The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-17
That Which Once Seemed
MonstrOuS in His Work Has
Now Been Accepted.
BY w. j. HENDERSON.

BY w. y. HENDEHSON.
TIME revival Of the music Of Rich
are Strauss by the National
Symphony Orchestra under
the vivid inspiration of Mr.. Bodan-
zky's baton was one of the most sig
nificant items in an important con-
cert. Lawrence Gilman. who is again
writing the stimulating programme
notes for these entertainments, re-
ferred with propriety to the restora-
ton Of Death and TRANSPORTATION"
to the London concert stage last
march and quoted the comment of
Ernest Newman, the foremost OF con-
tamporaneous British critics.
However. in this instance Mr.. New
man wrote merely the inevitable. He
found that twenty years ago people
were shocked by parts of this music,
which to-day is accepted in every
concert room as blandly as the Tam
haeuser' overture" Some of us did
cherish the belief that this overture
could never be received "blandly," but
let that pass. Mr.. Gilman, rejecting
on Mr.. Newman's remarks, said:
THAT which once seemed morbid
and outrageous has faded out Of 1t;
that which IS nobly perturbing, nobly
pitiful, remains, and we confront the
singularly eloquent meditations Of
poet brooding tragically upon death
and crying out with sombre passion:
"'Oh, earth, art thou not weary of
thy graves""
Yes. we grow accustomed to every
thing Wagner, who affrighted the ma
tons forty years ago, now roars as
gently as the sucking dove. Apd that
which once seemed monstrous in
Strauss, the tumultuous sensualism Of
his style. the passionate screaming of
his harmonies. the dizzy whirlpool of
his orchestration and the stormy con-
flicts of his crossed counterpoints. all
these have beon accepted, perhaps not
yet blandly, but doubtless without reser-
vations.> senatorial or otherwise.
MateriaIism Not Disguised.
. About the source of Mr.. STRAUSS In
spiration about the themes which he has
selected for musical exposition there
probably still exists some difference OF
opinion. and we have faint hope that
the irreconcilables will ever assent to
the declaration of Mr.. Gilman. In the
death pages of the work played on
october they will continue to find
gross materiallsm not successfully dis
guised in the gorgeous robes of music.
= But this is a matter of little moment.
The strange difference betwixt tweedle-
DUN and tweedledee will exist as long
as the art of music. 1t Is an entirely
healthful irritation and should be cher
ished with loving care. Meanwhile this
same Mr.. Newman whom Mr.. Gilman
quotes has lately given publicity to some
remarks not entirely unrelated to this
subject. Young Britain has set It's heel
upon the neck of Mendelssohn and
raised aloft the banner of Stravinslky..
And Mr.. Newman suddenly discovers
that what Tennyson said about the seed
was true. Now every one has II.
Richard Strauss was a revelation. Now
every little piper Of echoes can write tone
poems la Strauss. Stravinsky was a
revelation. and now the Daisy Ashforths
OF English music are prattling glibly
nfter the manner of ''Petrouchka-" First
there is a young woman barely out of
teens. Miss Dorothy Howell, who COM
poses n symphonic poem entitled
LAMA with such easy mastery OF the
form that Mr.. Newman shakes his head
over the disconcerting simplicity Of the
achievement
He says that Miss Howelrs ideas wore
not original but the workmanship was
beyond reproach. THE Inference was"
he continues. that this sort of EXPIRES
sive' music Is played out expression Of
this type is only a trick that any clever
musician can learn. n bundle of formu-
lao that any clever student can exploit"
Here, them In something that remains Of
the Liszt symphonic poem as more
lately amplified into tone poem by Mr..
Strauss.