Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-11-27
THE CRITIC TALKS
TO MUSIC LOVERS
WITH the concerts of the Philadelphia

MYTH the concerts of the Philadelphia
/ w Orchestra next Friday and satur-
day the Philadelphia Orchestra Chorus
VIII make its first appearance OF the
season In the Beethoven Ninth SYM
phony. The Ninth was given at the
/ close OF the last season, and the usual
| discussion ragged for some days as TO
its exact place In the somewhat limited
| literature FOR chorus and orchestra As
y the situation In all cases OF musical
| dispute, there were offensive partlaans"
| on both sides and each displayed the In
tolerance OF the views OF their opponents,
which is almost always manifested when
musicians disagree.
! Probably each has something OF jus.
tice In his argument NO one can
reasonably contest the greatness OF the
/ especially In the orchestral parts hut. on
! the other hand. II cannot be denied that
! Beethoven was not one OF the great COM
| posers for the voice, which he, as rule:
! treated very much after the manner or
an orchestral instrument Beethoven,
with few exceptions, wrote lovingly FOR
| almost every instrument In the orches-
ira this does not mean that the parts
are easy. COR they are not. In many IN
stances. but the difficulties which he In
| PRODUCES are Legitimate ones-that rs,
thev are fully Justified nv the effects
which he produces by their use.
DUT not even the most enthusiastic
- singer can Justly claim that the
| same consideration Ia shown to the vocal
| parts In his great works for chorus ana
| orchestra. In many cases the voice parts
| are almost unsingable. and the Ninth
| SYMPHONY is no exception to this rule
| indeed, II stands reasonably high among
the instances which go to make the rule
almost without exception.
/ A tho fiDNa the Ninth symphony
must be classed among the three greatest
works for chorus and orchestra. the two
others being the Bach y minor mass
and the Brahms Requiem. Perhaps II
| low got tho famous "thr"" Bs' w.,
Is, Bach. Beethoven and Brahms. which
drove the ultra Wagnerites ana Antl-
Brahmsites of Bermnny nearly 10
mulgated However. II the casual
| reader will take the trouble 20 observe
the number of times that Beethoven aud
Brahms appear on the symphonic pro
grams OF the great 9rchestr,sSs as. OF ro,,rss ,n,s
o" a season he may be convinced that
there might be something IN what Won
Bulow said, at that. or course there
Is no question as to Bach. .,.,,,
1t is understood that Mr.. Stokowski
Intends TO give the Brahms Nequiem
later in the season with the chorus II
has not been performed here for ions
time, and II takes about as adequate a
SHUS SIntS symphony Itself. The compost
ton was written by Brahms shortly atter
the death of his mother ana was IN
tended as n tribute to her memory.
was composed comparatively carry III iIs
creative career and was TN work "h'n
definitely placed him among me great
composers.
THE ever.increasing success of the
l. Philadelphia Orchestra is naturally
| n matter OF great pride TO every Phlla-
| delphian and the production or these
| great choral works among the o'ners
which 20 to make up the season pro
| rams, not only makes for the create,
| success OF the orchestra at nome hnu
abroad, but gives to our own nussj. nu9.J.
| lovers an opportunity to hear conipos,,,
tions in the very largest forms which II
would be otherwise impossible 10 near
! New York has had the good fortune "
the past TO share this WIN th'tnu",, nnn,,,
! phia, hut our own orchestra Is aoou'
! The only one which ever takes its at'
tendant chorus out Of the city lot a
! concert Thus New Go'k mas w!Sili
| the last few years. heard the Man.c,
| Eighth symphony and Rachmaninon
':rbe Bells" both performed there D.
| the Philadelphia Orchestra ana Chorus
! The really great literature for chorus
! and orchestra 10 probably very muS[
smaller than for any OF the vrse U,mr' tSsrs
pnya heen Thousands of works composed
! for this combination. but there are com
! naratively few which have stood w
under the test OF the years: sonstSinSS S
for chorus (solo voices included, as
matter OF course). but they were Srn
| orally cantatas having TO do WIN soin'
specific event and nearly nearly at, ~, % Pho 'TTw Fcu
| that h;l 20 survived 1t Is the good tortuil'
OF the Philadelphia concert-goers ina
we can hear them performed BY thor'
oughly capable orchestra ana c"orus'
T,HE commentator for one OF INT
J. greatest string uuartets In tn" worlt
now playing seems to have particular
fondness for the anecdote TO the eHec'
& that "A certain noOlemnn, on hearing ono
! of the six QuHrtets dedicated TO haydt
! nv Mozart, tore up the parts when he
! found that the highly spccd harmony
| (for that time) was actually in the par's
, twice In their program notes IN Ph'Ia'
delphla the commentator has alluded tC
N the Incident and said that II occurred
, in the quartet then to be performed.
| As matter Of fact the quartet II
| question has not heen played In this
! city publicly since the lost years OF the
| Kneisal Quartet The irate noblemar
/ was Prince Grassalkowics. Polish aris
! tocrat. very |ond of the string quartet
! wherein he differed Conspicuouslr IRON
| most OF today's noblemen, hut apparently
somewhat sensitive as to just what wa.
/ being played and delicate as 10 harmonic
innovation, Tho quartet which caused
the outburst OF wrath eliminating In tho
/ tearing up OF the parts was IN" intro
! fuCtion 70 the G major. the false rela
I tIors," which are in dispute even today
> among theorists. although tn" quartet
! was composed almost l50 years ago
! The Imagination can scarcely con
! ceIye what might have happened had the
I sensitive Polish prince heard N" Guarte'
! Of Ravel or even that OF D"bussv. &c
say nothing OF the more modern
ones where cacophOny II the rule and
a consonant choral an exception.
Instead OF venting his anger upon the
/ music the prince would probably hav'
/ Included thr performers In the list
/ Verify quartet playing has always had
J It's risks formerly Il seems 10 have beer
| physical--now II Is merely financial.
| GRAND opera seems 10 be making &
! VI lct OF nr0rrrss IN this country ir
spite NJ the fact that. Ike chamber
music concerts. II is virtually foreOr,
/ dained 70 monetary loss. In SHr
4 Francisco II has been announced tha,
| the hackers Of POlacco have ALREADY
raised $4,000. ono Of the fund needed &c
! make the oDeratic venture n success
and that the remaining 100000 vii
soon be guaranteed,
However this IL opera by the grace oi
/ the rich men Of the city and not by vir,
tue OF the attendance Of the lovers Of
this |orm Of the musical art. II tht