Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
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 existence, namely, the music that is evoked
from it. Recognizing the extraordinary importance of do-
ing everything passible 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. Each 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.]
death, resume their valiant contest against im-
mense odds and finally conquer.
Dr. Leopold Damrosch (of happy memory) has
left us a most interesting analysis of the Egmont
overture, which will stand as an admirable guide
to the player-pianist who wishes to extract from
the music its full measure of emotional value.
Says he:
"The overture begins with an outcry—a cry for
help—uttered by an entire nation. Then follow
heavy determined chords, which seem to press
down the very life of the people, who seem help-
lessly (the last two chords are piano) to yield to
their fate. Only the all-pervading woe remains,
BEETHOVEN'S OVERTURES.
impressively sounded forth, first by the oboe, and
then by the clarinets, bassoons and violins. From
every side the wail is repeated (the interval of the
1. "Egmont."
diminished seventh B—A flat bringing before us,
Beethoven wrote a number of overtures for
grand orchestra. The best known of these are the as in a picture, the hands of the nation uplifted in
prayer to heaven), until it is lost in the unison of
"Egmont," "Coriolanus," the three "Leonores" and
the first outcry, fortissimo. * * * Only one
the "Fidelio." All of these may be obtained on
music rolls in admirable arrangement, and all are ray of hope remains—Egmont. But even his light-
hearted nature seems imbued with anxiety for his
worthy of the closest study and attention. Any
oppressed country.
time spent on them will be well repaid.
For Beethoven was a dramatist. He, first of "His motive is, as it were, bound in chains by the
composers, introduced the definite dramatic note simultaneous repetition of somber chords. In deep
melancholy the violins repeat the motive, seeming
into his music. He was not content to put together
to languish more and more. But with sudden im-
beautiful sounds according to the laws of harmony
and of form, but rather strove to express definite pulse it revives; Egmont shakes off the gloom
which surrounds him; his pulse beats quickly and
states of mind. His overtures, for instance, are all
written upon some story; they are musical delinea- gladly. On every side his fellow-citizens cry to him
tions of the states of mind that were his when he for aid. They flock together, arid on every side
surround him, their only champion and deliverer.
read, or meditated on, some tragedy, some legend
or some drama. He wrote music to Goethe's poem
"As if to arouse Egmont still more to action, the
"Egmont," a tragedy of the great struggle for free-
sombre chords of the introduction are heard sud-
dom which the United Netherlands so bravely, and
denly, but now in agitated measures, shorter, more
in the end so successfully, waged against the power
commanding and more incisive. Egmont heeds not
of Spain during the seventeenth century. The these warnings. His short, lightly-given answers
young Count Egmont, his bravery, his leadership indicate that the decisive moment has not arrived
of the valiant burghers, his love and his untimely
for him. Three times the stringed instruments
death, furnished the great poet opportunities for a thunder forth the word of command. Then, as if
dramatic composition of tremendous power. And
Egmont with a prophetic eye saw the future before
when to Beethoven came the opportunity to write
him, he seems to press forward with a mighty rush
incidental music to the same, that master seized
to meet the oppressors. The hosts of followers,
the occasion eagerly. During 1810 he composed the
faithful to his call, rally to a spirited attack, and
Overture, four pieces to be played between the in fierce contest the victory seems to be won.
acts, two songs (sung by Egmont's peasant maid
"But this is only a dream. True to his nature,
love, Clarchen), a musical scene on the death of
Egmont is playing with his doom. Two vehemently
Clarchen, a "Melodrama" and a "Symphony of Vic- interrupting chords sound, as if to rouse Egmont
tory," the latter a triumphant finale. The music from his reveries; but still he dreams on and hears
was performed for the first time at the premiere them not. [Beethoven now follows for a time the
of the tragedy in Vienna, May 24, 1810.
laws of the sonata form. Then with rapid strides
he leads to the dramatic catastrophe and to the
An overture, traditionally, follows the laws of
sonata form, as described in the Player-Pianist's musical climax.]
"Harshly and powerfully the authoritative chords
Department last month. It is, in fact, the same
as the first movement of a sonata or symphony, resound again from the horns, clarinets and bas-
soons. This time they arouse Egmont from his
and comprises two or more contrasting themes, the
repetition of these, their development, and the reveries, and for the first time he seems to have a
coda. Beethoven, however, makes his overtures presentment of his danger. But his vision of be-
so tremendously interesting because he puts the fore has not left him. It still hovers about hjm
and even the repeated alarm does not rouse him.
real tragedy and immensity of the story on which
he basis his composition right into the music itself.
"For the third time the terrible chords resound
He is willing to follow form, but with him form is with trumpets and kettledrum, thundering out from
made for music and not music for form. The term the orchestra fortissimo. At last the illusion is
is used here, of course, in its strictest sense. So over. A cry of anguish escapes Egmont. His fate
we find that Beethoven, in his various overtures, is sealed. Death is his doom. In mute horror the
has taken always the dramatic idea which forms people surround the scaffold of their idol and their
the basis of the play or poem or opera for which
heartfelt prayers ascend to heaven.
the music is written, and upon this basis has erected
"But now the people's wrath, gaining double force
a tonal structure where the dramatic feeling is from the martyrdom of their hero and from the
everywhere paramount, though at the same time hope that heaven will listen to their prayers, bursts
there is no reckless sacrifice of the elements of
forth. At first a murmur is heard. But in wild
structure. Freedom disciplined—this is the best de- turmoil the storm of insurrection swells onward,
scription of Beethoven's dramatic music.
and soon triumphal sounds of victory announce
The story of Egmont is that of the young hero the tyrant's downfall. We hear the chains rent
called on by 3. struggling people to lead them. He asunder, while ever louder rises the cry of vic-
loves a peasant girl, and his love is his ruin. For tory."
he allows himself to be placed in a position of
That is a poetic analysis of the overture. And
danger through his determination to see his beloved no one who has heard the music will deny that
once more. He is captured by the Spanish and
what Dr. Damrosch tells us is really there. For-
executed. The Netherlanders, after witnessing his mally speaking, however, we may say that the over-
ture consists of three well-separated parts. The
first is the slow introduction. This voices the great
outburst of the opening and the tremendous, heavy
crushing chords that follow. Then follows the
more formal portion of the overture, during the
development of which the two main themes are
voiced and worked out. The first of these is a
running passage started by the 'cellos and taken
up two octaves higher by the violins. It seems
fitly to represent the character of Egmont. The
second theme is a modification of the opening
chords with their ominous warning. It is easily
distinguished, from its sharp staccato character and
imperativeness in the first half, voiced by the
strings in unison, and by the mournful character
of the sound portion, sounded an octave higher by
the clarinets and then an octave higher again by
the oboe. The middle portion of the overture is
concerned with the development of these themes.
The third and last part of the overture is the
same so-called "symphony of victory" which forms
the finale to the incidental music, played at the end
of the tragedy. It is not a "symphony" at all in
the true sense of that word, but a sort of tri-
umphal march suggesting the glorious victory of
the Netherlands over their foes. The key of the
overture is A flat major.
Next month we shall consider the "Leonore"
overtures Nos. 1, 2 and 3.
A HEART TO HEART TALK
On Pedaling.
Yes, one has to come back again and again
to the same subject. This is not because there
are not other things about which one may prop-
erly talk. But it is very much because there is
no more important topic in the whole range of
things player-pianistic. The player-piano's pedals
are the fons et origo of that instrument's whole
power. They move its motor, furnish energy for
the playing, and then give the means for control
of that energy. They are first in technical and
musical importance. And yet they are by no
means popularly enthroned in this high estate. On
the contrary it is quite true to say that the popu-
lar conception of their functions is very wide of
the mark. Of course, everybody knows enough
to move the pedals up and down. But the fact
has not yet penetrated very deeply into public
consciousness that every variety of touch, of
dynamic intensity and of subtle accentuation are
producable most readily through careful manipu-
lation of the pedals. This is a secret open to all,
yet apparently very little understood.
"Manipulation" and "Operation."
And here let us pause for a moment to enter a
protest, sincere and even a little violent, against
the misuse of terms in describing the process of
playing the player-piano. A moment ago we used
the word "manipulation" with reference to the use
of the player pedals. The choice of terms is not
ideal, but it is a great deal better than that other
abomination which we often hear in connection
with the player-piano, the word "operation."
People talk of a player-pianist as a good "oper-
ator," they tell one how well one "operates," and
they talk of "operation." Now, if the player-
piano were indeed a sewing machine, an automo-
bile or a patent churn, then, doubtless, the term-
inology here discussed would be most admirable
and appropriate. But the player-piano is a musi-
cal instrument. Its mission is to permit those
of us who are music lovers but not technically
trained pianists, to interpret compositions written
or arranged for a piano in a manner as excellent
as we can command, according to our taste and
talent. Now, "operate" connotes "machine." "Ma-
chine" stands for "mechanical," which is all very