Phonograph Monthly Review, Vol. 5, No. 6 (1931-03)

March, 1931, Vol. V. No. 6 199 The Phonophile's Bookshelf Hogarth Essays Contemporary Music. By Robert H. Hull. (No. X in the Hogarth Essays, Second Series). London, The Hogarth Press. 44 pp. 2 shillings. Delius. By Robert H. Hull. (No. XII in the Hogarth Essays, second series). London, The Hogarth Press. 45 pp. 2 shillings. My attention was called to these attractive booklets by the slip cover of Eric Walter White’s book on Strawinski, reviewed in the January P. M. R., and as review copies were kindly supplied at my request, I am glad to be able to bring them to the attention of our readers, to most of whom they should be of interest and some value. I had not previously come across any of Mr. Hull’s critical writings, but these concise, temperate little essays reveal him as a critic of sober merit; scarcely a thinker of great originality or penetration, but gifted with an ability for detached, well- poised examination of controversial musical subjects. He has a better perspective on contemporary music and com- posers than most critics, and his sanely considered studies present not so much belligerent or “conclusive” findings, as an intelligent compass by which one may orient himself in these days of apparently shifting musical values. Contemporary music with its by now well-established trends is the logical outgrowth of developments that can be traced far. back. Mr. Hull attempts to show which trends promise the greatest musical fruitfulness and which are bound to end in sterility. In Contemporary Music he traces briefly but not hastily the revolution and consequent evolution of musical texture, from the horizontal writing of Bach to the mainly vertical texture of most modern composers. Haydn and Mozart were the first to relax technical discipline as far as texture is concerned; Beethoven carried the process a step further; Wagner succeeded in combining the best classical tradition with a further development of the dynamic methods of Beethoven, and elaborate the early chromatic experiments of Spohr into a permanent part of the musical language. Wagner’s “condensation of musical thought” was carried on by his successors, reaching perhaps its final goal in the later music of Schonberg. Schonberg, Bartok, Delius, Debussy, Strauss, Elgar, Scria- bin, Strawinski, Honegger, and their contributions are dis- cussed; also the relative positions of “classical” and “jazz” music,—the latter an excellent estimate of the weaknesses of both sides’ pronunciamientos, Mr. Hull pleads for a measurement of dance music’s values by standards of its own, not by the standards applicable to classical music. He finds in the development of the chamber orchestra and the attention it is receiving from modern composers hope for a reaction against the vertical writing of so much contemporary music, a return to a horizontal texture, bringing with it a sane, conception of melody. Many of his points have been discus, ad with greater analytical detail by Prof. George Dy- son, but Hull presents the meat of these arguments in per- haps more easily digestible form, at least for the musical lay- man. The study of Delius is less satisfactory, although Mr. Hull’s intention of presenting a balanced estimate of his music is an admirable one. Yet much as Delius has suffered from ec- static and too often non-critical praise, the peculiar qualities of his music—which can only be implied by a technical analy- sis of its texture—must be examined and at least partly ex- posed in any study that would afford a genuine approach to his particular types of feeling. The final purpose is indeed “to suggest an explanation that may fairly account for the peatness of Delius,” but Mr. Hull is forced to take refuge in the summing up of Prof. Dyson. There is still much to be said about Delius that has not been said by either such passionate proponents as Heseltine, or less biassed observers as Dyson and Hull. Yet Mr. Hull does contribute to our estimate of Delius by his emphasis on Delius’ economy of statement and formal coherence. Read by one only slightly familiar with Delius’ music Hull’s essay can hardly serve as an Open Sesame to that previous literature; the experienced Delian, however, will find in it a sane presentation of both strengths and weaknesses of the composer, necessary to a more penetrative examination. Educational Concert Series Educational Concert Series, Study Material. By Lillian Luveme Baldwin. Published for the Music Department of the Cleveland Public Schools in co-operation with the Cleve- land Orchestra, by the A. S. Gilman Company, Cleveland. S. T. R.’s letter in the correspondence column of this issue describes the educational work that is being done in Cleve- land under the auspices of the Cleveland orchestra, and mentions the preparatory work that is done in the schools and clubs. Five of the booklets used in conjunction with this preparatory work have been sent to us by the Gilman Company. No information is available concerning the price, but no doubt any reader who is interested in obtaining cop- ies for his own information or for class use may do so for a nominal cost directly from the A. S. Gilman Company, 623 East St. Clair Avpnue, Cleveland Of the two “Young People’s Concert,” one is devoted to a Mozart program and the other to “Impressions of Italy.’’ Only works which have been recorded are included on the programs, and the booklets contain notes on the composers and analyses (with thematic illustrations) of the pieces. Also references to recordings and a brief bibliography. The notes are conservatively and simply written, and give an excellent approach to the music. The thematic quotations are particu- larly helpful. The three Children’s Concert programs are: “From the Land of Make-Believe” (works by Mendelssohn, Liadoff, Grieg, Humperdinck, and Wagner), “Little Folk’s Program” (a Mozart overture and menuet :^d Tchaikowsky’s Nut- Cracker suite), and “Dance Types” (pieces by Chopin, Bach. Mozart, Strauss, Bizet, and Grieg). The notes here are un- technical, yet intelligent. There is no “writing down” to the children, and the essential information is clearly presented. The booklets run from 14 to 20 pages, and are very deftly adapted to their purpose, as well as for home instruction, or annotations to accompany broadcast programs. Brunswick Supplement The Brunswick Radio Corporation has just issued a sup- plement No. 1, describing the latest issues of its International Hall of Fame Series, including a selected group of domestic recordings by the Cleveland and Minneapolis Symphonies. This attractive pamphlet testifies in impressive fashion to the remarkable work Brunswick has been doing in giving Ameri- can release to some of the most notable recordings of the last two years. The Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, and Wagner groups are already quite extensive, and many works are in- cluded that are of truly exceptional worth: the series by Richard Strauss, Wolff, Brailowsky, Hedwig von Debicka, Huni-Mihacsek, and Priiwer rank among the outstanding re- cordings of all time. The booklet is available from any Brunswick dealer, or directly from the Brunswick Radio Corporation, 120 West 42nd Street, New York City.