Evening star., 1937-04-28
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
BY MARGARET GERMOND.

ooAiJA. NCW 4OAAs CIcucIlCk "A.
Stokes Co.
THE LIFE OF RICHARD WAGNER. BY
Ernest Newman. New York: Alfred
A. Knopf
A little more than fifty years ago
practically the entire Western world was
mourning the death Of a great artist.
Franz Liszt, whose genius had immeas-
urably contributed to the culture of a
century richly endowed with composers
and masters Of great music, had died.
Glowing tributes were everywhere being
paid to the gifted pianist and composer,
but, just as three years before the world
OF Western culture unreservedly rem
dered its praise to the immortal music
OF Richard Wagner, the opportunity to
pass Judgment upon the private life of
the famous musician could not be re-
sisted.
Two thousand years, as time is meas
ured IN terms of the universe, is per-
maps loo brief span in which to expect
the human race to advance far beyond
the savage state of mind that prevailed
when the Star of Bethlehem heralded to
the civilized nations of the earth the
plrth OF an infant upon whose mature
teachings new religion of tolerance and
sympathy for human weaknesses and hu-
man failures would be founded And
evidence shows that the same span of
years is sufficiently long time in which
to lay aside a few of the fundamental
principles of the new faith introduced
py the loWly Nazarene and to judge with
out sympathy and without understand
Ing the behavior OF human beings upon
whom the God who rules the universe
has bestowed gifts totally beyond the
comprehension of those whose talents and
experiences have not been kindled to
superior expression by the torch which
flames within the soul of genius Can it
be that the Ruler of all things intended
that man, with his limited knoWl-
edge Of the source and the sus-
tanning force of inspiration, should
assume the right to measure all fellow
beings who walk this earth by the same
yardstick? Faithful adherence to the
teachings of the Nazarene forbids such
Judgment. But, despite its intelligence,
the world is still loath to recognize
that each mortal differs from his brother
and that manmade codes of conduct
differ materially from the infallible law
OF the universe that holds mans only
clue to the riddle of the divine plan.
In the category of these immortals who
nave given to the world some of it's
most treasured cultural blessings are
franz Liszt and Richard Wagner.
whose lives ran parallel in the era
which witnessed the most prolific
production OF great music in tho
history of the art. Both men, as
mortals. violated every convention laid
down in the prevailing code of social
conduct Yet both of them left
to the world which praised their genius
and condemned their morals a rich
heritage OF immortal music, the full meas
ure OF which no man has yet been able
adequately to estimate.
AS literature for the shelves of newly
music-conscious public, both of the
volumes included in this column are of
particular value. One is novel and the
other is absolute biography Yet the
novel Is as important to those who would
have understanding rather than pref
udice as is the second volume of a monu-
mental biography which, when COM
pleted, will undoubtedly be the most
comprehensive Wagnerian compilation
ever produced by one author. Four years
have elapsed since the appearance Of the
frst volume, which detailed the life Of
the famous German composer from his
birth until 1848. Now comes the second
book, covering in detail the years between
l848 and 1860 and giving full informa-
tlon concerning matters which in earlier
biographies have been deliberately omit
ted because they pertained to persons
still living, or which were undiscovered or
unknown by those who attempted to
present complete story of the life of
the great composer.
And this stupendous work of Ernest
Newman, rejecting years of laborious re-
search and study, may we'll cause the
musician to ponder and the layman to
gasp at the prodigious energy and the
lndefatigable efforts of the man who
oelleVed IN his own genius and who
employed every vile at his command to
force upon his friends and his enemies
the responsibility of maintaining him in
his poverty and of financing and produc-
ing the majestic compositions which are
destined through eternity to enchant
and enthrall humanity with their power
and their beauty.
OF no less value is the new novel which
Zsolt Harsanyi has devoted to Hungarys
most noted genius of music He is him.
self an Hungarian, whose family claims
to be the Oldest literary family in the
world. For six hundred years its men,
bers have been writer's and the author
OF this novellzed biography of one of
the worlds most famous pianists and
composers has written over one hundred
one-act plays, dozen full-length mu.
sical comedies and dramas and drama
tized several important Hungarian nov-
els. He has also written biographical
| novels on the lives of such notable
| Hungarian geniuses as Imre Madach, the
| playwright; Petofi, the poet, and Michael
Munkacsi, the painter.
In presenting the life of Franz LisH he
offers no apology and begs no sympathy
| for the idol of nineteenth century
Europe. He simply presents the great
geuius as he lived, reconstructing in
narrative form the tempestuous career
of the man whose two passions were
| religion and music and whose fairly
long life was checkered no less than
that Of many another genius with
succession OF women - some of them
noble of character, many Of them of no
particular spiritual consequence.
From early childhood, when his pas
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