The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-01-27
'SCHOENBERG MUSIC
HAS FIRST HEARING
FlOnzaley Quartet Introduces
Remark able Work Of Wen
nese Composer.
AUDIENCE IS INTERESTED
A Quartet Written in One Move.
ment Lasting Fifty
Minutes.

The programme OF the Flonzaley Quar-
tet concert In Acolian Hall last evening
contained three numbers. Mozart's adagio
and fugue In G minor. Arnold Schocn-
berg's quartet In y minor. opus 7. and
Beethoven's G major quartet. opus IS. No
2. The Schoenbers quartet was heard for
the frs, time In public here. II had al
ready been played at a private concert In
this city at the Cort Theatre on December
| rs last.
Schoenberg has been tho sensation Of
Europe In recent seasons. though he has
been writing music for long time. But
his art IL so unpopular that only musicians
Of great courage will introduce II to audi
ences. When the ID minor quartet was
performed In Vienna tho hearers Missed
and made other sounds similar TO the
"booing'' OF a theatrical first night assem-
bly, In London.
Last evenings audience listened TO the
composition. which lasts for fifty minutes
without break, In perfect silence and
with close attention. At the end there
was a burst Of genuine applause, which
was certainly earned by the performance
II not called forth by the composition IT,
self
This piece Of chamber music cannot be
dismissed In the manner OF conventional
| morning paper comment. II has been said
that Schoenberg'B avowed mission Is to
| free harmony from all rules and that his
| every chord is the outcome of emotion.
All OF this may or may not be true, bu:
It does not quite find the heart OF the
matter. Such a quartet as that heard last
| evening raises tremendous questions, the
| answers TO which lie at the basis OF all
art. Indeed the first question raised Is
| What Is art?' And the next il What
| is music?" What Is It's purpose? To
whom In IL addressed?
Hector Berlioz defined music as "the
art OF moving intelligent men. gifted with
| special and practised organs. by comb.na-
lions OF tones" II this be true, and II
Schoenberg's methods ard purposes be
! correct, then every music lover ought TO
have All ear capable. Ike Ed!son's. of
| shutting out every ext-aneous sound. an
| acquaintance with the origin and develop
! ment OF chords equal TO that of Bernard
Z!ehm and theoretical mastery of coun-
| tespo!nt greater than that OF a Rhe!nber-
ger.
For this music is a demonstration OF
| the theory that freedom of harmony Is 10
| he attained by reversion to the met ods
Of the gods OF the polyphonic era, but by
superimposing upon them all the melodc
| idiosyncrasies of our own time. which in
| clude a passionate love for SUGGESTIONS OF
intervals innately hostile 10 the diatonic
scale. the scale upon which every now &C.
| cepted masterpiece is founded. not except
ing the specifically chromatio Tristan
und Isolde"
| II this kind OF comment means little 70
the reader who Is not trained musician
Il must be said In it's defence that Il Is the
| only kind which can fairly be applied Il
Schoenberg's composition. This music de.
mardS technical discussion. II demands
| II chiefly because while the assertion tina,
! every chord Is the outcome OF emotion
may be true II makes no appeal TO the
emotions and arouses none. unless amaze.
ment be one.
This music Is directed Mt the intelll.
gence. 1t is music OF the head. and lis
tening to 1t comprehendingly is an intel
lectual feat which only a musician can ac
complish. The musician will find In II
mastery OF form and OF the techn!c Of
composition OF the highest order Their,
can be no question about that. The wori
Is based on a grand fundamental theme
and several subsidiary motives, oil o
which have logical relation TO each other
These are developed in one continuou
movement which within itself contains
long fugato standing between the frs
and second motives. scherzo with trio
a working out section. then an adago
and at last a finale bull; OF variants o
; the original themes. Instrumental de
J vices not common 10 chamber music. sucl
| as muted strings. playing near the bridg
and harmoncs. are literally employed
Also the composer uses the most widel
dispersed harmony. at times extending
his chords across the scale from the loves
bass of the cello TO the uppermost flights
OF the violin. To enter into any detaile
!. account OF the instrumental treatmen
would occupy too much space and answe