Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-17

Newman:
I'VE are all too likely to forget
that criticism, even at its greatest
and best, its most learned, pene-
trating and profound, is essential
ly a matter of just which ever you
please"
OTHER views as to the impor-
~ lance of music critics and the
real need of their services are held
by the famous composer con-
ductor- violiniSt, Georges EneSco,
who, in a recent interview, said,
especially apropos of American
criticism land also Of American
audiences):
Americans want the entertainment
afforded by brilliance, noise and tech
| niQue when they 60 to hear music
These things are not the true purpose
of music. Music is better than enter
tainment.
The improvement of the public taste
| is the task Of the critic: but in music
the critics are not up to their job. Only
in New York and a few of the large
cities are the critics truly able; in
fill their articles with disgraceful COM
parsons and with jokes.
EVEN so, of all the current COM
IL mentS read within the past
few weeks, there are none written
by any one author that seem so
neatly and completely to cover
the ground of the purpose and
Importance of criticism as those
written a couple of centuries ago
by the aforementioned Mr.. Ad-
olson, who touched upon this sub
ject definitely in several papers
and in speaking of dramatic and
poetic, as well as musical, criti-
ciSm. He even does not fail to
touch upon what is perhaps the
SoreSt spot of all with many who
are the victims" of the critic who
makes destructive comment mere
ly because the subject has invited
him to clever turn Of wit.
The following are culled from
papers in "The Spectator" as Of
particular interest from many
points of critical view:
No. 592, by misunderstanding
especially Of dramatic critics.:
81 have a great esteem for a
true critic-Such as Aristotle and
LonginuS among the Greeks, Hor-
ace and Quintilian among the
Romans, Boileau and Dacier
among the French. But 1t is our
misfortune that some who set UP
for professed critics among us are
so stupid that they do not know
how to put 10 words together
with elegance or common proprie-
ty, and, withal, so illiterate that
they have no taste of the learned
Languages, and, therefore, criticize
upon old authors only at second
hand. They judge of them by
what others have written, and not
by any notions they have of the
authors themselves. The words
unity, action, sentiment and die
ton, pronounced with an air of
authority, give them a figure
among unlearned readers, who are
apt to believe they are very deep
because they are unintelligible.
The ancient critics are full Of the
praises Of their contemporaries;
they discover beauties which es.
capped the observation Of the vul-
gar, and every often find out rea-
sons for palliating and excusing
such little slips and oversightS as
were committed in the writings of
eminent authors. On the con-
trary, most of the smatterers in
criticism who appear among us
make it their business to vilify
and depreciate every new produc-
ton that gains applause, to descry
imaginary blemishes and to prove,
by far-fetched arguments, that
what pass for beauties in any
celebrated piece are faults and err
rors. In short, the writings of
these critics, compared with those
of the ancientS, are like the
works Of the sophiSts compared
with those of the old philoso-
pliers, I"
No. 400, by Addison-(In a
paper on fine writing:
"It is likewise necessary for a
man who would form to himself
finished taste of good writing
to be well versed in the works of
the best critics, both ancient and
modern. I must confess that I
could wish there were authors of
this kind, who, besides the me-
chanical rules which a man of
very little taste may discourse
upon, would enter into the very
spirit of fine writing, and show us
the several sources of that pleas
ure which rises in the mind upon
the perusal of a noble work.
Our general taste in Eng
land is for epigram, turns Of wit
and forced conceitS, which have
no manner of influence, either for
the lettering or enlarging the
mind OF him who reads them, and
have been carefully avoided by
the greatest writers, both among
the ancients and modernS."
No. 291, by Addison-(In a
paper on poetic and dramatic
criticism)
eft Is in criticism, as in all other
sciences and speculationS; one
who brings with him any implicit
notions and observations which
he has made in his reading of the
poets will find his own reflections
methodized and explained, and
perhaps several little hints that
had passed in his mind perfected
and improved in the works of a
good critic; whereas, one who has
not these previous lights is very
often an utter stranger to what
he reads and apt to put wrong
Interpretation upon it.
Nor it Is sufficient that a man,
who sets up for judge in criti-
cism, should have perused the au-
thors aforementioned, unless he
hac also a clear and Logical hoad