The New York herald., 1922-12-10

and wrong. 1t is for them to tell us
If they are guilty Of cheap sensa-
tionalism In the search after re-
newed public interest the fact re-
veals itself. 1t is It's own punish
ment. In music as in other depart
ments Of human activity the i'm
mortal words Of Lincoln apply. You
cannot fool all of the public all OF
the time.
But when a truly great musical
mind comes before US with a new in
depreciation, which Is the product OF
profound thought and honest search
after true beauty we must accord to
that reading the respect which is Its
just due. Trying to be original for
the mere sake of originality is not
worth while. Nothing important In
art has ever been accomplished that
way.
Inspiration cannot be commanded
But in most departments of human
activity it comes to the person whose
mind has teen prepared for 1t by long
training as well as by natural apti-
tude. II Mozart had not been a con-
summate master of counterpoint his
inspiration would never have created
the fugal treatment in the last move
ment OF the Jupiter symphony.
Napoleon used to say that battles
were won by the sudden birth of an
idea In the mind OF a commanding
officer at a critical moment. But the
force that brought that idea to birth
was military genius. If the General
had not known all the details of his
profession and possessed that supreme
grasp Of them which enabled him to
coordinate facts in the twinkling Of
IN eye and at the same moment TO
measure perfectly their relations to
one another the inspiration would not
have come to him.
To refer to a humber walk in life.
II may be Instructive to note that
Capt. Michael Ahearns brilliant in
spiration about a method of clearing
UP the traffic tangle in West Forty
fifth street did not occur to any one
but a trained policeman. 1t has been
noted that world moving discoveries
in medical science are generally made
by doctors and that clever ways of
securing checkmates are devised by
chess players. not by home run hitters.
Declaration of schumann.
Theodore weinlig after teaching
Wagner counterpoint for half year
said to him. What you have learned
by this dry study is self dependence.
Schumann declared that mastery OF
form leads talent to everincreasing
freedom" Both rested their pro-
nouncements on the same basic truths,
namely, that the man Who Is master OF
his craft Is ready to rise to position
where he may be the master Of other
men.
And that is the secret of how 1t is
done.
When Il comes to the invention of
ideas or readings one master does not
Zach another much. Wagner. for ex-
ample, started life n professed wor-
shipper OF Mozart and wrote a piano
sonata in imitation OF his style. Where
is that sonata now? Dead and buried,
along with, all the other limitations of
Mozart. Richard Strauss and Charles
Gounod, Salnt-Saens and Debussy
were all devoted adorers Of Mozart.
Aad they learned much from him.
The one thing they could not learn
was to write like Mozart. And If they
had learned that they would not have
been Strauss and Gounod. Saint
Saens and Debussy. They would have
been mere shadows cast by the sun
light.
AS for the men and women who in
terpret music and who chiefly excite
our curiosity as to how II is done. one
thing can be said with all assurance.
namely, that II is not done by chance,
but after long and hard study. An
amiable gentleman called Richter used
to be greatly disturbed by the ease
with which Mozart played the piano.
He exclaimed: "Mein Gott! how
am obliged to torment myself and
sweat, and yet without obtaining ap-
plsusel And Cor you. my friend, It Ia
mere play" whercupon Mozart re-