New-York tribune., 1922-03-12

somewhat familiar not only with the
york itself, but also its history, that
after reading the exposition OF Mahlcr's
Third Symphony, prepared by Mr.. Law
renee Gilman, we felt strongly tempted
30 take our hands out Of his and vow
never to accept his guidance again. Mr..
Gilman may have thought that it was
his duty as official annotator Of the
Philharmonic Society's programs to
play the role which in the language
of the circus is, we believe, called the
barker If so, We might have for
given him had he confined himself to
expounding the music in the language
derived from the composer through
Mr.. Mengelberg and from Mr. Mengel-
bergs cousin, who is the inspired in
terpreter OF the Mahlerian gospel in
Holland. But to protect himself we
think he ought to have delved little
more deeply into the history Of the
work, been a little more chary in his
individual reservations (there is much
virtue in ''if,' as Shakespeare Touch
stone sagely obscrves) and avoided
that dubious resort of all would-be ex-
panders OF the symphonic form and
the province Of music, an appeal to
the example set by Beethoven in his
Ninth Symphony. If he had chosen to
let those from whom he derived plenary
nation of sometimes unoriginal, fire.
quently infantile musical thought and
bombastic musical phraseology Mailer
aimed "at kind of musical parable Of
the uneasy and joy-seeking heart of
man in relation to its environment
human, natural and spirtual; an emo
tlonal history Of the efforts of the soul
by turns impassioned, bewildered. de-
sparing, ecstatic, exalted - to orient
itself in the plan of the visible and
invisible worlds" etc, for GUAM
tity, we should content ourself with
saying that for people who like that
sort of artistic edifcation, that is the
sort of artistic edificaton they like
But we cannot quite stomach Mr.. Gill
mans performance in printing the
progranmatic titles which the COM
poser himself gave to the various sec
tions of the invertebrate compages of
pieces when he called them "a Sum
mer Mornings Dream" and then tell
ing us that the program had been
Hpsi0rcd 70 oct 1ilYo -od ~
throw us off the scent Of the COM
poser's real purpose or the real mean
ing of the symphony.
The Emotional Appeal to Beethoven
Of that more presently. We must
flrst dispose so far as we can Of q
matter Of infinitely greater moment.
We protest energetically against the
statements that when he composed the
music Of this work Mailer sat humbly
at the feet Of Beethoven of the Choral
Symphony; that che desired to fill
his music with something akin to the
poetic and emotional contents of the
Ninth as seen in the spiritual prob
lens OF our own time; that in a
I0Nta4AH iJSdtC SO4lSN-SiG duO some
how attained he perceived reflection
Of that 'jubilation of JOY which Wag-
nor recognized in Beethovens Ninth
As signifying the triumphant end of
mans pursuit of happiness" Here at
the last our annotator seeks shelter
behind the broad back of Wagner, but
he shall find little protection there.
All musical exegesis which makes
Beethoven expound the meaning o. the
symphony in d minor in the setting
which he gave to Schller's code to
Joy is intellectual and aesthetic pop
D pycock, even if Wagner be the ex-
y egetist. The proper appeal is not to
Wagner, the programmatic rhapsodst,
but to Beethoven, the composer. Read
heethoven's letters and the records Of
conversations with him about his com
positions. Does he indulge in any
ether language than that using the
termlnology of music3 SCHNEIDER says
that, asked the meaning of the motif
which is the musical kernel Of the
ruth Symphony, he said something
about Fate knocking at the portals Of
humanity But he stopped there.
Also, once when asked about the mean
ing of the pianoforte sonatas in f
minor and minor COP. 81, No. 2). he
gave the oracular answer, Read Shake
speare's Tempest" But note his
studied care in seeking simple sub-titles
Tor the movements of his "Pastoral'
Symphony and his anxious oualifca-
tions Of the general title: "More an
expression of feeling than delinea-
tons" There are other qualifying re-
marks which he essayed; but this
characterization he adopted.
Genesis of the Ninth Symphony
How stands it with the Symphony in
D minor? Its history may be read in
the fifth chapter of Vol. III of "Thay-
er's Life of Beethoven" The evidence
IS plain that the work was originally
designed to be purely instrumental.
When he began it he had plans in his
head for two symphonies, Of which the
second was possibly to contain vocal
>part-an Adogio Cantique. Meanwhile
he had for many years entertained the
thought of composing Schiller's ode.