Evening star., 1926-12-17
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES Z. TRACEWELL.

We picture a dainty little maid. per
| haps standing on London corner, or
| Paris corner. basket of posles held
| deftly over her left arm, and bunch
| of the same stuck forth to the nose of
| the passing populace.
Now we shall hear, no doubt. gen
| tie theme, perhaps plaintive, in the
| best Beethoven manner. or, lacking
| that I'm the mode of Lang. who gave
| us the tender Flower Song" Or. at
| n third REMOVE, perhaps something on
| the order of Hearts and Flowers" a
| hopeNssly melodic composition that
| still appeals to us old-fashioned hear
| ers.
Boom
The orchestra starts with a rush
| every member thereof begins, with
| might and main, to hammer, saw
! bang, blow and in various other man
ner inflict his soul upon his material
| instrument.
Our Flower Girl' is turning out tc
be very peppy young lady, indeed.
She must wear roll-tops rolled just
above the knee, the very latest place
and use at least four different face
creams before she applies her powder
| and rouge.
This, at least, is what we make out
| of this rumble of the kettle drum and
| the wailing "blues" movement in the
string section. Just what the bassoon
| is trying to tell us about Gertie. we
are not quite sure. Surely it must be
| something quite shocking, for the rest
| of the tattle-tales, 80 strong, try tc
drown him out Immediately, just as
he is getting started on at least three
notes that follow each other in what
| ut first sounded to be more or less
normal sequence.
This seems to be the great aim OF
the modern composer. to fool us.
lie is nothing IL not tricky. His
work. whether 1t be entitled "Flower
Girl" 'or Rhapsody In Red con
sists largely of a musical gesture
commonly called "thumbing one s
nose" Whenever his dear audience
imagines that 1t is going to under.
stand" the thing the modern com.
poser Immediately throws a monkey.
wrench into the machinery. you
shall not understand" he says, and
we reply. mo, because there is moth.
ing to understand"
He is perpetually starting some
thing that Is never ended, beginning
something that he cannot finish, NOV.
ing up when we thought he was going
to start down the scale, or unexpect.
edly ClamDering to the last note on
his violin when we absurdly imagined
that a good bass was necessary.
Whatever we think he is going
to do with his music, he does just
the opposite, then sits back and
laughs at our amazement.
1t may he a good sort of musical
cross-note puzzle, but 1t is not music
The function Of true music, as we
know 1t, is to furnish esthetic de-
light and to instill beauty and har.
mony" into our souls, as Prince
Joachim Albrecht said
Such a definition, like all defini.
tions, does not entirely cover the case
so there is some leeway for the
modern" composer to slip in his un.
calmly wares, and then slap himself
on the back for making us "sit up
and take notice" But, In doing so. he
has taken Calliope. the muse Of music,
away from her piano and turned her
into Chautauqua lecturer, attempt
ing to astonish and astound.
A hundred years from now "The
Flower Girl will be lying unplayed
In musical libraries, whereas Rimsky-
Korsakoff's "Scheherazade" suite will
be singing its way into delighted ears
and hearts as Of olden time.