Part 4 (1/2)

BACH, MOZART, AND BEETHOVEN COMPARED

The present prograether a few representative selections froreatestout more clearly the individualities of their style and the predominant flavor of their work In this co to represent either Bach or Beethoven in their reatest and ht Sonata”

approaches this point in the case of Beethoven, but if it had been desired to perforer works would have been taken, such as the ”Chroue in G ed for piano by Liszt), and the like And for Beethoven the sonatas in F minor, opus 57, ”Appassionata,” the opus 106 in B-flat, and opus 111 in C othan any of the works brought together upon the present prograh the finale of this is distinctly representative of Beethoven in the i passion was not at all in his line But for the sake of showing the peculiar sweetness of his iination in contrast with the more concentrated expression customary with Bach and Beethoven, his Fantasia in Cupon the actual acquaintance with the works in the program, it is advisable for the hearer to be disabused at the outset of certain prepossessions likely to be harards Bach as having had a higher idea of his art than later co intended to illustrate in his works a very high degree of skill, contrapuntal cleverness, and the like This prepossession is included in the phrase which describes all serious uished fro

Bach had, indeed, great originality, but he came by it honestly His mental activity in musical directions was of such a spontaneous character that immediately a theme presented itself all sorts of possible treatment occurred to hian to develop it, and in the course of this one happy thought after another presented itself, without having been sought for or worked out in the slightest

Thus his highest and largest works have a good deal the character of play, so easily were they composed True, they do not present to the player of the present day nearly so much of this quality, for the technic required to play them well is not quite that of the ordinary pianist Bach expects the hands to play ue; _ie_, be able to follow the answering voices in a fugue without beco confused when there are three, four, or five, and without losing any one of the threads This habit of thought--for this is what it aeneration, since nearly all ourBach has to be diligently reat deal of hard study

PROGRAM

Bach, Prelude and Fugue in C-sharp major Clavier, No 3

Beethoven, Sonata in C-sharp ht”), opus 27, No 2

Bach, Fantasia in C minor

Mozart, Fantasia in C ro from Italian Concerto

Beethoven, Sonata in E ue in G major Clavier, No 15

Beethoven, Sonata in D minor (Shakspere's ”Tempest”), opus 31, No 2

Every art-work, in whatever line, has to satisfy three prime conditions: unity, symmetry, and variety There can not be an impression of beauty into which these three qualities do not at the sa as one or the other element preponderates In the successful music of Johann Sebastian Bach (and he wrote unsuccessful music as well as other men) we find all these qualities represented, but not in the ue of Bach is essentially a ”monody,” a composition of one idea, which preponderates so decidedly as to enforce its character and individuality upon the work; nay, it is the work Variety and symmetry are always present, but the variety is to be found in the modulatory treatment and in the counterpoint--the various accessory ideas which appear in the course of the work for better setting off the leading idea for the substance of the co with a unity which pervaded every single idea and every succession of ideas, a variety also going on at the same time (as in the melody of the different voices, rhythm, etc); and symmetry, which also expresses itself as between ideas heard siraphs introduced successively A Bach work, therefore, is rather complicated almost always, and needs to be studied a little, and the art of hearing it appreciatively has to be acquired; but once we have mastered it, there are no works in

The Bach selections upon the present prograues, those of C-sharp major, C minor, and G major, all from the first volume of the ”Clavier” There is no necessary connection between the prelude and the fugue following, except that in Bach's idea they somehow corresponded or contrasted in such a reeably in connection

The prelude in C-sharp, which opens the prograht measures) which is repeated completely six times in the course of the work After it has been heard four times,--in the keys of C-sharp, G-sharp, D-sharp minor, and A-sharp minor,--it is relieved by a modulatory interlude, constructed out of new inal theme is resumed in the subdoiven entire in the original key of C-sharp, the repetition being exact In ins It consists of a pedal point upon G-sharp, treated very pleasantly, and relieved and developed inmatter of a ure returns, and is abandoned only at measure 101, after which the end speedily follows (Before playing the piece have the parts played and explained separately, each division as here marked, and then the whole prelude entire) The work as a whole is singularly light and pleasing

The fugue is built upon the subject in the soprano at the beginning, running two ain

In immediate contrast with this work is placed the so-called ”Moonlight Sonata”--the title affixed not by Beethoven but by some fanciful writer The firstof Bach's, but with a difference Little is atte the harh several different keys, nor is thereIt is practically a song,--an ode if you like,--of acharacter Its structure will be understood by aid of the following analysis: It begins with a prelude of fouridea enters in the key of C-sharpin E-major, four measures

After a measure of acco immediately to B minor, after a cadence in which an accessorythe action, eightidea now enters in F-sharp, five measures, and three little io matter hold back the action for the return of the the in thiseretto which follows is practically a sort of scherzo, in song-for of three main elements handled in the style of a sonata-piece The Principal extends to the first beat of the twentieth measure On the second beat of this the Second enters and runs twenty-three hth note of this hth notes in chords enters, which for piece This carries us to the double bar, after which a free fantasia follows upon the same material The free fantasia extends to two measures of whole notes, thirty-six inal theme returns and the first part is recalled in different keys At the end there is an added coda of thirty-fourfrom the end of the piece

The Prelude in Gillustration of his manner It is very simple in construction and needs only to have the first twothe subject, and the fourthidea

Everything else is developed out of these ideas In measure 11 some new material is introduced and treated with excellent effect

The fugue is rather an elaborate one After the subject has been carried through the first time, the subject is introduced in a new fores in the original being now imitated in doard directions and by the saround for ue beco When well played, however, the complication is only an incident of a very playful and varied composition In the entire work there is no lyrical idea; everything comes thematically

In the Beethoven sonata which I have chosen for contrast, D minor, opus 31, No 2, the thematic mode of construction is also reater than in the Bach work, and the effect of the whole i with a slow arpeggio chord (two measures) the first theme follows only to be interrupted in the sixth measure In the seventh the Principal subject is resuorously ascending bass theme, which is immediately answered by a soprano counter theme, measures 11, 12, 14 This carries us forward to measure 30, where an episode coain ina pedal point, and the conclusion proper in htfully treated, and the entire movement has much the character of an improvisation The slow movement continues the rhapsodical spirit of the first htful exa effect reached by means of composition essentially thematic

The Sonata, opus 90, in E, is one of the ure in tenths for the bass (ain later on), it presents no serious difficulties for the player The second reat length