Evening star., 1939-01-22
By ALICE EVERSMAN.


For the tired business man, who
always wants to know what it's all
about the recent recording of
Richard Strauss "Symphonia Do
mestica' by the Philadelphia Or
chestra, Eugene Ormandy, con-
ductor. released by the Victor Co.
will come as an answer to his con-
tinual query. For in this symphony
the composer has definitely set him
self to work to put into musical
form the daily experiences of every
household and. so that it is not to
be misunderstood. has taken pains
minutely to explain just what every
measure represents.
The unique idea does not over
shadow the music, however. which
is some of the finest orchestral
writing that this genius has ever
turned out. Before the first perform
ance in America. on March 81. 1904.
Strauss. who was conducting the
orchestra expressly stated that,
This time, 1 wish my music to be
listened to purely as music" This
was, and is. difficult thing to ask
of any type of listener for, with
such an unusual and fascinating
program, it is hardly possible not
to watch to see how it could be ex-
pressed in music
He starts out by assigning various
themes to depict the characters
Of papa. mamma and the baby.
Papa goes through three degrees,
Easy Going (Gemaechlich) :"
Dreamy CTraeumerish)" and
Fiery CFeurig)" while mamma
speaks either Very lively (Sehr
Lebhaft" or with Feeling (Ge-
fuehvolD." The baby, as might be
expected, has very tender theme
OF almost Haydnesque simplicity"
as Strauss describes it.
The characters of the symphonic
Domestica" are introduced imme-
diately in way not to be mistaken
and we pass on to a musical pic
turization of the child taking his
bath, at which moment a group of
relatives arrives and takes sides in
a discussion as to which parent it
resembles. A little mounting meas
ure is noted by the composer as
"Aunts; Just Like Papa" while a
subsequent descending one repre-
sents the uncles' opinion, Just Like
Momma"
The scherzo movement begins the
description of the family life with
the Child Playing" and the Joy
of the Parents" concluding in a lul-
laby. The commencement of a day
is depicted in the adagio, with it's
seven strokes of the glockenspiel an
nouncing am. and divided into
Doing and Thinking" Love
Scene" and Dreams and Worries"
Then, after q Merry Argument in
the finale, there is the Happy End
ing" elaborated with great orches-
trai skill.
A near-revolution was caused in
musical circles at the first hearing
of this work. Feeling that the COM
poser had at least taken leave of his
senses if he had not wantonly desc
Grated the sacred art of music, it was
condemned with ridicule from the
light-minded and scorn from the
serious. Today it stands on its merit
as great piece of music, the pro-
gram is incidental. and the tre-
mendous creative powers of the COM
poser alone the point of interest.
The extreme cleverness of the en-
tire work might register more i'm
portantly with the listener If the
extraordinary color that is brought
into the orchestra, the richness and
variety given its voices and the in
disputable agreement between theme
and instrument were not more over
whelming still. The Philadelphia
Orchestra plays it so superbly as to
make It one Of the masterpieces Of
recording.