New-York tribune., 1920-10-31
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Reflections Concerning the
Development of Italian Music
o. G. Sonnecks Survey of Conditions in Italy; Scar
city of Instrumental Music; Casella
and the Modernists

few years later they were interna-
tional In scope and spirit.
We cannot trace the progress of IN
strumental music in other cities. As
yet, we fancy that outside of the places
mentioned its cultivation is still in the
hands of small organizations. largely
private clubs. Writing in 1900 Mr..
Sonneck observed with something like
prescience:
ut were we'll If the quartet associa-
tlons should decide to abandon. first Of
all, their character as private clubs.
and then to moderate their Teutoma-
MIA SO that more Italian manuscripts
might see the light. BY such means
the interest in concert music might be
earned down among the people, for the
upper ten thousand are not invariably
the real banner-bearers Of progress
Above all, however, it would soon he
evident that plenty of symphonies and
quartets are composed. In these
spheres an unexpected increase in pro-
duct1on would be seen. And it is more
tnan probable that from among the
mass of insignificant works destined
for the dust heap q certain number
would emerge worthy to be set along
side of those by Sgambatti Maruucci
and Bcssi Who can say that the ar
tlstlc revival of italy would then not 20
hand In hand with her material prog
ress? Who can say that Italy would
not again become, even in music, one
of the Great Powers?"
Italian Works Heard Here in the Past
Considering how little the Italians
have themselves done for the instru-
mental music Of Italian composers, it
is little to be wondered at that so lit
tie of that music has been heard in
New York. The overture to "William
Telp' has, of course, been with US ever
since we have had orchestras to play
it. Long ago, too, in what is begin
ming to loom up in our mind as the
golden age Of symphonic concerts, we
used to hear occasionally an overture
by Cherubini ("Lodoiska," Les Aben-
ciragcs," "Anacreon," "Lea deux
Journees," "Fanisks"). Bazzini's over
ture, King Lear" was played by
Theodore Thomass Orchestra in 1885,
Sgambati's Symphony somewhere about
the same time. Then there came a
long interregnum touching which our
memory Is blank in this respect.
When Walter Damrosch occupied a
brief space In the history Of the Phil
harmonic Society, he gave us Caetani's
Prelude in E major. Under Mahler's
artistic administration Of the same
society we heard Bossi's intermezz
"Goldoniani," Busoni's "Berccuse ele-
giaque' and suite-"Turandot," Sini-
gagllas LIE Barufe Chiozete"-the
the last three compositions at a con-
cert which Mailer designed to be an
Italian one, but which he filled out
with Mendelssohn's "Italiann sym-
phony.
We are relying on our memory for
these data and are no doubt omitting
few compositions which did not leave
a deep enough impression to be re-
tanned. In February, 1919, Mr.. Walter
Damrosch brought forward Casella's
"Films" and Mr.. Stransky Respighis
Fountains of Rome"
The Younger School of Composers
The performance of Casella's Italia"
by the Philadelphia Orchestra last
Tuesday evening aroused the recollcc-
ton of the dreadful thing to which Mr..
DamIosch gave hear rs last year. We
should have been glad had the mem
ory gone to sleep forever and would as
lief sit in a boilershop for the same
length of time as hear two of the pieces
again. If this be music then the music
OF hundred electric riveters at work
could do no more damage to our ear
drums or give more offense to our
artistic sensihi!ities than did the roar
ing, rumbliAg, creaking, clanking, clat-
tering noises which Mr.. Damrosch
dragged out of the orchestra and which
were supposed to evoke within US the
image Of the passing by of battery
of German howitzers. Besides, we do
not wish to have such an image evoked
IN the concert room. The noises
which the same composer made in his
alleged effort to publish his impress
sions OF Italy were no better, and we
find no ex.enuation in the composers
statement that he tried in writing the