New-York tribune., 1920-10-27
New Italian
Music Heard
By New York
Compositions of Casella
Presented by Stokowski
and Philadelphia Orches-
ira Provide an Innovation
Reflects World Spirit
Works Born of Attempt to
Delineate Chickering'S of
a War.Maddened People
By II. E. Krehbiel

Mr.. Stokowsli and the Philadelphia
Orchsstra gave the New York public
an Opportunity to hear some of the
new sort of music which is making by
q few daring, unscrupulously daring,
young men in Italy just now. Orches-
trail music has never had hsbitation
in Goethe's land of the blossoming
citron and orange. 1t was the cradle
of the opera. the nursery of church
music undefiled and the garden in
which violin and organ music first
put forth their fragrant blooms. The
cradle Of music once, it, somebody has
said, has remained the cradle of the
art. In respect of what for more than
e century and half has been consid-
ered the highes. manifestation, it has
been practically barren.
Sgambati, Martucci and few others
lsve ventured into the field of cham
ler music and the symphony, tenta
lively, timidly and without success.
Their works came, passed and left no
sjgn. The child that has been born
OF the spiri. pervading the world to-
Cay is an ur.ruly and boisterous brat,
an offspring of the Neapolitan slums
rceking with the blood and filth which
fluctified operas like IA basso Porto,'
which New York heard. and few COM
Ianons from the hearing of which we
have been spared by benevolent and
and praise and gratitude in sacula
saculorum, world without end Amen.
Casella Widely Heralded
Last week we listened to Charpen-
tiers impressions Of Italy, a compo-
sition by young Frenchman fresh
from the Conservatoire, whose sense Of
euphony was unspoiled and whose mind
was tremulousiy receptive to the sights
and sounds OF the and to which he
had been sent that his Imagination
might feed on the glories of its his
toric past and the natural beauties which
shall endure forever. From his fresh un-
constrained composition full the fruits
OF true creative genius, beautiful sounds
arose like a fragrant eXhalation, de-
lighting the ear. quickening the fancy,
stirring the emotions and evoking the
images which are Italy
Are those images only dream
The composer who provided the food
-ol ~!.clssion at last nights concert
would seem to want us to think so.
His name is Casella and critics who
have pushed forward so inpetuously
y
cry of the world Of art in which clar-
ity, beauty, euphony. symmetry and
the supreme aesthetic law Of repose,
have hailed him genius. We heard
some Of his compositions a year or
so ago at d concert of the Symphony
Society In them he tried to make
cirema pictures with pictures
of porderous engines of war, creaking
clanking and laundering over the
eroauing ground.
lie tortured the instruments of the
band UuOl they gave out shricks which
mockcd the noises Of tremendous trac-
tors The composition which we heard
last night he called rhapsody and
entitled it italia"
Made Up Of Folk Tunes
We have no desire to attempt to
analyze il here. Analysis should be for
the professional eye alone. Let it suf-
fec that it is made up out of Italian
folk tunes, only one of which was
familiar, but was so perverted in time
and rhythm. so beaten, bclabored
bruised, cloutcd and cudgeled, that it
was as piteous to behold as Dor
QUiXote after his encounter with the
windmils. 1t was Denza's "Funiculi
funicula.'
This brisk little tune was so bcset
by other themes, so mred in different
keys and muddy. dissonant harmonies
so rackcd and pulled out OF shape and
blown about by the blatant brass, that
its own father would not have recog
ni7ed H.
OF the other tunes. only one brought
surceasc to suffering car-drums and
suggested an cvocation OF beauty. Ii
was an Easter hymn, sung by the Eng
llsh horn to murmurs which were sof,
though not soothing
Perhaps Signor Casella is attempt
ing to dclineate the chickering's of =
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