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Some Italian Composers of To-Day. Postludium (Continued) Author(s): Guido M. Gatti Source: The Musical Times, Vol. 62, No. 946 (Dec. 1, 1921), pp. 833-836 Published by: Musical Times Publications Ltd. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/908547 Accessed: 30-10-2015 09:44 UTC

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This content downloaded from 132.174.255.116 on Fri, 30 Oct 2015 09:44:05 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions THE MUSICAL TIMES-DECEMBER I 1921 833

spacing counteracts the blurr that might have falls into its place as if heard in its naturalsetting resultedfrom the duplication at the distance of a of echoing cliffsor wind-swepthills. The effect second : is indescribablysuggestive, and the whole piece is Ex. io. - . &A of surpassingloveliness. 4-.- -- The following quotation will show that here polytonalityis real, not only apparent: QpPsnorz. Ex. 13. 8va......

sost. Needless to emphasize the differencebetween 111 L.H. R.H. &C such fifthsor seconds in polyphony,and pure colour effectssuch as those quoted in Exx. 5 and 6 - above. Here notes are not combined as pigments pp 00 &c. on the painter'spalette in order to produce some special tone-colour: each of thepatterns associated - ___----_____-__ remainsdistinct. What Koechlin has done is to re-admitthe long-bannedfourths, &c., among the intervalsavailable in contrapuntalwriting. This brief survey of Koechlin's harmonic and However unusual the combinationsto whichhe polyphonic idiosyncrasiesmay end with one more resorts,it is very seldom that they will not be quotation (from'L'Astre Rouge,' second book of foundperfectly natural, and their resultspleasing. songs), showing that in the matter of purely Whethera line should be drawn at some of them harmoniceffects he can be as simple as, and no is very much a matterof personal opinion. To less tellingthan, in pure melody: me the in which the two followingpassage, forms Ex.,I4. of the whole-tone scale are in i superimposed -I - i fourths,remains more strangethan beautiful: 8va ...... Par les -pa-ce sans fin des so -ii- tu - des nu - es

1 Ex. 11. Pcresc, molfo.

(To e contined.) col 8va bassa...... it --It - - Among the few passages which actually convey (To be continued.) to the eye, and perhaps also to the ear, an impression of polytonality,one of the simplest occurs in the final section of the third Sonatine where the bass ascends fromthe triadof C major SOME ITALIAN COMPOSERS OF TO-DAY to of F that major in semitones,whilst the treble By GUIDo M. GATTI proceeds from the G triad downwards. I quote (Concluding Article) a shortextract from the passage : POSTLUDIUM Ex. 12. - eva------Having now reached the end of this series of rapid sketchesof Italian musicians,it is proposed to conclude, as was forecastedin the introductory article, with a synthetic table of the Italian musicalityof to-day. But first-in no particular order and still more brieflythan was done in the case of the eight musicians who form the But perhaps it is more accurate to say that we subjects of the articles-mention must be made have here an obvious instance of the extension of a few composers who cannot fairlybe passed which the principle of passing-notesmay receive over. Even withthis addition the reviewwill still withoutthe tonal balance being actuallyupset. be incomplete,but itwill furnish some characteristic In 'Le Chant du Chevrier,'one of Koechlin's traits and help to outline the complete picture: masterpieces,we have on the one hand a tunesimilar and in anycase we shall appear less unjustto some to those whichare played by French goatsherdson composerswho, even if theyhave no decided artistic theirPandean pipes (it was possible to hear such personality,yet contributein a greateror less degree tunds even in the Paris streets,and still may be), to raise the tone of our modernmusical life. and on the other a beautiful harmonic setting, RESPIGHI altogetherindependent and forminga whole in itself. In the atmospherecreated by the simple, Above all it would be a serious oversightnot deep-toned,long-vibrating chords, the tunenaturally to mention (born at Bologna, B

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July 6, 1879), a composer of European renown, his special fondness for figurativeart, frequently who makes up for lack of individualityin his leads to his translatinginto music the pictorial creations by marvellous technical knowledge, situationsof great artists(as, for instance,in the especially of orchestration,and by good taste quartet 'Venere dormente' inspired by one and delicacy of feeling. Respighi is a prolific of Giorgione's pictures, or in 'Vergine Orsola' writer: among Italian composers he is perhaps for violin, inspired by Carpaccio's celebrated the one who in twentyyears of creative activity Venetian canvases). A fine musician, he was has the largest number of works to his credit. among the firstto make knownthe French school, Of these may be mentioned,on the one hand, withwhich he is connected,especially throughthe the exquisite vocal lyrics,several of which reach a workof Vincent d'Indy. very high artisticlevel, some being little master- LIUZZI of and and on the pieces intimacy poetry; Travelling towards the northof we meet the for other, many symphonic pages, as, at the interestingfigure of Fernando di delle example, 'Fontane Roma,' 'Ballata Liuzzi (born at Bologna, December, a and for I884), Guomidi,' 'Poema Gregoriano' violin composer who, after a silence, lengthy indeed and orchestra. is above all a Respighi lyrical but rich in maturation, has lately attracted and it is in this field that he composer, chiefly public attention. His work, although of no himself. When he wishesto dramatise distinguishes great bulk, is, however,rich in poetry-e.g., the his as in the Sonata for or the expression, violin in delicious Sonatina for violin and pianoforte and he oftenlacks true emotion 'Sinfonia Dramnmatica,' the three lyrics on some popular by and his the an poems techniquegets upper hand, creating Tommaseo. These two compositions, if they obvious lack of between the essence equilibrium do not allow us fully to characterise the per- and the form. But even with these reservations sonality of the musician, yet inspire us with the of is one which commands figure Respighi the greatestconfidence in one who is still young he is a true and his respect; maestro, teaching and full of energy. The symphonic Intermezzi abilities are at where highlyappreciated , bhe which he is now finishingfor the tragedy 'Dafne is of at the Santa professor composition Cecilia e Cloe' of the late poet Morselli, arouses Lycee. anticipatoryinterest. ALALEONA PRATELLA A teacher at the same instituteis Domenico A of a man and artist we find at November singular figure Alaleona (born MontegiorgioPiceno, at di in the of F. Balilla Alaleona is a who Lugo Romagna person 16, I88 1). solitary tenaciously Pratella He some ideas of his (born there, February I, 188o). pursues westhetic own, which, had a brief when he the be are still celebrity compiled though they may disputable, of the futurist music and of consideration. So he has not prospectus joined worthy far, Marinetti's But as he is us much: a few vocal almost all company. anything given lyrics, but a futuristin the of the of and an ordinary meaning inspired by poems Pascoli, 'Mirra,' word other he has since shown about ten but not (among things opera composed years ago, himself to be a devotee of our old he until last at Rome. One of the music), performed spring, soon withdrew from the and in characteristicsof this musician is his directcontact group, great solitude (his chief pleasure being his propertyin with our 19th centurymusic (to which he alone the countryand the of ofall themodern Italian musiciansattributes company peasants living perhaps on it) set about creating a music that should be greatvalue), in so far as concernshis conceptionof instinctive expression, simple and emotional, vocal lyrics and opera. Reference is made, of springing from the soul of the people. His course, in both cases to the general conception of the formand not to the works are largely inspired by visions of his language adopted by own and the which is modern and often bold. countryside, often contain local folk musician, melodies. We mention his Alaleona is also a valued writer on musical may symphonic collected under the title and and criticism. His on modern poems, 'Romagna,' history essays several vocal lyrics not without charm. But harmony, published in in the Rivista 9I11, however his work may be judged, it is an Italiana, are in many passages truly Ausicale undoubted fact thatfor the sincerityand warmth prophetic,and may perhaps be considered as the which oftenanimates it, it is worthyof notice and firstattempts, at least in Italy,to systematisewhat meritsseparate mention. at that time the advanced composers felt con- fusedlyand practisedinstinctively. PERRACHIO At Turin is workingsilently, but faithfullyand GASCO conscientiously,a musician who has published Alberto Gasco, too, lives at Rome (born at only a small number of compositions, among Naples, October 3, 1879); he is a composer, others nine 'Poemetti' for pianoforte--Luigi and is musical critic to the Tribuna. As a Perrachio (born at Turin, in 1883). But those symphonic writer Gasco has many admirers. who know his many works in manuscript have Prominentamong his worksare the poem 'Presso great faith in his strong temperamentand frank il Clitumno,' and 'Buffalmacco.' This composer sensibility,and believe that his recognitionby a possesses a keen sense of vision,which, joined to largerpublic is not far distant.

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There are also two composerswho live abroad largerframe than the brief space allowed for each -FRANCESCO SANTOLIQUIDO (born at Naples, sketch. Pizzetti will be dealt with fully so soon August 6, T883) and PIERO COPPOLA (born at as occasion offers:that is, directlyafter the pro- , October I i, 1888). duction of his latest opera, ' Debora e Jaele,'which Santoliquido, who lives in Tunis, although not Toscanini will presentat the Scala next spring. possessing a notable individualityand still under This opera, judging from those fragmentswhich the influenceof a certain form of impressionismthe composer has played on the pianoforte, which probably has had its day, has yet given will probably reveal in its dramatic vicissitudes proof of poetic feeling, among other things, nearly all the soul and feelingof the artist,and in some of his symphonic sketches inspired by will thereforerepresent almost the apex of his the vision of the country where he lives and of art, clearly and repeatedly affirmed by the which he is enamoured. musician both in his keen critical writingsand Coppola, who lives in , is of a very his fine compositions of recent years: e.g., differenttemperament. His music is all nerves, ',' the Sonata for violin, the five Lyrics, and always has a decisive rhythmiccharacter. A and the music for ' Pisanella.' verystrong musician, he loves to translatemusically certain grotesque and gruesome poses which he Many readers are doubtless familiarwith some succeeds in making very impressive. His com- of the essential characteristicsof contemporary positionsof this kind are an undoubted success, Italian music: here and there in the course of fromthe vocal lyricswritten on the bizarre sonnets these monographs a pause has been made to of Rubino to the opera in one Act, 'Mikita,' consider these, withspecial referenceto the work which is awaiting its first performanceand of in which they were most clearly revealed. The which a pianoforteversion has filled us with the subject is important,and has one outstanding highesthopes. The above must not be taken to feature. implythat he is lacking in emotionor that he does This is, that the greaterand the better part of not know how to express it; in refutationit is the music writtenin Italy to-day is, above all, sufficientto mentionthe ' Poema Elegiaco,' which melodic and lineal in character. This melody- the London public will hear shortly (through which has nothing to do with that of the i8th the initiative of Eugene Goossens), and the two century, when a beautiful or an ugly melodic 'Poemetti dell' anima angosciata e dello spirito line could exist, while now there are only burlesco,' performed at Rome, conducted by expressive melodies and inexpressive melodies- Tullio Serafin,in 1914. never presents itself to us emaciated, austere, or The young composers of opera have been dry (as, for instance, it may easily be found to omitted,as more rarelysucceeding in avoiding the be in the pages of the latest exponentsin field workedby theirpredecessors. All the same, of linea, the ultra-anti-impressionists),or as some- there are some among them who cannot be over- thing so rigid that it can hardly bend without looked, e.g., RICCARDO ZANDONAI, born in South breaking, and that cannot adhere perfectlyto a Tyrol,May 28, 1883, whohas not onlywritten operas curved shape. Of Italian melody it may be of considerablevalue, as 'Conchita'and 'Francesca affirmed that it has a plasticity very different da Rimini,'but also some good symphonicpages from that arabesqued on a pianoforte lacking ('Primavera in Val di Sole'); and ANDRIANO warm tones or depth and volume. It may LUALDI (born at Larino,March 22, 1887), who, be said to have three dimensions, and to afterhaving proved his worthwith a StringQuartet create around itself, as it were, a halo that and some vocal pages, is preparingto reveal him- multipliesits expressive power and imparts to it self more fully in the opera 'La figlia del re,' an intrinsic life which alone can inspire that which will be performed at Turin during the artisticemotion which is at the same time pleasure coming Carnival. of the mind and enjoymentof the senses. The Italian is an abandonment to a PIZZETTI melody always lyrical or dramatic impetus, and not the presen- The reader who is versed in modern European tation of an idea springingfrom the brain. It production will have noticed that one of Italy's may be that at times it is slightlyprovincial and best-known musicians- Ildebrando Pizzetti- is rustic, but it is so vigorous and healthy that it omitted. immediately captures universal sympathy,even To avoid misunderstanding,this silence must be when it is transported to the concert-hall. explained. Ildebrando Pizzetti is doubtless the Italian melody, in short, sings-even when greatest musician in Italy to-day; that is, the it is instrumental-while in its spontaneity it one who has most fully attained his individuality,preserves that measure and equilibrium which and who in his work expresses with the widest make us compare the pages of a Monteverde sense of equilibrium the deep feeling of his and a Bellini to Greek marbles. Italian melody country and race, using the most adequate and is, then,. plastic from a stylistic point of view, modern means that can be imagined. This and vocal fromthe point of view of expression. fine figureof an artist stands out clearly on the A second featureof Italian music has its origin nationalhorizon: and advances surelyand steadily, in this melody,and consistsin solidityof construc- full of studyand love for his art. He needed a tion and a tendencyto conclude the discourse with

This content downloaded from 132.174.255.116 on Fri, 30 Oct 2015 09:44:05 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 836 THE MUSICAL TIMES-DECEMBER I 1921 a fine fullstop; thatis to say, it preservesthe love less-have appeared works which,it may be said of order. Althoughthe modern Italian musicians withoutfear of presumption,are well worthyof the were among the firstto break down the barriersof respectof all who judge without prejudice--e.g., scholastic form and to burst the bonds of the 'Fedra' and theViolin Sonata by Pizzetti,the Sette 'quadratura,' thereis always in their compositions canzoni and 'Rispetti e strambotti' by Malipiero, a sense of concretenessalong with a logical spirit 'Fontane di Roma' and 'Poema Gregoriano' by tracinground the page a line which,even if not Respighi, 'Coplas' and the pianofortepieces by apparent, is quite distinct: that is, that the com- Castelnuovo-Tedesco,the Sonatina by Luizzi, 'A position,even if it may not presentthose points Motte Alta' and the pieces for stringquartet by of resemblance and periodicitiesnecessary for its Casella, ' Basi e bote' by Pick-Mangiagalli,'Chiari classification in one or other of the formal di luna' by Tommassini,and 'Sakuntala' byAlfano. categories, yet has a truly intimate unity--a There is here quite enough to illustratein the unitynot conferredupon it by almost mechanical clearest possible manner the sincere musicality externals. of a nation that wishes to be once again what it Latent in every member of the Italian race, was in the centuries of its greatest artistic lyingat the bottomof the spiriteven of the most splendour. turbulent,is love of order(love of order and notof There is enough, too, to cause reflectionamong discipline imposed by others--the German type). those who, outside Italy, still believe (doubtless in A certain type of tight-ropedancing musician good faith)that our arth'as stopped short at 7verisme much in vogue lately, and introduced to Italy and theyoung school of Mascagni (no longeryoung, as the latest internationalfashion, has not found alas!) ; and who think that ' Cavalleria' and imitatorshere. All the capers and shrilllaughter 'Tosca '-to quote two examples of that school- representedin compositionsof one or two pages stillrepresent the mirage of youngmusicians in Italy. deficientin musical notes but abounding in literary precepts and boulevard wit, have rapidly fal en into oblivion under the indifferenceof the public THE 'OLD VIC.': AN APPEAL and of native composers. Who doesn't know of the splendid work for Passing on to what mightbe called the content music and the drama the 'Old Vic.' has done and of the workof art, along withthe new tendencies is doing? To ask for a Shakespeare theatreor a we find in Italy a renewed religion of art-that National Opera House at present is like asking is, the vision of art as somethinghigh and pure, for the moon. While we are waitingfor times and thereforenot to be contaminatedby realisa- when such schemes %ill be feasible,let us not forget tions which are mean or grotesque or in any way that at the famous old theatre in the Waterloo wantingin human feeling. Road we have a very near approach to both In everycomposition of modernItalian musicians institutionsunder one roof. But that roof can there is the endeavour,at least, to include therein cover it for only a little longer, and unless the the greatestquantity of human feeling,to embrace appeal printed below meets with a speedy and the vastesthorizon, and to rise towardsthe highest generousresponse therewill be no more 'Old Vic.' contemplationof life. Hence a certainpleasure in All who have seen for years past densely crowded handling the amplest musical forms-the sonata, audiences enjoying the best in drama and opera the quartet, the music-drama-and in giving will agree that the collapse of the enterprisewould preferenceto the healthiestand weightiestpoets be a big set-back to the cause of popular art. and to arguments of universal comprehension: We hope that the followingappeal, backed as it is subjects from ancient Greece, from the Bible, by so powerfuland representativea body, will be from the great historical epochs, or else purely completelysuccessful: fanciful creations hovering in a lofty poetical To THE EDITOR OF THE M~tsical Times. atmosphere. It is, in short,a spiritof elevation SIR,-The admirablework done at the RoyalVictoria which inspires the minds of the musicians; and Hall, popularlyknown as the 'Old Vic.,' is now well known. effort and her it is a good symptomeven if the intentionsare By verystrenuous Miss Baylis and matured and the colleagueshave succeededin producingShakespeare per- not always sincerely deeply formancesand opera continuously, on lines artistically right, realisationconsequently is not adequate. It is a at suchlow charges that every section of the publicis able good symptom,inasmuch as it denotes at the same to see them. So warmhas been the appreciation of these thatit is certainthat their wouldbe time that public opinion is tending towards more performances cessation regardedas a disasterby the people generally, and not least breathable air, that it desires to understandand bythe 'Vic.'s' manyfriends in theDominions over seas. It appreciate art in itstrue meaning and in its highest is to avoid this disasterthat we now ventureto appeal mission. to you. The writerdoes not attemptto prophesyas to the The 'Old Vic.' has reacheda crisis in its career. Some timeago the LondonCounty Council warned the manage- futureof Italian musical art; butbasingan opinion mentthat it would have to put its house structurallyin (as would be logical) on the present,it woulddoubt- order. The buildingis an old one,and compliancewith less presentitself in a verypromising light. There the CountyCouncil's standard will mean heavy expense. existsa firmtendency towards greater artistic con- The CountyCouncil has been very forbearing, as the 'Vic.' wouldbe thefirst to acknowledgewith lively gratitude. sistency; and to embrace in this unitythe greatest Now,however, the timehas comewhen these alterations varietyof single characteristics,tastes, and sym- andextensions must be carriedout. If thisis notdone the pathies. During thepast fewyears-ten, orperhaps 'Vic.'s' licencemay be inserious danger.

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