The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-12-06
AMATEUR CRITICISM OF A
CONCERT.
Were Conservative SexAgenarlans
Fooled by Futurist Mood Music?

To THE EDITOR OF THE SuN-Str: The
concert was not without elements of
humor. A distinguished audience OF
musi lovers and tired business men met
In sopors1c accord to welcome the
artists. A cynical wag onoe remarked
that true appreciation Of chamber music
begins at the age Of 60. Quite a few in
tho audience wore ear trumpets and one
patriarch aimed his directly at the first
vloltnist.
The programme opened with Cesar
Franck's quartet in ID Major n
work which Is as hollow in some parts
as it IS solid in OTHERS, but stately In
length and movement and a cure for in
somnia- The audience seemed bored. but
there was a scherzo to cheer them and
a protracted finale which kept them
guessing as to when it would all end.
Followed Papa Haydn with the
weatherbeaten "Quartet in d Minor"
"a work which gives the audience az
little trouble in apprehending as II did
the master in composing. The high good
humor was darkened, however, by the
Russian cloud. for the Stra,insky num-
Der ''Three Pieces for Quartet" was
approaching. The programme made no
comment on the pieces attempted
no calculation. Tho ladies adjusted
their wraps ~herocally the men looked
a~rtiicially cheerful quite a few turned
to the old man with the projected ear
trumpet, seemingly envious OF his in
trinity. but he sat imperturbable, as
throughout. Suddenly a gentleman
stepped forward and nervously explained
that although S~travinsky wrote NJ pro-
ann for the pieces 10 be played. he
did have definite ideas and images in
composing them. which he had conveyed
TO the members Of the quartet and which
the speaker, in turn. conveyed to the
audience.
The quartet members stepped for
ward an e~Xpectant hush then on tho
two viol!ns plrouetted a Russian folk
song, the viola rasped OF weird move
incnts. while the cello seemed singing
in a remote space. ~Stravinsky In less
than sixty seconds had painted the
steppes. the peasants dancing and sing
ing. and In the strings of the cello he
had imprisoned the majesty and vast
space OF the desert. The audience ap-
plaudcd the graybeards laughed loud
and long was not his Russian theme
reminiscent OF the Haydn "Minuet"?
Who knows? Perhaps this modern ogre
had simply transposed the old master,
and added a few grotesques.
The - sketch was q mastery
d~clineat!on OF a mood in a cathedral
the pauseS Almost architectural, enabling
the listener TO set up In his mine the
columns n pillars OF an ancient
church. The violin intoned n Grcgorian
chant. the theme taken up in ensemble
then the cello reproduced the distant
choir, the fading voices and even the
mellowness OF the Ryan. 1t ended with
II querulous rasp on the viola. Il lady In
Il box Kissed. the balcony ~applnuded, the
venerable ones rrinncd. shook their
heads sadly. The last sketch was
Berlloz ideal!zed. n poem in tones.
lfcrrot, coming from a sudden bereave-
mcnt, must yet perform his antics NJ
the theatre. Here Straylnsky contrasts
the two themes, inner sorrow and outer
b~unoonery. In a mastery fashion. The
cello ana viola play a poignant melody,
voiclng Pierrot's suffering, while the
first violin In erotesque chords rortrays
Pierrot juggling and amusing his audi
ence. A drama In miniature. recalling
Andreiits prose gem The Mask
II seems TO me that these Stravinsky
sketches are 10 music what the poem In
prose IL to literature. In this new mood
nus another and often hidden par, OF
our imaginative life Is released for ex-
preston. The critics will disagree the
obvious minded audience will scott. as
audiences of old ridiculed Innovations in
music, ABRAHAM SOLOMON
NEW YORK, December 4.