New-York tribune., 1911-12-10
MUSIC
THE BOSTON ORCHESTRA
Miss Parlow and Bruch's Scot.
tish Fantasia.

lnere was no new music at the second
afternoon concert for this season OF the
Boston symphony Orchestra in Carnegie
Hall yesterday and the solo performer re-
peated a composition which she had played
before another local audience a month ago.
but the concert was none the less an inter-
esting one, fascinating by reason OF the
qualities which make all the concerts Of the
Boston Orchestra, whether or not some or
their features invite discussion or even dis
praise (Which is seldom), interesting, per-
haps not In despite OF the fact, but because
they invite discussion. The elements which
are seeking Just now more successfully
than ever to prey Upon the purveyors OF
music for the reason that the rampant
spirit OF commercialism has seized upon
managers, performers, conductors and the
hackers Of large musical institutions Cthose
who would like to appear as philanthropists,
but are too often seekers after polite noto-
riety), alike, are putting forth strenuous
efforts to sti1e honest criticism, but the
musical public upon whose support every
thing that Is sound, sane, sweet and healthy
must forever rest, as yet shows no dlsposi-
ton to be deceived by the braying Of asses
or the yelps Of hounds after, blood money
and there is no cause for discouragement.
"The years at the spring. And days at the
morn. Gods in his heaven. Alrs
right with the world" up TO the pr'srnt
writing
Perhaps the Boston Orchestra cone g
need no such Introduction. but 1T may
serve a purpose in the way OF contrast At
any rate, the audiences which gather in
that healthy appreciation OF good music
which justhes confidence in the honesty
taste and intelligence Of the people which
honest. intelligent and impartial criticism
seeks TO promote in the face Of the forces
which are seeking to discredt It.
Mr.. Fielder. as he has done before
sought to make larger appeal to the pop
ular liking for easy entertainment than he
did at the concert on Thursday evening
He brought forth the fasclnatingly pict-
uresque "Scheherezade" OF Rimsky- Kor-
sakow. with its glowing colors and its IN
vitation to the fancy; the Scotch Far
tasia." for violin and orchestra by Max
Bruch, so we'll calculated to warm and
also to irritate in a way the lovers OF Brit
ish folksong, and the Academic Festival
Overture" by Brahms, equally interesting
as artistic music and as a celebration or
German university life with its fantastic
functions and its lngratiatng melodies. In
all this there was nothing that called for
profound reflection. Instead. every meas
ure proclaimed and promoted peace OF
mind contentment and JOY in life. or
course, the vlrtuoso qualities OF the orches-
ira shone resplendent in the music OF the
rDg. aIrNxry
but without working an estoppal to the
conviction which many Of the keen listen
ers must have felt that, so. far as the solo
wind Instruments are concerned, New York
has superior artists in both the Philhar-
monic and symphony Orchestras. The
Boston men benefited greatly, however,
from the excellence Of the ensemble OF
which they formed a part, and Mr.. Witek
deserved fragrant guerdons for the man.
ner in which he played the solos.
Miss Parlow, who is set down to be
particularly pervasive factor In this sea-
sons activities, played the Bruch Fantasia
more effectively than she did month ago
at a concert of the Symphony Society In
the Century Theatre; but she had the ad-
vantage of a better concert room acousti-
cally and greater confidence in her own
powers, resulting from her experience in
the tour which she has just concluded
with the Boston organization. The fine
sweep Of her bow arm, her fearless attack,
her delicate sensibility, all made their ac-
customed appeal to the admiration OF her
hearers. Yet her intonation was not flaw
less. Has any players ever been in this
composition? Ysaye's was not when he
introduced the composition here as a nov
city, and of all the volinists of the day
he seemed 10 be the one TO whose meas
ure the composition was cut. Designed,
most obviously designed, TO address itself
10 the popular heart, the Fantasia is as full
Of pitfalls for the virtuoso as 1t Is OF
certain mystifcation for the analyst. 1t
seems 10 have been a fruit OF Bruchs eX-
perience when from 1900 to 1903 ne was
conductor OF the Liverpool Philharmonic
Society He described 1t as a FANTASIA
for the violin, with orchestra ana
harp. with the free use Of Scottish folk
melodies" When II was first played IN
England, where It had been an
nounced as Scottish concerto the
critics were so nonplussed that one of them
boldly asserted that 1t was neither con-
certo nor Scotch" He and his colleagues
were hard put to it to find the Scottish airs
evidently expecting to find them standing
out boldly on the pages of a work to Which
they had given the title. Evidently they
overlooked the phrase free use. SAID one
Of the critics: THE melodies Aud Rop
Morris There Was a Lad, Who'll Buy
Nv caller Herrin'?' Scots Wha Hae' are
hardly recognizable" Well, all OF them are
not. perhaps because they do not occur IN
the composition. The second ana third
would have to undergo greater me'ahor-
phosis than Bruch has subjected scots
Wha Hae" 10 before a parellel coulu ~
found between them and anything WHICH
speaks out of the Fantasia. 'Auld f1oO
Morris" was probably in the mind OF the
comnoser when he wrote his Adagio. IL is
n fine specimen of Scottish tune, and aifec-
tionate fancy has gone so foolishly far as
70 attribute its invention to Rizzio, the un-
fortunate friend and music master of Mary
Queen of Scots The Scherzo OF the / an
tasla IL simply entitled Dance but no
scotchman will ever find I'm II a sugBes'oh
of his national dances, the reel and stra'h-
spey which are in a very different meas
ure Bruch made his martial hnaIe out ol
the tune. which he probably FOUND asso
ciated only with Burns's Scots VIVA
Haze" but for which. as Hey Iutue
Ta,tie," a vast antiquity has been claimed
Bruch changed 1t radically. but no more
than Burns changed the sentiment or It's
words whom he wrote Scots Wha Hae
for il. and not as much as Lady Marine
did when she adapted 1t to The Land
the Leal" As a matter OF fact Brucn d'o
not transcribe Scottish melodies or write
variations on them. but took fragments OF
fumes that pleased him or seemed service
able and combined them into themes
sometimes as we think. going to the IoiN-