Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-02-14
THE. CRITIC TALKS
TO MUSIC LOVERS
Weekly Comment on Things
Musical in Discriminating
Philadelphia

WHEN the Philadelphia Orchestra
and Chorus gave the first American
presentation of the Eighth Symphony of
Gustav Mailer some years ago, it was
declared that the feat then achieved by
MT. Stokowski and his men had put
Philadelphia on the musical map A
rev perhaps cynically disposed resi-
dentS OF this city, who had followed the
progress of the art here for many years,
were inclined to believe that the part
played by Philadelphia in the develop
ment of music had heretofore been quite
on level with that of some other great
cltles who are moderate in achievement
out excessive in noise
AT the same time it must be admitted
that this achievement of Mr.. Stokowski
probably did more than any other one
thing in the last thirty years to bring
Philadelphia prominently to the front
as great musical center, largely be-
cause of the great amount of publicity
Whlch resulted from IL as well as its dis
tinctive character musically.
But II the performance of the Mailer
Elghth did this, what is to be the effect
Oh the hrst American presentation of the
remarkably significant symphony THE
Bells by Rachmaninoff, which took
place in the Academy of Music last
week! 1t is true that the latter work
does not require the tremendous re-
sources, especially vocal, which the
'lahler demanded, and therefore it is far
more likely to have many more hearings
IN the future in other cities, for this
reason if for no other.
| PUT musically considered, the Racb-
- maninoff composition seems. after
three hearings, to be considerably in ad-
vance of the former named choral sym
phony. 1t always seemed doubtful to
the writer, who heard the work every
time it was given in Philadelphia,
whether the musical thoughts contained
IN Mahler's symphony fully justified the
enormous forces required to present it..
r, in fact, whether the genius of Mailer
made the employment of such forces
necessary.
But there can be little doubt in the
case of the Rachmaninoff symphony.
Mailer was writing far over the heads
of most of his hearers, and there was
even considerable doubt as to the exact
meaning of the work among the leading
musicians of the city, from both a psy :
Geological and musical viewpoint, a
doubt which the music itself did little
if anything to dispel
There can be no difference of opinion
as to the mastery musical workmanship
t Gustav Mailer and of his great learn :
ing. There may be decided difference
of opinion as to the musical value of
his thoughts and the manner in which
they are developed in the abstruse sub
ject which he chose for his work. Rach
maninoff. on the other hand has taken q
subject familiar to every one and he has
given it musical treatment which car
ries out in most striking and self
evident manner the thought of the poem
TT Is true that the lack of popular
L appeal in the Mailer symphony anC
the very immediate and powerful effect
which The Bells produced on two
audiences quite different in general mu
sical type does not in any way argue
against one nor for the other. But
there is a conference and a singleness OF
purpose about the Rachmaninoff work
which the other does not seem to DOS
!; sess. There is no attempt to overwheln
the hearers by sheer volume of sound
either orchestral or choral, a feelin!
which was not altogether absent in many
of the episodes of Mahler's work.
The briefest and most caustic commpn
of Mailer that the writer ever heard wa!
made by former player of the Phila
delphia Orchestra who had already re.
tired at that time to pursue another
branch of musical art. The converse
tion turned on the Eighth Symphony ;
day or so after the first performance
and the writer was attempting to de
scribe a few of the more salient point
to the other, who had not heard thu
work.
1.-THE Eighth symphony" the forme
player said. Where are the othe
seven?' And the writer was unable t,
tell him.
THE strongest point of the Rach
l. maninoff composition after few
hearings is that it retains all its beaut,
and thrill every time. 1t is evidentl,
composed with the sole idea of makini
the music fit the words and carry ou
as accurately As possible the thought
| expressed in the poem, and this it Ger
, tainly does. OF display for display
sake there is none. and musical work
| manship, orchestration and the thousan,
and one other points which enter int,
the composition of a work of this mag.
nitude take a place secondary to tn,
expression of the musical thought. The,
are used solely as means and neveI
as an end.
Another point in which The Bells
stands alone in the literature of chora
and orchestral music, at least in sucl
literature as is known to the ordinary
concertgoer, is that it is the only worl
in which the voices have prominent part
in all of the movements in this it is {
real symphony, and not a symphony
with a choral appendage.
If the writer's memory serves hin
correctly it was the great innovator
Beethoven, who first conceived the idea
of Choral symphony" the result
being the mighty Ninth, But even here
the voices are used only in the last OF
the four movements, the first three being
in regular orchestral symphonic form
The joining of the voice parts with the
orchestral movements, it is said, gave
Beethoven more trouble than anything
else connected with the composition OF
the work, the final solution being the
recitative for cellos and bassos. lead
ing to the Introductory baritone solo.
CINCE that time composers of chora
~ symphonies have followed the mode
of Beethoven, though not always witt