New-York tribune., 1921-11-06
- In the World of Music and Musicians
Richard Strauss, Composer,
I'm Profession and Practice
When He Is and When He Il Not Programmatist;
The Family Group in His "Domestic Symphony
and the Red-Haired Lady in ssDon JUAN
BY II. {. Krehb;el

Cy AAs L-e SAIGn0acl
"I would have sworn his disposition
vcuid have gone to the truth o. his
words; but they do no more adhess ard
aeep place together than tho Hcndra.h
PSALM TO the tuHe Of Green Sleeves"
Merry Wives Of Windsor: III, I.
20 jest unseen, inscrutsble, invisible
As nose on 4 mans face. or \
weathercocS on . steeple!"
Two Gentlemen Of Verona: II, /.
We have heaTd, We think, all of Rich
ard Strsuss's orchestral music from his
symphony in F, which was performed IN
New York as long ago as December Is,
1854, down to his Alpine" symphony.
Ne have heard the earliest, as we'll as
he 'atest Of his symphonic poems, in
which he departed from the @sthctic
principles which he followed in his
arst symphony, his serenade for wind
Instruments and hia sonatas for piano
iorte and violoncello and pianoforte
and horn and followed the lead of
Liszt into the programmatic field. Fer
3 generation We have observed how
nth each production he has employed
he same device to irritSte popular I'M
tercst and curiosity. The device was as
obvious "as nose on mans face or
q weathercock on stesple," but it
served, it accomplished its purpose.
The late Mr.. Mailer saw its efficacy
and sdontsd.it; the present air. Casella
IS stretching his legs in an effort to
plant his shoes in the footprints of his
prodigious predecessors.
\ Program Composer
Objects to Programs
Whenever we re:d of the appearance
OF a new work by Strauss in Germany
ve read that, though it bore title, it's
somposer did not wish to have it list
cned to as programmatic; that is, de-
ineative Of external things, descrip-
i've OF incidents, but as music, pure
md simple. He protested against ana
.ytical notes accompanying It's perform
shce. but shortly afterward there al
aya appeared from some pen, obvious
) rienariiy inspired, a detailed de-
scrption of the work, together with an
position of the composers purposes,
OF the train Of thought which had ac-
ompanied, provoked or evoked the
composition. In the case OF tAe most
del lgntful Of his symphonic poems,
TIL Eulenspiegei's Merry Franks"
when it had its first production in CO.
ogna. he wrote to the conductor that
le could net provide him with aa ex-
alan2tory commentary and added that
Il ne were TO give verbal expression to
he thoughts which it's incidents sug-
sssted to MIN they would seldom suf-
ice fer the public and might even oc-
casion oifense. AL that he was willing
. GO was to point out the two chief
motives o. the work, identify them with
he hero Of the old tale, whom readers
4 old English literature know as Owl
class, and intimate that the hearers
night note IN the music that the rogue
came to the gailows at last. Let the
public guess at the rest. or, as he put it,
crack the hard nut" which the rogue
aad put between their teeth. But when
nc Inevitable programmatic analysis
appeared the commentator, with the
composers help, invited the public to
scc with the minds car Till smashing
erocNery IN the market place, making
owe, receiving the mi.ten, mocking
pair of pedants and coming to bad