Evening star., 1935-03-13
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
Margaret Cermond.

S1MfdONlC MAD i crtE 4CSEo. by
Olin Downes. New York: The
Dial Press.
This new descriptive volume, by q
man whose voice Is now familiar to
millions of radio listeners, contains
interpretive chapters on nearly seventy
of the famous orchestral compositions
of twenty-five great masters Of the
most spiritual and the most Intangible
of all the arts. The book is noe actually
new in all Of its content, but is the out
growth of an earlier publication, in
spired by the keen public interest
manifested in the talks made by Mr..
Downes in his capacity as commenta-
tor on symphony programs, during
several seasons of broadcasting.
Realizing that symphonic and Or
chestral music has only In the past
few years come within the listening
range, through phonograph records
and by radio, of the masses OF the
American people, Mr.. DoWnes has
written his book in style of simpli-
fed expression that is easily under
stood by the layman, and that Is
stimulative and instructive equally to
the musician and to the music loving
public. In his introduction he says:
THE sum Of work of art Is not
only its creation; 1t also lies in its
interpretation-the creative response
Of the individual to whom the work
appeals. 1t is not a question Of our
significance or omniscience. 1t Is the
question Of the response to q MASTER
piece. We listen to Beethoven or
Debussy. We listen, and we have to
interpret, articulately or otherwise. It
is well that we do so and fruitful that
we exchange our ideas. The inter-
pretations of q work of art are as
varied as the minds and natures of
those to whom it speaks. Each OF
us sees the work in a different light
and each from his own point of view
approaches nearer the common truth.
Art is created by humanity and Is an
swerable to 1t.
Each art has a language OF its
own. To those unfamiliar with its
idiomS that language may not be
Immediately comprehensive. My ex-
perience Is that often a word or SEN
tence Is sufficient to connect music
and imagination in the mind of the
reader, and I find that with very
little aid of this sort the musical
perception Of the individual and the
play of his Imagination are stimu-
lated. Then he Is of on his own
voyage Of discovery"
The compositions discussed by Mr.
Downes begin with those Of Johann
Sebastian Bach and proceed in chrcn-
illogical order to the period Of the
"Petrouchka" and lie sacre du prin-
temps" productions by Stravinsky.
There is chapter on the orchestra
and the musical forms Of Bach's
time. and thematic quotations from
the Mozart symphony in G Minor" :"
the Beethoven Symphony No. 5 in c
Minor" the Franck Symphony in D
Minor" and It'll Eulenspieger' by
Strauss are included. There are no bio
graphical sketches, but brief survey
Is given of the times and conditions
Of the political and social world In
which each composer worked. The
book Is handsomely bound, and con-
tains portraits of Bach. Wagner, De-
busy. Beethoven, Stravinsky and
| Sibelius.
THE GLORY ROAD. By Arthur
Hopkins. New York: E. P. Dut-
ton g. Co.
In their announcement on the
| Jacket cover of this unusual book the
publishers say that it is "eXtraorol-
nary that such a book should come
from the pen of one of America S
best known and most gifted theatrical
producers-even more extraordinary
that such a book should come out OF
Broadway-in this day and age"
As a matter of fact, it is from ex-
actly such a source that the lnSplra-
ton for q book of this kind would
naturally spring. The back-porcn
philosopher who tilts his chair against
the kitchen door frame and feasts his
soul upon the glorious drama OF a
setting sun and the enveloping peace
of a gently falling twilight is too init
mately acquainted with mans nearest
approach to truth to go seeking it IN
far places or from the lips OF strangers,
or to be more than paSSively aware
Of the tragic fact that Broadway has
neither porches nor sunsets. AND.
after all, there are many millions OF
back porches and but a few dozen
Broadways in this mighty land.
The book itself is dramatic pres
entation Of the search Of humanity
for truth and Of the experience OF the
race as, through the ages, it has strug-
| gled to evolve q civilization sufficiently
pliable to meet mans spiritual needs
and at the same time satisfy his in
nate desire for material wealth. Old
age and youth, sitting on the green
sward watching the multitude, SYM
bolize the ideal, while before them
passes the pageant Of the world, seek
| ing truth, grasping strange beliefs
only to cast them aside and take up q
new search for that fundamental prin-
ciple through which mankind sur
wives the chaotic confusion that clut-
ters and sometimes blockades the path
of life.
THE CURTAIN FALLS. BY Joseph
Werner Reed. New York: Har-
court, Brace & Co.
When a young man just out Of COL
lege and into a job he does not like Is
financially equipped to step out and
go places and do things more to his
taste, he usually does nothing Of which
to be proud. But the author OF this
colorful story had definite ideas about
what he wanted to do with his time
and his money, and with characteristic
American tenacity of purpose he set
about to do it. He wanted to know
the theater, to be a part of it, and to
be ins it. Fortunately he possessed
enough wealth 10 enable him to be-
come an active, cooperating and sup
porting member Of the limited cast OF
theatrical company, and this volume
is the amusing and interesting story
of his career through series Of years
of association with the theatrical
world, its people, its problems, its
triumphs, It's tragedies and its mis-
sion. 1t is an inside backStage story
of Broadway, told with Straightforward
simplicity and sympathy by producer
| of varied experience,