Evening star., 1939-03-12

superlative musical knowledge a
peculiar insight into the more spir-
itual qualities of Beethoven's char
acter which often escapes the ap-
probation of other interpreters.
Perhaps no symphony of Beetho-
ven's has had so many and varied
ideas ascribed to it. Toscanini will
no doubt settle the question in the
minds of many, for he has become,
for this generation at least, an au-
thor;ty on all things regarding the
master composer. At the same time,
the popularity and the beauty OF
Beethoven's music is its power to
awaken entirely individual thoughts
in those who hear it, SO that it is
not amiss for every listener to cher
ish his own reaction to 1t and the
meaning he extracts from it.
Musicians Hobby.
interpreting" the Seventh SYM
phony' has been the hobby OF
musicians, biographers and dancers
ever since it was first heard. Ine
composer went into one of his finest
furies at one lengthy exposition that
came to his attention, and declared:
"They should be confined to charac-
terization of the composition IN gen
eral terms, which could easily and
correctly be done by any educated
musician" But people have thought
otherwise, and will continue to do
so. trying to put into words the
feeling that the music aroused SO
yividly within them.
1t is strange thing that the
symphony can mean one thing to
one person and quite the opposite
to another. Wagner, for example,
held it to be "the Apotheosis OF the
dance; the dance in its highest
condition; the happiest realization
of the movements OF the body IN
Its ideal form"
DR.. Carl Iken, on the contrary,
finds in it a musical picture OF
q political revolution. Schumann
thought the second movement de-
picted a nuptial ceremony in a vii
lage, while Marx believed the whole
work represented tale of Moorish
knighthood. Some have said that
1t was the writing of an intoxicated
man, while dIndy states with final
ity that it 'is a pastoral symphony,
pure and simple"
Definition Changes.
What is the ordinary listener to
think when men of musical learning
have been so at odds regarding a
definition of it? But that is pre-
cisely the characteristic trait OF
great music, that it cannot be placed
definitely in a frame to remain un-
changed for all time Music is
viewed from the style of thought OF
the period, as progress influences
thought, enlarging and deepening 1t
with the experience gained. What
It meant in it's own generation has
come to mean something quite dlf-
Ierent in this generation.
With each reading the master
pieces experience renewal OF lie.
When an artist such as Toscannl
brings to bear his musical insight
6Ilu 1llS ONll l1Sll 4lluoANeA AAeteAA y
on an analysis of a great work
there results the fundamental idea
of the composer embellished by the
equal ranking viewpoint of an IN
terpreting artist. The power OF the
interpretive artist keeps burning the
flame of life in music, stavlng OIL
with his sympathetic comprehen-
sion the forces of annihilation at
work on all things human.
So it is that we have ever-chang-
Ing manifestations in the music
conceived in the minds of the di-
vinely endowed. The personality OF
the composer is enshrined in his
music for the personality of its
interpreter to further enhance its
meaning through his talent. The
test of great music will ever be its
power to react with continual
freshness for the pleasure and ben