New-York tribune., 1911-02-13
MUSICAL COMMENT
MORE FRENCH MUSIC FROM
Mr.. DAMROSCH.
Two Compositions by Chausson-some
Observations on English Opera
and Opera in English.

and Opera in English.
Mr.. Walter Damrosch administered MS
second lesson in modern French music 70
the patrons OF the Symphony society's
orchestra in The New Theatre yesterday
afternoon. First he won the good VIII OF
his audience by fine performance OF the
overture 10 Der Freischiitz one that
warmed their hearts and quickeneh their
imaginations. Having thus put them INTO
a receptive mood, he produced the days
tasks-two compositions by Chausson,
symphony in 3 fat an1 "Poame TOT
violin and orchestra. After the restless
| ecstasy'-for restless the music must nave
seemed even TO those forward folk VINO teit
II TO be ecstatic-he brought surcease OF
worriment to minds who for an hour nad
found no end, In wandering mazes lost,
by playing modern Russian tribute 10
the ingenious genius of Mozart, the or
chestra prescriptions which Tschaikowsky
wrote and called "Mozartiana.' After all
the brain cudgelling caused by the attempt
( to find the beauty which must be in Chaus-
sons music (since there he so many VINO
have loudly proclaimed iD. the lovely mel
odies of Mozart came like the admonition
Of the pious Montgomery
Return unto thy rest, my soul,
From all the wanderings OF thy tnousht.
We made the acquaintance Of Chausson's
symphony five years ago last December.
when NJ dIndy conducted two concerts OF
modern French music by the Boston sym
Thony Orchestra In Carnegie Hail. Then
! e was nanked by some music OF the com
| poser,s contemporary compatriots which was
better, and some which was worse. But 1t
did not make convincing argument as 10
| its right to a place in the popular heart.
It is not invertebrate and amorphous like
much Of the music Of Debussy, who is seek
| ing TO make a French school OF musical
| composition by robbing music Of every
quality which has hitherto stood for charac-
teristic excellence in French art; but IT Is
wearisome because Of its fearsome avoid
ance Of everything that the modern French
Bunthorne might think natural and ordi.
| nary. How painfully are all cadences
avoided, How aboriously is all that is near
sighted through aiming at the far And
| vet sunshine and shadow, the white blaze
of high noon and the deep glow OF sunset
are natural and ordinary phenomena, and
follow one upon the other In peaceful
obedience TO law. why did the last simple
major triad Of the "Poeme" yesterday evoke
the merited ejaculation. Thank God'
At last a resting place. There are
moments OF almost idyllic beauty in
/ this "Poeme'' (the solo part OF which
was PLAYED with commendable skill by Mr..
Saslavsky) and the idiom Of the instru-
ment is admirably preserved In 1t; but IL
wandered and maundered so long on It's
moody way, needless OF tonal north, SOUTH
| east or west. that when the symphony ana
II were over one felt that the music mad
not brought refreshment to its hearers but
mental WEAKNESS. Was 1t for this that
music w9s ordained?
/ Some six weeks ago "ba'efu! prophecles
were rife" touching the future OF the opera
! In Roeton we mean the opera which is
aniliated with our own Metropolitan lnsu-
| tution II was even said that the edlct
had gone forth that unless the stockholders
came forward with another subscription
and the public awoke to an appreciation OF
the inestimable educational opportunities
which opera is fondy supposed TO oner for
! reasons that have never yet been plainly
| or convincingly set forth and showed such
appreciation by more generous patronage
the enterprise would he abandoned and
Boston he left 10 such feeting. futile, noe
culent musical edi1cation as is provided oy
IFS SYMPHONY Orchestra. And the same
time there arose no small stir about that
wav for certain man named Teto Rlcordl,
| a music publisher, which furnished Butter
flies. Toscas. Bohemians and Girls from
the Golden West for Boston, New YORK.
| philadeIphia and exc Chicago. which
brought no small gain unto himself and his
craftsmen. came forward and said that the
burden which rested upon the country was
not a surfeit. but a paucity of opera; but
that opera should be sung In the tongue
understanded Of the peepIe; that is to say.
the vernacular, the English tongue And
straightway there was much ado in the
newspapers about English opers and opera
in English Mr.. Rcordi was invited to sit
AT dinner with some musicians In New
York and expound. Being a man whose
heart is In the cause. albeit he is for
eigner. he taker riught eloquently about
the excellence of the English language IN
song. the prodigious talent ot American
singers and the folly Of sending them
abroad to pronounce foreign languages
badlv. There should be a great national
institution i'm the United States. where they
might learn TO sing English and chiefly
there should be English opera companies
permanently housed in forty or fifty OF
the American cities. Very dsinterested is
Mr. Ricordi. of course Thus far one-third
NJ all the performances given at the Metro
politan Opera House have raid royalties
IN his house and the most popular portion
of the Metropolitan repertory, 1t is fair 10
assume. would make up the repertories OF
the forty or fifty opera companies which
are floating in the eager imagination or
Mr.. Ricordi
so long as the question Of opera in Eng
Iisb was confined 10 the talk Of after-dinner
sneakers and newspaper writers 1t was
, obieev amusing TO old observers who had
hoard the same kind Of talk for decades and
lnev that II is bound to break out periodi-
caIlv one Of its amusing elements are the
! .oter,n assevera tions OF the fitness or the
English language for song-a fact that no
bodv with a knowledge OF that language
-, 80 ,,,usic has ever dreamed Of denying
tie noble seniority indeed makes II the IT.
- teet ot III Languages, save Latin, Tor some
, ,.,,,a. - y,ueic. and for the lyric drama II
r,us, vield precedence only to ltahan. nc
- uould listen TO Purcells airs or handei !
cboruses in any other language than tnal
~ which the music is native? Ihink ol
tho proclamation FOR the Lord Goa ON
,ipotert reigneth" from the "Haheiu)ah
cborus. in French. German or ltahah' bu
,bere Is a difference between Enslish SET ''
, music nv a master and music set py
tvro Also there is difference between al
; original English text. no matter py "hoI'
= or how II is set. and TRANSLATED ,eHl
w - bos heen sadly neglected by