Musiciens D'Autrefois
Down Among the Dead Men. By Bernard van Dioron. (Oxford University Press. 10s, 6d.)
Tins is a very unequal book : unequal not only from essay to essay but from page to page, from sentence to sentence. It takes the form of -a long and exasperated commentary on the recent state of music, musical criticism; and musicology generally, mostly muttering fiercely to itself; but 'hoiv and then enlivened by terrific broadsides to the address of musicians or critics held to be chiefly responsible for 'the decay of artistic standards. The criticisms are often original and just, many comments, those, for instance, on Berlioz ..ass a melodist or On Meyerbeer as an innovator, are both brilliant and ilfuntinat- ing, and the general outlook is that of a disceiniicg,, hide- Pendent; abnormally sensitive artist of absolute integrity, btit the book is in places quite 'unreadable. Mr. van , D:ieren,• reporting on a world whose inhabitants seem to him to be for the most part ignorant, vulgar, stupid or blind, has allowed his indignation entirely to destroy his sense of prose style : the pages of this book are crammed- and choked with endless epigrams, conceits and verbal jokes which flow from his pen with the impartial prodigality of Nature two or three are successful, the rest are acutely embarrassing. The facts being what they are, it is only fair to warn the reader of what to expect : words like " Mendelssolumies," " Schuman- nikins," " Stravinskyttens " , will set the most insensitive teeth on edge. And yet, in spite of this, the book is interesting and even distinguished. The weakest essay is that on wit in music, which, when it is not ruined by the author's own variety of it, proclaims defiantly many a well-worn truth. The most useful are the pages in which he defends the memory of the insulted or the forgotten—Viecinni, Meyerbeer, Donizetti; Offenbach, Alkan. SOoli someone will rediscover Dittersdorf or Sailed, and dOuhtless we shall be none the poorer for it. Mr. van Dieren dislikes irreverence and regards tradition, particularly that of the Roman Church, as • giving background and discipline to composers who might • lose • themselves in 'the void ; but an artificially adopted framework will kill at. least as Much as it preserves : how much life is there today in D'Indy's works, in the Psalmus Hungaricus, even in the Symnphonie des Psaumes ? The desire " to return " to Bach or Palestrina is a certain sign of artistic bankruptcy ; where so little
creative power is wedded to so much self-consciousness the result is bound to be pathetic caricature.
The problem of the conflict of tradition and individuality haunts Mr. van Dieren and finds striking expression in what is the longest and by far the most interesting essay in the book, a study- of Ferruceio Busoni.. He knew' Busoni
inti-
mately and venerates his memory ; but he allows one to see what the deVUtion of Professor Derit unconsciously, covered over, that he was, and remained until the end, a tragic figure, unable either to emancipate himself from the tradition in which he grew up, or to come to any kind of terms with it. He came to Berlin, that city with no tradition, in order to -escape the despotic Italian education of his youth, he remained there in spite of constant persecution at the hands of a generation held spellbonnd try Wagner; by Strauss, attracted even by Puceini; 'birt the expetirnerit' failed and brought added suffering with it ;, he • Was 'too complex, too -divided, too self-torturing to scenic cairn- hy haVing easy recourse to this or that remedy ; his personality contained something not merely passionate and turbulent but an indefinable, violenV demonic eleinent which frikrated his tremendous lifelong effort to achieve a lasting synthesis. He was, as we know, at a certain period of his life utterly prebecupied with - Bach :7 but his favourite 'scores, Mr. vane Dieren says, were ..The Magic'Plate and Parsifal. This is s) staining sa revealing that those who understand. anything need be told no more. Having 'written with fascinating insight liboot, the nature of I3usoni's inner conflict witty established values, Mr. \lir) 'Dibrell finals it necessary to defend him against the charge tampering with the classics in 'his 'interpretations. lie declares that Busoni did no more than'" restore" the old masters, removing from their surface the dust and faded patina of the years which. only dons and sentimentalists fear to touch. This is an astonishing line of defence. Those who have heard him play,wilf remember him not as a cautious and scrupulous ." restorer " of Bach or BeethoVen, but as a man of Magical poWer--'whdi flooded. the senses with a ,vast. opulence of colours whose :like no words can possibly convey. was.His genius wa so eveipowering :that' everything he did was' at the .time-completely' Convincing; not. because the com- poser's 'intention for' the 'first time 'stood Clearly- revealed— the liberties 'which . he took were too, violent to allow, any such illiiSion-but ' hecanse the ,oVerwhehning intensity of 1, is personality ) svt'ept away all other, standards of reference, and Ieft'his audience no choice but 'unconditional surrender.' Mr. van Dieren'S theory is diariietrica‘ ity OppoSeil to this : those who 'are interested must examine it in the light. of their own or others' memories. -They. will find his book in places wildly: trying,. ha wish enough discernment, learning, and paSsion for something.better than a second./ Croche.
I. BERLIN.
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