DICTIONARY OF MUSIC - El Atril

LISZT LITANIAE LAURETANAE 751
as it is easy to recognise in its changed sliape
stands well as the counterpart of one character
in different circumstances. Tlie Wagnerian
' leading- motive '
fulfils a far higher function
in regard to operatic music than this Transformation
of Themes does in symphonic music ;
for even when the latter is employed by a master
of construction, it has evidently very little to
do mth musical interest of the best kind. A
well-known instance of its use, in music of a
different order from Liszt's, is in the third
movement of Brahms's second symphony, where
the theme of the allegretto is thus transformed,
and the device is employed as if it were of small
moment. Li the same master's two early
sonatas, opp. 1 and 2, are other instances. The
two concertos of Liszt, and nearly all the
symphonic poems, contain cases where he has
illustrated his theory that it is a really important
invention.
The larger compositions of Liszt intended for
ecclesiastical use are so seldom pierformed that
it is difficult to speak of them with any certainty
at first-hand. In the late Mr. Dannreuther's
Romantic Period (his contribution to the Oxford
Hktory of Music, vol. vi.) he analyses the
' Graner Festmesse ' and the other sacred works
very minutely, and with great insight and
acumen. He points out that in this great mass
and in the two oratorios which Liszt completed
there is a copious use of AVagner's method of
employing representative themes, and connected
the various movements of the mass by their
means. He says ;
Liszt came to interpret the Catholic ritual in a
histrionic spirit, and tried to make his mnsic reproduce
the words not only as ancilla theologica et ecclesiustica,
but also as OMcilla dra^naturgica. The intluence of
Wagner's operatic method ... is abundantly evident
but the result to this influence is more curious than
convincing (p. 200).
In speaking of the ' Hungarian Coronation
Mass' (1866-67) Mr. Dannreuther says :
Liszt aimed at characteristic national colour, and
tried to attain it by persistently putting forward some
of the melodic formulfe common to music of the Hungarian
type. . . . The style of the entire mass is as
incongruous as a gipsy musician in a church vestment
(i(>. pp. 204, 209).
The same author sums up the other pieces
by Liszt that belong to sacred music in these
words :
The majority of them can hardly be accounted good
music in the full sense of the word. Taken simply as
music, and without regard to any symbolism nr casual
association with the Eitual, they convey an undefinable
sense of effort and weakness {ih. p. 220).
The ' concert-oratorio ' called ' The Legend
of St. Elizabeth ' is a living illustration of the
dual personality of Liszt ; it is fervently religi-
ous in character, and yet is far more of an opera
than a real oratorio. It had a far greater
success on the stage (at Munich, Weimar,
Hanover, Leipzig, and elsewhere) than on the
concert-platform. The scene of the miracle of
the roses is by far the finest point of the work,
and, as Mr. Dannreuther says, ' one of the best
things Liszt ever piroduced." For an analysis
of ' Christus ' the reader must be referred to the
volume already quoted.
It remains to speak of a branch of art in
which Liszt was at his very best. The purely
lyrical pianoforte pieces, such as the ' Consolations,'
many of the ' Annees de Pelerinage,' the
beautiful ' Benediction de Dieu dans la Solitude,
' and several of the other ' Harmonies
poetiques et religieuses, ' have an amount of
inspiration which is rarely found in the more
ambitious works of the composer ; and in his
songs he reaches a level of invention that is
untouched for the most part elsewhere. All,
or almost all, are highly oiiginal, effectively
written for the voice, and interesting in the
accompaniment ; some are a little forced in
sentiment, but in all the natural accentua-
tion of the words is followed with singular
fidelity, and a few are among the most expressive
lyrics of the world. ' Kennst du das
' Land is held by many good judges to be the
best of the many excellent settings of the words ;
' Der Konig von Thule ' is another of finest
quality ;
' Es muss cin AVunderbares sein ' has
an emotional directness, and ' Comment, disaient-ils
' a whimsical grace, that are obvious
hist
to every hearer ;
' Die Lorelei ' and ' Du
wie eine Blunie ' are perfect counterparts of
Heine's words, and if Liszt had been nothing
more than a song- writer, he would have been
hailed as a composer of rare gift. AVhat amount
of his work will endure throughout the ages
cannot be guessed with any certainty ; but if
one whole class were spared by time, that class
would surely be the songs. As pianoforte
technique develops still further, the pianoforte
pieces may join the bravura fiieces of the past
in oblivion ; already, »as was said above, the
bolder flights of Strauss have thrown into the
shade many of the more ambitious efforts in
the depiartment of programme -music, but the
songs are oven now increasing in general popu-
larity, and finding acceptance even with singers
of the less advanced class. M.
LITANIAE LAURETANAE (Litany of
Loreto). A solemn Litany, sung in honour of
the Blessed Virgin Mary.
It is no longer possible to ascertain when,
where, or by whom, this Litany was originally
written ;
but, if we may trust the very generally
received tradition that it was first chanted at
Loreto, and carried thence, by pilgrims, to all
parts of the world, it cannot be of earlier date
than the closing years of the 13th century.
In other places than Loreto (where it is sung
every evening) it is most frequently sung, either
in solemn Processions, or, during the Exposition
of the Blessed Sacrament at Benediction ; but
its use—especially on the Continent—is by no
means restricted to those particular occasions.
In Rome, for instance, it is constantly sung, at