New-York tribune., 1922-05-21
-. In the World OF Music and Musicians

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clearly that 1t is beginning to be fore
seen in Germany that there can b.
objections to this new styled virtuos-
ity, not the least of which would be
that of granting to the Interpreter ar
exaggerated Importance and value, and
this to the detriment OF the work OF
art.
The mission Of conductor is high
and delicate one; it is, however, sub
ordinate one. 1t requires as much IL
not more devotion, faith and abnega-
tlon than 1t does intelligent sensitive
ness. The interpreter is there to re-
veal TO us the work of the creative
artist, to expose to us the thought Of
another and not his own. This duty
involves more solitary reflection,
scrupulous study and assiduous collec-
tive work than it docs inspiration or
unusual or endowed personality. Ac-
cording to Wagner, "old Habeneck was
absolutely devoid of genius" ((genial-
ite): his musicians At the Conservatory
were "dilisent, conscientious artists"
who. in the course Of innumerable re-
hearsals, "strove to overcome difficult
ties by the only means in their power,
that is to say, technical means": and
notwithstanding all these ungifted
people, this orchestra, which in It's
title Of Partisan Orchestra was
naturally obliged to abandon all idea
Of ever sounding the German depth of
Beethoven, brought to the unfathom-
able Ninth Symphony 80 marvellous an
execution that tho composer Of Tristan
proclaimed, without circumlocution,
that to "really know the Ninth Sym
rhony Of Beethoven 1t must be heard
at the Conservatory of Paris" The
above named "geniality" did not
smother our good "pere Lamoureux"
either. He was hard master, and
ncverth heless-perhaps for this exact
reason-in conducting Wagner and
many other things he often reached q
point Of Incompatible perfection. What
delighted Wagner in the realization Of
the Ninth, what he admired above all
in Habeneck and his musicians, was
that these had succeeded In "piayinr
this music exactly as it Is writ
ten"
1t is necessary to realize that the in
herent beauty Of masterpiece belongs
to 1t, that It lies in it, and that for
this beauty to manifest itself to us in
its glory it must-and 1t suffices that
1t should-be played as it is written,
as 1t was ordained by tho master who
conceived it. And again, if 1t is an
mpudent outrage to genius to attempt
to improve on what it has created is
1t not real mental aberration to grace
with variations, with arbitrary altera-
tions, the performance of certain
works written for orchestras to whom
the practice Of such things was un-
known because they were incapable
OF performing them? The old masters
composed for the orchestras Of their
time and not for ours.
The virtuosi Of the music halls make
OF Mozart and of Beethoven "movinr
pictures," with tones that are incon-
gruous, insipidly white or shrill under
the brutal glare Of the footlights. They
must have contrasts, effects. and each
one discovers unsupported ones. or
adds them as he considers them in
dispensable or infallible.
A favorite expedient among them.
and especially of Mr.. Weingartner's is
to retard immoderately in soft pas
sages and to take the bit in the teeth
IN loud passages. 1t is only the first
misstep that counts. After having vio-
lated the sanctuary, gamboling in front
OF 1t may be indulged in.
In turning over the pages Of Ber-
lioz's admirable work, "The Theory of
The Art Of the Conductor" find there
IN enough to justify my objections
and to explain to myself the instinc-
tive sharpness of the manner Of their
expressions: "Often," he writes, "wish-
ing to give proof of zeal, or lacking
delicaey Of musical perception, a con-
ductor requires his musicians to ex-
aggerate shading. He understands
neither the character nor the style Of
the piece. The shades become blots:
accents, shrieks; the intentions Of the
poor composer are totally perverted
and dis1gured and those of the con-
ouceor' however honest they may be,
are no less clumsy than those of the
ass Of the fable, overwhelming his
master with his luckless caresses."
berlioz castigates here only the awk-
ward Interpretation of indicated
"nuances"-what would he have said
of Invented" effects, of the "retouch-
ing" Of these arrogant correctors of
the great masters?
The Truth About HOLLYWOOD.