On Conducting | Page 8

of the first violins.] Mathai, like overtures and entr'actes at a
theatre. At least there was no "disturbing individuality," in the shape of
a conductor! The principal classical pieces which presented no
particular technical difficulties were regularly given every winter; the
execution was smooth and precise; and the members of the orchestra
evidently enjoyed the annual recurrence of their familiar favourites.
With Beethoven's Ninth Symphony alone they could not get on, though
it was considered a point of honour to give that work every year. I had
copied the score for myself, and made a pianoforte arrangement for two
hands; but I was so much astonished at the utterly confused and
bewildering effect of the Gewandhaus performance that I lost courage,
and gave up the study of Beethoven for some time. Later, I found it
instructive to note how I came to take true delight in performances of
Mozart's instrumental works: it was when I had a chance to conduct
them myself, and when I could indulge my feelings as to the expressive
rendering of Mozart's cantilena.
I received a good lesson at Paris in 1839, when I heard the orchestra of
the Conservatoire rehearse the enigmatical Ninth Symphony. The
scales fell from my eyes; I came to understand the value of CORRECT
execution, and the secret of a good performance. The orchestra had
learnt to look for Beethoven's MELODY in every bar--that melody
which the worthy Leipzig musicians had failed to discover; and the
orchestra SANG that melody. THIS WAS THE SECRET.
Habeneck, who solved the difficulty, and to whom the great credit for
this performance is due, was not a conductor of special genius. Whilst
rehearsing the symphony, during an entire winter season, he had felt it
to be incomprehensible and ineffective (would German conductors
have confessed as much?), but he persisted throughout a second and a
third season! until Beethoven's new melos [Footnote: Melody in all its
aspects.] was understood and correctly rendered by each member of the
orchestra. Habeneck was a conductor of the old stamp; HE was the
master--and everyone obeyed him. I cannot attempt to describe the
beauty of this performance. However, to give an idea of it, I will select

a passage by the aid of which I shall endeavour to shew the reason why
Beethoven is so difficult to render, as well as the reason for the
indifferent success of German orchestras when confronted by such
difficulties. Even with first class orchestras I have never been able to
get the passage in the first movement
[Figure: musical example]
performed with such equable perfection as I then (thirty years ago)
heard it played by the musicians of the Paris "Orchestre du
Conservatoire." [Footnote: Wagner, however, subsequently admitted
that the passage was rendered to his satisfaction at the memorable
performance of the Ninth Symphony, given May 22nd, 1872, to
celebrate the laying of the foundation stone of the theatre at Bayreuth.]
Often in later life have I recalled this passage, and tried by its aid to
enumerate the desiderata in the execution of orchestral music: it
comprises MOVEMENT and SUSTAINED tone, with a DEFINITE
DEGREE OF POWER. [Footnote: ("An dieser Stelle ist es mir, bei oft
in meinem spateren Leben erneueter Erinnerung, recht klar geworden,
worauf es beim Orchestervortrag ankommt, weil sie die BEWEGUNG
und den GEHALTENEN TON, zugleich mit dem Gesetz der
DYNAMIK in sich schliesst.")] The masterly execution of this passage
by the Paris orchestra consisted in the fact that they played it
EXACTLY as it is written. Neither at Dresden, nor in London
[Footnote: Concert of the Philharmonic Society, 26th March, 1855.]
when, in after years, I had occasion to prepare a performance of the
symphony, did I succeed in getting rid of the annoying irregularity
which arises from the change of bow and change of strings. Still less
could I suppress an involuntary accentuation as the passage ascends;
musicians, as a rule, are tempted to play an ascending passage with an
increase of tone, and a descending one with a decrease. With the fourth
bar of the above passage we invariably got into a crescendo so that the
sustained G flat of the fifth bar was given with an involuntary yet
vehement accent, enough to spoil the peculiar tonal significance of that
note. The composer's intention is clearly indicated; but it remains
difficult to prove to a person whose musical feelings are not of a
refined sort, that there is a great gap between a commonplace reading,
and the reading meant by the composer: no doubt both readings convey
a sense of dissatisfaction, unrest, longing--but the quality of these, the

true sense of the passage, cannot be conveyed unless it is played as the
master imagined it, and as I have not hitherto heard it given except by
the Parisian musicians in