Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-12-17

IL was not conspicuousiy successful at
the initial performance. Beethoven
seemed to acquicsce in the Judgment
Of the Vienna public, for there IL no
record of any protest from him about
IL, as there was about the reception OF
the B fiat major quartet and several
other works.
After being first played, the con-
certo lay in practical oblivion until,
many years later, Ferdinand David
resurrcctcd 81 ana played 1t at the
Gewandhaus concerts in Leipzig. From
then on It has occupied the position
which was rightfully due 1T, as the
first of all violin concertos.
DUT from Clement to David was q
- long gap, because when the former
played the concerto for the first time.
David was not yet born. There Is
evidence to show that Beethoven him
self thought well of the concerto, for
the manuscript bears the marks OF even
more than the usual number Of changes
and corrections-probably made after
the first performance.
But there IS no record Of the manner
in which the composer desired the
concerto played. The piano concertos,
works have been transmitted from gen :
Grafton to generation, originating with
some performer, often the composer
himself, who knew exactly the manner
and style which the composer had in
mind in the works. But not so with
the violin concerto.
Eventually the Joachim interpreta
ton was regarded ns the leading one,
although it was based somewhat upon
the editions of the concerto by both
David and Wilhelmj Mr.. Serato fol-
lowed that reading closely, but 1t was
adjudgcd inadequate by some of the
best violin students in this city, both
! in and out of the orchestra.
WHAT has really happened is that il
w the meantime Fritz Kreiser ha,
given us new reading Of the Beethoven
concerto which bids fair entirely t
supplant the older interpretations. That
Mr.. Kreislcr himself is not entirely
satisfied with his reading is shown by
the fact that he has made materia
| changes in it the last two times h,
played it in Philadelphia.
Every other one of the great violiI
concertos has n direct tradition datinj
| from the composer himself. The Men
selssohn concerto was composed wnlI
Mendelssohn was in constant toucl
with Ferdinand David. who, it Is said
wrote some of the purely "violinistiC'
passages. This may or may not b
true the writer rather doubts it, as
seems impossible for one composer ac
curately to initiate the style of another
and the Mendelssohn concerto is Men
dclssohn from the first note to the last
In much the same manner Joachim
helped Brahms with the composition o
that wonderful concerto which bear
the name of the latter The fifths n
the beginning of the work for the sol
violin might have been written by tn
composer of the famous Hungariur coli
certo, but the thcmntic material al
through is Brahms, without trace o
any one else.
The same as regards the composer
idea being handed directly to present
day interpreters Is true of the G mino
of Bruch, the b minor of Saint Sacn
and the other great works for the violin
The great virtuoSo concertos, such n
those of Paganini. Ernst, Wieniawsk
and the rest need no tradition, for the
are merely to show off the instrumcn
and If any one has the finger and tn
bow technique to play them, he doesn'
need much of anything else. The In
depreciation Of works like these doe