Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-02-26
FAUST AND HYMN
BOTH IN MAHLER,S
EIGHTH SYMPTOM
Tremendous Undertaking i
Philadelphia Orchestra
Explained

The eighth MAILER symnhonv
uled for production Thursday, FrIday r,
Saturday of next week by tho PIN.
phia Orchestra, Is a magnificent ,,o,,
Its proportions and one which ,ai,,
preached, may be unintelliglble. ",
yields its secret to quick analyslsl 49,
Is, the secret of its structure. ths g
for its existence. Whether the music =,
yield as easily remains to be seen. 7, NJ.
be remembered that there Is do.s,
fugue in the first movement.
That movement is, in the crudes, ,....
an orchestral setting for an old t.a7
hymn, known universally-the .-v.-s
Creator spirltus" The chorus bss,r. nj
hymn on the second note played bv =.
orchestra for, unlike most choral -.
phonies, the chorus is an integral ns,, !,
the work throughout One cannot ,,,..
late, precisely. the feeling of this hvn.
but In essence 1t is a prayer for light fro-
the Holy Spirit. Fill our hearts ,,,,s
heavenly grace" It cries. and .1,vo !.
every thought Cor sense) thy Iirh, AZ
every heart with love" The hymn sr6.
with Gloria. This first movement ,sk,.
some 80 minutes to play and slny a..
as the poem is comparatively long N.
repetitions are not excessive. To N.
hymn Mailer has given an orchestra,,o.
which is both interesting and thematically
and fascinating technically The flown.
themes, expressing a highly relFiou.
yearning of the spirit, will be imm..
diately appreciated. The treatment 4,
canons, fugues, double fugues in dimin-
ishing and augmentation of rhythms Win
be the sport of the technicians. H.
The second part of the symphony IA
musical setting of the last scene OF n.
second part of Goethe's Faust" u
seems at first as If Mahler did violence n
Goethe by tearing the last scene ont 4,
context and hitching II up with a Ia,is
hymn. 1t may be pleaded that IL he ds
Goethe did as much. Tht final scene n
the second Faust connects with the frrt
scene of the first Faust, composed a scors,
or so of years earlier Its connecfinn
with that scene is closer than its connsc
tion with any other scene, except the two
or three just preceding in either the Ant
or second play. The scene Is that OF tha
anchorites, in which the spirit Of Faust
forgiven for its mortal sin, saved from,
the compact with the devil because q
Faust's determined will to the right, h
accepted into heaven. fss
The hymn is a song of yearning Ths
scene is drama of fulfiment. That 10
why the two are justly placed together
The first asks for grace the second gives
it. And at the end of all comes a word
of mysticism which cannot be explained
but can be understood, for all that II is
in the famous quatrain beginning "Ales
Vergaengliches ist nur Elm Glelchnis9
and ending with "Das ewige WeIblche
zieht uns hinan." Its mere sense Is that
all the show of earth all transiiQry
things, are mere symbols Of the true
reality-the eternal Woman-Soul leads
US forever upward. FN
That is virtually all that need be
known of Mahler's literary background
before hearing the symphony. An excel.
lent analysis has been published, and
every prospective auditor OF the sym.
phony ought to pick out. IL he can do no
more. the themes which are printed
therein.
The conditions under which this tre-
mendous work Is being produced have
been made known to the public thou
sand obstacles have been overcome and
a thousand (probably two thousand) souls
have helped willingly and cheerfully and
intelligently to make Mr.. Stokowshs
great undertaking success. What the
music, what the performance will be. 70,
mains to be seen. The undertaking Is
without doubt the greatest In Philadsl-
phia's musical history.