New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-12-04
Orchestral Concerts by
Symphony and Phil
harmonic Societies
WHY NOT PRESENT
BACH AS WRITTEN?
Emphasis and Noise
Reminiscent Works Heard
at Carnegie Hall
BY ". r. KREHBIEL

think "a New York music reviewer
hasn't time TO be certain of anything
on q Sunday nighD wrote a pisnoforte
piece which used TO be popular, called
IF Were Bird" The two titles
come to mind quite naturally in con
nection with Sunday night labor. II a
music reviewer were a king he would
not be concerned about the musical
doings in New York's concert rooms
and theatres u he were bird he
might, according to & bull which is
attributed sometimes to the unidentl-
fed Irish father Of all bulls and some
times TO a Viennese banker. be in more
than one place at the same time, and so
talk from personal observation OF
doines that were synchronous at sew
eral concerts.
In cases where neither Isl j'etais
Roi," nor Isl oiseau i'etsis," is sp-
plicable one must do the best one can.
Fortunately. th.-c is recompense even
in the limitation. Schumsnns Sym
phony in c major, which was heard at
a concert Of the Philharmonic Society
last season, made the thought that it
was impossible to hear it when il was
played by the same orchestra yester-
day afternoon conducive 10 peculiar
~ amiable frame of mind, and left
room for appreciation Of Tschaikow-
sky's Romeo and Juliet" fantasia, and
the Glazounoif violin concerto which
followed it on the programme.
Earlier in the afternoon, however, it
had been possible TO hear q portion OF
the seventh Sunday afternoon subscrip-
ton concert of the symphony Society
in Aeolian Hall. Here the programme
seemed designed by Mr.. Danrosch with
a thought directed to the relationship
of the music TO the scoustical condl-
tons of the room. Something was said
about that in this journal q week ago,
and reference TO it is sgain appropri-
ate. IL has otter been pointed out
that when a conductor thinks IL neces-
sary TO double the wood-wind instru-
ments and urge the players of brass
TO blow blood out of their eyes even
Beethoven symphony seems out of
place in Aeolian Hall. The notion, an
utterly false one, has been encouraged
by the tendency OF modern orchestra
ton to seek intensity Of expression in
noise.
The lesson has been forgotten that
was taught when God appeared at
Horeb to Elijah. The prophet stood
upon the mount and waited for the
divine revelations; and, behold! the
Lord passed by, and a great, strong
wind rent the mountains and brake in
pieces the rocks and after the wind
came an earthquake; and after the
earthquake a fire; but it was in
still, small voice that the Lord spake
unto Elijah.
II will be we'll il Mr.. Damroseh makes
a preachment upon this text from the
admirable pulpit which Aeolian Hall
offers him. We are not sure that he
met his opportunity fully yesterday
when he began his concert with the
first of BRch's orchestral suites, the
one in the key of c. This work is the
first of the four suites, or PGrtheuen.
which Bach composed in the happy pc.
Rod when he was the chapelmaster OF
the Prince of Anhalt-Cothen, unbur-
dened by churchly duties and able 20 de-
vote himself 10 chamber music. He had
small band at his disposal, but 1t seems
to have been one Of excellent material,
and the prince himself was an excel
lent musician, for whose enjoyment
Bach knew that he could give the best
that was in him. For the four suites
he could pick and choose his perform
ers. The fact that he wanted 70 vary
their pieces is proved BY the collateral
fact that he did vary them.
In all he used the fundamental band
of viols, big and little; to the strings
in the first he added two oboes and a
bassoon; in the second flute; in the
third three trumpets, two oboes ana
kettledrums; in the fourth the funda-
mental apparatus is extended by the
addition Of three trumpets, three oboes,
bassoon and kettlcdrums. Common to
them all is the continue, a voice when
was indicated by figured bass ana
was improvised by player, generally
the conductor, OH a hsrpsichord. To
meet all the demands of musical integ-
ritv which cultured music lovers of to-
day might make it would seem only to
be necessary except where the
trumpets can no longer be played as
written) to supplement the band pre-
scribed by Bach with an appropriate
part for the pianoforte as the success
sor Of the harpsichord.
As PLAYED yesterday the suite was
riven nothing need be said Of abbre-
viations1 in a version made by either
Mr.. Damrosch that was what the
house programme announced or Mr..
Weingartner (as the annotations IN
the Bulletin had it,. Probably by
both. which would account for the in
PRODUCTION Of few measures for the
trumpet in the second gavotte. But
might we not have this suite at least
in the Original package so TO speak
And with less effort TO give II an
organ-like sorority, or rather volume
of tone? Less ruggedness and more
grace in these measures, which are,
after all, only dance measures, might
make them sound like benson in
Aeolian Hall.
The harp, like the flute. is delight
full member OF the orchestral contra
ternity. but MS solo instruments a little
of them goes a great way. Both are
used with remarkable effectiveness in
the pieces which were on Mr.. Dam
roSch's programme yesterdsy-the
"Danse sacree" and "DanSe profane."
for harp and the orchestral yiols, by
Debussy. and the introduction and
Allegro" for harp. strings, flute and
clarinet. by Rsvel. Mr.. SHlIedo
nlaved the harp solos with great
beauty and true musicisnship. Cigars
"Fnigrna" variations brought the en-
iovable concert TO a close.
Az the Philharmonic Soeiety's con-
cert in Carnegie Hall the programme
k~siJas the Cchumann