New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-01-11
The Boston Orchestra Plays
Schmitt's Setting of a Loie
Fuller PantOmime.
REMARKABLE SCORE BY
ANALSATIAN COMPOSER
A Master of Invention, COnstruc-
ton and Demonstration Intro
d-ced to New York.
~ r. r. kREHBifL.


ternoon No better fortune than such an
Introduction could be asked by the most
exacting musician alive. for it insured An
illuminative performance OF his wor' ana
a sympathetic hearing. The composer
was Florent Schmitt the composition
some music written TO illustrate panto-
mime or ballet, entitled La Tragedie de
Salcme's Why the old story OF Herodi-
ass daughter. with it's slight foundation
i'm the familiar Biblical narrative, shoulu
have fascinated the human mind Tor cen
turtles might provide an interesting topic
for PSYCHOLOGICAL study and speculation
but there is neither time nor space ~
the command Of a newspaper reviewer 10
pursue it now Mr.. Philip Hale suggests
the vice scone which t would take wh"n
IN his programmatic note in the DOCK Oh
Boston programmes me ehumera"'
"Wildes tragedy. the operas by Mas
senet. Strauss and Mariotu, the descilP-
ton of Herodias i'm Heine's Alta Troll
the ESSAY Of Gomez Garlic the picture
of Moreau Regnault. Karl Won Mander
and other painters. the tale of tlauper''
the dramas of Richard Hen2ist Horne
and Hermann Sudermann and the ho-
retto of Gustav Nicolai.' But TINS Is lar
from being a complete list Mr.. hdle
also mentions the ballet written by Al
mand Silvestre and Charles Henry Nett
ger and set 10 music by Gaorlel flerhe
for Miss T.oie Fuller in 1885, but over
looks the symphonic poem by an Amer
can COMPOSER Henry Hadley, now con-
ductor of the san Francisco symphony
Orchestra. which was played in Boston
in April 1901 and 1T an English festival.
Mr.. Hadley's composition is a symphonic
poem based on oscar Wildes play
The music. which had its first Ne"
York hearing. was also written, ike tha'
of NJ. Pierne. to display the charms OF
Miss Fuller's art. but the story ON whlch
/. is based owes nothing to Wide, thousn
possibly one episode TO Jules baiarsue
"Moralite Legendare" as Mr.. Hale suS-
cests. La Tragede de Salome' is PAN
tomimc for when Robert d Humieres
created the dramatic story. which win
schmitt's music had its first production
i'm Paris in 1897. borent Schmitt Is an
Asatian whose musical training has been
all French che carried off the Grand frlN
de Rome at the Conservatory IN lS") ana
whose svmpathies and ideals are also
! French. though they may be unged WIN
J mir of TERRORISM which finds expression
| in the solidit, and logical sequence OF ms
music and what may be called its ire
ouent lapses into idioms which the foi-
flowers Of Debussy, unlike fIchaI u
, Strauss. affect to cOntemn. Tie Is not
! afraid of the diatonic scale and OF sane
and sonorous phrase with all his hhlhs
for oriental intervals and the Whoie-toi'e
! device which Debussy pre-empted as as
tincuishing characteristic. His music IS
| highly picturesque and 80 full OF deiih-
eative devices that We fancy its erect
would be raised fourfold if it could be
accompanied by scenery and action, or
even with the make-believe OF moving
pictures, and yet It has an ineXpllcaDie
charm for it's own sake Schmltt is
/ uuissant eyoker of moods by means OF
pregnant themes and harmonic ana IN
strumental color. but also by most IN
senious and individual system of thematc
, deveIopment The score of "Salome IS
= closely woven fabric. masterful in the
lo.,ic of its design as we'll as in its free
Gom. and if we were called upon to give
! il a place among the recent products oil
orchestral writing we should be strongly
tempted to say that il is far and away the
most significant instrumental compost
tion which has come To US out Of Franco
since Debussv's "LApres-Midi dun
/ Fauue" We cannot recall evidences OF
such high imaginativeness I'm anything ny
tnesco. Dukas or Debussy. except I'm the
work mentioned. the influence of which is
felt oftener than any other in portions OF
the music not wholly given up to the de-
| lineation of externals In poetlcal quaiity
and variety of refined expression IL puI'
much of Strauss music i'm the shade
II IS crowded canvas for which the
composer undertook to provide life and
color by means OF his music. Herod'
walking on the terrace of his palace, with
the Dead Sea and the mountains OF MOAB
bathed in the colors OF the setting sun
as a background: Herodias. lifting gar
ments heavy with gems. and gold and
massive strands OF orient pearls out OF
| their Golfers into the 1ickering light or
torches: Salome. admiring herself for
the dance and essaying IT for her own
} childish delight. Then picture OF the
sea in its sinister and magical aspects
its rising phosphorescent lights; a vision
OF the cities whose wickedness caused
them to he buried beneath the waves
sounds Of sinful orgies; abysmal songs
a storm. the lghtnings of which DISCLOSE
Salome dancing the lascivious dance
which infiames the lust of flerod his pur-
suit Of her: the capture; the stripping OF
her wells from shoulders and limbs; the
apparition Of the Baptist, who hides her
nudity with his cloak; the vengeance OF
Herodias: the decapitation. The poet
ought T. he permitted to tell the rest OF
the tale In his own way:
Tho triumphant Salomc takes the head
OF the prophet and outlines step, laden
with her funereal burden Then, a. one
| feeling sudden uneasiness, AS # the voice
| OF the beheaded had whispered in her ear.
I she runs 10 the edge Of the terrace and
h-irIs the charger over the battloment Into
| the sea. And the sea turns TO the color al
| blood and Salome falls In swoon. while
mad terror sweeps away Herod. Herodla
and the executoners I'm frantic heh,
/ Salomc comes to herself The head OF
John appears. stares at her. then disap-
| pesrs Salomc guakes and turns away IN
! anguish. The head again gazes az hei
frsm another part Of the stage Salome
wishes to steal away. And the heads now
, arising are everywhere.
Saome. terrified. turns about 10 escape
. the bloody vision.
( As she dances the storm breaks. y fu-
rious wind envelopes her. Sulphurou,
pest rocks the sea. Pillars OF sand rusr
| in the desert places. The tall Expresses