THE BEETHOVEN FESTIVAL IN LONDON.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10601, 22 February 1896, Page 3

THE BEETHOVEN FESTIVAL IN LONDON.

TO THK EMTOII,

Sib,—A most entertaining and instrnofiva article, to any lover of music, appeared in your to-day's issue. Mosfc ably written, and rapleta with sound technical knowledge, ifc reflects credit on yonr correspondent. At fche soma time, whilst gladly admitting vte worth, I take the liberty of venturing to disagree with the following statement: — » The 1260. amiher--sari/ of the birth' of the greatest 0 f M musical composers that the umid hat ever seexf In contradicting thi* I am not by «ny mem*' asserting my very humble opinion," hot tho expressed verdict <■£ some of - the great musical critics, German and English. In! speaking as he class, your correspondent forgets the mighty i.-.rae of Richard Wagner— as great, if nofc greater, iv conception an* descriptive power. In making an assertion some proof is naturally desired, and here it is.i If Haydn and Moa&rfc bad not lived, we should have had no Beethoven. He was the ripened' fruit ot the tree fee seed of whioh they planted.: This fact is indisputable, and is candidly acknowledged. But should there be a. captions doubter, I will rely upon the master's earlier works to prove tfciu' statement. Listen to them ; you hear Mczarfc and Haydn repeated with different and, probably, more beantifnl melodic power, in form, style, and treat* ment. Surely nothing is more manifest as re« gards this than the master's No. 1 Symphonj and his early pianoforte sonatas. Bigidly adhering to the fis-sd rules of fundamental harmony, his treatment was necessarily much the samo. Where he to^eis hoad and shoulders over the other two is in the more elaborate manner in which he bas handled his subjects. His thoughts were dssper and more profound, and as tbey spoke he wrote them. Strip tbem of fugal and contrapuntal difficulty and massive elaboration, and you have, what?— Mozart and Haydn. Is this the case wifch Richard Wagner? No; he stands alone, untouched, unsurpassed. We bare no record, or attempt at reoord, of any individual to whom he was indebted for an idea in music, save in the way cf early tuition in the theo- • retical branch of the art. No work of his contains a thought fchat might be attributed to another. Alone, unaided, his mighty genius etruok outnßtyle and form that must live in music as long as tha world shall lasfc. And how did he hew his way into the hearts of 311, borne down by opposition, tbafc was painful, because of its sisrnrifcy. We could no* understind. He si;i;ke a tongue quite new; our fixed rules of harmony he dashed aside when he chose, and we called his work noise and bustle. Gradually it took root in oai hearts; and once planted, how quickly it grew and blossomed ! Yes, ifc was a mighty music—a oompouud wealth of individuality—tbafc spoke to uj: now in mightiest sound of drain and cymbals, now iv the softest whisper of tk« muted violins and rich-toned reeds. The musical world was blssFed with a new creation—original and profound. Harmonies flowed forth fashioned in a manner at which the old masters would have held up their bands in horror, but which wilh any oiber clothing would have spoken shoddily and vulgarly. Give me the parallel in tragic force and cencaptive' ability to " Gotterdammerung " and " Taunhauser"; show me the equal in scientific treatment of the overture to "Meisfcersiuger " ; and if we come to the pastoral and seductive, what shall we place alongside of " Waldweben" and the luscious " Siefried Idyll"? His music now is as necessary at a high - class concert as is food for the sustenance of life. The late Dr yon Bulow,.a devoted disciple and mosfc scholarly infcerprefcei of Beethoven, candidly admitted the superiority of Wagner in orchestral illustration. Lizst shares most heartily this opinion, and Kichter, of Vienna, places his power of descrip> tion and harmonic beauty as unapproachable. His work necessitates comparatively a much larger orchestra than is required for eithei Beethoven or Mozart, and many instrument! principally silent in other compositions play a fanciful and wonderful part in the working out of the composition. On the plea, then, that Richard Wagner possessed fchot greatest of all gifts to a genius, masterful originality; that he accomplished work thafc for descriptive power and orchestral ; effect ig confessedly unequalled, and that his style has completely and surely revolutionised the use of instruments in an orchestra; that he hag gained position in spite of the mightiest opposition ever offered to suy man,; —on those pleas* then, I humbly raise my voice and say that Richard Wagner mint always stand higher ia art than Ludwig van Beethoven. Given two great creations, both of marked ability, surely • the priza.must fall to the one whose work bean no trace of smother's mind, and whilst this does not exist in the compositions of Beethoven, ift-ii indissolubly the birthright and estate of the works of Richard Wagner. StaJll wo not, therefore, be nearer tho truth in saying f* tbs 125 th anniversary of one of the' gre*tes| musicians the world has exer seen," Mid ia saying so do justice to the memory of tho otfeei mighty genius ?

Apologising for treapssrinff as?youi s'paov— I »m, Sas^ ,

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