The New York herald., 1922-01-08

iedIuculy ulSCuSSeu ny the iOuuOu
point of rhythm alone how is one g
name when natural instincts are abru
perception of the difference between
a musical note and the irregular
enough that he is n rhythmical a
demand for counterpart to every
pendulum, not only makes rhythm
but an extension of rhythm. Melo
three factors Of tonality, rhythm al
manifested in the work of the futu
extremely interesting-that there is
some danger of our forgetting that
music is after all primarily an emo
tional art, and when the intellectual
faculties get absorbed in theoretical
puzzles, in strange and new manifes-
lations, there is greater danger of
sensation being mistaken for the gen.
ujne aesthetic appeal"
Demand Right to Make Forms.
Now the basic truth is that all
these so-called futurists rebel against
the essentials of form. They demand
the right to make their own forms to
satisfy the clamorings of their own
artistic natures. And this right can
not be denied them. 1t is not denied.
1t never has been denied. What is
denied is their right to abolish all
form.
The cubist painter rejoices and is
exceeding glad in that he is relieved
of the necessity of learning how to
draw Drawing in the painters art
is the record OF form. Abolish draw
ing and you get rid of all need of
form. 1t is the easiest way. Accord
to the poet the freedom of vers libre
and he shouts for joy. What is the
liberty of vers libre? The liberty to
proceed without any form. Now the
latest tribe of mpressionist-futurists
composers is writing its impressions
in precisely the same way as the vers
libre poets.
Once upon a time Henry Cuyler
Bunner wrote a side splitting parody
on "Home. Sweet Home" showing
how various poets of different periods
would have written II. In Burners
day there were no producers of vers
libre. There were also no composers
of impressionistic preciosities. But
since the arts are all interrelated here
is the way in which an impression
istic aesthetic might do a little Home,
Sweet Home" of his own:
Dog.
Cat
Mother-sewing
Sewing. Mother.
Dog?
Cat?
Dog.
Cat
Homel
In spite Of himself the creator of
this immortal symphonic Domestica"
has given II a discernible form. In
music all form can be avoided by the
simple expedient of not repeating any,
thing. Form establishes a pattern and
"a pattern requires the methodical
repetition OF a figure. In music
melody is identified by the systematic
repetition of certain germinal phrases.
In a simple tune like Home, Sweet
Home" the notes TO which "be IL ever
80 humble" are sung are the same as
those 20 which mid pleasures and
palaces" are intoned. In a symphonic
movement the repettions are those OF
thematic subjects, first heard In their
elementary shape and later subjected
10 certain notifications called the
matte developments and finally re-
iterated as ut first announced.
The delightful young gentlemen who
rebel against what they arc pleased
10 call the tyranny Of form have a
desire to throw overheard all the old
apparatus; but they have nothing
logical to substitute for &C. They make
tunes that are not tunes. not because
they are ugly or harshly harmonized,
but because their verious phrases
have po.%i-- whatever to do with one
another. There is no way in which
the listeners ear can identify the
melody. II has no identity. IL is n
thing Of haphazard shreds and patches.
There is also subtler variety OF
musical design known as harmonic
form, and with this the young pro-
Eresslves have apparently parted COM
pany for good and all. Harmonic form
Is not easily explained 10 a layman,
but somewhat crudely it may be said
vunS it requires that "a composition
shall be In certain definite key or a
series of logically related keys, or that
when excursions are made into wholly
foreign keys they shall be clearly di-
cressions and that the final impress
sion shall be- one of government by
some fundamental tonality or group OF
tonalitles.
When one conceives melody he