The New York herald., 1921-12-25

with these words. Il ADMIRE the
worss of Richard Wagner profoundly
in spite of their eccentricitiea. They
are superior and powerful, which
suffices for me. But have never be-
longed / do not belong, and l never
shall belong to the Wagnerian re-
l1igion."
he Admiration Becomes Reserved.
. This is a rational position. How
ever, 1t will be remembered by those
q who study the history of dead en-
thusiasms that about the time when
the music of Wagner began to make
numerous appearances in the pro-
grams of the Colonne and Lamoureux
concerts the public proclamation OF
. M. Saint-Saenss admiration for 1t be-
came exceedingly reserved, and was
indeed followed by words which could
without formidable effort be construed
into a reeantation. 1t seemed an un-
necessary recantation. too. for there
was always plenty of room in the
Kingdom of music for both of these
masters. Neither was likely to crowd
the other. ..,,,,.,
an his own land Saint Sachs was
always regarded as a most fecund
writer. Lavignac, whose naivete is
always engaging, descants nellifiu-
ously on the independence Of Saint
Saens from the old masters. whom
he studied only to his advantage. He
and Massenet. for instance, both
adored Mozart, yet in how little do
their styles resemble each otherl In
how much less do they resemble
Mozart! Doubtless, too, Saint-Saens
studied Beethoven. Probably like
many other composers he studied the
sketch books. In these Beethoven
showed US just how he did 1t, and lol
no one could master the trick.
Cruel things have been said Of M.
Saint -Saens by some Of his own coun-
.trymen. Arthur Pougin wrote sup
plement to Fetis's Geographic Uni
1Nerselle des Musiciens" bringing II
down to date, and in 1t he einbalmed
M. Saint-Saens for all future ex-
plorers OF literary catacombs:
"Le temperament musical de M
Saint-Saens," he asserted, "est sec.
X.
dresse. de sentiment ct de passion"
Unlxind ana Untrue.
This is not only unkind but it is un-
true. Who that has heard Samson
ct Dalila" will venture to assert that
I Saint-Saens Is devoid of sentiment?
Have we not invigorated our jaded
,ofJ 90
passion, Mon occur s'ouvre a Ia
voix"? Go to, M. Pougin! Where find
you more sentiment than this2 And
who has not shuddered at the rat
ting of the xylophonic bones in the
grim "Danse Macabre"?
Zig ct zig ct gag, la mort en- cadence
F'rappant une tombe, avec son talon
La mort a minuit joue un air de danse
Zig ct zig ct gag, sur son violon.
Dansons In gigue!"
But the last line is an impudent in
truder, come to remind as how other
wise Charles Martin Loeffler would
have composed dance of the death
tof Tintagiles Away, intrusive persi-
fage of the D'Indy schools venerate
the venerable master and acclaim
him in his own charming verses:
7"Gloire de la muslqie ct de In tragedie:
Muse qu'un laurier dor couronna tant
dc fois.
oserai-je parle de vous. lorsque ma
voix
Au langage de vers follement s'etudie."
1t was again the Incompatible
viardot-Garcia TO whom he addressed
the poem beginning with these lines.
lie was moved by her private rehearsal
OF his DdliId. Saint-Saens without
sentiment, indeed
He visited New York in 1906 and
with the aid of Walter Damrosch and
3 the symphony Society performed his
Africa" and afterward other things.
He was heard too in piano recital. He
Il seemed to have no ecstatic views OF
the state OF musical taste in this
country. But what would you? Had
not Vincent dIndy just gone back TO
+. France and declared that in all this
land there was only one good or
chestra. one good quartet and one good
critic? All these belonged to Boston.
Naturally then M Saint-Saens thought
that his africa" which he had played
for Cambridge University when IL
made him homeopathic doctor of mu-
sic. was good enough for the dull New
Workers.
subsequently, IN the same season,
he gave a piano recital and proved