The Washington times., 1920-07-11
WALTZ NEVER TO
LOSE ITS LURE
Critic Disputes Theory That II Is
Dead-WiII Live For
ever, He Says. ..

Is the waltz dead. or doomed Who
says IL isG DR.. osksr Bic, the emil
nent Berlin critic. writes Henry T.
rinck in the New York Evening Post
Nj. Finck then summons many wit
nesses to his aid, and proves in his
own words and theirs many OF the
lures that the waltz has always had,
and will always continue 10 have. He
says:
The waltz is dead. Dr. Bic holds.
because II represents the period Of
romance which has come to an end
To this the editor OF the Etude re-
torts: 1T is easy to perceive how
any one living In Germany during
the past five years OF suffering and
priyAtl0n would become pessimlstic.
but, Dr. Bic, romance viii never die
the world Of men and women still is
q woNd of beauty, trust, confidence
and nobility. Do not be deceived IN
the cosmic fog which has enyeloped
the times, II Will rise and Gods sun
shine wilt once more smile for all,
mankind"
Just before this Berlin critic wrote
his ob!'usry notice OF the waltz. a IA
nous English critic, Ernest Newman,
wrote an article in which he declared
that the waltz viii always have for
humanity a charm that no other
dance possesses, other dances we
tolerate: the waltz is a necessity OF
life. II is difficult to realize that
there was a time when the waltz was
not. just as there was time when
tobacco, so far as Europe is concern
ed. was not.
JUST TESTIMONY.
But that is simply Testimony to
the worth or the waltz: nature tried
oh In
things--women, wine. tobacco, birds
and flowers-snd then she made the
waltz. The composers as well as the
public have all been enanoured OF It;
] think ! am correct in saying that
there is no other dance form they
have so persistentIy delighted in
I'm the days when the waltz was
just beginning to rear its timid head.
Mozart and Beethoven condescended
to be aware OF it's existence Since
then Schubert. Weber. Schumann,
Brahms. Chopin, Wagner Susdss,
fchaikovsky, Berlioz, Debussy, Rsvel.
GlaZeunov--to name only few OF
the men who have made, musical his
tory-have all dallied with the waltz
at same time or other
The symphony, the oratorio, the
opera may pass away. Mr.. Newman
declares. but never viii men and
I
OF good waltz
Again and again referred to tN"
great composers who delighted IN
writing waltzes; to Chopin. who idea
zed the waltz making II NJ fO'
fairies and humming birds TO dance
TO- to Schubert, who spent whole
nights at the piano improvising
valscs for his dancing friends. ana
who once exclaimed, when a police
, man ordered the dancing TO cease be.
cause it was Lent: They do that just
| to spite me, because they know how
J love to improvse dance music" 10
Johann STRAUSS. who made all the
dancing world delirious with his in
toXicatinE melodies and rhythms; IT,
Brahmt. who expressed regret that
! he himself had not composed the
Blue Danube" and some OF whose
/ own .vsiscs are as good in their way
a. strauss TO Wagner who also
adored Strauss and introduced 4
| waltz in his opera Tho MsstcrsinS-
"ls:" 10 Tchaikovskr. Who boldly in
serted vaise in a symphony: to Hans
Won RuloV. who declared that waltzos
are as desirable IN concert pro-
gram as relishos IN dinner menu;
: and so on
THEY'RE RUN LOT.
! Performing musicians are rum
, lot. They seem to think II is al
( right to play old and obsolete dances
! Of the seventeenth and eighteenth
| centuries--gavottes. minutes, cour
! antcs. sllemandes. rissudops. sara
! handes, psvanes and the rest OF Their;
! but living. palpitsting: eXhilarating
waltz they keep out of'conccrt halls
from an altogether foolish idea that
il is "undignited" 10 play it.
When Emil Paur was conductor Of
( the Boston symphony Orchestra he
once arranged a program for New