Phonograph Monthly Review, Vol. 1, No. 4 (1927-01)

The Phonograph Monthly Review 165 the case of the minuet, the triangle is regular with equal sides. There are many recorded minuets, probably the best-known being the Beethoven minuet in G (Columbia 3M, Victor mechanical recordings by Powell, Elman, and Zimbalist). This is a slow minuet. A more interesting one is the “Celebrated Minuet” of Boccherini (two me- chanically recorded versions on Victor, 718 by Kreisler and string quartet, and 798 played by Philadelphia Orchestra). In this case, however, there is a syncopation which may be slightly con- fusing at first. For the typical triangular effect the Minuet from the Mozart Symphony in E flat is best, as well as musically most engaging (Col- umbia Masterworks Set No. 39, Victor 6303 me- chanical). The middle section of this minuet, known as a trio, has, you will notice, a similarity in character to a waltz. In the field of folk-songs, which were discussed in the last issue, there is a wide range of choice. The closest approach to American folk-music is the Negro spirituals. “Nobody Knows de Trouble I’ve Seen” is a lovely melody with almost heart- breaking pathos (Brunswick 13071, Columbia 71 M, Victor 20068). Structurally, this melody is very sound, consisting of a first and third sections alike, with a contrasting middle section. Closely akin to folk-music, although composed by a defin- ite individual, are the songs of Stephen Collins Foster, which were described at length in the last issue by Mr. Appel. Musically these songs have all the characteristics of folk-songs, and the wonder is that one man was able to produce so many of them. Of the English folk-songs none is more lovely than “Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes” (Columbia 4003-M, Victor 6197, 1081, 6072 mechanical—all of these are vocal). The “Last Rose of Summer” (Brunswick 2703, Col- umbia 109-M, Victor 6343, 6123) represents the summit of Irish genius for melody. “Annie Laurie” (Brunswick 2519, Columbia 57-M, 5032- M, A-1491, Victor 6112, 6217, 686, 740) is a good example of Scotch folk-song, while “All Through the Night” (Brunswick 13095, Columbia 58-M, Victor 563, 6318) is a lovely Welsh type. There are many beautiful examples to be cited from the continent, but the above offer ample idea of the characteristics of folk-music. All of them are built on sound melodic principles, otherwise they would not have come down to us. I want to give a few phonographic illustrations of a common use of the motive, a musical term I have already explained. The motive is not only repeated during a section of a piece, but often throughout its entirety on various occasions. If you listen to a recording of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony (Columbia, Victor, Polydor, Odeon) you are struck at once by the characteristic first four notes. These notes, at least in rhythmic pattern if not always in melodic, recur constantly throughout the first movement. But more than that, you can hear them again in the third move- ment of the Symphony shortly after the open- ing, and often thereafter. And in the final move- ment, after very exciting music, there comes one of the most dramatic moments in any score—a hush, followed by the motive originally heard, only this time in the guise which it apppeared previously in the third movement. Another in- stance of the same sort of treatment occurs in the Schumann Quintet for Piano and Strings (Victor 6462-6463), where the opening motive of the first movement is repeated just before the close of the last. The effect of reintroducing such motives is to lend greater unity to the composi- tion as a whole—provided that the motive comes back naturally, and is not artificially forced in. In more recent Symphonies examples of such uni- fication are many, notably the Cesar Franck Sym- phony in D minor (Columbia Masterworks Set No. 10), where the third movement employs on several occasions material from the two preced- ing movements. I have digressed considerably from the line of my discussion in the series of articles but I hope I have made some points clearer. In the future articles I shall feel free to do the same thing, in accordance with my remarks above about the in- formality of the series, and the desirability of accepting current suggestions. To return now to the development of symphonic music, which I wish to describe in outline. Remember that the previous music of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries was, for the most part, polyphonic or many-voiced. It consisted of the weaving in and out of several voices, or parts, each of which moved independently of the other. Such music, for all its beauty, is highly involved and intel- lectual, and makes great demands on the listener. Consequently I hardly expect the less initiated of my readers to attempt to enjoy the great works of Bach and his contemporaries at this stage. But the music that followed was what is called homo- phonic, or one-voiced. This does not mean that in it only one instrument or voice is playing or singing, but that one performer is at any given time more important than the others. One part, to put it briefly, carries the melody. Now melody by itself, as I have repeatedly pointed out, is not music, and cannot long sustain the attention. Neither can rhythmic melody. There must be a background, and in music this background is called harmony. Whereas in the polyphonic music the harmonic element was auto- matically supplied by the agreeableness of several voices performing together, in the homophonic music it was necessary to create the background. Now for the average music-lover who knows little of the technique of musical composition, the term “harmony” is a bugaboo. He thinks that it is some mysterious process attainable only after long study. It is true that composition of any worth demands this study, but it is also true that the fundamental harmonic concepts necessary for intelligent listening may be readily grasped with comparatively little training. Another bugaboo has been the use of notes. I have seen countless cases of students of music appreciation, who read their educational books diligently until the un- fortunate author made a musical quotation in notes, whereupon the student threw up his hands in despair. I shall try to avoid this difficulty, and