New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-05-16
Continued from page three.

[ Writing forty years later. he had be-
/ fore HIM the ripe results OF the best
studies that have been given 20 the
subject Of GrceS poetry. lie dld not
/ attempt 70 carry out either the deter
limitations or the spcculauon5 OF the
. Germans who have followed in the
footsteps Of Richard Bentley, but he
wrote very beautiful, very Glen.hcd
music, indeed, and imbued It with
/ fine flavor of antiquity. lie followed
| Meudclssohn in using the full modern
1 orchestra Chat IS, the orchestra or
/ Beethoven and MendelssohnJ, and uc-
/ irving all the benent he could from
modern harmony. Like Mendelssohn,
! too. he wrote a great deal Of unisonal
MUSE in the vocal parts, relying upon
full harmony to increase the effect OF
/ the cadcuces - rule, he gave
strophe and antistrophe the same set
/ ting, following Iacccptct rule IN TINS,
and he resor;ed 20 melodrama H. e.
/ instrumental music accompany ing
/ sDeech) 90 hcightcn the effect IN the
/ climax which is reached in the quarrel
| between G.d.pus and Creon.
knowledge Of the theory of ancient
/ Greek composition has grown greatly
within the last three-quarters OF
century, but il Is still far from per,
feet. This was plainly demonstrated
/ by the controversy which sprung up
about twenty years ago after NJ. Eei.
mach had published his translation or
/ the music to the Hymn Of Apollo, round
b carved on marble tablet at Delphos.
/ There has been some advance IN hno"l-
/ edge Of the ancient scales and an al
/ most universal acceptance OF the
/ metrical scheme elucidated by Dr. D,
/ II. Heinrich Schmidt in his monumental
work on The Art Forms Of Greek Po-
} etry and Their Meaning published IN
/ German IN 1868. Nevertheless. when
! Professor Sakcllarides undertook the
task OF writing music III the antique
stvle for the "Antg0ne' the bulk or
what was accepted as incontroVertl
could be summed up as follows; Inc
odes must be- written without harmony,
the RHYTHM of the melody must De
regulated strictly by the verbal rhythm
Though Professor Sakellarldes bcIevts
that this rule is not invarlabIe). FOR
an accompaniment II was he!d ihaI
harms might be permitted 10 replace
tho kithara. and either flutes or ob0cs
the auloi lpreferably the latter, as tne
sulos was an instrument with mouth
niece probably Of reed). >trophc and
antistrophe should have the same mel
odv and mtagre harmony with per
hans "a little freedom with respect OF
rbvthm might mark the Instrumental
uaIts. The music written for The games
Of 1896 was the first attempt $50 said
Professor Wheeler in his letter. TO rem
der the ancient choruses IN ancient
rhvthms before q modern Greek audi
ence. The old rhythm" Professor
Wheeler continued, represents Ian
guGge subjugated to the usages and ne
cessities OF music The time element
in language that Is. the quantity OF the
syllable asserts itself, however, ana
that is what we recognize as quantatiye
metre. The modern Greek language
has, however lost the old difference OF
quantity, substituting . prolongatloh
Of the accented syllables. IL Is, there
fore, significant step IN advance when
the modern Greek permits reproduc-
ton of the old metres which - at such
variance with present usages OF the
spoken language. Without this, how
ever, the ancient metres must De posi-
lively unintelligible TO him.
There are twenty-eight melodies In
the modern "Antigone' music, and
there is no harmony whatever either IN
the vocal OF instrumental part Flutes
were used, both independently and as
accompaniment instrumentsi but only
flutes. The omission Of n substitute
for the ancient Tyre (kithara) Is some
what singular, even puzzling. In tragic
music the ancient Greeks 3aye prel-