That Strauss displays an enormous talent for orchestral effect, and a breadth and vigour of style which carries all before it, no one acquainted with his works will dispute, but whatever abiding hold he may have gained on the musical thought of the world will be found not to be primarily due to qualities of this kind, influential as they no doubt are, but to his being endowed with the power to write true and convincing tunes. For example, one may regard programme music and the hurly-burly of works like _Till Eulenspiegel_ as entirely obnoxious and subversive of true art, but all the same it is idle to ignore the character and charm of such tunes as these:— [Music: TILL EULENSPIEGEL. R. STRAUSS.] With the following curious metamorphosis of its first notes, which plays an important part in the work:— [Music] [Music: TILL EULENSPIEGEL. R. STRAUSS.] [Music: DON JUAN. R. STRAUSS.] [Sidenote: =Strauss’s Chamber Music=] The earlier Symphony of this composer, in F minor, op. 12, exhibits also, although in a lesser degree, the same melodic charm; but on the other hand (and such inequality is a perplexing feature of Strauss’s works) his chamber music, such as the String Quartett, op. 2, the Piano Quartett, op. 13, and the Violin and Piano Sonata, op. 18, when tried by this standard, are more or less disappointing. True, the andante and the finale of the String Quartett show a certain amount of melodic interest, as also does the andante (improvisation) of the Sonata; but in the other movements, and in the Piano Quartett, while the writing is always masterful, and indeed at times overpowering in its strength and directness, the want of real tune renders these works unconvincing. All the same it must be admitted that Richard Strauss is one of the most interesting personalities among contemporary composers, a position which is also occupied by our own countryman Edward Elgar, and the only thing which may with certainty be said is that they both baffle the prophets, for, judged by what they have already done, we know not what a day may bring forth.[39] Men who in the prime of life have given us “The Dream of Gerontius,” and “Till Eulenspiegel,” have within them possibilities of a far-reaching kind, and it is to them, with Coleridge-Taylor and some others of, as yet, lesser fame, that we have to look for the next important contributions to the literature of the art. [Footnote 39: This was written early in 1902.] In addition to the chamber music named above, Richard Strauss has written a Serenade, op. 7, for wind instruments; a Sonata, op. 6, for piano and ’cello, which is an interesting work; and a Sonata, op. 5, for piano solo. [Sidenote: =Bruckner’s Character and Individuality=]