New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-01-29
Old Pieces on Quaint In
struments Reveal Pleas
ing Tone Color
FRENCH PERFORMERS
AT RITZ-CARLTON
Nearly Every Composition
Proves New to Local
Programmes
By II. Z. kREHBIEL

archaic music ere not new features ~
the artistic activities Of New York
The Musical Art Society, which seeks
to keep alive an interest in ecclesissti-
cal music Of me classical period as well
as the modern part-song. will next year
celebrate its twenty-ffth anniversary
and the Schola Cantorum has done
considerable amount Of cleaning IN the
historical field. Mr. Sam Franko's
Concerts of Old Music" before their
interruption a few years ago, when
their director thought he might fno
better field Of operations in Berlin
had been maintained through varying
vicissitudes for considerable period
and no doubt did much TO awaken ana
further artistic understanding and good
taste. They have now been resumed,
and when its first concert this season
was given under the auspices OF the
Society of the Friends of Music there
were not wanting many intelligent
lovers of the art who thought that m
encouraging such concerts the society
was more laudably as we'll as protitably
engaged than il was when promoting
enterprises in a field already greatly
overworked. For some time Mr.. Georges
Barrere and his companions have also
been occupied in similar explorations.
A new phase and new interest have
now been created by the coming Of the
Partisan organization known as the So
ciete des Instruments Anciens, which
after a quasi-public performance
week or two ago at Sherry's, gave
concert under the auspices Of the so
ciety Of the Friends of Music at tie
Ritz Carlton Hotel yesterday after
room. In general way the newcomers
work on the lines of Mr.. Franko's con
certs of old music, though with
smaller apparatus and one which APP
proximates more closely 10 historical
accuracy.
The instruments employed yesterday
were the quinton treble violin, or
what is practically the yiolin), tho
viola damour "a viola with an extra
set Of metal strings running under the
finger board, which are not touched by
the bow, but sound alphabetically,
the viol da gambia Cor knee viol, Sir
Andrew Aguecheek's "yiol de gam
boys"), the bass yiol, which in the
modern orchestra has been replaced by
the double, or contra-bass, and the
harpsichord, the precursor of the piano
forte as a concert instrument. Whether
or not all OF the music played yester-
day was originally written for such
combination of stringed instruments we
shall not attempt TO say. We fancy
the arranger had something TO do
with at least some Of the music per
formed, but what was chiefly 20 the
purpose was the fact that the concert
brought TO the hearers a revelation OF
the effect OF the timbre of the instru-
ments, which was as fascinating as it
was novel.
Nearly all the music was new TO local
programmes, and so were the names OF
the majority of the composers. There
was a symphony" by Antoine bar
thelemy Bruni, Piedmontese viohnisf
and composer (1759-1S2SS; a fantasia
for viola damore by Nicolini and some
ballet music by Andre-Cardinal Oes'
touches (1672-l749), who figures IA
musical history as one OF the hihi
Musketeers, inspector general OF the
Academic Royale and superintendent
of the Kings music.
Louis Nv is said TO have danced in
one of his ballets, which is not impos-'
sible, as under ministerial decree
issued in the reign Of Louis NV two
or three years before the birth or
Destouches members of the nobility
were permitted TO perform at the
opera for hire, and even TO follow
dancing for a livelihood. There vas
also a harpsichord piece entitled la
Fileuse," one of the chief delights or
the afternoon as played by Nine.
Patorni. composed by Henri Desmaret,
who was brought up at the court OF
the great Louis and became master
of music for Philip V Of Spain.
The history OF the Nicolini who com
posed the fantasia whose performance
by VI. Henri Casadesus viola d'amorel
and Nine. Patorni (harpsichord) was
one Of the high lights Of the exhibition,
seems to have bafIied the musical lsxi-
cographers from Gerber and Fetis down
to to-day. We don't know who he was.
but we know who he was not. He was
not the singer who in "Hydaspes" slew
the lion, whose performance so pleased
Addison's Toby Rentfree that he wrote
a letter twas il 10 "The Spectator"?J
and complained that though he cried
out "Altra voltal" as he had heard
other gentlemen do when they wanted
70 hear a song repeated, no regard was
had for him, and the lion was carried
off and went 70 bed without being killed
again. That Nicolini was not a com
poser and lived in an earlier day. A
Concerto pour les violes" by Philip
Emanuel Bach (son of the great Johann
Sebastian awakened some doubts IN
our minds as 70 the authenticity Of the
instrumental setting, but its adagio
was of beauty that was TRANSPORTED.
There were old songs and an opera
air from Gretry's Richard Ceur de
Lion" which were sung by Nine. Marie
Buisson, but tho singing added only va
Iiety without notable excellence 20 the
concert. Most winning and lovely Of the
voices which spoke 20 the audience out
of the past were those OF The viola
d'amore and harpsichord; but in the
ensemble the blending of tone, the
sympathetic meeting OF timbres, the
great variety Of color introduced by
the harpsichord (it was a modern in
strument made by Pleyel) through the
agency of different kinds Of plektrs,
octave coupling and other devices.
made one wonder why modern com
posers, instead of torturing their in
struments 20 obtain variety Of tone
color, do not bark back 20 these viols
OF the long ago.