Evening star., 1936-03-14

combining the new means, the new
forms with the greatest Of classic
wonder. too, that the Faust figure, as
conceived by Goethe, the spirit of
human limitation striving for lib
GRAFTON from human shackles, should
be the ideal subject for the artists
genius to occupy itself with.
He divided the work In three parts.
First of all, Faust himself-shackled
and struggling and wanting freedom
at any cost. Second, Gretchen, the
perfect embodiment of perfect love,
in a way Faust's better spirit. Third
ly, Mefisto, the grand cynicist, the
evil genius, the spirit who denies.
And the coda, the saving of Faust,
again through Gretchen's love, against
which even the irony of Meflsto is
in the end of no avail. In these
three personifcations List described
in music that which is possible to be
described in music.
IT IS not a description of physical
happenings or objects (Which in
evitably leads towards stagnation, as
In the later works of, for instance,
Richard Strauss but of an idea. That
is why the Faust" symphony, even
without knowledge of Goethe's poem,
can stand and be understood as
absolute music. One can nearly say
that. Notwithstanding Goethe's' su-
perb text, the FauStian idea in LISTS
tones comes to a more immediate
expression just because music as
language OF the emotion discloses more
directly than even the poets words
that which is in most humans. Nat
urally, this would not be possible
except for LISTS genius, which COM
pretended the spirit of the literary
masterpiece so intensely that he is
able to make us realize the three
central figures Of the tragedy to the
full and so vividly that it is as though
we ourselves, in listening, live their
very lives.
In this respect it is interesting to
note that both Wagner in his Faust"
overture and List in the first part of
his symphony departed from the sane
premises. Both understand as the
tragic underlying problem of Faust's
nature the contradiction between ideal
and reality, which is in the last an
alysis, the problem of all thinking
human beings.
1t is this high conception, and the
fact that List wrote this work at a
time now nearly 100 years ago, before
Wagner. in a period when the shallow
works of Meyerbeer and his lesser COL
leagues were considered to be the high
point of the development of music so
far, that stamp its composer as the
greatest innovator in the history of
music in the nineteenth century and
as creator Of the first rank
If we consider all of this, we will
the more easily overlook the compara-
lively minor flaws of the work and be
able, both effectively and subjectively,
to agree with the high opinion of great
artists and the understanding admira-
tion of the work by that great genius,
Richard Wagner himself.
T EFT us now consider the work itself.
The very start places us in Faust's
mood of unhappy discomfort The tor
lures of doubt are Immediately and
vigorously expressed in the opening
measures: 'Und sch, dass wir NIGHTS
wissen koennen das will mir schier das
Herr verbrennen" (And oh, that we
are sure of nothing! That nearly
burns my very heart), Dem Wurme
gleich' ich der den Staub durchwuhlt"
Il resemble the worm crawling in the
dust). The second motive, of revolt,
is of the greatest importance in the
later development A sudden explo-
sion of passion reminds us of the
words: "Weh! Steck ich in den
Kerker noch!" CWoe. am I in this
prison yet?) A powerful climax ends
the introduction.
Then the allegro starts: "Flieh!
auf! Hinaus ins weiteland" (Flee, up
and about, toward the vast plainsD.
This wonderful motive of desire for
life "nur rastlos betatigt sich der
Mann" (only by restlessness does man
exist, combined with the second
theme in contrapuntal fashion, fit the
words, dem Taumel weih ich mich,
dem schmerzlichen Genuss" Il dedi-
cate myself to Joy. to the most pain
full joys). THIS soaring motive has
been bodily taken by Wagner in his
Tristan" music. With this goes a
mood of thoughtfulness, a fine psyche
logical effect, also the ensuing mystic
figure of ascending violins over chords
(reminding us of Faust's magic
Efforts completes the picture of Faust,
with his strong inclination toward the
supernatural. Liszt marks this mis-
terioSo."
Thereafter the main movement
starts again, with development sec
tion, returns of the themes, climax,