New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-01-08
PHILHARMONIC PROGRAMMES
Mr.. Stransky's Playing of Rosslnl
and Strauss Defended.

To the Editor or The Tribune.
! Sir: The Tribune prints in its issue OF
| the Sd inst. communication from MT
! David A. Model taking the Philharmonic
Society OF New York and its programme
maker TO task for having placed the
william Tell overture OF Rossinl Oil It's
programme and for having closed one Of
| it's recent concerts with n Strauss waltz.
Mr. Model is shocked at such perform
ance by the Philharmonic. which he de-
| risively calls the new message that MT
! Stransky has delivered.
For what purpose was the Philharmonic
| Society OF New York formed In 1892? AS
set forth IN its constitution, bylaws and
/ charter which form the organic law OF
the society, the object Of the Philhar-
monte Society is the cultivation and per-
! Torrance OF instrumental music Mr.. II.
| T.. Krehbiel in his excellent treatise, or.
as he calls It. Memorial on the Phihar-
monte Society Of New York" defines the
duty Of the Philharmonic 10 be "the con-
servation OF musical compositions which
| the judgment and taste OF the cultured
world have admitted TO he first rank. y
| Rossini and strauss (this may. perhaps,
| be shocking 10 Mr. ModelD are consid-
cred OF first rank by all music lovers of
refined and cultured taste. As matter
| OF fact. the William Tell overture has
| in the past appeared several times upon
the programmes Of the Philharmonic 1t
was PLAYED at the concert given by the
society on February is. 1915. and again on
November q. lsis, which shows how I'll
informed your correspondent was when
| lie announced that for the Tell overture
the Philharmonic industrious pro-
gTamme annotator seems TO have been
unable 10 discover any precedent.
Now as 10 Strauss watzes. which Mr..
| Model wants To have eliminated from
the programmes of the Philharmonic.
though he admits that Mr. Stransky has
precedent for them somewhere in Eu-
rope" All musical critics to-day agree
| that there Is more beauty and genius and
| harmony I'm most Of the Strauss waltzes
! than in many dry and tedious sympho-
/ MES and soustas. or. for that matter. In
many long-winded operas that have been
written Strauss Instrumentation is re-
! nned, tender and perfect He possessed
| the rare genius OF invcnting original
themes and clothing them in charming
orchestral sarb The Philharmonic has
been formed for tho purpose OF cultvating
and performing instrumental music. Can
| II do better-confOrmable TO the purpose
OF its being-than place on It's programmes
and play now and then some OF the beau
/ tiful Strauss waltZes OF which even Wag-
ner wrote In 1866: "A single Strauss waltz
! surpasses In grace. refinement and real
musical substance the majority Of the
loft-laboriously collected foreign prod
! ucts'?
No more famous. sympathetic and ami
mated Interpreter OF Strauss waltZes has
| lived and worked In this country than
/ Theodore Thomas who from 1877 To 1891.
with the intermsslon OF one eason. from
| ls,s-'1s. was the conductor OF the Philhar-
monte Society OF New York. lie has dis
closed 10 Americans the beauty OF the
! Strauss music. Well and truthfully has
| IL been said that Haydn. Mozart and
| Beethoven built UP the symphony from
dance forms. while Strauss. conversely.
applied the symphonic resources Of the or
/ chcstra to his dance pieces"
A Strauss waltz. such. for instance. a.
Stories from the Vienna Forest" with IT'S
charming music. its Beautiful harmonies
and unsurpa ssed orchestration. which the
| Judgment Of all tru. music lovers has pro-
nounced or the first rank. belongs prop
| erly on the programme OF the Phllhar-
monte Society. j. +. SCHMlTT.
New York. Jan s. 1918