New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-11-09
By H. E. Krehbiel

What the war might do, could dc
and would do for all kinds of music
and all kinds of musicians has been
pertinent topic of discussion for five
years. Much Of the discussion has
been academical, losing itself In specu-
lation touching the evocation of a new
spirit in composition, national or uni
versal, according to the ideals cher
tshed by the writer's. 1t has been
hoped that the art might be purged
of its materialsm and commercialism
with which it was inoculated by Rich
ard Strauss, who has been not only the
brightest light in the creative hosts,
but also the foremost representative
of the spirit which led Germany to
provoke the war and is now threaten
ing to bring about universal cultural
chaos. In the results, so far as they
have crystallized up to the present day,
we are unable to see anything pointing
toward a return to high ideals or a
publication Of aims and methods. So
far as this country is concerned, we
are confronted on every hand with the
evidences that the people of the
United States are to be exploited more
aggressiyely, systematically and sell
tishly for the benefit of the foreign
artist than ever The only difference
between the situation to-day and that
of a lustrum ago is that the invading
hosts now fly the colors of philan-
<hroru
States must not only maintain the rest
of the world industrially, commercially
and economically, but also artistically
by which l mean that we are expected
to give a living to every person who
is musical artist, or presumcs to call
himself such, who seeks refuge on our
shores.
Meanwhile native mediocrity is put
ting forth large claims to patronage
on the ground of nationality and under
the gulse of patriotism. In our concert
rooms we have seen the anomaly of in
strumental masterpieces by the great
German dead continued in honor and
vocal masterpieces in the smaller forms
by the same composers banished. Only
a few artists have thus far had the
courage to put on their programs the
songs of the great lyrists-Schubert,
oCHoiiiaHh, TlaaZ, NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
whose works the song field is COM
paratively as barren as the operate
field would be without Verdi--to men
ton only one master, not a German,
whose supreme excellence Is undis-
puted. Against the objection to the
employment of the German language
during the war and so long as the
righteous indignation of the rest Of the
world against the spirit of modern
Germany cnII1 n orJ
to say. 1t may be unreasonable. but it
is human; and we are dealing with
human nature, not with distractions
Just as we shall have to do in the case
of popular government.
To the small minority who under
stand the language and who know how
closely its genius is wrapped up in
the musical settings which the mas.
ters whom we have mentioned and
their successors have given to German
lyrical poetry, the loss in translation
IS great. But it is not SO great as
not to have some compensation. 1t
does not follow that because many
translations are poor from a literary
point of view, and many more wretched
from musical, that all are bad. Care
full selection, intelligent revision or,
where these will not suffice, new trans
lations by men familiar with the Ger
man and English languages and who
know the musical needs of song, can
help us out of the quandary.
The popular prejudice does not ex-
tend to the music of vocal pieces COM
posed by Germans, even to those COM
posed to German words. So far as the
people have been permitted to learn
there were no protests at the opera
during the last two seasons against
Martha" sung in Italian or est Eliza
beth" sung in English. There certainly
was no uprising as there was against
me recent effort to give a season of
herman opera in German at the Lex
ington Thcater. Even here it is i'm
Iss,at. to say to what extent the
demonstration was against German
opera as such, and how much of it was
due to the principal actors in the
Undertaking and the manner in which
they appealed to the foreign sentiment
COR, at least, anti-American feelirp) of
an element in our citizenry which has
not yet been converted from its fond
deluslon that there is no freedom ex-
cept rDeutsche Freiheit," no art ex-
cept "Deutsche Kunst" and no civiliza-
ton except "Deutsche Kultur."
An interesting phase Of the question
might have been presented had the COM
pany persisted in its announced pur-
pose to perform DER Freschitz" in
English. Why was not this done? There
had been much proclamation of the
fact that nearly the entire troupe was
composed of Americans; but when tho
doors were opened on the pitifully small
company which had gathered to hear
the opera it was confessed that the
singers who had been unable to learn
their parts in English were the prin-
cipals. Now, Mr.. Goritz, whose anti
American vaporings during the period
Of the war, especially his ribald rejoic-
fngs at the first atrocity of the Ger
mans which struck home in every loyal
American heart, came to New York in
1908. He lived on American money
fourteen years and had had sixteen