Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1910-09-14

wife expresses her
longing for the alb
sent ono. Our meetings I'm the
mousse or God are accompanied by de-
Nouonal songs. Sad and somber mu-
SIC ascends In the house OF mourn
ine' ana yet, what a relief this music
Is 10 sorrowing hearts! With the
SOUND OF drum and trumpet and the
cIang or the cymbal the soldier nlun.
ges into the smoke and CARNAGE NJ hot
ne, ana even the trained horses dance
ana curvet In time with the music
ana strain at the reins which restrain
tnem and learn the meaning of the
inherent bugle calls. Love. anger sor.
row. enthusiasm, pain-all the mas
sions and emotions OF the human soul
oan be. and are. expressed in mn.
sic u
Inc progress which has been made
III the composition OF music and in tho
building OF musical Instruments ~
every kind is enormous. The nr,mi.
tive instruments of the ancients ora
their monotonous music. or the instru-
inents OF barbarous or semi-civilized
people and the intolerable noise which
they call music cannot be compared
WIN the expressive harmony of our
music or with the multitude of bean
iul and powerful musical Instruments
and in the execution of musical pieces
our age has doubtless advanced furth.
er than any preceding time In com.
position, however, in the art of pro-
ducing musical pieces, the past cen.
fury undoubtedly had greater masters
than the present.
AT the opening OF the nineteenth
century the musical leadership, which
Italy had enjoyed for a considerable
period, had passed to Germany. and in
the twentieth century 1t appears as II
Germany would also lose this exalted
position In its turn, for in the field
OF art no nation can long hold the
leadership. Perhaps the Industrial
and commercial development of Ger
many may be one of the causes why
the number Of its great composers is
| decreasing; for though prosperity is
no obstacle to the enjoyment and cul-
tivation of art. yet 1t does not seem to
form specially favorable soil for the
growing masters OF this noble art.
| When the nineteenth century
dawned Bach. Haendel and Mozart
had raised German music to a min.
nacle Of glory, and Beethoven and
lection as today. Chamber music has
Haydn were at the zenith Of their
splendid powers. while List, Weber.
kreutzer and Schubert had begun
their immortal careers. Before Bee
thoVen died. Mendelssohn, Schumann
and Wagner had been born. This was
therefore a golden age of music with
an unexampled array of peerless mas
tiers and unequalled musical works.
Comparing the present age with that
glorious time, we are compelled to
admit that today there are no giants
In musical composition. for the three
greatest composers of the present. Ed
ward Grieg, Anton Dvorak and Rich.
ard Strauss, only the last named a
German. do not reach up to the stand
ard Of the heroic age
But though there are today no Ger.
man composers OF commanding ge.
MUS, yet there has never been time
when their works were so highly es-
teemed and produced with such per-
reached the highest stage of develop.
ment in Germany.
In England also musical education
has reached high degree of perfec.
/ ton, but England never produced
! many composers and none of com
| handing genius. Richard Elgar has.
/ however, succeeded in meeting with so
much approval that he is being reck-
/ oned among the great composers. The
majority OF British ard Irish COM
/ posers, however, are content 20 fol-
low IN the footsteps OF German mas
tiers; the later ones, though following
their own ideals. love 20 walk abroad
In the mantle of Wagner OF Brahms.
France has for three centuries oc-
cupied prominent place on the mu-
steal stage and her great masters,
Boieldieu, Auber. Herold, Adam and
Chopin offer much that IS interesting
and valuable. Yet It must be adj
/ mitted that here the tendency was
mainly to write for the opera and Tor
| the production OF light and friYolo.: 8
music. OF more serious and nobIer
char icter arc the modern musical