New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-04-08
Contribution of Tribune
Men to History of
Musicians.
CHICAGO NOVELTY
FAILS TO INTEREST
End of the Chamber Music Con"
certs-What Beethoven Thought
of Publishers.
By ~. r.. kREHBiEL.

Han last night with a concert OF splendid
beauty. The audience was Of the kind
to which We have been accustomed ever
since Mr.. Kneisel and his associate artists
won the hearts OF the lovers OF pure music
here more than twenty years aso-know-
i'm. refined, kcenly apprecauve, cour-
teous i'm the reception or new
+ music which does not come up
TO it's standard OF beauty, rever-
entail in the presence Of the master
pieces which do Mr. kneisel tested rs
courtesy only in a single number last
night-a Scherzo from a quartet in
minor by Adolph Bruno, German Inu-
stefan who came to America about tWeh-
ty-ive years ago, and Is now pursuing
his profession as teacher, composer ana
critic in Chicago.
The music was received in kindly
spirit but the time spent on IT seemed
time lost. There are stories Of great nlu-
siclans who, on hearing one or their ne"
compositions for the first time with tner
physical instead Of their mental ears
we're made happy by the recognition or
the fact that the music sounded we'll The
first impression made by Mr.. Bruno
music was that II old not sound well, be-
CAUSE II had not been set we'll for the
instruments: the next that II lacked
melodo as well az harmonic charm ana
ALWAYS that 30 wanted spontaneity ana
was the product Of labor rather than IN
spiration Some a. this effect was prop
ably due 10 tho 800 umstance that 1t tol-
lowed that exquisite piece OF part-writlng,
/ Glazunow's Irterlude in an antique
mode. which eNhales the old spirit found
I'm much Of the Russian folksongs.
These two short pieces separated what
we should like the world 10 believe IS
Beethovens greatest quartet that IN Is
fat maio bearing the opus number 100
and Brahmss pianoforte quartet in
mino Op %. i'm which latter number our
mastery chamber musicians lad the help
Of another master in this as well as
other fields. Mr.. Harold Bauer. II would
I've a waste of time to enumerate the spe-
ciaI eXccllences Of the two performances.
Mr.. Kneisel and his artists gave Of their
best. and in the Cavatina the listeners
enjoyed the loftlest and serenest flight
into the upper ether OF art that the sea-
son has vouchsafed US. Mr. Bauer's de-
lightful sense OF beauty-beauty OF tone,
Of rhythm, OF sympathetic cooperation
with his associates maintained the stand
ard set i'm the Beethoven quartet, and so
there was an evening Of pure enjoyment,
with only the triflng ALLOW introduced by
tho novelty.
Let that suffice for the performance;
Mr.. Kneisels patrons know what the few
words signify But there Is something TO
be said about Beethoven's Quartet, for
which this seems a fitting time. There is
much interesting information about tue
history of the B-hat Quartet which Will
not be known to English readers In gen
eral until the last volume of the English
version Of Thayer's monumental biogra-
phv Of the composer is published. Mr..
Thayer collected 4 vast mass of material
for this volume which he did not live TO
nut into literary shape. That task has
been accomplished by n writer for The
Tribune.
Mr. Thayer was himself member OF
the editorial stan OF this journal SONS
sixty years ago, and there would seem 10
he some proprety in his English Gator
and contnuator giving out some OF tne
fruits of a common cleaning in the jour
nal so singuary and intimately connect
cd with the history OF Beethoven's HE.
The great contributions which Beetho-
ven made 10 music In .he year 1873 were
tho Ouartets In 4 minor (Op. w ana u
cat ION 1901. which were composed in this
ordor hut the second being published
before its companion, received the carrier
on,is nt.mber. The B-hat Quartet was the
third OF the three works OF It's Kind COM
roeed AT tine invitation OF Prince Galitzln
an enthusiastic and accomplished Rus
clan amateur. Il was begun early In the
ycar and on August 20 Beethoven wrote
n hrs nephow hat It would be completely
finished in ten or twelve days ihous"
more than half promised TO the pupllsner'
Schlesinger, of Paris, who got us coih-
panion I'm A minor. it was sold to Ar'aria'
~ Vienna. and in January. 1926, HOE
/ (Haethoven's factotum) writes: ne
Quartet will be printed at once thus the
third quartet will appear before the nrs'
two This was the case and accounts
for the incorrect numbering OF tho cant
81, ouartets. II had its first public per-
,orr,ance in March, 1926. The fugue IN r.
e.. on 153. originally formed the finale
~ the work but was put aside after the
fret performance and the present hnale'
which was composed in GneiXendorl on
tho estate OF his brother. whittier Bee
,boven mad taken his nephew after MS a'-
,a,,nt AZ suicide. TO keep him out OF the
hands OF the police.
After securing the minor quartet
and an assurance that ne shouIu slso
80 that in r fat Che had offered to de-
rosit So ducats with a Niennese banker
a,aipst its completion and delivery ana
poetboven had accepted his oner)'
ScbIesinger said that he would purchase
,,,o ars, ~ the three from Schott & Sons,
.,.so had bought IL, so as to have the en-
tire set for a complete edition OF beetho-
vans works, which he had In contenpia-
lion Nephew Karl, in reporting this fact
-. uo.tboven. expressed his belief that
cto,, G. Sons would sell for fear
,6at n they did not Schlesinger would
ronrint the work in Paris without per-
,,iesion Schlesnger made strenuous
.oor, N get the autograph score OF the
A minor quartet, but had to content him.
Golf with a copy. Holz represented To
beethoven that the autograph would be
a., asset for Karl in the future, and Karl
WIS Of the same opinion: he supported
t;olz,s statement with the argument that
.oh copifnHen grew more valuable with
go and that he was sure Schlesinger
would get 30 ducats for the manuscript.
poathoyen expressed indifference az 10
which publisher got the works so long rs