New-York tribune., 1920-06-06
By Katharine Wright

Certain articles by Paul Rosenfeld
that first appeared in "The DIAL" "Thc
New Republic" and "The Seven Arts"
magazines have been recast, ampiied
with new material and gathered into a
volume. Musical Postraits" (Harcourt,
Brace & Howc). The book is dedi-
Gated to Arthur Moore Williamson. The
composers discussed are Berlioz, Bloch,
Borodin, Debussy, Franck, List Loef-
fer, Mailer, Moussorgsky, Ornstein
ger, Schoenberg, Scriabin, Sibelius and
Stravinsky.
Most of the portraits are full length,
the place Of honor in the gallery being
occupied by Master Leo Ornstein This
alone would stamp Mr. Rosenfeld's
musical sanity as questionable. When
describing his favorite minstrel the
writer is not far behind the mood Of
James Gibbons Hunekcr's rhapsody on
Garden theme in "Bedouins" Ac-
cording to the Rosenfeld pean, Master
to the world of the modern city" "the
| spring as it comes up through the pave
ments, the aching green sap" Lazarus
emerging in his grave clothes into the
new world" "the resurrection of the
most entombed of spirits, that of the
outlaw European jew" "the breaking
down Of the walls with which the Jew
has blotted out hateful world"
Master Ornstein's music is "a thing
germane to all beings born into the
age Of steep; "the expression of all
men who have tried to embrace and
love the towering piles" And as if Mr.
Roscnfeld felt the need Of prop for
his opinions, he states that such an
authority as Ernest Bloch has declared
Ornstein to be the single composer IN
America who displays positive signs of
genius. In certain respects, if the quo
tation be accurate, it disposes of Mr..
Bloch and proclaims Messrs. Hadley,
Critics, Loeffler, Chadwick, Converse.
poor jackanapes!
Mr.. Rosenfeld complains with petu-
lance that the complete works of Mas
ter Ornstein have not had a hearing,
that preference has been given to the
foolish" war symphony by dIndy.
The Frenchman will no doubt consider
himself properly punished when he
finds himself excluded from the Rosen-
field portrait gallery.
1t seems, also, that scarcely a critic
has been able to express what it is
about his music that he likes or dis
likes And yet when it has been said
that Master Ornstein's music is pifflinr
what is there left to express? OF
what use to enlarge upon the terms
cacophonous, meretricious, insincere?
Master Ornstein's fate as a pianist
worries Mr.. Rosenfeld almost as much
as the lack of due recognition granted
his music. When he would be cducat
ing audiences with his own works and
an occasional scrap of Cyril Scott,
korngold or Scriabn, poor Master
Ornstein must needs accommodate the
public with List, Beethoven, Scnu-
mann, Chopin. And according to Mr..
Rosenfeld, "no one who does not love
them can play the Sonata Appassionata
or the Etudes Symphoniques or the
waltzes of Chopin long without becom.
ing dulled and spoiled"
Mr.. Rosenfeld finds Master Ornstein
speaking in accents that resemble
nothing quite so much as the savage
and woeful language of the Old Testa-
ment. But how much truer is this of
Ernest Bloch, for he indeed has hewn
out of his own experience musical
speech that rings with sincerity
! never approached by Master Ornstein's
dinful excursions into composition,
Witness the superb "Trois Poemes
Julves" and "Schelemo"
1t would seem that Mr.. Roscnfeld is
suffering from race consciousness. His