Grieg’s Originality.
One of the most fascinating among modern song writers is the Norwegian, Grieg. He has been unusually fortunate in having a fine singer as a wife. Mr. Finck relates that Ibsen, after hearing her sing his poems as set to music by Grieg, whispered as he shook the hands of this musical couple, the one word, “Understood.”
Grieg’s originality has not been thoroughly appreciated, because much of the beauty of his music has been attributed to what is supposed to be its Norwegian origin. Grieg is national, it is true, but not in a cramped or narrow sense. His music is the product of his individual genius, and his genius has made him so popular that what is his has come to be wrongly considered Norwegian, whereas it is Norway interpreted through the genius of Grieg. His music is not a dialect, but music of universal significance, fortunately tinged with his individuality. “I Love You,” Ibsen’s “The Swan,” “By the Riverside,” “Springtide,” “Wounded Heart,” “The Mother Sings” (a mother mourning her dead child), “At the Bier of a Young Woman,” and “From Monte Pincio,” are among his finest Lieder.
Chopin is much too little known as a song writer. His genius as a composer for the pianoforte has overshadowed his songs, and the public is familiar with 245 little else save “The Maiden’s Wish,” which is one of Madame Sembrich’s favorite encores and to which she plays her own accompaniment so delightfully. But there is plenty of national color in the “Lithuanina” song, plenty of pathos in “Poland’s Dirge,” and plenty of lyrical passion in “My Delights.” Finck says that in all music, lyric or dramatic, the thrill of a kiss has never been expressed so ecstatically as in the twelve bars of this song marked “crescendo sempre piu accellerando.” Certainly sempre (always) and accellerando (faster) are capital words when applied to a kiss!
Richard Wagner, when twenty-six years old, in Paris, tried to relieve his poverty by composing a few songs, among which is a very charming setting of Ronsard’s “Dors mon enfant.” He also set Heine’s “The Two Grenadiers” to music, utilizing the “Marsellaise” in the accompaniment; but, as a whole, the Wagner version of this poem is not as effective as Schumann’s. In 1862 he composed music to five poems written by Mathilde Wesendonck, among which is the famous “Träume,” which utilizes the theme of the love duet that later on appeared in “Tristan.”
Liszt’s Genius for Song.
Liszt’s songs are a complete musical exposition of the poems to which they are composed. Thus while, by way of comparison, Rubinstein’s setting of “Du Bist wie eine Blume” gives through its simplicity a rare impression of purity, Liszt in his setting of the same poem adds to that purity the sense of sacredness 246 with which the contemplation of a pure woman fills a man’s heart and causes him to worship her. His “Lorelei” is a beautiful lyric scene. We view the flowing river, seem to hear the seductive voice of the temptress, and watch the treacherous and stormy current that hurries the ensnared boatman to his doom. And what song has more of that valuable quality we call “atmosphere” than Liszt’s version of “Kennst du das Land?” As will be the case with Liszt in other branches of music, he will be recognized some day as one of the greatest of song composers.
Richard Strauss’s songs, from having been regarded as so bristling with difficulties as to be impossible, have become favorites in the song repertoire. When it is a genius who creates difficulties these are sure to be overcome by ambitious players and singers, and music advances technically by just so much. Strauss’s “Ständchen,” with its deliciously delicate accompaniment, so difficult to play with the requisite grace, was the first of Strauss’s songs to become popular here, and it was the art of our great singer, Madame Nordica, that made it so. Now we hear “Die Nacht,” “Traum durch die Dämmerung,” “Heimliche Aufforderung,” “Allerseelem,” “Breit über mein Haupt Dein schwarzes Haar,” and many of his other songs with growing frequency. There are few song composers with whom the pianoforte accompaniment is so entirely distinct from the melody (or so difficult to play), as often is the case with Strauss. As with Schubert, every descriptive suggestion contained in the poem is carried into the accompaniment, but the vocal part is more declamatory and more varied. Even now it seems certain 247 that Strauss’s songs are permanent acquisitions to the repertoire. It still is too soon, however, to affirm the same thing of the unfortunate Hugo Wolf’s songs, although I find myself strongly attracted by “Er ists,” “Frühling übers Jahr,” “Fussteise,” “Der König bei der Kröning,” “Gesang Weyla’s,” “Elfenlied” and “Der Tambour.”
Saint-Saëns, Delibes, Godard, Massenet, Chaminade and the late Augusta Holmès are among French song writers whose work is clever, but who seem to me more concerned with manner than with matter. Gounod’s rank as a song composer is much below his reputation as the composer of “Faust” and “Romeo et Juliette.” Oddly enough, however, the idea that came to him of placing a melody above a prelude from Bach’s “Well Tempered Clavichord” did more than anything he had accomplished up to that time to make him famous. Originally he scored it for violin with a small female chorus off stage. Then he replaced the chorus with a harmonium. Finally he seems to have been struck with the fact that the melody fitted the words of the “Ave Maria,” substituted a single voice for the violin, which, however, still can supplement the vocal melody with an obbligato, did away with the harmonium, and the result was the Gounod-Bach “Ave Maria.” The Bach prelude, of course, sinks to the level of a mere accompaniment, for it has to be taken much slower than Bach intended.
American composers who have produced noteworthy songs are Edward A. MacDowell, G. W. Chadwick, Arthur Foote, Clayton Johns, Homer N. Bartlett, Margaret Ruthven Lang, and the late Ethelbert Nevin.