The Third Period of César Franck Author(s): Sydney Grew Source: The Musical Times, Vol. 60, No. 919 (Sep. 1, 1919), pp. 462-464 Published by: Musical Times Publications Ltd. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3701958 Accessed: 25-03-2015 19:50 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 128.235.251.160 on Wed, 25 Mar 2015 19:50:30 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 462 THE MUSICAL TIMES.-SEPTEMBER I, 1919. He is content to spend days on a single passage I wasnot sorrowful. (Boosey.) The Cost. 2. The so that he gives it the one ultimate formwhich (I. Blind; Cost.) (WinthropRogers.) afterwards to be the inevitable form it The Soldier. (WinthropRogers.) proves Blowout, you bugles. (WinthropRogers.) should take. Yet this constant preoccupation The Heart'sDesire. (WinthropRogers.) with precision in detail has nowhere resulted in Earth's Call. (Rhapsodyfor voice and pianoforte.) laboured writing. His harmonic texture may be (WinthropRogers.) or suave or SpringSorrow. (WinthropRogers.) complex simple, acid, smooth, I havetwelve oxen. (WinthropRogers.) or, as it is more often,rugged or sharplydefined, The SacredFlame. (WinthropRogers.) but it is constantlyadjusted to the needs of the Bed in Summer.(Curwen.) he is not to The Rat (inthe Press.) (Chester.) composition, and, although given The the Press.) (Chester.) his taste in these matters is no less Adorationjin finicalities, Therewere three Ravens (folk-song setting). (Winthrop acute than that of those who trade in them-over Rogers.) all of which, understood, it is in the end rightly VARIOUS. one quality that predominates: sincerity. Bagatelle,for violin and pianoforte. (Novello.) LIST OF COMPOSITIONS. ElegiacRomance, for organ. (Novello.) Unpublished. SursumCorda, and Alla Marcia,for organ. (Novello.) Communionand Service. FULL ORCHESTRA. Morning, Evening (Novello.) GreaterLove hath no man. Anthem.(Stainer & Bell.) Midsummer.(Overture.) Tritons. (SymphonicPrelude.) TWO-PART SONGS. OrchestralPoem, in A minor. Thereis a garden. (Novello.) Pellias et Melisande. (Overture.) Full fathomfive. (Novello.) CHORAL. Aubade. (Novello.) Mass in the Dorian Mode, forfour voices. EveningSong. (Novello.) ' for and The echoinggreen. (Curwen.) VexillaRegis,' chorus,soli, brass instruments, organ. Flowers. Psalm 42, forchorus, soli, and orchestra. May (Arnold.) CHAMBER MUSIC. Quartet,for strings, in D minor. Quartet,for strings, in C minor. THE THIRD PERIOD OF C?SAR FRANCK. Sextet,for strings, clarinet, and horn. Trio,for pianoforte, clarinet, and violoncello, in D minor. BY SYDNEY GREW. Trio,for pianoforte, violin, and violoncello, in E minor. Sonata, forviolin and pianoforte,in C minor. The works of Franck's last period (1872-90) Sonata,in one movement,for violin and pianoforte,in are not only representativein the mass of every G minor. type and form of music,* but they assume in PIANOFORTE MUSIC. sequence a curiously complete and consistent Sonata, in C minor. shape-a shape to which the termsymphonic may Sea Idyll. (Three movements.) be applied withoutfancifulness. They prove that Rhapsody,in C minor. ThreePieces. withFranck, as with Bach, Handel, Gluck, and in differentmeasure with Beethoven and Brahms- (Alsoshorter pieces and songs.) also (as it now begins to appear) withour English Published. Elgar-creative interest grows by what it feeds FULL ORCHESTRA. upon, and that worksproduced in great periods of The ForgottenRite. Prelude. (Augener.) the composer's life group themselvesinto closely CHAMBER MUSIC. related sections,which latterare steadilyformative of balanced and Phantasie,in A minor,for violin, violoncello,and piano- grandly 'cyclically' responsive forte.(Augener.) movements. In the particularcase of Franck, the Trio No. 2, in one movement,for violin, violoncello, and dominantprogression is firsttoward the Symphony pianoforte.(Augener.) in D and the continuanceof that No. in D forviolin and minor, progression Sonata I, minor, pianoforte.is (Augener.) diversely toward 'Psyche' and some smaller Sonata No. 2, in A minor,for violinand pianoforte.works of kindred spirit, toward the quartet,and (WinthropRogers.) toward the late organ pieces. This progression PIANOFORTE MUSIC. begins at the latest with ' Les Djinns,' but possibly Decorations. (I. The Island Spell ; 2. Moonglade; with 'Le Chasseur maudit.' It thus carrieswith it 3. The ScarletCeremonies.) (Augener.) the entire mass of the pianoforte works, which Rhapsody. (WinthropRogers.) themselvesform a section of the utmostconsistency Preludes. (The Undertone; Obsession; The Holy Boy; and for 'Les the Fireof Spring.) (WinthropRogers.) compactness. Except Eolides,' London Pieces-I. Chelsea Reach. 'Three Pieces for Organ,' 'Rebecca,' the operas, II. Ragamuffin.(Augener.) and some of the songs and part-songs,every work The Towing-Path(in the Press). (Augener.) of the forms of the wave of Leavesfrom a Child'sSketch Book. thirty part grand cyclic (WinthropRogers.) this finalperiod of Franck's life. 'Les Beatitudes' SONGS. being what it is in the total scheme of his Sea Fever. (Augener.) whole we that The Bells of San Marie. (Augener.) life, mightconsider this wonderfully Hope, the Hornblower. (Boosey.) single, unified progression which fills Franck's ofa Songs Wayfarer. (Boosey.) * Marigold. Impressionfor voice and pianoforte.(I. Youth's 'At this moment . he does not intend to be a stranger to any form of his art, symphony,. vocal music, chamber music, even lyric SpringTribute : 2. Penumbra; 3. Spleen.) (Winthrop drama-he attacks them all in turn; there is not one realm in the Rogers.) universe of music that he fails to explore.'--(d'Indy.) This content downloaded from 128.235.251.160 on Wed, 25 Mar 2015 19:50:30 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions THE MUSICAL TIMES.-SEPTEMBER I, 1919. 463 last eighteenyears (and which,regarded other- rearrangement of certainof the itemsin the list. wise,summarises the characteristics, and synthetises But I do notimagine that it wouldnecessitate any the results,of musical activityall throughthe importantmodification: the characterof Franck's I9th century)takes its rise out of 'Les B6atitudes.'genius, from his fiftiethyear to his lastyear, tells I wishto place beforestudents an 'abstract' veryclearly that the main'symphonic' movement representationof the thirtyworks of this period of his creativeactivity during this periodwas as of Franck'slife. Such an abstractis helpfulin the followingsequential ordering of his thirty the respectthat it enables one to perceivethe compositions: fundamentalunity of these works and to determine I. 1869-79'Les BMatitudes'-Oratorio. the functionand purposeof anyindividual work 2. 1876 'Les Eolides'-Symphonic-poem. in thegrand design of thewhole. But I givefirst 3 1878 'Trois piecespour l'orgue.' ofall a listof the these 4. I878-79 PianoforteQuintet. chronological thirtyworks, 5. 1879 Song,'Le vasebrise.' not yet being fullyfamiliar to Englishstudents 6. 188i 'Rebecca'-Scena, forsoli, chorus,and -either actuallyfamiliar through performance or orchestra. relativelyfamiliar as simplehistorical facts. 7. 1882-85'Hulda'-Opera, fourActs and Epilogue. The list that followsis based on Vincent 8. 1882 'Le Chasseurmaudit'-Symphonic-poem. 9. 1884 Song,'Nocturne.' d'Indy's,but it differsfrom that authoritative list 0o 1884 'Les Djinns'-Symphonic-poem forpiano- in severalimportant details. For instance,it forteand orchestra. places' Psyche' afterthe Symphonyinstead of II. 1884 Prelude,Chorale, and Fugue-Pianoforte. 12 1885 SymphonicVariations - Pianoforteand beforeit, and enumerates'Psyche' as No. I7 in orchestra. the list and the Symphonyas No. I6, whereas 13 1885 'Danse lente'-Pianoforte. in d'Indythese two worksare respectivelyNo. 16 14. I886 Sonatain A-Pianoforteand violin. ('Psyche') and No. 23 (Symphony). The 15. 1886-87 Prelude,Aria, and Finale-Pianoforte. reasonfor these differences the of 16. I886-88 Symphonyin D minor(completed before represents object January9, 1887). thisbrief article. Withoutreferring to form,style, 17. 1887-88 ' Psyche'-Symphonic-poemfor orchestra, character,or arrangementof works,and without withchorus. discussionof theirspiritual nature or subject,my 18-22. 1888 Five separate choral works (including is to show how Franck'smind followed a Psalm 15o). object 23-24.1888 Songs-(a) 'ILa Procession,'(b) ' Les straightand consistentcourse from start to finish, clochesdu soir.' withoutcasual attentionto side concernsand 25 1888-89' Ghisele'--Lyricdrama in four Acts. withoutdiminution of intensityof interest. In 26. 1889 StringQuartet in D. the orderof whichis determined 27. 1889 Andantinoin G minorfor organ. d'Indy'slist, by 28. 1889 Preludesand Prayers(Charles V. Alkan) the year when a particularwork was entirely (arr.for organ). completedand readyfor performance, this inner 29. 188990 ' L'Organiste'(fifty-nine pieces-Versicles is not apparent. The to theMagnificat)-Harmonium. continuity immediately Three 1888 Symphony(1886-88)