Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-11-25
BY DAY THORPE

UIdIlQ q COkupOcCI 40 cAAd4AOW
If not downright vulgar;
Mozart, and Mozart alone, can
be guilty of these qualities
without becoming the object
Of our suspicion and our con-
descension. Even Mozart was
not godlike in the eyes of our
grandfathers, or, for that mat
ter, our fathers.
The two performances Of
Mendelssohn's Lobgesang
Symphony, given by the Wash
ington and Cathedral Choral
Societies this week under Paul
Galloway, are the cause of this
reflection. A cantata-sym-
phony, a large and obviously
important work in the Men
delssohn canon, the Lobgesang
was the source Of extraordi-
nary irritation and also of ex-
traordinary pleasure.
The difference of opinion did
not follow the usual classifica-
ton of average concert goer"
and sophisticated music
lover"-each camp was split
within itself.
To my own ear, the Men
delssohn work, both perform
ances of which / heard. was
music Of immediate impact
and lasting appeal. I wonder
why the LobgeSang, though
loved by some, and tolerated
by more, still has no general
acceptance as a great musical
masterpiece.
No Prophet or Cult
Perhaps the reason is that it
was written by the wrong COM
poser. MendelsSohn today is a
man with no prophet. no cult,
no opposition, as a matter Of
fact. with no nothing. He is
the reverse side Of no coin. He
is completely neglected by
those who stand in awe Of
Brahms, and then turn to Le-
Roy Anderson. sub rosa. as
music to enjoy. The thou
sands Of couples who walk to
the altar to the wedding
march usually do so. I am
afraid, because they feel they
wouldn't be properly married
otherwise" rather than because
the piece is one of the most
spirited and infectious marches
in the entire literature of joy
Gus music.
Once when I asked to buy a
copy Of the Songs Without
Words at a music store where !
was known to be seriously"
interested in music. the sales
girl blushed incredulously as
though I had asked for the
Kamasutra. The name Of the
store was 1.-THE Loomis Temple
of Music" and no profane or
indecent requests were coun-
tenanced.
1t is not alone the Lodge
sang, or the Midsummer
Nights Dream wedding march,
or the Songs without Words
the truth is that today in
1856 there is no Mendelssohn
which it is considered respect
able to honor. The age and
the music are incompatible.
Why This Lack Of Grace?
Why? Has Mendelssohn
fallen out of favor because of
his music or in spite of it?
Does the anathema of Wag-
ner, who hated Mendelssohn
primarily because he was q
successful Jew, still vibrate in
the aether, to be heard by our
sensitive ears. or is there
another reason for Mendel-
ssohn's lack Of grace.
MendelSSohn wrote some
trivial music, and, except at
his most inspired, he never
was a peer Of the great Wen
nese composers the heels of
whom he followed hard upon
Haydn. Mozart, Beethoven,
and Schubert. The incidental
music to the Midsummer
Nights Dream, the Hebrides
Overture, and the violin con-
certo are pieces which not
only in regard to their orches-
tration but in every other
musical particular are original
achievements of the highest
order. and elsewhere. wher-
ever Mendelssohn is using the
orchestra. he is always breath
taking. He is one of the
supreme masters of orchestra
tion-varied without being
fussy, clear without being
shallow. balanced without
being pedantic. exhilarating
/ and infectious without falling
into bombast or the common
place.
Always Serene and Limpid
Apart from his orchestration,
Mendelssohn seldom lived for
long in the very highest
realms Of inspiration, but his
music is always aristocratic,
always serene. limpid, and
perfectly workmanlike. He
and List (the latter. to be
sure. not always we're the last
composers of the nineteenth
century whose music never
falters in its rhythm and drive
In two musical forms Men,
delssohn is supreme. II that
word is opposite where there
are really no other men TO be
contestants. He took the
barcarole as suggested by
Beethoven In the sonata, Opus
rs. and created a form OF
nostalgia bagatelle which is
sui genertS. and the rapid
bubbling, chattering six-eight
Mendelssohn scherzo is music
the composer Of which can