The Persian Origins of 'Parsifal' and 'Tristan'Author(s): Max UngerSource: The Musical Times, Vol. 73, No. 1074 (Aug. 1, 1932), pp. 703-705Published by: Musical Times Publications Ltd.Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/917595Accessed: 27/07/2010 15:00

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THE MUSICAL TIMES AUGUST 1 1932 THE MUSICAL TIMES AUGUST 1 1932

almost Dadaist childishness, that I found irrita- ting. Once out of these habits, the composer should be able to do some very good things with his fluent style and deftness of touch.

I happened to have the pianoforte score of the song-cycle 'Durch die Nacht' by Ernst Krenek (Austria), and wondered how many of the other- works we had heard were performed as incorrectly as this one. I fear I do not think the mistakes in this cycle were of the slightest importance, for a poorer exhibition by a well-trained technical facility I have seldom seen. This was music to catch the ear, and the composer has not hesitated to take what of others' music he wants for his purpose. Krenek has become a composer for the theatre, and there, where one listens to effects rather than music, he should remain.

A Symphony for Brass by Hanns Jelinek (Austria) was a failure, but showed remarkable talent. Its heaviness and the solemnity of its jazz-fun, its passionate rhapsodies and its length, its method of construction by short phrases, all told against it. But though deriving from the jazz of the dance bands in which its composer is a trombonist, it shows the limited material in a new light, and convinces one by its very intensity that the composer has music in him. The music shines bright through all the opacities with which inexperience tried to hide it from us. Thus ended the third concert.

The fourth opened with the second English work-Arthur Bliss's Quintet for oboe and strings, beautifully performed (despite the circumstances) by Leon Goossens and the Kolisch Quartet. One knew the work before, so the chief interest of the performance was first its effect on the audience, and secondly its faculty for balancing itself in these somewhat strange programmes. The work came through its ordeal well, but it sounded rather different at Vienna from what one had expected. It is a light and lyrical work; the technique is admirable, and it is extraordinary how much song Bliss has managed to extract from his material. The song is never rhapsodic, yet it is moving. I found that the second move- ment palled after the first-the moods are too similar. But the last redeems the whole work. The audience was rightly surprised at the modernity of thought which a somewhat hap- hazard method of composing can produce when there is music behind it.

Karl Reiner (Czecho-Slovakia) eluded my intelligence in his Pianoforte Sonata. He calls it 'kleine': I tremble to think what his longer thoughts can be like, for his first trouble is that he thinks his thoughts sufficiently important to be developed at length. Here was the 'modern idiom 'rampant. What struck me about the work was that it came from a slender intelligence which had devoted itself to making strange sounds on the pianoforte rather than to healthier, more productive, and more interesting studies. An ebullient youth who takes up music will do any- thing which his teacher persuades him to do. This was no more than an academic exercise in the strange manner.

The Serenade of Vittorio Rieti (Italy) I fear I must dismiss. It is a joke I cannot see. The boyish fun of it is spoilt for me by its set bar- rhythm, its conscious air of 'let's be friends,' and its utter lack of invention.

almost Dadaist childishness, that I found irrita- ting. Once out of these habits, the composer should be able to do some very good things with his fluent style and deftness of touch.

I happened to have the pianoforte score of the song-cycle 'Durch die Nacht' by Ernst Krenek (Austria), and wondered how many of the other- works we had heard were performed as incorrectly as this one. I fear I do not think the mistakes in this cycle were of the slightest importance, for a poorer exhibition by a well-trained technical facility I have seldom seen. This was music to catch the ear, and the composer has not hesitated to take what of others' music he wants for his purpose. Krenek has become a composer for the theatre, and there, where one listens to effects rather than music, he should remain.

A Symphony for Brass by Hanns Jelinek (Austria) was a failure, but showed remarkable talent. Its heaviness and the solemnity of its jazz-fun, its passionate rhapsodies and its length, its method of construction by short phrases, all told against it. But though deriving from the jazz of the dance bands in which its composer is a trombonist, it shows the limited material in a new light, and convinces one by its very intensity that the composer has music in him. The music shines bright through all the opacities with which inexperience tried to hide it from us. Thus ended the third concert.

The fourth opened with the second English work-Arthur Bliss's Quintet for oboe and strings, beautifully performed (despite the circumstances) by Leon Goossens and the Kolisch Quartet. One knew the work before, so the chief interest of the performance was first its effect on the audience, and secondly its faculty for balancing itself in these somewhat strange programmes. The work came through its ordeal well, but it sounded rather different at Vienna from what one had expected. It is a light and lyrical work; the technique is admirable, and it is extraordinary how much song Bliss has managed to extract from his material. The song is never rhapsodic, yet it is moving. I found that the second move- ment palled after the first-the moods are too similar. But the last redeems the whole work. The audience was rightly surprised at the modernity of thought which a somewhat hap- hazard method of composing can produce when there is music behind it.

Karl Reiner (Czecho-Slovakia) eluded my intelligence in his Pianoforte Sonata. He calls it 'kleine': I tremble to think what his longer thoughts can be like, for his first trouble is that he thinks his thoughts sufficiently important to be developed at length. Here was the 'modern idiom 'rampant. What struck me about the work was that it came from a slender intelligence which had devoted itself to making strange sounds on the pianoforte rather than to healthier, more productive, and more interesting studies. An ebullient youth who takes up music will do any- thing which his teacher persuades him to do. This was no more than an academic exercise in the strange manner.

The Serenade of Vittorio Rieti (Italy) I fear I must dismiss. It is a joke I cannot see. The boyish fun of it is spoilt for me by its set bar- rhythm, its conscious air of 'let's be friends,' and its utter lack of invention.

Leopold Spinner (Austria) is one of the spinning class. He writes a string Trio in five long move- ments wherein every instrument plays a real part all the time, regardless of effect, aesthetic, or concord. He knows all about counterpoint, but he reminded me of the man in the club who knows all about everything, and says it. Herr Spinner has to learn that most people listen to music only because they like to, and that if no concession is made to them, they will not. Nothing can come out of this way of expressing the absolute save boredom, which kills art.

Suddenly, we came upon a person who can really write. He is only twenty years of age, and not very wise. His name is Jean Frangaix, and he is French. There is not a shadow of doubt that he has abnormal ability. His Eight Bagatelles for string quartet and pianoforte do not amount to much. But they clearly tell that this is a musical mind, one which can husband its resources and

.yet display them in their fullest guise, one that can laugh and yet be serious, one that can throw his technical ability before us to tread on and yet come through with no charge of extravagance or wastefulness. This is a remark- able person. I did not like the work, but I knew I was in the presence of a musician who could think.

The last work, a Nonet for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, and strings, by Tibor Harsanyi (Hungary), merely confirmed my earlier opinion that this composer has nothing to say and yet says it in a dull way. I found the music at once empty and pretentious.

One cannot truthfully say that the Vienna Festival gave us a great deal that is significant or promising for the future. Yet I am surprised, as I always am at every one of these annual events, that it gave us so much. It is difficult for one who has to review such a series of concerts in a critical way to give the reader any sense of the joy and delight of these Festivals, or of their importance. If, by the bare assertion that I would not miss one if I could possibly help it, I can convince one reader to go to Amsterdam next year, I feel I shall not have written in vain.

THE PERSIAN ORIGINS OF 'PARSIFA,' AND 'TRISTAN'

BY MAX UNGER (Leipsic) Fridrich von Suhtscheck, the litterateur of Graz,

has finally succeeded in solving the problems hitherto connected with the Romance and Legend of King Arthur; he proves satisfactorily that the source of its origin springs from Persian literature and popular myth. It follows, therefore, that nearly the whole of courtly poetry is derived from Iranian, and not Celtic countries. To this branch of literature belong two notable epics, of special importance to musicians: the ' Parzival' of Wolfram von Eschenbach, and 'Tristan and Isolde ' by Gottfried von Strassburg.

Suhtscheck starts his investigations with 'Parzival,' and his diligent efforts establish the fact that nearly all the characters in this poem are legendary figures in the Persian tongue, whilst the religious conceptions emanate from Zarathus- trian and Buddhist doctrine. Thus Wolfram's Muntsalvatsche is resolved from Kuhsal Kuadja (Kuhsal=mountain), a castled hill, which to-day

Leopold Spinner (Austria) is one of the spinning class. He writes a string Trio in five long move- ments wherein every instrument plays a real part all the time, regardless of effect, aesthetic, or concord. He knows all about counterpoint, but he reminded me of the man in the club who knows all about everything, and says it. Herr Spinner has to learn that most people listen to music only because they like to, and that if no concession is made to them, they will not. Nothing can come out of this way of expressing the absolute save boredom, which kills art.

Suddenly, we came upon a person who can really write. He is only twenty years of age, and not very wise. His name is Jean Frangaix, and he is French. There is not a shadow of doubt that he has abnormal ability. His Eight Bagatelles for string quartet and pianoforte do not amount to much. But they clearly tell that this is a musical mind, one which can husband its resources and

.yet display them in their fullest guise, one that can laugh and yet be serious, one that can throw his technical ability before us to tread on and yet come through with no charge of extravagance or wastefulness. This is a remark- able person. I did not like the work, but I knew I was in the presence of a musician who could think.

The last work, a Nonet for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, and strings, by Tibor Harsanyi (Hungary), merely confirmed my earlier opinion that this composer has nothing to say and yet says it in a dull way. I found the music at once empty and pretentious.

One cannot truthfully say that the Vienna Festival gave us a great deal that is significant or promising for the future. Yet I am surprised, as I always am at every one of these annual events, that it gave us so much. It is difficult for one who has to review such a series of concerts in a critical way to give the reader any sense of the joy and delight of these Festivals, or of their importance. If, by the bare assertion that I would not miss one if I could possibly help it, I can convince one reader to go to Amsterdam next year, I feel I shall not have written in vain.

THE PERSIAN ORIGINS OF 'PARSIFA,' AND 'TRISTAN'

BY MAX UNGER (Leipsic) Fridrich von Suhtscheck, the litterateur of Graz,

has finally succeeded in solving the problems hitherto connected with the Romance and Legend of King Arthur; he proves satisfactorily that the source of its origin springs from Persian literature and popular myth. It follows, therefore, that nearly the whole of courtly poetry is derived from Iranian, and not Celtic countries. To this branch of literature belong two notable epics, of special importance to musicians: the ' Parzival' of Wolfram von Eschenbach, and 'Tristan and Isolde ' by Gottfried von Strassburg.

Suhtscheck starts his investigations with 'Parzival,' and his diligent efforts establish the fact that nearly all the characters in this poem are legendary figures in the Persian tongue, whilst the religious conceptions emanate from Zarathus- trian and Buddhist doctrine. Thus Wolfram's Muntsalvatsche is resolved from Kuhsal Kuadja (Kuhsal=mountain), a castled hill, which to-day

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THE MUSICAL TIMES-AUGUST 1 1932

is known as Kuh-i-Kuadja and stands on the Hamun Lake close to the Afghan border; the word meaning mountain of the master or king. Kuh-i- Kuadja was a seat of Zarathustrian learning; Zarathustra himself is said to have once tarried there, and gathered his followers around him. King Amfortas must be considered as Na-far-Tus, or ' the unfortunate King Tus.' The correct spelling of Parzival is Parsi-wal. The name itself hints at the origin of its bearer; for the word means Persian flower. According to Suhtscheck, King Arthur is taken from ' Arta Chusra,' or pure king; he did not rule over Bretagne and Nantes, but governed the countries of Bertan (as written by Wolfram), Nantu, and Bamian to the north, and westwards from Kabulistan.

Even the Grail is a Persian sub-divided word; it should run ' Ghr-al,' and signifies gleam-tinted pearl or precious stone, a meaning retained by Wolfram. The pearl is an ancient Manichean emblem of pity, and the same symbolical concep- tion of the Grail still obtains in Wagner's master- piece. But what is more important is the fact that the essential incidents in the real story of Parzival are contained in a Syrian poem dating from the 3rd century, the 'Song of the Pearl,' which, from its title, embodies the same allegory; and it is upon this song that the unknown author of the original Parsiwal founded his epic.

The most important sites of former times are freely indicated in the poem, which, as Suhtscheck wittily remarks, represents a complete guide-book to ancient Afghanistan. Here it will be sufficient to point out that Klingsor's magic castle was situated some distance away to the north-west of Muntsalvatsche, actually at or near Kapischa in Kabulistan, and called by Wolfram, Kaps. In this connection there is talk of a Buddhist disciplin- ary monastery, the abbot of which was nicknamed Chindschil-i-Zor by the opposite Zarathustrian party-Chindschil being the title of the petty Shahs of Kabulistan, and Zor meaning son of the devil. Parzival's cousin, Gawan, rode against Clinschor (Klingsor) in an endeavour to rescue some hundred maids from the latter's enchanted abode. According to Wolfram's detailed descrip- tion the main building of Clinschor's castle exactly corresponds to a Buddhist ' Stupa,' an edifice constructed on a circular ground-plan, with numerous dead windows adorned with the musical figures of women.

Wolfram himself was certainly not clear about the scenes of action laid in the poem he adopted; but it was he who introduced Christian ideals into the epic, changing the clash of Zarathustrian necromancy and Buddhism into the conflict between Christianity and pagan enchantment. Other germs of religious thought are also directly traceable to old Iranian sources.

Suhtscheck has discovered further that the poem is divided up in point of time, according to a specified number of days' journey. To the Gahmuret poem-the first part of the epic-five days are allotted; for the real Parzival poem, and the episodes of Gawan and Feirefiss, thirteen days are strictly stipulated. Here the question of sacred numbers is involved. The Manichean conception of the cycle of thirteen, coupled with some idea of a journey round the world for spiritual purification, can be cited in ancient Babylon. (Fuller inquiry into this subject will be made in

my article 'The Home of the Parzival Legend' in a forthcoming issue of the New York Mlusical Quarterly.)

Two men of letters, H. Ethe and R. Zenker, have already carried out independent research into the Persian origin of the epic' Tristan and Isolde '; but their investigations have been either overlooked or considered ill-founded. The original setting, called Wis and Rimin, was made by the Persian poet Gorgani, about the year 1050, from a still older popular narrative. It first appeared in the English language in 1864-65, forming part of the Bibliotheca Indica published by the Asiatic Society of Bengal (New Series, Nos. 48, 49, 52, 53, 76), and was entitled, 'Wis o Ramin, an ancient Persian poem by Fahraldin Asad Al Astarabadi Al Fakhri Al Gurgani,' edited by Capt. W. Nassan Lees, LL.D., and Munshi Ahmad All. In 1869 K. H. Graf published a complete account of its contents, with extracts, in the German Oriental Society's Magazine. Now, while there is no doubt that Wolfram von Eschenbach produced a very faithful version of Parsiwal, a comparison between the Persian form of Tristan with that of Gottfried von Strassburg (the most valuable account of the epic) reveals dissimilarities of considerable import- ance. It is acknowledged that Gottfried did not draw from the original Tristan source, but relied on the poem by Thomas de Bretagne, the date of which is round about 1170. No fewer than seven versions of this romance in verse can beidentified before his day, six' of which are still extant. So great is the difference between the Persian original and his own work, that neither Nassan Lees nor K. H. Graf could establish a relationship.

In a treatise entitled 'The Tristan legend and the Persian epic of Wis and Ramin,' published in the journal, Researches into Romance, of 1911, R. Zenker indicates no less than sixteen distinct analogies between the eastern model and the western revisions. These parallel ideas cannot be discussed here; suffice it to say that the following chief events are described in the Persian poem as well as in the later western versions of this Tristan legend. A king named Mobad causes Wis, the young daughter of a neighbouring king, to be abducted from her home by Ramin (or Ram). During the voyage Ram suddenly conceives a violent passion for the unfortunate maid, and, after her marriage, has unlawful intercourse with her. Wis is attended by a devoted servant, versed in the arts of magic. Once, journeying in a foreign land, Ram himself weds a high-born damsel; but he can never forget Wis, and finally returns to her. The Persian story finishes, too, with the death of the lovers. Gorgani facilitates the bond of love by the expedient of magic, which works in a different manner from that originally intended. In the isolated form a thousand deviations are to be noted; for instance, the anterior circumstance of Mobad's compact with the mother of Wis is entirely omitted; the action is condensed, and the charac- terization intensified. Later, the incidents were still more closely connected by Wagner, and the spiritual element so strengthened as to render his music-drama one of the most stupendous of all eulogies of love. The etymology of the most important names which occur in the poem cannot be discussed here; the reader must be satisfied in knowing that Suhtscheck is the first to make out a good case for their being of Persian origin.

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THE MUSICAL TIMES-AUGUST 1 1932 THE MUSICAL TIMES-AUGUST 1 1932

Tristan also figures in the Arthurian legend of the Round Table; for the knight comes once to the court of Arthur, ostensibly the English king, but in reality a Persian sovereign. But besides Parzival and Tristan, our author is able to establish about fifty other 'courtly poems '-which collec- tion constitutes the greater part of this branch of literature-as being of Persian descent. Among these he mentions the well-known story of the love of Sigune and Schionatulander, called Tituvel, also related in Parzival, but which is treated more fully by Wolfram von Eschenbach; Erec and Enite, as well as Iwein, which were adapted by Hartmann von der Aue. Loherangrin (Lohengrin) is naturally also included, for he is the son of Parzival, and appears at the end of the Parzival poem. The name must be understood as Lohrangerin, or red messenger of the gods (angerin = angelus).

But the influence of ancient Persia upon the west extends far beyond the region of 'courtly epic,' and enters the domain of fable, saga, and poetry in general. An outstanding example of this fact is the power which the 'Thousand and One Nights' collection has exercised overwestern inventive spirit in fiction, especially during the 18th century; the Persian touch can be traced everywhere. The traditional story of Barbarossa -the famous legend of the Emperor Frederick II.- is also of Persian origin. It is the tale of Sama Kerschasp, who is identical with Amfortas; with his cudgel by his side, and attended by ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine guardian spirits with waving hair, he sleeps in a cavern of Hindukusch, and waits for the dawning of the great day. The legend was introduced into Sicily from Arabia; it is not only claimed by the Germans for Frederick II., but also by the Portu- guese for their King Sebastian.

It is impossible to review the long succession of poets who, from the 12th century down to the present time, have been inspired by Persian themes, the true origin of courtly poetry. Nearly the whole of European literature has been thus influenced: from Spain to Ireland, from Iceland to Crete, mediaeval writings, Spanish tales of chivalry and the Amadis cycle, Cervantes, Dante, Ariosto, Goethe, Wieland, Richard Wagner, &c. It is not difficult to imagine how Persian lore found its way into Europe. The Crusades were chiefly responsible for its transportation; and it is known that a Crusader named Count Philip of Lorraine and Flanders lent a ' Livre del Graal' to the French writer, Chr6tien de Troyes, for the latter to adapt. Literary history has often de- plored the fact that diligent research should have failed to discover the source of poetic material for the period to which the Crusades belong. By his labour, Suhtscheck has supplied us with the necessary information.

Friedrich von Schlegel (1772-1829), the German author and literary scholar, defined the entire intellectual growth, springing from these roots, by the English word 'romantic '-assuming that the sources were of Romanic origin. In view of Suhtscheck's deductions, the word can no longer be considered correct ; in its place, the investigator proposes the expression 'magical,' from the old Avestan ; naturally not in the modern occult sense, but implying more or less 'belonging to the Zarathustrian religious sect.'

c

Tristan also figures in the Arthurian legend of the Round Table; for the knight comes once to the court of Arthur, ostensibly the English king, but in reality a Persian sovereign. But besides Parzival and Tristan, our author is able to establish about fifty other 'courtly poems '-which collec- tion constitutes the greater part of this branch of literature-as being of Persian descent. Among these he mentions the well-known story of the love of Sigune and Schionatulander, called Tituvel, also related in Parzival, but which is treated more fully by Wolfram von Eschenbach; Erec and Enite, as well as Iwein, which were adapted by Hartmann von der Aue. Loherangrin (Lohengrin) is naturally also included, for he is the son of Parzival, and appears at the end of the Parzival poem. The name must be understood as Lohrangerin, or red messenger of the gods (angerin = angelus).

But the influence of ancient Persia upon the west extends far beyond the region of 'courtly epic,' and enters the domain of fable, saga, and poetry in general. An outstanding example of this fact is the power which the 'Thousand and One Nights' collection has exercised overwestern inventive spirit in fiction, especially during the 18th century; the Persian touch can be traced everywhere. The traditional story of Barbarossa -the famous legend of the Emperor Frederick II.- is also of Persian origin. It is the tale of Sama Kerschasp, who is identical with Amfortas; with his cudgel by his side, and attended by ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine guardian spirits with waving hair, he sleeps in a cavern of Hindukusch, and waits for the dawning of the great day. The legend was introduced into Sicily from Arabia; it is not only claimed by the Germans for Frederick II., but also by the Portu- guese for their King Sebastian.

It is impossible to review the long succession of poets who, from the 12th century down to the present time, have been inspired by Persian themes, the true origin of courtly poetry. Nearly the whole of European literature has been thus influenced: from Spain to Ireland, from Iceland to Crete, mediaeval writings, Spanish tales of chivalry and the Amadis cycle, Cervantes, Dante, Ariosto, Goethe, Wieland, Richard Wagner, &c. It is not difficult to imagine how Persian lore found its way into Europe. The Crusades were chiefly responsible for its transportation; and it is known that a Crusader named Count Philip of Lorraine and Flanders lent a ' Livre del Graal' to the French writer, Chr6tien de Troyes, for the latter to adapt. Literary history has often de- plored the fact that diligent research should have failed to discover the source of poetic material for the period to which the Crusades belong. By his labour, Suhtscheck has supplied us with the necessary information.

Friedrich von Schlegel (1772-1829), the German author and literary scholar, defined the entire intellectual growth, springing from these roots, by the English word 'romantic '-assuming that the sources were of Romanic origin. In view of Suhtscheck's deductions, the word can no longer be considered correct ; in its place, the investigator proposes the expression 'magical,' from the old Avestan ; naturally not in the modern occult sense, but implying more or less 'belonging to the Zarathustrian religious sect.'

c

As yet, Fridrich von Suhtscheck has published only an abstract of his discoveries; the appearance of a work of his, dealing with the true sources of Parzival, which is already in manuscript, may be expected during the present year.

'R. L. S.' AND MUSIC BY EDITH A. H. CRAWSHAW

An article bearing this title, by J. Cuthbert Hadden, appeared in the Glasgow Herald of April 21, 1900. Mr. Hadden quotes the saying of Coleridge: ' I have no ear whatever, I could not sing an air to save my life; but I have the intensest delight in music, and can detect good from bad.' Mr. Hadden goes on to say that:

' . . . Stevenson probably had no such gift of

discrimination, but that he had at least the faculty of musical appreciativeness seems per- fectly clear. He mentions it as one of his characteristic failings that he never could remember the name of an air, no matter how familiar it was to him; but he was able to say of some engrossing pursuit that it " fascinates me like a tune."' Scattered throughout Stevenson's letters there

are some interesting allusions to his delight in music. In a letter to Mrs. Sitwell, in September, 1873, he writes:

' I have tried to write some verses, but I find I have nothing to say that has not been already perfectly said and perfectly sung in " Adelaide." I have so perfect an idea out of that song! The great Alps, a wonder in the starlight-the river, strong from the hills, and turbulent, and loudly audible at night-the country, a scented Fruhlings-garten of orchards and deep wood where the nightingales harbour-a sort of Ger- man flavour over all-and this love-drunken man, wandering on by sleeping village and silent town, pours out of his full heart, " Einst, O Wunder, einst," &c. I wonder if I am wrong about this being the most beautiful and perfect thing in the world-the only marriage of really accordant words and music-both drunk with the same poignant, unutterable sentiment.' In his ' Life of Robert Louis Stevenson,' Graham

Balfour tells us it was in the years 1873-76 that Stevenson

. first discovered his taste for classical music which was afterwards fostered by successive friends. The revelation dated from a concert in Edinburgh, for which someone had given him a ticket and to which he went with reluctance. It was a Beethoven quartet that then burst upon him for the first time, and on that day he per- manently added another to the many pleasures he so keenly enjoyed, although it was some years before he attempted to make any music for himself.' In 'The Amateur Emigrant,' one of the 'Essays

of Travel,' Stevenson says: 'We were indeed a musical ship's company,

and cheered our way into exile with the fiddle, the accordion, and the songs of all nations. Good, bad, or indifferent-Scottish, English, Irish, Russian, German, or Norse-the songs were received with generous applause . . . Once we sought in vain to dance a quadrille, eight men of us together, to the music of the violin.'

As yet, Fridrich von Suhtscheck has published only an abstract of his discoveries; the appearance of a work of his, dealing with the true sources of Parzival, which is already in manuscript, may be expected during the present year.

'R. L. S.' AND MUSIC BY EDITH A. H. CRAWSHAW

An article bearing this title, by J. Cuthbert Hadden, appeared in the Glasgow Herald of April 21, 1900. Mr. Hadden quotes the saying of Coleridge: ' I have no ear whatever, I could not sing an air to save my life; but I have the intensest delight in music, and can detect good from bad.' Mr. Hadden goes on to say that:

' . . . Stevenson probably had no such gift of

discrimination, but that he had at least the faculty of musical appreciativeness seems per- fectly clear. He mentions it as one of his characteristic failings that he never could remember the name of an air, no matter how familiar it was to him; but he was able to say of some engrossing pursuit that it " fascinates me like a tune."' Scattered throughout Stevenson's letters there

are some interesting allusions to his delight in music. In a letter to Mrs. Sitwell, in September, 1873, he writes:

' I have tried to write some verses, but I find I have nothing to say that has not been already perfectly said and perfectly sung in " Adelaide." I have so perfect an idea out of that song! The great Alps, a wonder in the starlight-the river, strong from the hills, and turbulent, and loudly audible at night-the country, a scented Fruhlings-garten of orchards and deep wood where the nightingales harbour-a sort of Ger- man flavour over all-and this love-drunken man, wandering on by sleeping village and silent town, pours out of his full heart, " Einst, O Wunder, einst," &c. I wonder if I am wrong about this being the most beautiful and perfect thing in the world-the only marriage of really accordant words and music-both drunk with the same poignant, unutterable sentiment.' In his ' Life of Robert Louis Stevenson,' Graham

Balfour tells us it was in the years 1873-76 that Stevenson

. first discovered his taste for classical music which was afterwards fostered by successive friends. The revelation dated from a concert in Edinburgh, for which someone had given him a ticket and to which he went with reluctance. It was a Beethoven quartet that then burst upon him for the first time, and on that day he per- manently added another to the many pleasures he so keenly enjoyed, although it was some years before he attempted to make any music for himself.' In 'The Amateur Emigrant,' one of the 'Essays

of Travel,' Stevenson says: 'We were indeed a musical ship's company,

and cheered our way into exile with the fiddle, the accordion, and the songs of all nations. Good, bad, or indifferent-Scottish, English, Irish, Russian, German, or Norse-the songs were received with generous applause . . . Once we sought in vain to dance a quadrille, eight men of us together, to the music of the violin.'

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Issue Table of ContentsThe Musical Times, Vol. 73, No. 1074 (Aug. 1, 1932), pp. 689-754The Amateur and His Future [pp.689-691]Music While You Wander: III. Malaya (Concluded) [pp.691-693]Ad Libitum [pp.693-698]The Letters of Dvork to Hans Richter (Continued) [pp.698-701]The International Festival at Vienna [pp.701-703]The Persian Origins of 'Parsifal' and 'Tristan' [pp.703-705]'R. L. S.' and Music [pp.705-707]Music of the Gold Coast [pp.707-710]Czech Music of Our Days [pp.710-712]Musical Life in Soviet Russia [pp.712-713]A Note on William Wallace [pp.713-714]Music in the Foreign Press [pp.714-715]New Music [pp.715-716]The Musician's Bookshelfuntitled [pp.716-717]untitled [p.717]untitled [pp.717-718]untitled [p.718]Books Received [p.718]

Occasional Notes [pp.718-719]Teachers' DepartmentThe Teaching of Rhythm [pp.719-720]Answers to Correspondents [pp.720-731]

Reviewsuntitled [p.720]

Sacred MusicPraise, My Soul, the King of Heaven. Harvest Anthem [pp.721-728]

Church and Organ MusicRecent Collections of Pre-Bach Organ Music [pp.731-733]An Organist's Notebook [pp.733-734]Leo Sowerby and His Work for American Church Music [p.734]Reubke's Organ Sonata on the 94th Psalm [p.735]Organ Recital Notes [pp.736-739]

Letters to the EditorSir Walford Davies and Wireless [p.740]'Broadcast Music in America' [p.740]The Necessity for an English Bibliography of Music [pp.740-741]Gramophone Reviews [p.741]Unison Singing for Church Choirs [p.741]Haydn's Trios [pp.741-742]'The Art of Fugue' [p.742]A Rod for the Smiter [p.742]Liszt and Doppler [pp.742-743]The Amplifier in Church [p.743]Absolute Pitch [p.743]The Holbrooke Prelude and Fugue [p.743]Treble Voices [p.743]Evert Cornelis and Justin Field [p.743]Author Wanted [p.743]Wagner in London [pp.743-744]

The Amateurs' Exchange [p.744]Royal Academy of Music [pp.744-745]Royal College of Music [p.745]Trinity College of Music [p.745]The Associated Board [pp.745-746]Royal Manchester College of Music [p.746]The Scottish School Music Association [pp.746-747]London Concerts [p.747]The Ballet Club [p.747]Society of Women Musicians [pp.747-748]Music in Manchester [p.748]Music in Wales [p.749]Musical Notes from Abroad [pp.749-751]Handel's Cantatas [pp.751-752]Obituary: Elizabeth Burgess [pp.752-753]Miscellaneous [p.753]Back Matter [p.754]