The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-01-12


certain formulas.
"a mother interesting Letter,
An interesting letter to the music
scribe Of THE Sun dlscloses this atti-
tude:
Sir-Twice in one week Jascha Hell
fetz essayed to play the Brahms
Concerto, and succeeded in reveal
ing the beauties of the violin rather
IMAM the depth of the composition
the latter being OF an esoteric quail
ity
Let ladies sing his praises, lacry-
mosa, ard critics fish uneasily for
superIativcs; Heifetz Che Of Davidic
descent but OF Greek poisel Is an
eNocation OF an art that poets have
srazed in midnight madness: and
or perfection in the seeking of
which men have battered their heads
against four dimensioned walls.
From Sakyamuni TO Meister Eek
hardt, from the Cpanshads TO
Beethoven Quartette, We have been
warned against that sharp unfath-
omaole pain which accompanies the
perception OF the infinite. That stab
or twilight. that piercing ecstacy. Is
experienced at rare moments in the
playing Of Heifetz They give TO us
n feeling OF gertrude that in some
realm. over and above any universe
OF discourse. the transcenloutal and
the iniirlte have a real existence,
Picturesque in style, with an in
nate sense for musical architecture
with mastery restraint Of nerves
never departing by one jot from
good taste. this genius by grace Of
nature transtigures his instrument,
until the wood dances in Rembrandt
gold and the strings seem to have
been dipped in sunsets.
Pe!lucid. ever noble. he draws from
the strings sorority and n round
ness that suggests tho echo organ.
The whole tone IS a flying perfect.
II scars, aspires. mis- olt in eloquent
unison, then subdiyides and erupts
into dazzling runs. into swift transi-
lions OF phrase and mood; or de-
scends with a miraculous dynamic
into the depths OF the G string,
which sings like an instrument in
itself.
The uniqueness OF Heifet5 lies in
his uncanny control over the me-
chanics Of violin playing, which re-
suits in greater beauty. in a more
sustained stream of song than in the
playing of his contemporaries. Pro-
found intellection is not in him: nor
the nalady of th!nking--in which
he Is parallel line to the genius Of
Josef Hofmann, whose balance and
beauty likewise transfgure a me-
chanical instrument.
Heifetz is n great instrumentalist
rather than a creative interpreter.
This is less OF a drawback in tho
case Of a violinist than in the in
stance OF pianist; for violin litera-
ture Is not the gateway to the AR
cana Arcanorurn." We may then
rejotce that the composer does the
thinking FOR He.fotz- Should he de-
velop greater interpretat!ve powers
violin playing may enter upon a new
epoch. FREDERICK ~. SARD,
Heifetz had prematurcly risen from
an attack OF influenza when h
emerged to play Brahms and he SUI
fered a relapse. The writer OF the let
ter, however, should not deny grea
interpretativo powers to this you'll
Just because he did not make a sue
cess with Brahms.
Has Only Two OF Formula,
This letter contains not less tina
two OF the established formula. On
teaches that all artists possessed O
the highest technic arc deficient Il
emotion. Only those who cannot per
form perfectly throb with feeling. Thi
remarkable belief has been closely hel
by a large body Of music lovers fror
time immemorial.
The other is that Josef Hoffman
rlays only with superficial beaut.
This belief has survived all changes l
his art. He played with mere beaut
perhaps fifteen years ago; but there
no professional musician or critic VIII
does not recognize the fact that with
in the last ten years he has mad
! enormous advances into the soul {
music.
! Imagination alone can understan
imagination. 1t is the fate Of genir
| to be misunderstood. Indeed 1t ha
been said that only genius can under
stand genius. Let us hope that Is m