The New York herald., 1921-04-03


CLANS: A Course in Appreciation for
Young Readers.
THE LISTENERS GUIDE TO MUSIC.
Both books by Percy A. Scholes. Ok
ford University Press.
Music is the most direct of the arts.
No symbol is interposed between the
impulse from the singer or player and
the receptive nerves of the hearer.
The nature of a symphony cannot be
realized by looking at an orchestra
conductor. no matter how gracefully
ar dynamically he moves his baton
The spirit of a song cannot be con-
veyed through print or any other
medium. In short, the only way to
know music is to hear music.
Nevertheless, books may do much to
increase the number OF intelligent con-
cert goers and to stimulate the exer-
else of this joyous gift in home and
social life No country in the world
has made more rapid progress in musi-
cal appreciation than America. And
there is a public eager to learn and
to grow. Tt is only necessary to en-
courage and to suggest ways and
means.
position but there has been for CEN
turies an intelligent audience, well
come for musicians, in the British
isles. The books from that source are
well adapted for general reading. Mr..
Scholes puts the plea for intelligence
very effectively in his reference to
1clstoy. However great the Russian
vas. he erred in relation to music.
ct, MI yr,.ita Mr..
Scholes, "Tolstoy could understand:
a sonata or symphony was beyond
him. Tolstoy would abolish all COM
plex,- music because the plain man
cannot grasp it at a sitting. The as
sumption of the present book is that
it is better to abolish the plain man
as plain man. There is world Of
beauty lying just beyond that plain
mans reach; 1t is worth little striv-
ing on his part to find the way to that
world and enter in. The symphony
is but the folk song developed"
The author explains the nature Of
sonata. symphony, oratorio and opera,
discussing also the nature of the or
chestra and OF individual orchestral
instruments. The book contains con-
cert goers' glossary of musical terms.
Tn the Book Of Great Musicians"
disproportionate attention is paid to
hose who were born in or who visited
England. But used with other more
comprehensive works this may be a
valuable supplement The style is
well adapted to children. Here is the
passage on the most famous living
English composer. He had seen for
the first time a copy of Beethoven's
First symphony:
"And as Elgar looked at the first
page Of this scherzo he suddenly felt
on fire with excitement. He had never
& seen such a piece before, and rushed
off with the book under his arm to
study 1t in quietness. With six chill
dren about ii a house is rather noisy,
as some Of you may have experienced,
but Elgar found a quiet place outside.
and there he stayed reading this mar
vellous music through. over and over
again. and taking in its harmonies
and modulations.
"If YOU look carefully at the page
of music given you will find it begins
in key c. but 'modulates' by the time
il gets to the double bar into key @.
Then comes a modulation into + flat,
followed by one into G minor. A flat
follows. and before long II is in ID flat.
AS those Of you who know something
OF the theory Of music will agree, II
has now travelled q very long way in
very short time These modulations
Nare very romantic When the piece
Is well played they make you feel
quite excited You win see that
Beethoven inspired Elgar. and per-
haps in future times il will be re-
corded that Elgar insnired you or some
other boy or girl For music is like
measles in one way--it is catching.
Now that Elgar had become really
keen about music he began to teach
himself to play all the instruments on
which ne could lay hands. He became
pianist and i'm later years had
reputation about Worcester as an ac-
companist. He played the organ too,
and was able to take his fathers place
MT the church when necessary. The
yioloncello and the double bass he also
played pretty we'll and when the or
chestral society gave n symphony by
Mozart or HAYDN he would play one of
these instruments.
"Then, too, Elgar learned to play
the bassoon and with four friends
made up a quintet.
But Elgar's chief instrument was
the violin He worked hard at this
and became a very good player. And
for years 10 come he was known not
as composer but as a violinist.
zone OF the finest works Elgar has
over written Is a violin concerto. II
ever you have a chance be sure 10
hear this. When you do so you will
realize that IL is work that could
never have been written by anv COM
poser who had not besn a violinist.
All the powers OF tho Violin are used
in It. and II is perhaps the most diff
cult violin piece ever written.
Besides studying these various in
struments Egar worked at the theory
OF music, You must remember that
his success Is not due merely 20 his
being born with musical genius and
brought up In a musical atmosphere
Ala ..~%kn n.,..~~ -.