Musical Times Publications Ltd. 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 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/ info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Musical Times Publications Ltd. is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Musical Times. http://www.jstor.org 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 Ottorino Respighi (born at Bologna, B 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 834 THE MUSICAL TIMES-DI)ECEMBER I 1921 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 Italy we meet the for other, many symphonic pages, as, at Florence 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 Rome, 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.