New-York tribune., 1921-12-18

in which Heinrich asked the biographer
to attend a rehearsal OF music of his
composition it may have been in
Vienna or Prague. Though Bohemian
by birth it was plain from the letter
that Heinrich considered himself more
closely identified with American music
| than with that of his native land, for
explaining why he wished the attend
ance of Mr.. Thayer at the rehearsal,
he wrote: "As l intend to serve up
something of stirring American char
acter which might please you, it is my
ambition not to dishonor the young
musical cause of America, and of my
earnest striving I have given ample
proofs on my European tour, especially
in Prague; but the ladder of SUCCESS
is really very steep and difficult to
ascend in these aristocratic realms of
glittering fashion, prejudices and in
terests.'
In the interim, without any labor of
research on my part, had learned
more of the man whom six years be-
fore l had been led to look upon as
little better than a charlatan, for Mr..
w. 81. Hadow had published his
Studies in Modern Music" in 1894,
and in an admirable essay on Dvorak
I found this notice of "Father Helm
rich:
"a curious illustration, half pathetic
and half 1IIn1Or ho
the career of Anthony Heinrich. He
was born at Schonbichel in 1871,
served his apprenticeship at Covent
Garden, and finally established himself
IN America, where for some five and
thirty years he produced a continuous
series ci Intellectual compositions.
Ihere is an oratorio written in ten real
parts and Scored as it's author proud
iy affirms. for all known musical in
struments,; there are symphonies, such
as the 'Eroica' and the Tower of
Babel; there are overtures-one to
Washington, another to Niagara, an
other to the great condor of the Andes:
there are NEUROLOGICAL concerti grossi:
there are scenes from the 'Autobiogra-
ply of Troubadour'; there are songs.
studies, virtuoso pieces without limit.
1t should be added that the official cat
alogue which is appended to the ex
cerpts in the National Museum at
Prague mentions with particular en-
phasls a concert-overture per recte ct
retro entitled The Advance and the
Retreat"
For the information Of the musical
layman it may be explained that a piece
OF music per recte ct retro" is one
that may be played backward as well as
fnt~ ~
end or from the end to the beginning.
Vocal pieces of this kind, especially
canons, used often to be written hy
musical pedants some hundreds of years
ago, but if Heinrich's overture is really
what it is described to be it is surely
unique in musical literature A large
number of Heinrich's scores and other
memorabilia are preserved in the Lii
brary of Congress at Washington
among them, we believe, symphony
entitled Beethoven; possibly also the
invertible overture, and the "Great
Condor of the Andes 1t may be that
Heinrich was nine-tenths charlatan. but
the remaining tenth of his nature must
have been genuinely artistic, for he
certainly managed to put the impress
Of his personality on the countries of
Europe as we'll as America There arc,
We. suspect, such musicians among US
to-day. At any rate, somebody with
more money and leisure than a profess
sional writer on musical subjects is ever
likely to have ought to look through his
scores in Washington, for it is even said
of him that he made use in them of
themes from the music OF the North
American Indians. If so, the friends
Of the late Mr.. Mcdowell and the
present Skilton, Lieurance and Cadnan
may we'll cXclaim with the Preacher
that there is no new thing under the
sun.