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TRI
With which is Incorporated THE KEYNOTE.
VOL. XXV.
No. 10.
Published Every Saturday, at 3 East Fourteenth Street. New York, September 4,1897.
THE COnPOSITIONS OF ROBERT COVERLY.
the lily. This air unadorned is most
adorned, like certain other immortal tunes,
Mr. Coverly's latest publication is an such as Schubert's "Who Is Sylvia?" Schu-
"Impromptu" for the piano. It has the mann's " Wenn Ich Friih in den Garten
true impromptu spirit and does not seem Geh," and Jensen's "Lehn Deine Wang an
studied and formal, but is as whimsical as Meine Wang."
•
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*
Schumann's "Grillen." All the whims,
The foregoing extract, treating of Mr.
too, are charming in themselves. The
Coverly's compositions, is from the August
piece opens in placid beauty interrupted issue of Godey's. One important fact has
by a sudden wild burst of cadenza. Thence been overlooked, however, in this connec-
it runs through many moods to an ending tion, and that is, that Mr. Coverly's com-
of serene beauty.
positions are published exclusively by the
A fine example of sustained elegance and White-Smith Music Publishing Co. of Bos-
purity is a book of "Ten Sketches" for the ton, New York and Chicago. This firm
piano; the first, a "Bagatelle," beginning was, perhaps, the first to recognize Mr.
and ending in delicious drollery of a classic Coverly's skill as one of our leading com-
flavor, with an interlude of tenderness. posers, and they never fail to take special
The second is an exceedingly graceful pains to give his works that prominence
tone-poem, "The Windmill." There is an which they fully merit.
"Etude" and a highly interesting "Ela-
Mr. Coverly is a resident of our city of
tion." Three of the pieces have a deep whom we are justly proud.
plaintiveuess along with their simplicity:
o
a pathetic "Valsette," a strange little wail
PLAQIARISTIC PRECEDENTS.
of "Melody" and a "Song of the Nuns."
We hear so much about plagiarizing in
Two one-page bits are examples of the the musical world to-day that it is some-
highest art: a "Rustic Dance" of the what of a satisfaction or compensation to
utmost fascination, and a "Lullaby" which learn from a writer in the London Musical
contains just one period of eight measures Standard that the great composers have
(with an introductory two measures). This had weaknesses along the same line. He
book is ended with a "Recreation at the asks:—Did not Mozart acknowledge a
Monastery," a rollicking vocalization of debt of gratitude which he owed to Pales-
fine wholesomeness with a most peaceful trina for suggestions received from his
conclusion. This book is truly a casket of works? Did not Mendelssohn attest a
gems of the first water. . . . "Ask Thine similar gratitude with regard to Johann
Heart Again " is in the Tosti style both in Sebastian Bach? Spohr and Gounod with
words and music. One of Mr. Coverly's regard to Mozart? Marochner with regard
most popular songs is a tender hammock to Weber? Berlioz and Wagner with re-
lullaby, "For Love's Sake." . . . "Love gard to Beethoven? And many of our liv-
for Love" is a delightfully tantalizing pas- ing composers with regard to Wagner?
torale, and "Visions" has the distinction Let it not be forgotten that all development
of being a spinning song without the usual in music is governed by the all-embracing
runs, the spinning wheel effect being clev- law of evolution, and that every eminent
erly suggested by grace-noted chords. composer builds upon the foundation pre-
There is a good setting of Tennyson's "To pared by his predecessors, taking up the
Sleep." . . . The most perfect proof of thread where they have left it, to evolve
Mr. Coverly's melodic ability, however, is the art-work one step further. When
surely his song, "Tell Me, Fair Moon." I Schumann introduces the Marseillaise,
do not hesitate to call it one of the most half disguised yet distinctly recognizable,
beautiful ever written. The accompani- into his Faschingsschwank aus Wien, just
ment is becomingly simple, though it is to poke a little fun at the Vienna police,
not without scholarly touches here and which had forbidden that stirring air to
there. To have smothered this divine be played within the Austrian capital; or
melody in an elaborate accompaniment when, as a personal compliment to his
would have been the bad taste of painting friend, Sterndale Bennett, he builds up the
liV
RUPERT
HUGHES.
$3.00 PER YEAR.
SINGLE COPIES, 10 CENTS.
incomparable finale of his Etudes Sympho-
niques upon an English ballad in praise of
Richard Coeur-de-Lion (sung by Ivanhoe
in Heinrich Marschner's opera, Knight
Templar and Jewess,) we pronounce such
proceeding not only perfectly legitimate
but highly commendable, because of its in-
genuity and fitness. In a similar manner,
we think Meyerbeer entitled to praise for
building up his overture to Les Huguenots
upon the great Lutheran hymn, A Mighty
Fortress is Our God. Among operatic
composers of distinction, Meyerbeer has
been very generally accused of the theft of
the mental property of others. No less a
one than Richard Wagner, his bitter an-
tagonist, has on that account heaped abuse
upon Meyerbeer in terms fitting for the
most depraved criminal; but we think with-
oiit sufficient justification. Meyerbeer was
an eclectic, following no one school in par-
ticular but ready to assimilate everything
good, no matter where he found it. He
was by no means scrupulous in borrowing
ideas from the scores of great masters, liv-
ing or dead. His Robert le Diable and
Les Huguenots, as well as others of his
operas,teem with passagesthat will convince
the critic that Rossini's Tell, Auber's La
Muette, Weber's Der Freischiitz and Eury-
anthe, and Beethoven's Fidelio were too well
known to Meyerbeer. But what of that?
o
Four choral works, namely, Gounod's
"Redemption;" H. W. Parker's " Hora
Novissima;" A. Goring Thomas' "Swan
and Skylark; " and Saint Saens' "Samson
and Delilah," will be sung at the fortieth
annual musical festival to be held at Wor-
cester, September 20 to 24. Carl Zerrahn
will conduct, assisted by Frank Kneiser.
The orchestra will be composed of mem-
bers of the Boston Symphony with Joseffy
as piano soloist. Among the singers will
be Blauvclt, Meredith and Gadski, sopranos;
Stein, Bloodgood and Hall, contraltos;
William Hamlin and Lavin, tenors; Bisp-
ham, Dempsev and Holmes, basso.
O
A monument to the memory of Niels
Wilhelm Gade, the famous Danish com-
poser, has been erected on the St. Anne's
Plad, Copenhagen. Gade died seven years
ago.
He was born in Copenhagen, and
was for many years first director of the
Royal Conservatory.