MUSIC.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 496, 1 May 1909, Page 11

MUSIC.

(By Treble Clef.)' \dvlco to Pianists. Interviewed recently in London, Mr. Mori: tosehthal, the groat pianist,. who recoivet x. enthusiastic welcome back, said:— .. . "After, the warm encouragement I receivec in my former visits to England, it seems- al nost like ingratitude that I havo not bcei lere again before tikis. But as a matter o. act my touring has boon fitful. - and I hav< >nly recently taken it up again to' any imKirtaat extent. ' Of course, ': sineo I wai iore| much new music has been'written. "J an very conservative, so my. opinion; of thii iew -music .is onc-sirlwl. Tlio music of .tolay is stronger, in colour. than design, and herofore, not .pianoforte music. -The orches ,ra is written for nowadays in preference t< mytking else, because it mates a smal dea go furthest. : Composers have. not" Efficient ' thoughts to construct ; an' -effectiv< rianoforte pieoe.' The piano is a mercilesi ■evealer of weak design, and) therefore, bet »r avoided. I do not believe in this fn< tey' harmonic basis—-this u.disconneotet itruotural progression. ~To me .tonality ii ike the 'soene' of a drama or a picture._ I( 8 the ground on which we stand for the tim< icing. But for one chord never to be. withir i mile, so to speak, of the-one before is lib laying one sentence in London and the nexl n Peking. 1 ' "All these modern effects, 'schools' o: vhateveryou liko to call them, are . the re mlt of enormous will power —a oonoentratec lesire to write something novel. The cfforl >f composing is, therefore, double that employed oy the great masters who. wrote whai jame t6 them, irrespective of effect,;. .. "Strauss has not forsaken tonality, anc lerein lies his superiority in. power anc solidity. I think that the present -musica xlucation is responsible for the general un rest in the music of to-day. The young ar< river, the new before they know the- old.- W< wll not deny that there is a message in ; th( low. music.- But there are . two differeni rinds of bearers: the great-messengers—ant nessenger-boys. _ "However, compared with art and ilitera iure,' music, to my mind, is more developed Dn fact, I am not sure whether it has noi reached its height and started its decadence "What music wants now is a new geniui to.rise in-its midst. . Such a genius maj lomo from any land, from England as likelj is any other. But his advent is sadlj ranted, v'"To young pianists I would give a 'tip : programme makim; which'they should alivays follow. Give Qie larger part of youi schomo to showing the greatness of musk Mid the other portion to slio wing the great aoss of yourself." . Notes. Mdlle. Antonia Dolores, writing from Lon 3on. says: "We intend sailing for _ Soutl: Africa on April 10." After a tour in thai part of the world, the distinguished singoi ivill return to Europo in the autumn. Mr. Leopold Premyslay is now touring it the western States, beginning his itinerary it San Francisco., The violinist, as was tc be anticipated, made an immensely successful tour in. Java, and the Straits Settlements; ' • " Mme. Katharine Goodson forwards t sheaf of American press cuttings relating t< her triumphant tour of, the United States, Chicago, Now York, and Philadelphia were remarkably enthusiastic, and the visit of the EurUsU pianist- was altouether a welcome surprise.