New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-12-14
A Sunday Afternoon of
Unusual Compositions
at Concerts.
NEGRO MELODIES
AT MUSIC SCHOOL
Mr.. Johnson Entertains Mr..
Granger, Who Repays with
British and Irish Airs.
BY II. +. KREHBIEL.

II has been impossible hitherto 20
feel an interest in the concerts of the
Society Of the Friends Of Music for
the simple reason that they did not
offer anything which could not be
heard to better advantage, or at least
70 the better advancement OF the art
Of music, in public concert rooms. The
time is long gone by since chamber
music was reserved for the delectation
OF the aristocrstic few, though its in
ception was in such purpose. IL Is
now become democratic, and the privi-
lege OF hearing 1t belongs TO tho many.
IL has seemed to this writer that a
society of friends Of the art could pro-
mote il more effectively by encourag-
ing public concerts than by arranging
moro or less exclusive affairs in q
hotel ballroom on Sunday afternoons
when other concerts Of at least equal
value were giving. The society gave
concert at the Ritz Carlton yesterday,
however, which was in different case,
inasmuch as nearly ell the music was
of kind not likely TO be heard in
public. The concert was under the di-
rection of Mr. Franz Kneisel, and en-
listed not only the members of his
quartet organization himself, Mr..
Lett, Mr.. Svecinski and Mr.. Willeke),
but also some of the present or for
mer artist pupils of his class at the
Institute of Musical Art Miss Hen
rietts Bach, Miss Helen Jeffrey, Ssscha
Jscobsohn, Elias Breeskin, Samuel
Gardner, Robert Toedt, Louis Bostel-
mann, Conrad Held, David r. Oliver
and Lyman Eisenberg) and such
trained aud tried artists as the
pianists August Fraemcke, CASTOR
Dethier, Ferdinand Won Inten and Clar-
ence Adler. The programme consisted
Of the so-called String Quartet in G
minor by Bach; string quintet by
Boccherini; concerto in B minor, for
four violins, with string and piano.
forte, by Vivsldi (the pianoforte part
being a transcription of the original
continue made by DR.. Frank Dam
rosch). and Bach's psraphrase of the
same composition for four pianofortes
(claviers, to speak by the CARD, the
key changed to A minor.
All of this archaic music proved to
be interesting from an historical point
of view, and most of it, especially the
Boccherini quintet and the Bach con-
certo for four claviers, delightful to
hear as we'll.
The so-called Bach quartet had been
played here at Mr.. Kneisel's concerts
MI IN ~,
IL invited more curiosity than any Of
the other compositions, for their his
tories are thoroughly well known to
students. Musical antiquaries have
disputed over the question whether or
not it was designed by the composer TO
be played as string quartet, and to
this writer the argument seemed to be
against such a notion. In the only ex-
listing manuscript of IL, which Is not in
Bach's handwriting, it is called Cover
ture." In the Bach Society's edition
the composition is presented as for
string orchestra, with parts for first
and second violins, viola and harpsi-
chord, the last set down in the form Of
a figured bass "a continued, from which
the player was expected to extemporize
a full accompaniment, according to the
custom universal among musicians in
Bach's day and much later. In the trio
of the minuet, however, this part is
marked to be played by "violoncello
solo" Some eleven or twelve years ago
Professor Hermann Schroeder, brother
of the 'cellist Alvin Schroeder, pub
lished an article in which he declared
his belief that the piece was meant
for the four instruments OF the string
-, - 81 rel,
string orchestra and that, in the lat
ter case the harpsichord was used only
to reinforce the violoncellos. These in
struments we're comparatively rare
then, and Professor Schroeder thought
that Bach and his contemporaries
might have found difficulty in supply
ing them in sufficient numbers. That
difficulty has disappeared long since,
and Professor Schroeder believed that
the composition might be regarded as
a string quartet and played as such
without the support of the harpsichord
So Mr. Kneisel played it before, and so
he played it yesterday. On the earlier
occasions it proved TO be effective in
this dress, and so it did again yester-
day. Much admiration was also
elected by the fine ensemble playing of
Messrs. Fraemcke, Won Inten, Dethier
and Adler in the clsvier transcription
by Bach Of the Vivald concerto. In
this work, long considered an original
composition by the old German mas
ter, the themes, their polyphonic de
velopment and the harmonization of
the original concerto for violin are re-
tanned, Bach having done little more
than change the hguretion and add
counterpart 70 suit the keyboard in
strument. The two works thus brought
into juxtapostion provided an interest
ing study.
In the course Of an extremely inter-
esting series Of lectures and recitals at
the Music School Settlement for
Colored People, in West 13lst ST., which
have folk-song for their subject. some
of the teachers OF the school, headed by
]. Rosamund Johnson, the supervisor,
entertained Mr. Percy Granger yester-
day afternoon, and Mr.. Granger, in re-
turn, entertained the school and its
guests. Mr.. Johnson, in a quite IN
imitably ingenious way, let the audi
ence into the secret OF how Under the
Bamboo Tree" had been composed by
him, and how IL CHANGED to be like and
get not like one OF the tunes 70 which
"Nobody Knows the Trouble ! See
used to be sung by the slaves. He also
played the pianoforte part of an ar
rangement for pianoforte, violin and
violoncello OF song written for Pas
ouale Amato. Felix Wier, violin, and