New-York tribune., 1920-01-18
Harold Bauer
Gives Recital
On Pianoforte
Audience in Aeolian Hall
Enraptured as Artist
Reproduces Tones Known
Three Generations Ago
Real Educational Work
Modern Instrument Nearly
Approaches Perfection
Of Forgotten Harpsichord
By H. E. Krehbiel

Harold Bauer invited double meas
ure of gratitude from the lovers Of
n;anoforte music at his recital in
Aeosisn Hall yesterday afternoon; for
his exquisite playing. in the first place,
and for the interesting list of pieces
and TIE effective manner il which he
arranged them for the sake OF con-
.nst, in the second. He also gave
double measure of enjoyment.
Mr.. Bauer becan with Bach, but not
with Bach the Srganist transcribed.
The pisce was Toccata in D minor,
for c;asier. that term III the olden time
being +hs equivalent for harpsichord.
he Tad received the touch of an edi-
tors hand, but the reviser was Arthur
Whiting, who, having made study of
the archaic instrument, sought in
transcribing the music for the piano.
forte to reproduce upon the modern in
ssrument some Of the effects of tone
color and volume which originally were
achieved " the mechanical contriv-
snces with which the harpsichord was
provided-such as double unisons and
octaves. For these effects the harpsi-
chord had triple set of strings, one
set of half the normal length, and
triple action (quill-armed jacks) which
were brought into play by draw stops
like the registers of an organ.
Fine Educational Work
Except for the difference between the
tones Of the two instruments the music
sounded to the audience yesterday as
it sounded to the people of Bach's day,
which is not the case with the organ
pieces transcribed by List and others.
Mr.. Bauer, therefore, continued the
good educational work which he began
when ne payed some of the smaller
clavisr pieces Of the Thuringian mas
ter.
His second number was Schumann's
Fantasia" which he gave with won
drous charm. The third group, devoted
TO Schubert and Brahms, opened with
number of unfamiliar Landler, by
tie former Schubert composed about
thirty Of these dances, which were pub
fshed long after his death, in two sets,
one containing sixteen, the other
twenty. They are full of melodic
ensrn- mich Mr.. Bauer emphasized by
the toEa- beauty and grace with which
he played. He sacri1iced, we think,
some OF Ineir character as dances, Tor
the Landler, which was the precursor
Il the waltz, is dance of the country
solk in the Danubian regions, and we
associate it more readily with the
cater of hobnailed boots on the floors
q village inns than with the gliding
rc.ion OF dancing pumps in polite
halroor,s.
Audience Enraptured =.
However, Mr.. Bauer was not playing
ior dancing peasants, but enraptur,d
i.stsners. The first of the Brahms
numbers was the Bailade in D minor,
in which the composer gave vivid en-
Ylassion to the old ballad which British
foIklorists, as we'll as German, know
IS EDWARD:
Why dois your brand sac drap wi
biuid, Edward, Edward,
And why sac sad gang yee or"
to which Loewe gave vividly dra-
matte setting, and which lives in many
variants ("Lord Randall" "Tiranti,"
etc. on this side of the ocean. Mr.
Bauer also played the Intermezzo in
4 fiat and the Rhapsody in E fiat.
which sounded like q Schumannesque
echo.
His final group of pieces comprised
Csopin's "Barcarolle," Ravel's "Jeux
d'Eaux" and Alkan's "Etude en- Mouve-
ment Perpetuel"