New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-03-30
Cont nualion Of Story Drawn
fr-m Hitherto Unpublished
Contemporaneous Records.

1t IL perhaps fortunate thing. IN Fiew
of the attitude which our concert insti-
tutions seem willing 10 adopt toward the
art Of music. that something presents IT.
self 10 occasional notice which cannot
we'll DE disposed OF with the usual COM
nonplaces OF record and comment. one
these periodical occurrences is the produc-
ton Of Beethoven's Ninth. Or cas- they cal
il in EnglandD Choral" symphony. In q
great many Of the great cities Of the
world the performance OF this symphony
IS something SO unusual as 20 be called
an event This is not the case IN New
York. where the Philharmonic Society
performed i, for the first time Oh this
side OF the Atlantic in 1916. and where il
has been performed rot only by this ven
cable organization, but by the symphony
and Oratorio societies and al special con-
cents so often that IL must be familiar 10
everybody whose experience with music
OF its class extend; back even lustrum.
The symphony may. therefore, he de-
scribed as familiar. but its character is
such that. as has been minated, II can
not be disposed of with the conventional
phrases II approval OF disapproVal In the
minds of all sincere and intelligent music
fovers any performance Of it invites. if
It does not command. discussion.
Two performances by the Philharmonic
Society on last Thursday evening and the
succeeding afternoon. unfortunately were
Of the kind that invited the smallest pos
sible measure Of attention. The record
al liaf af
the Thursday evening performance COW
cred every phase of the affair except one,
which ought not TO invite comment aud
which would not if it had not been con-
trary TO procedure seldom departed from
in New YoTk-that is To say. Mr.. Stransky
showed the good sense OF following the
obvious intentions Of Beethoven in in
tmatelv connecting the choral finale with
the instrumental movement which imnle-
Giatoly precedcs it, This was the obvious
intention az Beethoven. and ought.
therefore. to be followed. But like the
entire choral movement il IS a dubious
rakeshift. an afterthought an experiment
touching which Beethoven himself was
never clear i'm his own mind. and 30 there
is 20 call to waste more words upon H..
Inssmuch a. Mr.. Stransky had conceived
the dramatic idea of having the solo
bass address the instruments. the close
connection followed as d matter Of course:
but the first impression was more conf
cal than anything else. and il is TO be
feared that the dignity Of The work was
not enhanced thereby. Neither was II by
the use of a new translation Of Schiilers
ode 10 JOY" which caused questioninBs
touching the taste OF the late Henry
Grafton chapman. whom Ne should like
20 keep in pleasant memory Tor the many
good things which he accomplished in a
dificult field.
Teis must suffice for the retrospective
view: but there are TO be two more per-
for,uances Of the ninth symphony ana
the subject invites 10 continuation OF
the story which was begun IN this place
Las; Sunday. d story essentially new ana
drawn from hitherto unpublished con-
temporaneous records-thc books through
which she friends OF beethoven cOhVefaed
with the deaf composer The present eA-
cerpts deal chiefly with The two singers
Who were largely instrumental ~ the 1rst
Performance of the symphony Al the con
cert on May = 1924 and the incidents
which they themselves pat on record are
particularly amiablc. inasmuch as they
give a. a glimpse into the comedy side u
a life which the biograpners would have
us look upon as all tragic. The CHIEF
actors besides Beethoven and his factO-
'tum SCHNEIDER (afterward his bioSIapher
are the two famous singers Caroline III
ger Tor CnsherD and Henrietta SOutas
The latter helped 10 make America 3 mu-
.ical history. She died iu Mexico City on
June -, 1874. suddenly. Ol the cholera.
Caroline Unger was nineteen years old
when she met Beethoven. and 10 waa
through her that the great compose. made
TIE acquaintance 81 her colleague. Aftcr
their first meeting, described in an excerpt
from 4 Conver alton Book which ~ill fol
low. the two girls" Scnindler describe
theni-thc witches, "a Beethoven often
referee TO them-became good comrades
& hoge story IL woCld be pleasant 70 fol-
low during the last years o. Beetho,en'~
nc The incident Of The contraltO sins =
pluckine the composer by the sleeve. 80
that he might turn and see The demon