BY N. Kilburn Mus. Bac. (Cantab.) Conductor of the Middlesbrough, Sunderland, and Bishop Auckland Musical Societies. London The Walter Scott Publishing Co., Ltd. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons 1904...

Berlioz , who, by the way, wrote no chamber music save a serenade for two flutes and harp (“L’Enfance du Christ”), in his imaginative fashion somewhere speculates as to which of his own works he would preserve if it were ordained that all except one should perish. In like manner, we may ask ourselves which of the great forms of musical composition we would plead for in case all the rest were doomed to destruction. Music for the orchestra, with its vivid colours, its strength and delicacy; the va

THE BEGINNINGS OF CHAMBER MUSIC. How Chamber Music began — Early Chamber Music compositions — Musical position of England — Purcell — J.S. Bach — Great violin makers — Haydn and Mozart — Corelli and the compass of the violin — William Shield and 5/4 time. “ In the time of the Frankish kings,” says Mr. H.E. Krehbiel, [3] “the word chamber was applied to the room in the royal palace in which the monarch’s private property was kept, and in which he looked after his private affairs. When royalty too

CHAMBER MUSIC INSTITUTIONS AND CONCERTS. John Banister’s concerts — Thomas Britton, the musical coalman — Britton’s concerts — “Music Meetings” — Oxford Music School — Pepys’s Diary — Evelyn’s Diary — Frederick the Great — Bach and the Emperor — The Emperor Frederick’s compositions — Dando concerts — John Ella and The Musical Union — Analytical programmes and position of platform — Quartett Association — Dannreuther’s Musical Evenings — Sir Charles Hallé’s recitals — Monday Popular Concerts — Jo

HAYDN, P.E. BACH, DITTERSDORF, HANDEL. J.S. Bach — Joseph Haydn — Philipp E. Bach — Dittersdorf — Early quartetts of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven — Silence as an effect in music — Haydn’s quartetts — Haydn’s Kaiser Quartett — Haydn’s other chamber music — Handel. Haydn (1732-1809) has been called the “Father of the Symphony,” and by some the origin of the Quartett (meaning, of course, that for strings) has been ascribed to him. How far this is accurate can only be determined by an examination of

MOZART. Mozart’s C major Quartett — Mozart’s string quartetts — The genius of Mozart — Mozart’s other chamber music — Wagner on Mozart — Mozart’s letter to his father. “ I declare to you before God, as a man of honour, that your son is the greatest composer that I know either personally or by reputation; he has taste, and, beyond that, the most consummate knowledge of the art of composition.” Such are the remarkable words of Haydn, spoken to Mozart’s father. The compositions played on the occasi

BEETHOVEN . Beethoven as democrat — Rhythmic similarities — Beethoven’s first and last compositions — Musical humour — The distinction in Beethoven’s chamber music. The genius of this remarkable man has left us a heritage of undying beauty in every department of the art, and especially in that of chamber music. “Beethoven [19] (1770-1827) was the first great democrat among musicians. He would have none of the shackles which his predecessors wore, and he compelled the aristocracy of birth to bow

SCHUBERT, MENDELSSOHN, SCHUMANN, AND SPOHR. Schubert as song-writer — Schubert’s chamber music — Mendelssohn — Mendelssohn’s position in England — Mendelssohn’s character — Mendelssohn’s chamber music — Schumann — Schumann as absolute musician — The E♭ Piano Quintett — Piano trios — Spohr’s opinion of Beethoven’s work — Characteristics of his compositions. Schubert’s fame rests chiefly on his songs, but in the domain of instrumental music he also did some remarkable work, although it can hardly

BRAHMS AND DVOŘÁK. Opinions of Brahms — Weingartner — H.T. Finck — Bülow on Rubinstein — H. Davey — Schumann — W.J. Henderson — Philip Spitta — Sir Hubert Parry — W.H. Hadow — Piano Trio, op. 8: two versions — Horn Trio, op. 40 — String Sextett in B♭ — String Sextett in G major — Piano Quartett in G minor — Quintett in F minor — String Quartetts — Thematic resemblances — String Quintetts — Clarinet Quintett — Dvořák — Revival of Bohemian music — Birthplace and early career — Criticisms on his wo

CHAMBER MUSIC OF THE RUSSIAN COMPOSERS. Russian chamber music — Glinka — Quartett by Ippolitoff-Ivanoff — Quartett by Gretchaninoff — Mozart on melody — Russian schools of musical thought — Belaieff — String Quartett on name Belaieff — Arensky — Trio in D minor: Arensky — Sokoloff — Tanyeëff — Kopyloff — Tschaïkovsky. A comparatively unexplored field presents itself in the chamber music by Russian composers. Ippolitoff-Ivanoff, Kopyloff, Sokoloff, Gretchaninoff, these are a few of the almost unk

RICHARD STRAUSS AND ANTON BRUCKNER. Position with regard to classical form — Strauss’s chamber music — Bruckner’s character and individuality — Bruckner’s symphonies — String quintett in F major — Hanslick on Bruckner’s works — Krehbiel on Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony — Weingartner’s opinion. Richard Strauss , born at Munich in 1864, is without doubt one of the most distinguished of living musicians, and although his recent works are written in a very advanced style, it cannot be said that he has

CHAMBER MUSIC OF RECENT TIMES. Trio by E. Schütt — Trio by Kirchner — Raff’s C minor Trio — Balfe’s Trio in A major — Trio: C. Hubert Parry — Trio: Bargiel — Sterndale Bennett’s Trio, op. 26 — Trio, D minor: F.E. Bache — Trio, E flat: Nawratil — Trio: Goetz — Trio: Schmidt — Other Trios — String Trios — Quartett: Mackenzie — E flat Quartett: Rheinberger — Quartett: W. Rabl — Quartett: Prout — Quartett: Verdi — Quartett: Onslow — Quartett: W.H. Veit — Unusual combinations. Here we must notice a f

A. Chronological and Biographical. B. Glossary of Terms....

1510. Caspar Duiffoprugcar (Bologna); about 1510. The reputed inventor of the violin, although there can be no doubt that this instrument was a slow growth from earlier forms. 1533. V. Galilei (Florence), 1533-1600. Violin and lute player. Member of the celebrated circle of artists who met at the residence of Count Bardi in Florence. 1535. Andreas Amati (Cremona), 1535-1611. Head of the family of celebrated violin makers. 1543. Ganassi , a Venetian writer, mentions three varieties of violins as

Absolute Music , music per se without relation to the arts, or to any presentation whatever outside of it. [43] Chamber Music Pitch. Formerly absolute pitch did not exist. During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries the pitch was high. This we find according to the old organs, which are some of them a tone higher than our present French diapason. Chamber pitch in olden times differed from church pitch. The adoption of a uniform pitch is very much to be desired at the present time. Divertiment