Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

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STRAUSS STEAUSS 719
combined with a good deal of skill of a certain
kind ; and in the latter printed words occur in
the score, which identify the two trumpets
with aunts who remark Ganz der Papa ' !
and
the third trombone with uncles who similarly
detect a likeness to the mother.
It does not
greatly matter, after all, what is the exact
topic of any of the symphonic poems, for the
ultimate verdict on them must necessarily be
based on their merits as music, since they
are for choice expressed in terms of music.
In this aspect the question is, not ' What
poetical or prosaic idea does the music illustrate
? ' but Is the ' frequent harshness and
the conspicuous and constant lack of grace
in the bulk of the work compensated by any
idea of such beauty that the hearer can feel
he has not wasted his time ? ' About the
ndddle of the ' Domestic Symphony ' there is a
section that is sonorous and more melodious
than the rest ; and as many people find it
pleasant to listen to, no more need be said ;
although it may perhaps be pointed out that the
fondness of various distinguished conductors
for these extraordinary works is admittedly
caused by the interest that must always
attach to a task that is especially difficult of
accomplishment.
For the present it" would seem as if the
composer's wish to startle the frequenters of
concerts were in abeyance, and he has turned
his attention to the possibly harder work of
shocking continental opera-goers. As his forthcoming
opera, 'Elektra,' has been stated, on
good authority, to contain points that will
offend, or at least surprise, the most hardened
admirers of 'Salome,' there is no injusticel
in mentioning this as the primary object of
the compositions. In the earlier one-act opera,'
Feuei-snot ' (produced in Dresden in Nov.
'
1901), the dramatic suggestion of the libretto
was followed with admirable exactitude, and
the central situation lent itself to an instrumental
interlude that could be considered as
agreeably 'risky,' though it was musically far
more conventionally melodious than any of the
instrumental compositions of the same period.
The author's passion for notoriety is no doubt
responsible in great measure for his choice of
Oscar Wilde's Salome ' ' as the subject of an
opera, but in the work as produced at Dresden,
Dec. 9, 1905, and as performed on all the principal
stages of Germany within a short time (six
special performances were given in Paris in the
following year), the expected shock came from
the drama rathe- than from the music. For
to base uses,
music itself canntft be prostituted
though various /qualities incidental to music
may be turned tb the purposes of pornography.
There is plent* of passion in the work, and
there is no doutt that on the average hearer it
produces a sense of nausea ; but it would be
going too far tb say that any of the music by
itself would have a morally harmful influence
on any one. The overtm-e to Tannhauser
'
and the second act of ' Tristan ' still remain as
the most vivid musical illustrations in existence
of the sexual passions. The famous ' Dance of
the Seven Veils ' is oddly lacking in musical
attraction, but this may arise from the fact
that a good chance has been lost, since the
oriental dances, of which this is meant as a
specimen, gain their power over the hearers'
senses by their monotony of rhythm, while this
dance-music h^lts in a kind of compromise with
the baUet-musio of more conventional opera.
The ill-timed realism of the orchestration at
the moment when the Baptist's head is cut off
is thoroughly characteristic of the composer
of ' Till Eulenspiegel ; '
and that he should
not see the incongruity of introducing such
a touch at such a moment speaks of the
same want of the finer perceptions which years
before led him to accept Funiculi, funicula
'
as a real Italian folk-song.
It is of course too soon to guess 'nfiat Strauss's
position among the musicians of the world may
ultimately be ;
while he is still young enough
to admit that his main object is to shock and
startle, he is not too old to change his convictions,
as he has already changed them once before.
There is a theory that in his later works he is
merely laughing at those who profess an unbounded
admiration for all he does, but this
seems hardly credible, particularly in the face
of some of his lyrical work, which, in spite of
various rather dull choral works, like the
'Sturmlied,' 'Taillefer,' some male choruses,
two anthems, etc., reach a very high level of
beauty in the songs of all the various periods.
The lovely 'Standchen' from op. 17; the
splendid Heimliche ' Aufforderung ' from op.
27, with its irresistible swing ;
'
Morgen ' from
the same set, a really expressive song ; the
picturesque Traum durch ' die Dammerung
from op. 29 ; ' Ich trage meine Minne ' from
op. 32 ; and the characteristic Lied des Steinklopfers
'
' from op. 49, are things that appeal to
'
every one by their musical worth and their fitness
for the way in which the feeling of the
words is followed. The more ambitious Gesang
'
der Apollopriesterin ' and other songs with
orchestral accompaniment are less remarkable,
and in the incidental music to Tennyson's
'
Enoch Arden ' there is not much to divert the
hearer's attention from the poem.
A list of Strauss's compositions is appended :
Op.
1. Festival March for orchestra.
2. Sti-ijig Quartet in A.
3. Five pieces for PF. solo.
5^ PF. Sonata in B minor.
6. Sonata for PF. and Vcello.
7. Serenade for wind instruments.
8. Violin Concerto.
9. Stimmungsbilder, five pieces for PF.
10. Kight Songs.
11. Concerto for French Horn.
12. Symphony in F minor.
13. Quartet for PP. and strings.
14. Wanderers Sturmlied forfi-part choir with orehestra.
15. Five Songs.
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