• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

MUSIC HALL, BALTIMORE. Boston Symphony Orchestra. Mr. EMIL PAUR, Conductor. Seventeenth Season, 1897-98. PROGRAMME OF THE FIRST CONCERT WEDNESDAY EVENING, NOV. 10, 1897, AT 8.15 PRECISELY. With Historical and Descriptive Notes by William F. Apthorp. PUBLISHED BY C. A. ELLIS, MANAGER. Steinway & Sons, Piano Manufacturers BY APPOINTMENT TO HIS MAJESTY, WILLIAM II., EMPEROR OF GERMANY. THE ROYAL COURT OF PRUSSIA. His Majesty, FRANCIS JOSEPH, Emperor of Austria. HER MAJESTY, THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND. Their Royal Highnesses, THE PRINCE AND PRINCESS OF WALES. THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH. His Majesty, UMBERTO I., the King of Italy. Her Majesty, THE QUEEN OF SPAIN. His Majesty, Emperor William II. of Germany, on June 13, 1893, also bestowed on our Mr. William Stbinway the order of Thb Rbd Eaglh, III Class, an honor never before granted to a manufacturer. The Royal Academy Of St. Ceecilia at Rome, Italy, founded by the celebrated composer Pales- trina in 1584, has elected Mr. William Steinway an honorary member of that institution. The following is the translation of his diploma : — The Royal Academy 0/ St. Ceecilia have, on account of his eminent merit in the domain of music, and in conformity to their Statutes, Article 12, solemnly decreed to receive William Stein- way into the number of their honorary members. Given at Rome, April 15, 1894, and in the three hundred and tenth year from the founding of the society. Alex Pansotti, Secretary. E. Di San Martino, President ILLUSTRATED CATALOGUES MAILED FREE ON APPLICATION STEINWAY & SONS, Warerooms, Steinway Hall, 107-111 East 14th St., New York, EUROPEAN DEPOTS : Steinway Hall, 15 and 17 Lower Seymour St., Portman Sq., W., London, England. Steinway's Pianofabrik, St. I'au'.i. Neue Rosen-Strasse, 20-24. Hamburg, Germany. SOLE REPRESENTATIVES, OTTO SUTRO & CO, 119 and 121 East Baltimore Street. (2u Boston MUSIC HALL, i Mount Royal and Symphony Maryland Avenues, Baltimore. Seventeenth Season, 1897-98. Orchestra Thirteenth Season in Baltimore. Mr. EMIL PAU", Conductor. FIRST CONCERT, WEDNESDAY EVENING, NOV. 10, 1897, AT 8.15 PRECISELY. PROGRAMME. Johannes Brahms Symphony No. 3, in F major, Op. 90 I. Allegro con brio (F major) 6-4 II. Andante (C major) - 4-4 III. Poco Allegretto (C minor) 3-8 IV. Allegro (F minor) 2-2 Karl Goldmark. Two Movements from Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, in A minor, Op. 28 (First time at these concerts.) a" Emmanuel Chabrier - - Rhapsody for Orchestra, "Espan (First time at these concerts.) Karl Maria von Weber - "Invitation to the Dance," Op. 65 Arranged for Orchestra by FELIX WEINGARTNBR. (First time at these concerts.) Soloist, Mr. FRANZ KNEISEL. (3) Symphony No. 3, in F major, Opus 90 Johannes Brahms. (Born in Hamburg on May 7, [833 ; died in Vienna on April 3, 1897.) This symphony appeared in 1884. The first movement, Allegro con brio in F major (6-4 time), has, like the whole of Schumann's symphony No. 2, in C major, opus 61, the peculiarity of a frequently recurring phrase of evi- dent thematic significance, although it is not one of the regular themes of the movement. Yet with this difference, that the theme in Schumann's symphony is to be regarded as a sort of musical motto to the whole work, whereas this one of Brahms's is plainly the counter-theme of the first theme of the movement. The main body of the movement begins immediately, and without introduction, with the announcement of this phrase in the wind instruments in full harmony, followed by the announcement of the real first theme by the violins in octaves, over harmony in the violas, 'celli, and trombones, with the counter-theme as a bass in the double-basses and double-bassoon. Now the striking peculiarity of this juxtaposition of theme and counter-theme, which would otherwise have little to attract the attention, is that the one is in F minor, while the other is in F major. The first figure of the theme runs on the notes of the chord of F major (F, C, A, F, C in descending, with a short passing G) ; the phrase which con- stitutes the counter-theme is F, A- flat, F, in ascending. Thus the A-natural in the first measure of the upper voice makes a rank cross-relation with * the A-flat in the second measure of the bass ! This cross-relation, right at the beginning of a movement and as an essential factor of the conjunc- tion of two themes, has been much commented on. That Brahms has been in no wise mealy-mouthed about it is sufficiently evident from the sforzando marks in the bass, which bring it into all possible prominence. It seems to me that it can only be explained on the supposition of some underlying dramatic principle in the movement, such as the bringing together of two opposing forces,— Light and Darkness, Good and Evil, or perhaps only Major and Minor,— for on purely musical grounds the thing has no sense nor meaning. The first theme starts in passionately and joyously, in the exuberance of musical life ; the counter-theme comes in darkly and for- biddingly, like Iago's . O, you are well-tun'd now ! But I'll set down the pegs that make this music, As honest as I am, the idea being still further carried out by the second phrase of the theme suddenly shifting to the chord of D-flat major, where the A-flat of the counter-theme is quite at home. The first theme is briefly developed, without our hearing anything more from the dread counter-theme ; but in the ensuing subsidiary passage it returns again (A, C, A in the bass ; F, A-flat, F in the violins; and the same later on in the bass), and gives the dominant coloring of the situation ; the counter-theme seems to be getting the upper hand ! But soon a truce is cried to the conflict : a modulation to A major brings in the melodious second theme, sung by the clarinet against an accompanying phrase in the bassoon, over a double drone-bass in the lower strings. Then the violas and oboe (later the violas and flute) take up the melody, the strings coming in at the close with a brief antithet- ical phrase. All this second theme has been in 9-4 time ; its character is * It is true that this cross-relation also occurs in the initial announcement of the counter-theme itself. The flutes, oboes, and third horn have the melodic progression F, A-flat; but the first chord is that of V major, with an A-natural in a middle voice, after which the A-flat in the upper voice comes in as undeniably " querstiiiidig"' But the rankness of this cross-relation is here sufficiently toned down by the second chord ''the <>ne containing the A-flat) being an inversion of the diminished 7th. In the first two measures of the com- bined appearance of theme and counter-theme, however, no such harmonic palliation is to be found, and the cross-relation standi out as frankly as possible. wholly cheerful and sunny. But immediately with the beginning of the concluding period and a return to 6-4 time the oboe once more brings back the grim counter-theme (A, C, A), and the passage-work assumes a more serious and even violent character up to the repeat at the end of the first part of the movement. The middle part, or free fantasia, is not very long, but is quite elab- orate, both first and second themes coming in for their share of the work- ing-out, and the grim counter-theme being made the subject of some new melodic developments in the horn and oboe. The third part of the movement begins with a twice repeated rean- nouncement of the counter-theme in full harmony (F, A-flat, F in the wood- wind, horns, trumpets, and strings ; and the same repeated in the trumpets, horns, trombones, and bassoons), making way for the announcement of both theme and counter-theme together, as at the beginning of the move- ment. The development is very similar to that in the first part, save that the 9-4 second theme now comes in D major. The long and elaborate coda begins with a strong reassertion of the first theme in F major over the dread counter-theme in the bass ; only now, in its last tussle for the supremacy, the latter seems to try subtile finesse instead of open violence. It now appears, not as F, A-flat, F, making its old harsh cross-relation with the theme, but as C, E-flat, C, thus softening the harmony. But this time the theme itself gains the upper hand, the last attempt of the counter- theme being silenced by an uprising of all the strings to proclaim the joyous theme, which then sinks back to pianissimo, victorious, if exhausted by the battle. The second movement, Andante in C major (4-4 time), opens with a quiet, simple theme, played in four-part harmony by the clarinets and bassoons, the flutes and horns coming in to enrich the coloring toward the end of each phrase, and the last measures of the several phrases being freely echoed by the violas and 'celli, also playing in four parts. A cer- tain melodic resemblance has often been noticed between this theme and the prayer in Herold's Zampa, a resemblance, however, which does not hold good beyond the first half measure. The theme is simply de- veloped, in the manner just described, for twenty-three measures ; it is followed by a shorter variation for all the strings, wood-wind, and horns, after which a short transitional passage in the strings leads over to the Headache Horsford's Acid Phosphate.

Load more

  20

Copy Link