New-York tribune., 1920-11-23
Musical Sky
Hanging Full
OF Fiddlers
Only Fly in the Ointment
Is That Not All Of Them
Produce Strains That Are
Productive of Pure JOY
Nasa Prihoda i'm Debut
Newcomer Has Grace. Ease,
Taste, Elegance and 9th
er Praiseworthy Charms
By H. f. Krehbiel

An old German conception of a re-
gion of bliss, preserved in a popular
saying. is that there the skies hang
full Of hddles-"Der limmcl hangt
voll Gegon!" New York is such a
Land of Cockaigne just now, the only
rift in the Lutte or fly in the ointment
being that not all of the music which
comes from the tiddles is productive
v The f' most est of it, indeed. if it brings a
feeling of pleasure at all. brings what
Gilbert calls modified rapture only.
1t is no longer possible to be carried
away by facts of technique, because
such feats are become so common that
they are accepted as a matter Of
course; they do not dazzle or bewilder,
they fail even to evoke surprise.
Vasa Prihoda Heard
1t is only when technical proficiency
is allied with qualities which tell Of
genuinely artistic instincts, when it
becomes means and not an end, that
it comes into its rights as an admi-
rable thing.
The latest violinist to be publicly
heard here is Nasa Prihoda, who gave a
concert in Carnegie Hall last night.
He was announced as a CZecho- -Slovak-
ian, but whether he is a Bohemian, d
Slovene or a Croatian was not men
toned, and it does not matter further
than to explain the rather unusual
character of the audience that gathered
to hear him.
1t was evident that an appeal had
gone out to a different element in the
city's population from that usually re-
lied on to fill our concert rooms when
an unknown artist makes his debut.
The newcomer has mastered the me-
chanical elements Of violin playing in
at least as thorough manner as any
of the artists who have preceded him
this season.
In a much higher degree than the
large majority of them he has learned
to put that proficiency in the service
of musical taste and elegance.
No Largeness of Caliber
1t is plain that he likes to astound
that he does, but he shows such pro
pensity more in an irrelevant flourish
of his bow at the end of a section OF
composition than in his playing. 1t is
a virtuosO'S gesture ard initiates
against him more than against his per-
formancc.
Largeness of caliber is not to be
found either in his tone or his style
but the former is marvellously clear
and beautiful and the latter continent
singular sense of intimacy pervaded
his performance of Tartini's "Devil's
Trill" sonata, an intimacy which would
we think, be found extremely ingra-
tiating in smaller auditorium than
Carnegie Hall. The same quality
marked his performance of Paganini's
Concerto in D, where we would will
ingly have sacrificed some of it for q
greater breadth of manner as we'll as
tone, but in this work there was i'm
peccable clarity of execution. which
cannot be said of his double trills in
the Tartni sonata. In these he was
disappointing, particularly on theil
first appearance.
Grace, ease, taste and elegance make
the charm of his playing, for that it is
charming can scarcely be galnsald
Perhaps more heart warming music
than that which he played last night
will disclose higher qualities.