Evening star., 1948-06-06
holland Paints
music Masters
las They Lived
By Alice Eversmon

BY Alice evefsmon
There are all too few musicians
or laymen who have the profound
penetration and understanding Of
music and its creators as had
Roman ROLAND. His peerless writ
ings on the subject were at one
time widely read. but the last gen.
erations know him but slightly. It
Is therefore . real service that David
Even has done in assembling and
publishing excerpts from his books
under the title Roman Rollands
Essay on Music" put out by Allen,
Towne and Health, Inc, Of New
York ($5).
In his preface Mr.. Even. who
was acquainted with ROLAND and
visited him often. explains that the
excerpts are taken from five differ
ent books. all Of them out OF print
and three Of them out Of -circula-
ton for the past 30 years. In 80
doing he has covered the ground
through outstanding composers Of
the time from Lully to Saint-Saens.
The fact that in selecting the SUBJ
jects, Mr.. Even has included some
composers not too generally appreci-
ated for their contribution to music,
Is Of special interest.
He has led into this bird's-eys
view by beginning with . chapter
on The Place of Music in General
History" and throwing light on the
causes Of the latest developments
by essays on THE Origins Of Eight
eenth-Century Classic Style" "A
Musical Tour OF Eighteenth Cen
turn Germany" and "A Musical
Tour Of Eighteenth Century Italy"
BY means Of these last two chapters
in particular the explanation Of
future new trends Is apparent.
Genfuses Are Made Human.
Ronand's immense erudition Is
matched by his rare psychological
For him the long
dead composers still lived and func-
toned as human beings as well al
geniuses. He knew how they looked.
what their manner of living was,
their cares and joys, what they were
striving for and how they accom-.
plished 1t in the period and under
conditions in which they lived. He
must have combed every source to
get these overall pictures and he
has the great art of making these
men as vividly alive as If they were
of this present era. His superb
writing style Is modest and kindly.
and one feels that he is speaking
constantly Of friends whose faults
and virtues he knows well, yet con-
doneS them In the light of their
service to music.
He has a trick of enlisting ones
sympathy at once. OF Telemann
he says: This man, whose music
was admired In every country in
Europe from France to Russia, and
whom Schubart called the peerless
whom the austere Mathe-
son declared to be the only musician
who was above all praise. Is today
No one attempts to mako
his acquaintance" Or, mo great
is more impossible to in
clude in the limits of one definition,
or even of several, than Handel"
Mozart" he says, 'is the chosen
friend Of those who have loved and
whose souls are quiet" and Bee
thoven would not be Beethoven II
he were not too much of whatever
he was. Whoever would understand
him must be able to embrace the
excess of his contrasts that brings
about his mighty equilibrium"
A Lofty View Of Music. ..,-.
The insight of his analysis of these
composers as well as Of Lully, Gretry
Gluck, Berlioz cthe world thinks
1t knows him"}. Wagner. Hugo Wolf
and Saint -Saens, who had the rare
honor of becoming classic during
his lifetime" is profound, yet it Is
his lofty view of music in general
that is most inspiring. The
thought of the eternal efflorescence
of music is a comforting one and
comes like messenger of peace in
the midst Of universal disturbance"
Art is humanity's dream-a dream
of light and liberty and quiet power.
1t is a dream whose thread Is never
broken, and there Is no fear for
the future" "Music's endeavor to
reach spiritual truth has been un-
ceasing and has brought about Q
continual advance"
These thoughts were written 80
years ago. We have gone of at .
tangent since that time, but the
verify Of these statements remains
unchanged. 1t would not hurt us II
we culled more from this great
mans writing to keep us on the cor
rect path In our search for musical
truth. Music demands of tho
soul vertiginous movement in the
immobile. the eye clear. the will
taut. the spirit flying high and free
0ver the UholA feld ~ dreonosD