Evening star., 1943-12-08
This and That
By Charles Z. Trdce1peU.
"TAKOMA PARK Nh

1AhoMA PARh, Mo.
Dear Sir:
Last year at about this time you gave
your readers good tip as to good
cheap recording of Beethoven's wonder
full Pastoral Symphony, No g. You
explained at that time that this seemed
particularly appropriate Christmas mu-
sic. This was the Bruno Walter record
ing. as I recall
Il would like to suggest for this
Christmas time that We get and play
Beethoven's Second Symphony The
No. is often overlooked by record en-
thusiasts, as. indeed, by music lovers In
general. Yet many great commentators
on music have said that it is among the
masters best.
The marvels OF the 'Eroica, No. g. and
the splendors Of the Fifth Symphony
now called the Victory Symphony have
LETT many sincere music lovers to sneer
mildly at the Second. think they are
wrong. This Is one Of the finest of all
the symphonies. containing in the sec
ond movement one Of Beethoven's sweet
est songs
"All the recordings of 1t are good, but
the best are those by Sir Thomas
Beecham and Weingartner The first Is
my preference. This is marvellous music,
real Beethoven, with only a lingering
mental hold on all his illustrious pred
ecessors. There are touches of Haydn
and Mozart in it. 1t is true, but only
touches. Most Of 1t is pure Beethoven,
but Beethoven before he had worked up
SO many OF the tricks which are his hall
marks, like the lingering endings as If
he could not bear to let 20.
1ul Second Symphony be played more
than 1t usually is, and am sure that
those who take my tip. as I and no
DOUBT hundreds Of others took yours last
winter, will find that they have a marvel
GUS reward. Sincerely yours, G. B."
This is an excellent idea, to have a
Christmas symphony every year.
We are happy to have initiated the
idea
Some Of Beethoven's other works are
played so much that they leave little
room, IN the listening Of many an en-
thusiast, for any other.
One good point of the Second Svm-
phony' Is that it is short Three 12-inch
RECORDS do 1t. The Beecham recording
Is perhaps the best of all. That great
conductor has never been satisfied with
anything except the best.
we suppose we are preiudiced in
favor OF the Second as evidently our
correspondent is.
1t was the first symphony we ever
heard
To this day we can recall our feeling
OF wonder over the magnificent sounds
which the orchestra made.
This is the great revelation of the
symphony to one who has never heard
such music before
Too many listeners spend their time
trying to understand" the music.
Happily we did not try to understand
1t at all, but just reveled in it, which is
exactly the thing to do.
More good music has been spoiled for
more good honest people by vain at
tempts to try to understand" it than bv
all the poor orchestras and bad listening
conditions through all time
Beethoven's Second Symphony" can
be listened to by the newcomer or the
OLD hand-or ear-with complete appre-
ciation
There is nothing about it to confuse
'iie amateur listener, and nothing to be
condescenoing about for the professional.
IL Is good music, gay and happy, with
Its hymnlike second movement espe-
clally appealing. 1t is typical Beethoven,
but not the master held down by his
own ideas of music. In the Second he is
free, as he perhaps never was again.
1t speaks well for this work that all of
the four recordings of it are good record
lngs. 1t is as if musicians, leaders and
recording men all were in love with it,
and determined to do it the best they
knew how.
Often the subject of symphony music
is wrapped around with too much f1ub-
dub. Music played by great complex
organization is necessarily more complex
than a lullaby, but the hearing is often
as easy. That is where the art comes
In. This is splendidly demonstrated in
Beethoven's Second which is a sort of a
lullaby of symphony as easy to listen
to-and like-as a cradle song (Or, let
US whisper. pistol Packtn' Mamma.")