New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-10-28
Music
The American Debut of a
Violinist Who Is a
Musician
BY II. E. Krehbeil

By n. E. Krehbeil
We do not know the natural period
of violinist's popularity, though we
have had experience enough to make
a guess at the time to which he is
entitled to it. Judging by the records
OF our best concert-rooms, we should
say about decade. A large number
have faded away since the present
writer began his reviews for The Trib-
une. Some because they deserved to
fade away, others, like kubelik,- be-
cause their pecullarities made such
large appeal TO the multitude that they
preferred to transfer their activities
from the concert-room proper to the
circus-to speak as politely as pos
sible--not an uncommon phenomenon
in art, and perhaps one for which
human nature, being what it is. Is not
altogether blameworthy. OF course we
are not counting the artists whom we
have heard who left the field in the
natural course Of events. IL we are
to be permitted to go back few years
before our local activities began, there
are to be mentioned Vieuxtemps and
Wieniawski and Wilhelmj; but they
were the giants Of their day, and had
reached their full growth when we first
heard them. OF a later date was
Sarasate, for whom we would like to
preserve a place alone, though he was
neither grand, gloomy nor peculiar.
Since then there have been many OF
the younger tribe, Ysaye excepted, and
though we have largely lost our in
terest In the enumeration we can still
RECALL quite wildly the first appear
ance OF Fritz Kreisler, now a planet,
but in 1888 only a small satellite, sup
posed to circulate around Rosenthal.
We have sorrowful memory OF
Daneremont. the wonderful Brazilian
bow, but earlier and later prodigies
have come and gone meanwhile and
left no regret; for, despite the fact
that DR.. Burney said it Of Mozart, who
proved a monumental exception. we
still believe that early fruit is often
more extraordinary than excellent"
There is much that is excellent in
the talent Of the young violinists who
are developing to-day, but We have
tried in vain to find that superiority
in them which might make vain and un-
profitable our memories Of their pred
ocessor5. One of the favorites OF the
present generation has suggested that
the oldsters of to-day are unable to
apnreciate the full value Of what is
Offering them because the art of violin
plaving has made such progress that
they cannot follow it. But is there
anything which has been added to the
violin literature within the last gem
Grafton which is an advance technical
ly, intellectually, esthetically or emo
tionally over that which we used to
admire forty years ago? On the con-
trary, when we are not returning to
the music of seventy-fve or more years
ago we are adapting trifes which are
older and which aim only to titillate
the ears of the groundlings. And as
70 the performance of the old master
pieces, they seem 70 be growing more
and more difficult to the players, de-
spite the boasted progress in technical
methods. Taking the pieces which
still hold their places on the pro-
grammes, can any one recall more
finished and elegant performances
than those which Sarasate vouch-
safed them? And he's not so long
dead that ne need be forgotten. Or,
to go back further, can nobler tone
or grander style be recalled than Will
helmj disclosed in Beethoven's con-
certo or that of Paganini which he
revived? Vieuxtemps is so nearly a
tradition that when we think back on
him we remember him chiefly as an
elegant gentleman with aristocratc
gray muttonchop whiskers. who took
odt his watch, attached to fob. and
dignifedly held it on a party of late
corners while they walked down to
their seats; but, besides this, there is
a lingering impression of grace Of
style in his playing and an elegance
in his tone which no one has recalled
since, except Sarasate. Whenever,
however, we recall Wieniawski it is
that Of so ungainly a figure as q man
that we are glad to resolve him into
mere music-eyen though it be his
own, of which we have sometimes
thought that we had had enough. In
his case we were willing to put aside
the critical disposition, with its cant
of technique and tone and phrase and
reading, and remember hip only as
music personified.
Unfortunately, only as violin music;
and we would have something more.
OF course, the art is always held
somewhere near the ground by its
machinery. so TO speak. II is because
Chopin and List knew so we'll the
voice of the pianoforte that we admire
them as pianoforte composers; but it
is because Beethoven as a pianist so
often forgets himself that we love
MIN as composer, even for the piano
forte.
1t Is admirable to see an artist rise
above his material; and this is all In the
way Of a prelude to a review Of the
recital which a stranger, Jascha Heifetz,
gave at Carnegie Hall yesterday after
noon. OF course, we ought 10 have
known all about Mr.. Heifetz. since he
effected his debut in Russia four or
five years ago, but we didn't; and there
fore he came as n surprise-as sur
prise Of an unusual character. because