Evening star., 1925-05-11
THE PUBLIC
LIBRARY
10. Books on Music.

only as We americans learn 10
react individually to art, resisting the
herd opinions that are so easy and
so false. can we become discriminate
ing enough to acclaim the good and
reject the bad. In the coming decades
we are to WELD much power in
music. and it is important that we
should make ourselves intelligent
judges of what is new as well as
seasoned lovers of the old but every
youthful beauty we call classic" Mr..
Mason's From Song to Symphony"
(VWE-M3S6O is an able book on
music appreciation beginning with
folk songs. tracing it through opera.
piano music and finally orchestral
music. giving in general way the
meaning of the various forms and
enabling the reader to understand
and consequently enjoy the concerts
and operas more fully.
"A friend of mine had a phono-
crap which he occasionally enjoyed.
He used to say that he wasn't mus
ical.' but he knew what he liked His
repertory was small but pleasing to
him since, thanks to the records, he
had become acquainted with some
pieces of fairly good music.
He never knew how musical he was
until he CHANGED one day on a para
graph in a book his daughter was
reading about one Of the compost
tions he liked. He suddenly realized
that this composition told the story
of an episode in the life of another
man, human being who lived strug-
gled, rejoiced and narrated his eX-
periences in the language of tones"
So this book. The Lure of Music"
by Oln Downes (VW109D758 u
depicting the human side of great
composers, with stories of their in
spired creations, was written with
the aim of bringing to the average
man some significance and beauty OF
the music Of the masters. In an easy,
entertaining style, the author gives
intimate pictures of 2o great COM
posers. devoting a chapter to each,
and. in addition. there are Ave chap
ters of more general nature"
Walter Newman Flowers Life OF
George Frederick Handel VWl1-H
1880 is a fascinating and compre-
hensive outline of the life of the man,
the striking personality that never
admitted defeat, but rose superior to
whatever powers a surfeit of enemies
could and did exist" 1t is not neces-
sary to be versed in music to enjoy
this vivid, entertaining book. Handel
Is the most noted musician England
has ever had. and these pages are
dents of the life and times during the
first half of the eighteenth century.
THE Bethlehem Bach Choir" by
Raymond Walters VVS3- -W173b), has
special appeal now, following it's re-
cent festival here. The book gives a
clear and attractive setting of one of
Americas S earliest examples of com
munity music" Here is a true sing
ing community of spontaneous origin
in the pioneer days, when its songs
were heard by Ben Franklin and in
war time by Washington. With few
breaks in a long history, it is still
among the best sustained popular
movements Of artistic life in the pres.
ent industrial era.
"Of all the arts music is practiced
most and thought about least. 1t is
not an eXaggeration to say that one
might listen for lifetime to the po-
lite conversation of our drawing
rooms without having a symphony
talked about in terms of more than
superficial knowledge of the outward
forms of such a composition" Henry
Edward krehbiel's How to Listen to
Music WWE-k527h). gives hints and
suggestions to untaught lovers of the
art in his clear and understanding
book
The following books for "two-foot
pookShef on musical subjects" has
been suggested by the national Music
week committee and may be found in
the Public Library:
krehbiel, H. z. How to Listen to
Music. VWE-K527h.
Faulkner, A. 5. What. We Hear in
Music. VWW-F275w
Huneker. J. G. Chopin-The Man
and His Music. VW10.C464h.
Thayer, A. W. Life of Ludwig Won
Beethoven. EW10-B393t.
Henderson. W. j. What Is Good Mu-
sic? FWE-H3S3w.
Downes. o. The Lure OF Music.
VW10-9D758
Mason. d. G. Beethoven and His
Forerunners. VWl8-B3s3m
Mason. d. G. From Grieg to Brahms.
NW10-9NI3S6f
Mason. d. G.. Child's Guide to Music.
EWE-M3s6g.
Mason d. G. The Romantic Com
posers. EW10-9M3s6r
Mason, D. G. Orchestral Instruments
and What They Do. NN-M3s60.
Scholes. p. A. Listeners Guide to
Music. NWW- -Sch6
Dickinson, Edward. The Education
of Music Lover. VWE.D566.