Scan 33
Musical Courier 1895-12-25: Vol 31 Iss 825, 1895
8 lines. Read by computer on 26 September 2026. Printed page 34. See the scan on archive.org.
1streets and newspapers of London and New York, would hardly have the desired effect in the towns of continental Europe. In Leipsic the mere posting of a concert bill in the street would be enough to bring discredit on all concerned in the matter. I do not mean to suggest by this assertion that the Leipzigers are incorruptible in their musical judgment; certainly not. But their musical culture is so far advanced that downright vulgarity in puffing and advertising is offensive to them. The influence of the monic Society in Vienna; "what would the poor fellow give if he knew how he likes the new symphony." The wit of Hellmesberger could, I think, be safely applied to many of our critics without committing too great an injustice. I knew a little boy of six years old in Germany who never missed a chance of hearing music. He listened with the greatest interest to all musical compositions, and sometimes expressed his opinion about their merits. When Mortier de Fontaine played some fugues by Bach at shallow and bombastic effusions of so-called critics. Such children as the one about whom I have told the above anecdote are only found in countries or in families in which music has been cultivated from generation to generation. The child could neither read nor write, his enthusiasm was therefore not the result of reading critiques or analytical books which explain the composer's meaning. His pleasure and enjoyment in hearing and understanding music was nothing but an inheritance from his ancestors, whose love and cultivation of the divine art were incarnated in him. Thus are great musicians produced, and not otherwise. If there is no innate love and understanding of music in a child all the mechanical and theoretical studies in the world will not make a genuine musician of him. A certain amount of mannerism and affectation will always betray his inartistic origin.
3I do not say this in a discouraging spirit; on the contrary. In England the cultivation of the divine art has been neglected for centuries. Would it not be a noble aim to rectify the neglect of former generations, and thereby help to reconquer for England her former great position in the musical world?—J. H. Bonawitz, in the Musical Standard.
5press, however, is still as great in Leipsic (although not nearly so great as in England and America) as in most other continent altowns, especially when its tenor has an appearance of justice and wisdom. This state of things will last, of course, as long as there are people in the world who are incapable of judging for themselves.
7Musical criticism should therefore only be exercised by persons who are really competent of guiding and advising the artists and the musical public. Theoretically a critic ought indeed to stand as high above the artist he criticises as a teacher above his pupil. If this is not the case his criticisms are of little or no value. "There is Dr. S—, the critic of ——," said the witty Joseph Hellmesberger during a performance of a new symphony at the Philharmonic Society in Vienna; "what would the poor fellow give if he knew how he likes the new symphony." The wit of Hellmesberger could, I think, be safely applied to many of our critics without committing too great an injustice. I knew a little boy of six years old in Germany who never missed a chance of hearing music. He listened with the greatest interest to all musical compositions, and sometimes expressed his opinion about their merits. When Mortier de Fontaine played some fugues by Bach at his father's house he said: "I like that pall mall (Durcheinander), there is always something new coming." During a performance of Mozart's string quartet in G major he embraced his mother, saying, "I love you as dearly as I love that music." While Louis Brassin played Chopin's grand polonaise in A flat major he marched up and down the room in a military fashion, saying: "I am going to be a general," but when he heard the slow movement from Beethoven's quartet, op. 59, in F major, for the first time, he wept and sobbed as if his little heart would break. That child was musical, although he could not read or play a note of music. Had he lived he would have become something great. There was more genuineness in his childish way of expressing his feelings than in all the
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.