Evening star., 1935-02-18

nOC among IIleIn
some voices which, not knowing the
facts, attributed motives of personal
gain to me at the time of publication,
and which, therefore, compel me to
state my position with reference to
them.
Nothing was further from my
thoughts than deliberately to deceive
musical experts and the general public.
I wrote the pieces in question when I
was quite young artist with no other
object in mind than to enrich my
concert programs. Tact and modeSty
kept me from repeating my name end
Jessly in these programs as composed.
Authorship Unquestioned.
In informed circles there was in
those days not the slightest doubt
about the authorship of the pieces. At
no time had there been any thought OF
publishing them. In the course OF
years, however, I was put under pres
sure, more by my colleagues, who
claimed that for selfish reasons was
monopolizing the selections which
90 they claimed-were of value to hu-
manity generally than by any one else.
Now these violin compositions had
meanwhile become so popular under
the assumed names given them that
there was no possibility Of rechristen-
ing them. What was to do? Well,
yielding to the pressure already men
toned, consented to their publica-
ton with the expressed proviso that
every copy must contain notice, so
placed as certainly to catch the read
er's eve, in which my authorship was
In a measure confessed and the pieces
declared to be absolutely independnt
creations.
Should Have Discovered Truth.
TO the present day am unable to
explain why musical experts didn't
stumble upon the truth Immediately,
although the following incident ought
to have taught them lesson:
In those days I played for the first
time In one of my concerts a group OF
pieces comprising my Caprice Wen
nois" as well as selections from Lie
beslied," "Liebesfreud" and "Schoen
Rosmarin," which then were still
designated as posthumouS dances by
Joseph Lanner. An influential critic
observed:
"a feeling slightly akin to bad taste
was engendered by the somewhat
daring juxtaposition Of Kreisler's
Caprice Viennois" be sure a
charming offering-and the dances
of Lanner, these delightful genre crea-
tions filled with Schubertian melos
and rejecting the Vienna of pre-
March days, for which encores were
enthusiastically demanded"
Depressed over this injustice, I de-
cided then and there to confess author
ship to these dances, which were later
published also under my name. But
even this confession, which certainly
offered clue, did not point the way
for the learned experts.
Did Not Stick to Style.
As regards the style OF the compo-
sitions in question, made no endeavor
whatever to stick closely to the style
of the period to which they were al
legged to date. Had been bent upon
assuming an impenetrable mask, you
may rest assured that might have
given my pieces form quite ire
proachable, SO that even clever con-
noisseurs would have been deceived.
As it was, I had to face charge by
men who deemed themselves fore
ordained guardians of art that I was
swilling new wine into old tubs and
was making the pure forms of the
eighteenth century subservient to my
prejudice as a virtuoso by painting
them over in a modern way.
At no time, however, did any real
doubt in the existence of the orig
finals which I had allegedly disfigured
become audible. Presumably this con-
dition of affairs would have con-
tinued had not New York musical
expert with the friendliest intentions
put questions to my publisher con-
corning certain changes ascribed to
Pugnani.
This questioning led to an an
nouncement by my publisher and the
establishment of fact whose reve-
1ation neither feared nor desired.
Those musicians who treasured an
arranged Pugnani" will, I suppose,