Schubert and the Moderns

New Zealand Listener, Volume 35, Issue 896, 5 October 1956, Page 17

Schubert and the Moderns

Vf UCH of Schubert’s church~- music, * "although practically unknown in the English musical world, is still kept alive in Vienna. When the Vienna Hofmusikkapelle visited this year’s Edin+ burgh Festival they gave a programme of Schubert choral works, a transcription of which can be heard from all YCs on October 11, 9.5 p.m. The first three works, the Offertorium, a Duet, and a Magnificat, were all composed in Schubert’s 18th and 19th years when he was an unwilling schoolmaster in Vienna, He had passed his assistant’s examination, which stated that he was "good" in spelling, knowledge of the alphabet and pronunciation; "mediocre" in arithmetic and Latin; and "bad" in practical religion. This entitled him to teach the primary class at his father’s school. The Offertorium, "Tres Sunt" ("There Are Three That Give Testimony in Heaven’’), a text from the liturgy of the feast of the Holy Trinity intended to be sung after the Offertory of the Mass is notable for its almost continuous use of trombones. The duet, "Auguste iam Coelustium," is a pastoral work, here sung by two boy sopranos with orches-

tra, while the Magnificat for soloists, chorus and orchestra is a fully-scored piece of noble church music. The final work, the Mass No. 6, composed in the last year of his life, is predominantly a Choral Mass with the soloists used only in the Credo, the Benedictus and the Agnus Dei. Throughout there are several outstanding sections such as the "Domine Deus, Agnus Dei" section of the Gloria, the moving Crucifixus in the Credo, and the Agnus Dei. The Hofmusikkapelle is conducted by Josef Krips, with Richard Lewis (tenor), | Oscar Czerwenka (bass) and _ boy soloists, Also in this week’s Edinburgh Festival programmes is the Boston Symphony Orchestra playing Schubert’s Symphony No. 9, "The Great,’ and Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra. Bartok wrote his concerto for an exceptionally large orchestra so that he could use separate ‘instruments or groups of instruments as soloists, a new. idea in orchestral technique. It was written 1943. Modern works in the Alex Lindsay String Orchestra programmes this week are Lennox Berkeley’s "Serenade for Strings" (October 9, YCs, 7.0 p.m.), and Alexandre Tansman’s "Triptych for Strings" (October 12, YCs, 8.0 p.m.). Berkeley’s "Serenade,’ composed about 15 years ago, still makes a good introduction to this composer’s music. At his best Berkeley has a remarkable lucidity, he seldom wastes a note, and those who have an affinity with his temperament will appreciate his sparing and concise manner of expression. The Sonatine for violin and piano, the String Trio, and the Divertimento for small orchestra are other notable works. Berkeley for quite a long time wrote only for smaller forms, but recently he has turned to both three-act and one-act opera. Alexandre Tansman, before he went to America. in 1941, was one of the leading younger Polish composers and pianists. He is very fond of the cinema, has written a great deal of music for both film and theatre, and being a great admirer of Chaplin has dedicated his second Piano Concerto to him. He has also written a quantity of chamber music and symphonic works,