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THE
MUSIC TRADE REVIEW/
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THE PLAYER-PIANISTS' DEPARTMENT
[It is in every way eminently desirable that a publication
which undertakes to give so much space and so authoritative
a treatment to the great player industry, as does The Re-
view, should not neglect what is after all the real excuse
for the player's exjstence, namely, the music that is evoked
from it. Recognizing the extraordinary importance of do-
ing everything possible to spread more widely appreciation
and love for music among player-pianists, The Review's
Player Section for the present month contains below, and
will in future regularly contain, a department devoted to
the musical interests of player-pianists and of the player-
piano. Bach month one musical article of general interest
will appear, together with useful hints, notes and comments.
This is in addition to the regular sub-section of the Player
Section which analyzes the monthly Issues of music rolls.
Professional demonstrators, salesmen and player-pianists of
every degree will find each month on the "Player-Pianist's"
page of the Player Section much valuable information. And
the Editor of the Player Section will at all times be glad
to answer inquiries on any and all musical player matters.]
RICHARD STRAUSS.
Musicians, for reasons connected with the pecu-
liar nature of their art, often appear to be people
who concern themselves mightily with things
which have but the slightest interest for the public
at large. This, however, is neither fault nor
blame to the musician, but rather to the public,
which ought to be interested in art a great deal
more than it is. It may be difficult to understand
why there should be any controversies over any-
thing at all in music. The layman either likes or
dislikes a composition, and seldom troubles him-
self to analyze his feelings in the matter enough
to discover the reason for his state of mind. Yet
it would be a great deal better for him if he did.
A rational understanding and enjoyment of the
beautiful in music is a priceless possession; one,
also, that is to be had almost at command by any-
one who looks for it. The aim of this particular
page in the Player Section is to give readers, from
time to time, simply written information that may
enable them to find their way a little more easily
through the paths of musical appreciation; paths,
nevertheless, which are open enough if one has
but a modicum of light whereby to see.
Wherefore, intelligent readers, we are moved
this month to speak of one Richard Strauss and
of his work in tonal art. We do this because it
falls out from time to time that every music-
lover, whether he gains his appreciation through
the medium of a player-piano or not, has the work
of this man put up to him, whether through actual
hearing it or through listening to talk about it.
And indeed this Strauss person has managed in
the past decade or so to set the world of musical
cognoscenti very much upon their musical ears.
Hence he becomes a legitimate object of curiosity.
Now the reason for all this recent and still
continuing hubbub is that our Richard has been
busily engaged in writing music of a sort hitherto
not known. He has been pulling down the pillars
of Art's temple, Samson-like, in a blind fury of
destruction, willing to lay all in utter ruin if so he
may rid himself of his enemies, the ancient rules
of Art and Beauty. That, at least, is what those
say who do not like him. His friends, on the
contrary, tell us that Strauss is to-day, as was
the other Richard—Wagner—fifty years ago, a
pioneer in art expression; a Moses leading us
from the wilderness of dead forms into a Prom-
ised Land where all is free, unrestrained beauty
of expression, where Music becomes the true uni-
versal language, where the power of naked tone
is for the first time revealed in gorgeous and daz-
zling radiance. That, approximately, is what his
admirers say. If it be difficult to strike a balance
between the contending opinions, we may remem-
ber, as consolation, that people said the very same
things about Wagner; only they said them rather
more rudely and violently. Yet Wagner to-day is
meat and bread to music lovers everywhere. At
least, then, what we shall have to say ought to be
interesting, if only after the manner in which a
prize-fight has elements of fascination.
Richard Strauss—to begin in the accepted style
—was born on June 11, 1864, at Munich, the very
musical capital of Bavaria, son of the horn-player
Franz Strauss. (A concerto for horn, written
by the elder Strauss, may be familiar to some
readers of this, as the orchestral part has been ar-
ranged on rolls.)
His mother came from a
wealthy family of brewers, so that the Strauss
household was by no means poverty-stricken. The
boy began to interest himself in the piano at the
early age of four, and when six years old we find
him trying his hand at composition. Systematic
study began when he was at school and was con-
tinued after he entered the university (1882).
During this time of college life some small, rather
boyish, works were composed and performed, one
of which had the dimensions of a symphony. This
latter was performed in New York for the first
time by Theodore Thomas. Gradually composi-
tion became his recognized life work. In 1885,
when he was 21 years of age, the famous Mein-
ingen Orchestra, then under the baton of Hans
von Bulow, visited Munich, and among other
works performed Strauss' Suite for 13 wind in-
struments. Von Bulow insisted on Strauss him-
self conducting his work, and the young man ac-
quitted himself so well that he was invited to
Meiningen the same year, when von Bulow re-
tired, to become conductor. He stayed here only
a very short time, however, and after a couple of
months' travel in Italy became third Capellmeister
(assistant conductor) at Munich under the fa-
mous Wagnerian director, Hermann Levi. In the
year 1889 he was appointed second Capellmeister
at Weimar. In 1892 he suffered a dangerous ill-
ness from overwork and afterward took a long
trip to complete his recovery. In 1894 his opera
"Guntram" was produced at Weimar, and the same
year he married Fraulein Pauline de-Ahna, the
young lady who had sung the principal part in the
new work. During this year, also, he was ap-
pointed Capellmeister at Munich, an honor which
was duplicated at Berlin in 1899. From 1896 to
1898 Strauss visited various capitals of Europe,
conducting his works, which by this time were
causing an immense amount of talk. In 1903 he
conducted Strauss festivals in London and New
York, the latter with the then existing Wetzler
Orchestra. At these festivals all his- important
orchestral compositions were performed. In 1905
Strauss plunged once more into opera, producing
the very ghastly, though very powerful "Salome,"
based on the poem of Oscar Wilde. This has
been performed throughout Europe and also. in
this country. It caused an avalanche of critical opin-
ion, favorable and the reserse. The next opera went
still further. "Elektra" was produced in 1909 at
the Manhattan Opera House, New York, by Ham-
merstein, after it had been heard in Europe.
Strauss has since composed and had produced a
comic opera, "Der Rosenkavalier" ("The Rose
Knight"), based on an eighteenth century story,
which is entirely different from all the rest.
So much for the history of the man who has
turned all the musical world into adherents of one
or the other camp—friends or enemies. It is time
to say a few words about the manner of his work,
about what he has done, and what he may do, and
lastly about his influence and value to us to-day
and to the art of Music.
Strauss' published works bear opus numbers
up to 60. The first twelve show him to be a
follower of the classic, devoted to Brahms, the
great apostle of strict form. With the same
period, indicated by the opus numbers 12 to 19,
we begin to see a feeling for a sort of impres-
sionism, a getting away from the idea of ab-
stract beauty, and a determined attempt to paint
in music actual events and happenings, the beau-
ties of Nature and the emotions of men's minds.
The first work which shows this to any extent is
the opus 16, an orchestral fantasy entitled "Aus
Italien," • composed after his first Italian visit.
Here we begin to find realism, a strong effort to-
ward landscape painting in music. It is a peculiar
and amusing commentary on the methods of
Strauss, however, that he built the finale of this
Fantasy upon the banal theme of "Funiculi, Funi-
cula," apparently supposing it to be a true Italian
folk-song, and quite unaware that it was then a
very recent composition of an Italian living in
London.
"Macbeth," the tone-poem numbered opus 20,
however, first begins to show the Strauss that is
to be. It is built on the Shakespearian drama,
and aims to be a musical picture of the dramatic
action. Strauss here begins to carry out his doc-
trine that music, to be truthful and indicative, must
not mind if at times it is forced to be ugly. When
this theory is carried out to the extent of choos-
ing ugly subjects, the resulting ugliness may be
better imagined than described. But this is an
interlude.
In order that we may understand, though im-
perfectly, just what Strauss means to Music and to
its future, we must first of all familiarize our-
selves with the general facts of his work. And
this requires a catalog of at least the most im-
portant.
Following "Macbeth," then, we have
opus 24, the famous tone-poem, "Tod und Verk-
larung" ("Death and Transfiguration"). This is
based on a poem of Alexander Ritter, which de-
scribes the sick fancies of a dying man, stretched
out on his cot in a garret, struggling with death
and finding ultimate joy in the transfiguration of
spirit which comes after Death has won his vic-
tory. It is a marvelous composition, by many
accounted the greatest work of Strauss. By means
of the poem itself, as printed on the score, one
may without doubt hear pictured with fidelity
every incident of the tragedy. Moreover, as sim-
ple music, it is solemn, tragic, tremendously mov-
ing. Melodically it is above the average of
Strauss' work, while in its command of orches-
tration and instrumentation, it shows signs of
what the later Strauss is to accomplish in these
fields of technic. Even here, however, the weak-
ness of the Straussian scheme becomes apparent,
in that the music is altogether unintelligible with-
out the aid of the poem attached to it. Here we
see the beginning of the elucidatory programs,
without which none of the later works are com-
plete, or even possible. Here is a difficulty which
cannot successfully be explained away.
The opera "Guntram" is next in succession. It
owes much to Wagner, and can hardly be said to
be extraordinarily interesting. Strauss has not yet
entirely found himself, nor is this self-discovery
to be made until the composition of "Till Eulen-
spiegel" and "Zarathustra." But these works,
especially the latter and their successors, must be
reserved for consideration next month. After
discussing them briefly we may then take up the
task of forming some estimate of what Strauss'
music really is, what effect it is to have on the
future of composition, and whether, after all, it is
to be called artistically good or bad.
(To be continued.)
A HEART TO HEART TALK
The Soul of the Piano.
All that makes piano playing lovely and fresh,
vital and glowing, would be quite impossible un-
less we had the damper or sustaining pedal to pro-
long the tones which we evoke. In fact, the play-
ing of an artist is dependent upon this simple
device to a degree very little understood or ap-
preciated. The artist plays as much on the damper
pedal as on the keyboard, for it is the pedal which
transforms the piano from a mere scatterer of