Chapter I: Front Matter

_The Music Story Series_

EDITED BY
FREDERICK J. CROWEST.

THE STORY OF CHAMBER MUSIC

=The Music Story Series.=

_Already published in this Series._

THE STORY OF ORATORIO. By ANNIE PATTERSON, B.A.,
Mus. Doc. With Illustrations.

THE STORY OF NOTATION. By C.F. ABDY WILLIAMS,
M.A., Mus. Bac. With Illustrations.

THE STORY OF THE ORGAN. By C.F. ABDY WILLIAMS,
M.A., Mus. Bac. With Illustrations.

THE STORY OF CHAMBER MUSIC. By N. KILBURN, Mus.
Bac. (Cantab). With Illustrations.

_The next volume will be_

THE STORY OF THE VIOLIN. By PAUL STOEVING. With
Illustrations.

_This Series, in superior leather bindings, may be had on application to the Publishers._

[ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.]

_Sir E. Burne-Jones, pinx._
_F. Hollyer, photo._

_Chant d’Amour._]

The Story of Chamber Music

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

Introduction.

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 vast range of choral music; works for the organ, that huge modern plexus of pipe and reed;—these and others no doubt have strong claims on our musical affections. But, if forced to such a choice, it is certain that many a musician would, without hesitation, pledge himself to uphold the claims of Chamber music, for who can measure the almost infinite variety and charm which it affords, and that, too, with the slenderest means?

Probably no other form of music would wear so well as this, and to hardly any other could we turn, day by day, with such abiding satisfaction. Of course, in a matter of this kind unanimity is not to be expected, and some will no doubt take exception to the view here stated; but, all the same, it may be confidently asserted that the more this kind of music is cultivated, and the more thoroughly its literature is known and studied, the less divergent will opinion tend to become.

The term chamber music, excluding piano solos, which, strictly speaking, do not come under this head, embraces compositions in the form of duets, trios, quartetts, and other larger combinations, for strings (_i.e._ violins, violas, ’cellos, and double basses), and for wind instruments (chiefly wood wind and horns), both with and without the pianoforte.

Of all the musical forms, this of chamber music is the most adapted for home consumption, and its cultivation by any community may safely be taken as a strong proof of an advanced condition of musical taste.

As regards the present day tendency, no doubt many chamber works are written too much in orchestral style; and, in addition to this, there has arisen an inclination on the part of some composers to make this form express more than it seems naturally fitted to do. We allude to string quartetts such as Raff’s op. 192, “Die Schöne Müllerin,” and Smetana’s “Aus meinem Leben,” which introduce the programme idea into chamber music.

It should not, however, be overlooked that this tendency is by no means absent in the compositions of earlier times. Among others, Bach and Beethoven contributed towards it; and in a number of Haydn’s string quartetts we find a proneness towards realism, although the usual classical form is in no way violated; such, for example, as op. 33, No. 3, “The Bird”; op. 50, No. 6, “The Frog”; op. 64, No. 5, “The Lark”; op. 74, No. 3, “The Rider.” It is not to be taken that Haydn gave these names to the movements, but that the imitations, while artistically good, are too obvious to be overlooked, and have led up to the fancy titles which have grown round the compositions.

Even in the earliest forms of vocal music such realism may occasionally be found. Mr. Henderson, in his book, _How Music Developed_, tells of certain composers, about the year 1550, who tried to imitate natural sounds and movements. He names a work by one Jannequin, in which an attempt is made to portray the street life of Paris; and that, too, in a piece written for four voices, and entirely unaccompanied! As showing how, with a difference, history repeats itself, one can hardly help being reminded by this of an orchestral composition by a distinguished musician of our time which has for its purpose the portrayal, in vivid musical colours, of the street life of great London city. We allude, of course, to Dr. Elgar’s Cockaigne overture, “In London Town.”

It is also now the custom to perform chamber music in large concert halls. No doubt, so far as the public is concerned, this is convenient, and maybe it is, financially, essential. None the less it cannot but be regarded as a perversion, for such music is heard to the greatest advantage under what may be called domestic conditions. Richard Wagner said that he never knew what Beethoven’s sonatas really meant until he heard them played by Liszt, under the most sympathetic conditions, at Wahnfried, his (Wagner’s) residence in Bayreuth.

The String Quartett may be regarded as the prototype, on the instrumental side, of chamber music, and along with it must be placed the other like forms of Quintett, Sextett, etc.; also the Octett, and Double Quartett, which differs in its antiphonal style from the Octett.

All these imply the opportunity for perfect intonation. The use of the pianoforte, however, introduces another “atmosphere.” Perfect intonation is no longer possible, and the purity which the “strings” afford is of necessity somewhat marred.

It may no doubt be fairly urged that “all life is but a compromise,” and that the utility of the pianoforte and the splendid array of compositions which it has called forth condone its defects. This is unquestionably true, but none the less it must be said, in spite of the practical hindrances which exist, that the imperfect intonation of the tempered scale falls short of the artistic ideal.

The late Sir G.A. Macfarren, although an advocate of the tempered scale, acknowledges that “on the voice and on bowed instruments the smallest gradations of pitch are produceable, and so all notes, in all keys, can be justly tuned, which, among others, is one reason for the exceptional delight given by music that is represented by either of these means.”[1]

[Footnote 1: Article “Music,” in the _Encyclopædia Britannica_.]

Those who are interested will find the matter fully argued in Perronet Thompson’s treatise on _Just Intonation_, in the preface of which work the case against the tempered scale is thus stated with characteristic fervour:—“Among the signs of progress in these times (1850!) is the growing discontent with the thing called temperament. Instead of being considered as the crowning exertion of musical skill, it begins to be viewed as a lazy attempt to save trouble, like nailing a telescope to one length for all eyes and distances, or making the fingers of a statue of one medium size. The belief also gains ground that all who are able, as for example singers and violinists, do without it, or more properly, perform in tune in spite of it.”

On the other side a high authority[2] says:—“An ideally tuned scale is as much a dream as the philosopher’s stone, and no one who clearly understands the meaning of Art wants it.” And farther on he adds:—“It will probably be a good many centuries before any new system is justified by such a mass of great artistic works as the one which the instincts of our ancestors have gradually evolved for our advantage.”

[Footnote 2: Sir Hubert Parry, _The Art of Music_, p. 50.]

Thus we find that one view is based on the ideal principle that if, on instruments of the piano and organ type, one key can be put in perfect tune, the whole matter becomes only a question how practically to get over the mechanical difficulty of modulation into other keys. The other view, of course, is that by the compromise of putting all keys a little out of tune you solve the difficulty most easily; that our present musical system, to which is due the wonders of our present-day music and its magnificent literature, is based on the tempered scale; and, above all, that it works well.

This question no doubt belongs, strictly speaking, to the science of Acoustics; but of all the forms of the art, chamber music is the one most affected by intonation, hence these few words on a deeply interesting matter, which may some day become one of the practical considerations in connection with music.

N.K.

_May, 1904._

Contents.

CHAPTER I.

THE BEGINNINGS OF CHAMBER MUSIC.

PAGE

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 1

CHAPTER II.

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—Joachim—Various
chamber music institutions—Japanese chamber
music 12

CHAPTER III.

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 37

CHAPTER IV.

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 59

CHAPTER V.

BEETHOVEN.

Beethoven as democrat—Rhythmic similarities—Beethoven’s first
and last compositions—Musical humour—The distinction in
Beethoven’s chamber music 71

CHAPTER VI.

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 82

CHAPTER VII.

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 works—His symphonic poems for orchestra—An
American national style of music—The Negro Quartett—String
Quartetts—Piano Quartetts—Piano Trios—String
Sextett—Other chamber music 101

CHAPTER VIII.

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 133

CHAPTER IX.

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 177

CHAPTER X.

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 191

APPENDIX A.—Chronological and Biographical 209