Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-02
ny IDA GILBERT MYERS.

Y VAYDN, Bach, Beethoven, Gries.
Mozart, Wagner, and, and, and
names that but short while
ago stirred no answer save in
little group here and there.
Exclusive hands, these, that through
arduous special training, or through
the subtle enrichments of an envelop-
ing culture, found deep satisfactions in
the genius of these master music
makers. Even here there were not a
few -posturing appreciation.
bowling understanding.
Today by virtue of that miracle of
discovery and invention, the radio.
More people are coming to know these
names. More of the commonalty-
more of the you and me-are coming
to know them, to feel the Joy of a
growing response to music created by
genius itself. 1t is clear that this best
in music is gradually supplanting the
less than best. Even the great sym-
phony-the Alpine height of compost
ton, the cathedral of pure tone-while
not susceptible to any sort of analysis
by the average, does stand, nevertheless.
as lordly gesture to the spirit of even
the least trained, and is growing in
this beneflcence of a general beStoWing.
The radio Is doing this for one of the
arts, at least. And with the wakened
interest in music at its highest there
is manifest wakened desire to know
about these makers of great emusic,
Books are emerging to meet this reused
and redirected desire. Where did this
one live, and when? What the habit
of his early years, when he was in the
making, SO to speak? What the far
influence that reached into him, turn
ing him to the rhythms of the universe,
faShioning him into strong and deli
cate instrument for the recordings of
far and yet intimate communings?
More and more are the people reading
these books. More and more are they
minding the celebrations of homage
that recurrently remind the world of
its debt to the deepest of the arts, to
one of the most primitive of the arts
as well. And much of this common
school education" as it may be called,
is due to the democracy of the radio,
coupled with the natural impulse of the
human toward rich and varied and
compensating growth. And here is a
book for you:
BEETHOVEN THE CREATOR. BY
Roman ROLAND, author of Jean
Christophe." Translated by Ernest
Newman. New York: Harper &
Bros
/ MAYBE this Is not your book, not
AVA yet. Maybe you need to 60 to
school, to the radio and other newly
opened avenues of information for a
while before taking this one up Yet
trial is richly worth any work you
may put upon it. For writing here is
very distinguished artist, whose out
! look is clear with both knowledge and
vision, whose words comport with his
profound spiritual simplicity Himself
deeply and widely instructed in music,
Roman ROLAND here presents study
| of the harvest time Of Beethoven's
genius. He measures this period In the
| grand manner-"The Great Creative
| Epochs-From the Eroica to the APP
passionate 1t is as the musician, ex-
! pert in technic and unassailable in APP
praisals, that NJ ROLAND works here
| Yet, side by side with such special and
difficult artistry, the writer projects
! enough of the man, Beethoven, to give
communicable effect to the whole
In other words, Beethoven is not every
! minute the remote superman, absorbed
1 in the music of the spheres. To give
more of simplicity to a matter essen
| TALLY intricate, M. ROLAND makes use
of frequent Instantaneous as
| Walter Damrosch does in his work with
! listeners. A musical score is set to
] show its relation to the idea aimed at
! by its technical form. In this way one,
| gradually to feel the force of this par
ticular kind Of language. 1t Is, all said
| and done, the Creator that stands
paramount here. And this is the aim
| of the study, to show Beethoven at his
height. Fortunate for us, and for Bee
| thoven, that this expositor and inter-
prefer is Roman ROLAND, with his cul-
| tural possession in music and his lofty
| outlook upon mans obligation to the
| world in which he is placed. If you re-
| call, and you do, the big story of Jean
Christophe." which is in substance the
life-story Of a musical genius, you will
realize anew M. hollands preoccupa-
| ton with his particular art and with
| his absorption besides with the true
| nobility of mans life at its highest In
| purpose and conduct. Much of this
| study is for the one informed in the art
| itself. Much of it, on the other hand
is a series of personal illuminations
upon Beethoven, sometimes from his
own secret thoughts and feelings
| sometimes from the intimacies Of his
| friends. A noble contribution to high
! theme by perhaps the one best qualified
| Of all in many directions to offer to the
world q competent and inspired study
/ OF Beethoven, the Creator.
! x X y
THE WHITE HOUSE GANG. BY
| Earle LOCKER zone of the Gang
Illustrated. New York: Fleming H
Revell Co.
THE author of "The White House
\ Gang" has accomplished two things
| He has given readers of his pages an
average of a good laugh page and
whether Intentionally or not, has paid
! to Theodore Roosevelt, the father. q
| splendid and a deserved tribute. When
the Roosevelt children were in the
/ White House one knew from various
sources of information that there was
much doing" there, as in the case OF
most good-sized American families. But
| apparently not only not the half but
not the tenth part was ever told until
Mr.. LOCKER, himself a schoolmate and
Sidekick of Quentin, the youngest and
| the Invest wire, came forward with this
frank, yet never ill-advised. well told
and highly amusing Renaissance OF
the days when the gang led by quentin
| performed almost incredible feats OF
| mischief, OF maladventure and, oc-
casionally Of derring-do Had Quentin
lived he would have chuckled most
| merrily of all its readers. His Force
School friend, the author, enjoyed
great privilege; grown-up, he mas
realized 1t, and he has shared IL WIN
his fellow countrymen. And, as said
before, all through his pages runs the
theme of Theodore the wise, the un-
Outstanding, the tolerant. the instant
seizer of opportunities to make OF ms
boys and his boys friends better men
and better Americans, the jolly COM
panion, and when need arose the
awful, implacable, jove-like referee,
Judge and even executioner. II is TO
be hoped that Mr. LOCKER enjoyed
writing this book full as much as his
public will enjoy reading it. To quote
Quentinism by buzzard It's a
peach" r. M. K.