New-York tribune., 1921-10-23
Schubert's Music Feature of
Operetta at the Ambassador
Romance of the Composer Illustrated by Ex.
cerpts From His Music i'm
Blossom Time

"oo Infatuated WIN Jho Countess
Caroline, whom he had known as g.
child. One Of the latest of Schubert's
English biographers, Mr.. Z. Duncan.
unwittingly gave him another and un-
known love by mistranslating some
lines Of Bauernfeld:
"Verliebt war Schubert; der Schilerin
Galt's, elmer der jungen Comtessen.n -
etc.
The plain meaning of these lines is
that Schubert was in love with pupil.
one Of the young countesses. Mr. Dun
can, unfamiliar with q perfectly !dio-
matic German, translates:
In love with countess Of youthful
grace--a pupil of Galt's," etc,
creating new relationship and a new
pedagogue at single blow.
The Treatment Accorded
Schubert's Music in the Operetta
1t is the schubertian melody which
has been used in "BlossqR Time"
which makes it bloom like RISE in the
arid desert of Broadway's musical
shows. We wish that some of the
melodies had been left untouched bv
the hand of the man who made the
score. His was happy conceit Of illus
tratlng story of the composer with
excerpts from his music, but we wish
that he had presented some of it in the
original package-to use a commercial
phrase. He uses a few we'll known
melodies In whole and constructs tunes
OF his own for ensembles and entr'-acts
out of phrases borrowed from less
familiar works. Thus the song which
throughout the operetta tells of the
composers love-longing has for its
basic motive the second subject of the
minor symphony. He draws on the
second movement Of that exquisite
torso for another theme, which he
handles deftly enough, but in one IN
stance transforms it into the opening
period of what used to be (and in spite
of all changes in political systems al
ways will be) the Russian national
hymn. Putting Schubcrt's inspirations
through the operetta sieve, he has
altered tempo and rhythm till many of
he has mixed them with strains of his
own, which are clever enough but
which would never by themselves have
carried the operetta to success. He
has made excellent use of the Marche
Milftaire in D, for pianoforte four
hands, to which Liszt and Leopold
Damrosch gave an orchestral integu-
lnent that fitted it for the concert
room. Out of the song "Ungeduld" he
has wrought an ensemble which (large-
ly because of the excellent singing OF
Howard Marsh) ia SO effective that 1t
won q double call for repetition on the
night when we made belated visit to
the theater. The serenade "Leise fich-
larger number of and more varied tran
scriptions than any other Of Schubert's
songs (from q chorus for male voices
to solo for zither), has had to suffer
another with violin obbligato, which
might make better appeal If the
obbligato were left to the player .on
the stage and tho orchestra were con-
fined to the accompaniment. The Song
to the Virgin" from Scott's "LaAN of
the Lake" also set as an ensemble TO
delineate the composer in moment of
inspiration, is sung by invisible sing
ers and makes only feeble effect.
Piece Composed in Period
OF Play Neatly Introduced
The Moment Musicale, op. 81, No. 3,
with its gypsy tinge, is neatly intro
duced and is recommended by the fact
that it was really composed in the
period in which the comedy plays. 1t
is the only piece which has such chro-
biological justification. Not for the
sake of quarreling with the librettisty
but only because it is an interesting
historical fact, do we call attention TO
the fact that the incident of a sue
cessful production OF his symphony
which cheers the last moments of the
hero of the play is q Grass anachron-
ism. If the Il minor Symphony is
meant. It was not composed in Schu-
hert's last year on earths but six years
earlier. II was not sent to the Society