New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-11-10
Reflections on a RehearS-
ing of Ravel's
Quartet.
Mr.. WILLEKE PLAYS
CHOPIN'S SONATA
Classic. SeudOsClassic and w.
ira. Romantic Music in
Contrast.
By II. T.. kREHBIfL.

Lovers of chamber music filed Aeo-
liam Hall last night 20 hear the first
concert this season Of the Kneise,
Quartet: 20 hear and enjoy. for those
who appreciate the highest form o.
music as thoroughly ss Mr Kneisers
audiences DO, never hear one OF his
quartet concerts without enjoying it.
he always invites them into commun-
ION with the choice spirits among com
posers and he and bic fellows are
master spirits among interpreters. In
his list Of three works last night there
was no novelty. nor yet was there
music which could be called familiar
20 the many. Even the Haydn Quar-.
tct ir ID with which the concert began
rs rot one Of the old masters works
which aye heard often in public After
it ChopIn's Sonata in G. minor for
pIauoforte and violonceilO was playe
by Mr. Carl Friedberg and SIR. William
Nilleke. and 70 end the evening
came the Quartet in + and other
keys by Maurice Ravel. This
WORK. the subject of some ex-
Dlanatory comments in The Tribune
last Sunday. was brought into the no
tIcc of local music lovers by Mr. Knei-
"NA NNAs ihNNFls III INiAttrtAs ~ ANt ~
Doctor Of Music through the grace OF
Yale and Princeton IN 1905. and then
put away for the Horatian period OF
rest from which IL has now emerged TO
challenge critical opinion anew. In the
interim We have both heard il and read
&c with the help which experience with
latter day tendencies in music ough. to
bring. But II has not conquered our
love. As a matter of fact. there is no
reason why 10 should have made a
stronger appeal to us last night than
~ did IN 1906 There was nothing
cryptic about Il then. It's style was
patent. its beauties obvious 10 the ear
the mind and the fancy; its defects be-
trayed themselves quickly and frankly
then. and so they did again last night.
IL h. a marvel of ingenuity, but 1t is
not ingratiating II is full OF clever
articles and subtle effects which ar
rest attention and sometimes fasci-
nate: but il is too unmistskably
a product Of premeditated purpose,
reflection. ingenious labor, mechanical
mastery and experiment TO satisfy a
longing for real beauty. IL is all de-
yeloped out of single phrase of
melody which is not without charm.
which. indeed, has so amiable a nature
that the tortures 20 which il is sub
jected ask for commiseration. Il IS
fearfully repettious, which makes
every movement wearisome. The COM
poser's skill and learning are expended
upon strained lamentations which
only strike fire once in a while, upon
devices in Instrumentation which are
sometimes pursued to the verge Of vul-
garity 4 like the pizzicato effects in the
second movemenD, and upon metamor-
phoses of the theme which too seldom
change its mood or fill il with a new
emotional content. Brilliant flashes
along these constructive lines take
hearers and occupy their minds
while the music il sounding. Wher
all is over nothing is left but possibly
curious duestonings as 10 how il was
done and the memory of surprising
intellectual and sensuous experiences
The music Is never lyrical, never cpl
cal It never scars into the rariied
ether which imagination breathes. nor
tb~ loftler regions where emotion has
ats home. Il interests and fasclnates
but il does not charm: least of all
does il move the soul. In art "the eve
is not satisfied with seeing" nor the
Nhl " III NfdiAHSs anu HiAoAN With
does no more than catch the ear and
interest the intellect is but "vanity
and vexation of spirit" There IS one
movement which invites the imagina
ton. II is the slow movement. All
else merely irritates sense. perception
and curiosity. but the slow movement.
distinctly pictorial or dramatically
suggestive. is so because il has a
1nttpffnsr Atoaf.g1rn nh ck
seems 70 have been evoked by a tale
Of far-aW&y mystery
Classic i'm all the acceptances of the
word was the Haydn quartet, romantic
In a possibly defensible sense the
quartet. Between them came Chopin's
sonata with its pseudo classicsm.
There is no time 70 discuss why the
sonata for pianoforte and violoncello
has never won a high place among
Chopin's compositions. The fact that
IL is an unsuccessful attempt in classic
forms has been harped on to WEAKNESS
To fault il as a classic or praise it for
its romantIcism is merely 10 juggle
with words Romanticism in its best
estate is fluid classicism. What is ro-
mantle in music to-day may be classic
tomorrow. The trouble with the sonata
is lNdi IT. u sHOb OF AHOpln genius
either In thought or workmanship. It's
first theme has strength and beauty
but puissance and loneliness are ex.
hausted in its first presentation
The slow movement is senti-
mentally pretty, and effective be.
cause the composer, who loved the
elegiac voice OF the instrument
is content to let it sing its song. II
is amusing after the freakish and
fcverish wandering among tonalitie:
which began in the fifth measure oil
the Rayel quartet and continued so un-
iutesmittingly till the end to recall
that Moscheles said in his diary Of the
Chopin sonata that il sounded as i;
somebody were preluding on the
pianoforJc and knocking at all the
keys "to learn whether euphony was
al home
It's tonal discursiveness certainly
disturbed nobody last night, though
- want Of rhythmical variety, climax,
depth. dignity, nobility. and melodic
charm may have disappointed many
who found n measure of satisfaction
nj the last in the superb playing OF
Mr. Willeke, who deserved a more
.mrathe,ic collaboration than he had.
Tho audience was generous in IT'S
applause all evening, and after the
rrota seemed 20 relish particularly
.orJ ,,ovement OF the Rayel