New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-05-07

has spread and grown with unwavering
steadiness for over thirty years, ourlne
which each new work, az II appeared, mas
| been eagerly welcomed as new reverb.
| ton of a spirit already ardently loved. IL
| may be remarked that on that first &C,
casion OF encountering the name OF
! Brahms on concert programme tne
| preston. Muslcally inclined elders, anxious
| TO train the young in the orthodox way,
as orthodoxy was understood IN t ine
tentions, to call Handel sublime. Bach
dry. Mozart shallow and Mendelssohn
| sweet; OF Beethoven, they spoke IN tones
| that reminded the child of SUNDAY, teliihs
him he could not expect to understand u
till he was older, or to enjoy II TIL mucii
later thus. all unconsciously. they damped
for many years any ardor he might have rave
felt for. the great masters. But Branins
was a new name and could not De
placed: so that at once and for ever
sfterward he seemed TO speak 20 n nse
phrases that seemed to come from the
home of the soul. and TO speak so lnu-
mately as oven to destroy any WIS., , 80
personal communication with tho man. ltst
that might. perchance dctract from the
eloquence Of his music.
1t is in the spirit of warm affection that
Mr. Fuller Maitland has written his Di-
ography. which stands almost alone among
such writings in the small space devoted
10 rehearsing the facts of the composer
career and the space given to STUDY OF
his works. \ single chapter of thirty-seNen
pages suffices the author To tell ms nero
life story. 1t takes him just 1--WE times as
many pages to discuss his position In the
world of music and point out the character
stics of his compositions. We can recall
only two related cases III the history OF
modern music, the comparatively unevent-
full life Of Schubert and the quiet life or
Franz. The latter had would-bc Boswell
ever at his heels, but he preferred TO let
LIS music speak for him. SO, it would APP
pear. did Brahms. who was only too indif-
ferent 10 what the world knew or thought
Of his doings and conduct. Mr. Fuller
Maitland, however, Drecedes the six chap
tiers devoted to Brahmss compositions 10
a discussion of his artistic relations
toward his contemporaries and the charac-
teristics of MS art-two chapters Of real
interest as well as value.
In his preface 30 the English translation
of the musical novel Jean Christophe,'
by Romain ROLAND published by Henry
Holt & Coz Gilbert Canaan. who made the
English version, quotes Or. Johnson as
saving: Every man has n right TO utter
what he thinks truth and every other man
has right 10 knock him down for IT,"
The novel is an extraordinary work in
more respects than one. not the least be-
ing the manner in which a large integu-
ment of imaginative fiction is spread over
a skeleton of historical fact. Jean Chris
tophe indeed. is a composite picture. his
prototypes being chiefly Beethoven, Rich
ard Strauss and Hugo Wolf. There are
other biographical elements easily recos-
nizable. and some of them show the criti-
cal spirit of VI. ROLAND. OF whose brill
fancy there can be no question, In a not
altogether am!able light. The first part
(or volume in the original French Is mould
ed over the last of Beethovens life, the
COPY being so close as to make use OF the
letter which BeethOvens father wrote as
dedication Of the first of the sons music.
This is acknowledged in a note al the end
OF the English part. Later We find an eX-
cerpt from a letter which Mozart wrote 10
his father when he was boiling with rage
and resentment toward the chamberlain of
the Archbishop Of SalzburG, who had liter
ally and physically kicked him out of the
anteroom where he was waiting for an In
terview with his august but unapprecative
master. Here credit is not given. Mozart
discussed what true nobility consists in,
but not for long; he was too eager to get
at the nobleman who had insulted him so
that he might not only return the kick
but add interest He even talked OF kill
ing him. In another chapter use is made
Of the story told TO illustrate the retcence
20 Scburnau, ~ how lt had sDcut an on
tire evening with a young woman 81 whom
he was cnsmoured without either of them
saying a word until the composers de-
parture. when he turned and thanked .hls
companion for the happiness Of an even