The London Mercury, Vol. I, Nos. 1-6, November 1919 to April 1920Various
General
The London Mercury, Vol. I, Nos. 1-6, November 1919 to April 1920
Various
English literature -- Periodicals; London (England) -- Periodicals
Such judgments are unprofitable, even if one could be sure that
they were true. It is the homogeneous programme that alters one's
critical angle. The last new versification of a suburban house-agent's
advertisement in the second half of the programme restores a juster
balance. To judge from old Promenade programmes, the "one-style" night
must be a relic of earlier tradition. When Mr. Robert Newman first
started the concerts, in 1895, there would be a Scottish night, an
Irish night, a Military night, and, besides a Wagner night, a Gounod
night. The Irish night meant a programme of Stanford, Balfe, Wallace
and Sullivan. Sullivan still figures in our programmes; the others have
dropped out, and so has the Gounod night. The programme of a Military
night does indeed seem a curiosity to-day. Here it is: _Military
March_ (Schubert), overture _Les Dragons de Villars_ (Maillart), _The
German Patrol_ (Eilenberg), _Trumpet Overture_ (Mendelssohn), _The Red
Hussar_ (Solomon), _The British Army Quadrilles_ (Jullien), _The Drum
Polka_ (Anonymous), and the "Soldiers' Chorus" from _Faust_. Maillart's
overture still figures in this year's list; but probably no one wants
a military programme in these days, even if it were made up from the
classics. It is interesting to note that what we called a "Popular"
night differed very little from the Saturday programmes of this year,
in spite of the number of novelties that have in the course of time
been gradually added to the repertory. The operatic selections were
dropped a long time ago, but such things as Handel's _Largo_, Grieg's
_Peer Gynt_, the overture to _William Tell_, and Bizet's _L'Arlésienne_
have probably been played once or even twice in every season.
The book of programmes may be regarded as a fair index of average
taste, and as such is instructive. English people, on the whole, have
had too much common sense to allow their musical interests to be
distorted by the war. It is true that modern German music is no longer
heard, and that the names of modern French, Russian, and Italian
composers figure largely on the programmes. But it is probably also
true that the accident of the war has merely helped to consolidate
a tendency that was apparent some time before. Brahms was never a
composer for the man in the street. What the ordinary man wants in
music is a clear-cut tune, a vigorous rhythm, and an exciting volume
of sound. He gets these in _William Tell_ and _L'Arlésienne_. In the
presence of these and other old favourites we are all ordinary men.
They are the things which the man in the street enjoys at a first
hearing, the things which the cultivated musician never ceases to
enjoy. It is through such music that the average man has gradually
learned to enjoy Beethoven's Symphonies and the Brandenburg Concertos,
for they too possess those essential qualities.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account