench
on matters OF taste. and the motto De
gustibus'' remains our only refuge. But.
personally, 7 beg to be permitted TO register
strong affirmative and Iaudatory opinion
am quite sure that the effect of the
sixteen voiced solo chorus is far better than
that of the ordinary quartet.
As for the legitimacy Of the innovation
| touched on above. surely from the point Of
view I have outlined there can be no quar-
rel with the conductor on the score Of un-
due tampering with the master. As see
it. Mr.. Damrosch has reinforced what is
really an important part of the instriI-
mental family required in the last move
ment But If he had actually written in a
new part, or taken liberties with the nat
ure Of the Instrumentation. as another emf
nent New York conductor likes 20 do, that
would have been different matter
Frankly. one often finds 1t hard to see
how the most garing soiecisms of one man
go uprebuked when not actually praised
while what appear to me to be the legitl-
mate and praiseworthy notifications of an
ptler arc roundly abused
Strange ali this difference should 10
I"lxt Iveedlsdum and Twesdlsdee
WILLIAM BRAID WHITE.
New York, March > 1910
With all due Difference 10 the opinion
Of the writer OF the above letter. the
question of changing the solo parts in
BeethoYen's symphony in y minor into
a semi-chorus is not a question Of taste
merely. 1t is q more violent and unius-
tlfablc setting aside OF the purposes of
the composer than the changes which
Mr.. Damrosch, following the lead OF
Wagner and Dr.. Won BuIow. has made
in the instrumental parts. II is a pity
that a music lover who is so eager TO
champion the cause OF one conductor
that he is willing TO misrepresent the
attitude Of the majority Of the music
reviewers of New York toward another
should be so i'll informed about the
facts in the case. The 'solcCisms' of
Mr.. Mahler in the Ninth Symphony are
not so great as those Of Mr. Damrosch.
The changes which the latter made in
the instrumental score have been dis
cussed at great length in this journal;
the defects, as they seemed TO this re-
viewer, Of Mr.. Mahlers reading. also
The question of the abolition of the solo
voices has nothing TO do with either
case. Mr.. Damrosch does not make
four persons sing where Beethoven
wanted one in order 10 create a better
balance between the vocal and instru-
mental forces but, as he himself saws.
because the almost superhuman de-
nands made by Beethoven upon the
singers has led to a sense of breath
Iessness and incompleteness which has
invariably marred the total effect. The
only way to overcome this is to increase
the number of singers in the quartet
parts Now, as The Tribune's reviewer
pointed out last week, the difficulties in
the solo parts are just as great for four
singers as for one-for sixteen as for
four. They are difficulties OF range and
of phrasing, and four voices have no
greater range and no more skill in
phrasing than one voice has. In a large
chorus it is possible in passages like the
high tone ca, which is sustained six
teen measures by the sopranos, SO TO
distribute the breathing points as TO
prevent, or at least modify the effect
Of exhaustion and the sagging in pitch
which was one of the defects Of the per-
fOrmance at The New Theatre last sun
day But imagine what the effect of
such device would be in the cadenza.
which is the principal difficulty for the
solo voices. one Of the purposes of solo /
voices is contrast in color and in ex-
rrc rfn bo
is sacrificed when the quartet is changed
into d small chorus or single voice
multiplied by four. Beethoven was
tyrannous in his use of the voices
those OF the chorus DIS well as Of the
quartet-but he knew what no wanted, /
and his wishes are still entitled 10 re-
spect. The performance of the Ninth !
Symphony with four solo sopranos is |
analogous to the transforming Uncle /
Toms Cabin with four Topsies