The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-11-03
'IUSIC OF PIANO
IN HISTORIC VIEW
o,sip Gabrilowitsch Plays First
NJ six Chronological Pro-
grammcS.
p,rCES WISELY CHOSEN

nssn GahrIowitscil. the distinguished
o,ssisn pianist. gave at Aeolian Han
...,rrday afternoon the first of six his
.,i r~ccitlls of music written for in
,~.ymep;, Of he piano family. lesier-
n,s prosramme ranged from william
p,,ds Of the English school down to
vo,art. covering a passage Of over "
,~.nturles. Historical piano recitals are
frequently dull. heavy and pedantic.
r,,v arr prone to thrust the n OF
,nol,stic ex~clusiveness between them
.lres and the public. Teachers and
audents Of piano playing hasten to them
n the hope of gaining insight into style
.-d even method but too often the
music loving public II deferred by the
.,rnid ,ble array of chronology and the
.p,p,clon that all this may lead to mo-
bo,cuy and WEAKNESS OF the flesh.
When the programmes reach III era
xhere their limits are filled by the IT,
,anic creation of some n composer the
,nterpre,inC artist must indeed be wary
IN ,he distribution OF his pieces as well
a. in their performance. But In sweep
iN- me AlFHNI NlFliE VI 'ilN 'tNNl'i
mIse the VISION is refreshed continually
nv A variety OF styles. natiouilities and
,'dlyldual nanuors. That Nj. Gabrilo-
vi,sch saw well was proved by his Sc
l~ectlons. The pavane in A minor OF
william Byrde and the minuct of Pur-
L,l from the suite in q major were hap
ply contrlstcd and the naive simplicity
o, their archaic style was charmingly
preserved by MIR. Gabrilowitsch. even
while he enlarged their harpsichord ut
,erance by the singing tone and deeper
,~onorities of the contemporaneous
panoforte.
The three numbers representing the
French school were all products Of a
tine when the Gallo clavecinists, IL not
towing before court deities. dearly loved
10 essay the Instrumental imitation OF
rature. Yet how clearly Differentiated
we're the styles of Couperin. Daquin and
Rameau. The Harvesters." THE
cuckoo and The Tambourinc.' ''Tast-
INC Of Flora and the country green.
| Ginee and Provencal . n and sun burnt
Firth" dainty in their melodic fancies,
whimsical in their vocal copy Of reality,
and above all opulent In piano invention.
all were played ~delicately and win
onely by the a~ppreciativc artist at the
keyboard.
A tenderly reflective %andantlno in G
rajor by Padre Rossi was one OF the
tao numbers representing the Italians.
The other was the major sonata of
pOmenciO Scarlatti. and in this many
ave recognized for the first time in
he programme its handiwork OF the
~irjtessed ~vlrtuoso. for Scarlatti revelled
In crossed hands. double thirds and other
features OF modern piano technic. With
The North German school the climax
Il the recital was reached. for Bach
contributed a prelude and fugue tR fiat
n.aorl from the We'll Tempered Clavi-
shord.' q prelude from the English suite
n A minor. "A sarabande from another
alte and the ~stupendous "Chromatic
Fantasia and F'ugue,' which remains
re Of the great. immortal works in the
l~'era,ure Of me piano. Mr.. Gabrilo-
v'tsCh's performance OF it was mas
,.riy more than that need not be said.
Handel offered the dear old "Har-
nonious Blacksmith" and an allegro
SON y suite. Carl Bacha rondo in u
nor, Haydn the r minor sonata and
Nozsgt the l. major variations and
turkish march. Those who are ac-
ogainted with piano music will realize
hat this Was an admirable programme.
i was Interpreted by an artist of large
'tchnic, mature intelligence. fastidious
'as,e and temperamental vigor. Alto
sether the audience sat down to a verI-
table feast.