Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-04-01

thuC MS tdlenteu son follow the CLASSIC
models. and he did, for many of his
formative years. The first theme in the
last movement Of the string quartet
might have been written by Mozart him
self SO closely does it follow that style
of composition. although there is n fire
and tendency to elaborate ornamental
ton never found in the greater master.
There Is little Of the influence Of Becth.
oven in his early works. but there is
some Brahms, notably in the quartet for
piano and strings.
But when twenty three years of age
Richard Strauss came under the infiu.
ence Of Alexander Ritter who in few
months revealed to him the real mean.
Ing OF the Wagnerian music and he be-
came an avowed modern. From the
time he returned from Italy at the age
Of about twenty. -four his career as q
composer is we'll known ana at the age
IT twenty five he had composed Don
Juan and "Tod und Nerklarung,' al.
though neither was performed for sew.
eral years.
THE great Sebastian Bach at twenty.
L five had produced little except a few
organ works, and Beethoven at the
same age had done virtually nothing.
Indeed, when he was twenty-four his
teacher of theory, Albrechtsberger, gave
him up, saying that he could do nothing !;
that he could not learn to do any.
thing correctly, and that he had no in.
spiratiOn, a judgment with which pos.
terity has not agreed. However, the
sketch books shhw that the germ Of
what were to be some of the greatest
works already had sprouted, although
many of them were not to reach fruition
for another quarter Of a century.
Brahms at the same age had COM
three books Of songs. They failed Of
popular appreciation, and only Schu-
mann saw in the works the genius that
was to be. Schumann himself at that
age had composed only few piano
pieces. but hfs desire was to be a
virtuOso, and he was nearly twenty.
five when he injured his hand through
tnjudicious practice, and had, perforcc,
to devote himself to composition-to the
immense gain Of the world.
\ MONG the great operate com.
a poscrs. Wagner had written only
die Feen," " "Das Liebesverbot" and q
part of "Rienzi" at twenty Ave. Verdi
had composed one opera. "Oberto," and
Gluck had not vet composed anything
for the stage. Weber, however, had
written five operas, of which not even
the overtures live today.
But at that age Mozart had written
eight operas, among them "Id0meneo,"
In Which jain declares he brought the
Italian opera seria to Its utmost per-
fection, and at all events it was his
first dramatic work In the classic style.
TO this period belongs also the lieder-
spiel, "Bastian une Bastienne," In
which appears a melody, the first eight
notes Of which are Identical with the
first theme OF the first movement Of
Bcethoven's "Eroica" symphony, ex.
cept In key.
The youthful works of the non.
operate composers, Schubert and Men.
delssohn, are remarkable in that they
show clearly the direction Of the genius
Dream" music Mendelssohn indicated
Enthusiastically his greater contribution to
the art-the fairy like scherzO-and
Schubert had written some Of his
greatest songs--his undisputsd prov
ince--by the time be had reached this
age.
THUS compositions at an early age
L may indicate much or nothing. Some
OF the greatest composers had gone far
in their Arst quarter Of a century and
others equally great had composed moth
ing distinctive.
Young Korngold is a composer, how
ever, whose every work from now on
will be a musical event. He has ap-
parently been wisely trained and Is not
the "overgrown product of the forcing.
house., as Schubart indicated Mozart
might be almost two centuries ago. The
young Yiennese has evidently had his
talent carefully fostered, as were those
Nef Mozart and MendelssQha, by wise
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