The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-04-04
i'm Their Works

procession though I may seem with
my heroes. have notion they Will
not be displaced. weyer In our Office
suggested a fine word for Beethoven
the other day--his work Is Crmensch.
II like also Numerically he be-
longs with the three rs. Like IL
cheap word for ones feeling for his
music. Der Fliegende Hollaender,'
and such OF the tetralogy as I can get
for my player. provide a thoughtful
and glorious evening. Also can en-
Joy Chopin, Gounod (whcn not too
theatric), Handel and Haydn. Mozart
quitting him this late in the list Is a
regrettable oversight. and many an
other. OF the moderns my apprccia-
ton is less developed.
II find Elgar generally satisfying
his sonata. opus rs. for example--but
have hardly been able to care for
Grieg. The only thing Of Sibelius I
have liked 40 far In 'Finlandia.
Strauss I have not heard. except a
sonata, opus s, I think. In the early
manner and thoroughly pleasing.
Tschaikowsky suffers in his transcript
ton for the piano. A "Reminiscences Of
BY Balakirew. was excellent. So is
much Of Glazounow.
II am not helplessly enthralled by
Puccini. Giordano or Mascagri, and I
would as lief hear Haydn as 'Psgli-
acci.' Probably you would rather!
But then I have not heard 'Pagliaccf
a dozen times a winter year after
year"
There is a large display of sound
musical culture in this letter. Thou
sands Of people 60 to concerts and
operas year In and year out without
ever making any approach to the un-
derstanding. the appreciation. the deep
enjoyment Of good music obtained by
this newspaper man. who corfesscs
that he cannot get time to go at all.
With a mechanical piano player to re-
produce music for him. and frequently
In manner manifestly inadequate.
he has discovered what II takes some
music lovers years to learn and what
many others never learn at all. namely
that the intellectual grasp Of an art II
the first and greatest requisite to an
enjoyment Of its emotional content.
No art can really he enjoyed with
out understanding. People who say
Il don't understand painting; but I
know what I Ike" are merely confess
ing that they occupy an untenable po-
sition. II one has absolutely no I'M
derstanding of the art Of painting.
what IL IL that he likes when he sees
picture' In ninety-nine cases out
Of a hundred II is the subject. He
sees q painting representing the Ray
Of Naples and he thinks IL n very
beautiful hay. lie perhaps prefers
anecdoeal art and can stand for an
hour before picture of one priest
roaring over a Jest made by another
priest. But Of the painting in either
picture he sees absolutely nothing at
all. and solely because. as he admits,
he does not understand painting.
People who listen 20 musical compo-
| sitions and arrive AT likes and dislikes
| while holding fast to their religious ig-
norance Of how compositions are built
are just as logically situated as the
man with the pictures. They do not
know a symphony when they hear
one. II the composer were 10 put
| some other name over IL they would
accept II just az readily. They have
no notion why symphonies exist They
are in Just AZ much darkness about
programme music. though this Is
easier Of apprehension. AS for operas,
they hear only the tones of certain
human voices which tickle their ears.
And usually those who listen 10
music in this fashion are loud in their
assertions that il Is the only right way
to listen. They do not realize that
when they make this declaration they
charge every great musician who ever
lived with wasting his time and his
intellec, in useless labor. Beethoven
for example, spent much Of his life
and study In developing highly or
gan!zed sonata form. Now Beethoven
was not a dullard; he vas one Of the
worlds greatest geniuses. The music
: lover should not close his mind to the
majestic architectural design which
Beethoven created for the building OF
tone cathedrals. II is childish to re-
fuse to see anything but what CORE
y spends to the stained glass windows
And even in these this type Of music
lover sees only the colors.
The secret Of this peculiar attitude