Review: Woodwinds

Reviewed Work(s): Woodwind Instruments and Their History by Anthony Baines

Review by: John Cruft
Source: The Musical Times, Vol. 103, No. 1437 (Nov., 1962), pp. 768-769
Published by: Musical Times Publications Ltd.
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/950777
Accessed: 13-12-2017 21:48 UTC

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 Jewish
Jewish Music
Music it is an indication of the Western Jewish musical
superiority that the so-called 'Missiner-tunes',
Die Musikgeschichte
MusikgeschichteIsraels.
Israels.By
ByPeter
PeterGradenwitz.
Gradenwitz. created in the Rhineland, were taken over in their
Barenreiter/Novello,
Barenreiter/Novello,52s
52s6d6d entirety by the Eastern Jews. The author is aware of
This
This book
book by
by the
thewell-known
well-knownwriter
writerGradenwitz
Gradenwitz this fact (cf p148) and yet he does not hesitate to
constitutes,
constitutes, if
ifI Iam
amnot
notmistaken,
mistaken,the
the
first
first
attempt make sweeping judgments like the one quoted.
attempt
at at
an haute
haute vulgarisation
vulgarisationofofthe
thehistory
historyofof
Jewish
Jewishmusic. (5) The entire evaluation of Mendelssohn is no
music.
Yet I must confess a limine that I am 'double- longer tenable in view of the newly-published
minded' about its qualities, to use a scriptural sources, some of which did come to Mr Gradenwitz's
expression. attention. The comparison of Leonard Bernstein
The work, a revised and extended edition of an with a man of Mendelssohn's stature (p1 68) is
original Hebrew and, later, an English version, simply absurd.
contains in twelve chapters a great amount of (6) Gradenwitz knows full well that for the
information about its still controversial topic. Only 'oriental musician' (quite a generalization; of what
the first third (pp 14-109) gives a coherent and con- region-of what time?) 'Mode, Scale and Theme are
tinuous history of what might legitimately be not identical', yet he states just that, when he
termed 'Jewish Music'. The other two-thirds con- wishes to claim Schoenberg's 12-note-system for
sist of single excursions on 'Jewish composers the of
domain of Jewish-oriental music (p129).
the 19th and 20th centuries', 'The Bible in Music',Etc, etc. It would be as easy as it would be unfair
'The development of Liturgical Music' (which to ingo through Gradenwitz's book with a fine comb
my opinion should have been fully incorporated in order
in to discover errors, inaccuracies and the like,
the main stream of Israel's music), 'The National and yet some of the worst mistakes have to be
School of Jewish Composers in Russia', 'Contempor- demonstrated, because the author himself en-
ary Hebrew Music', and 'Music in the State of deavours to utilize much of the available scholarly
Israel'. Of four appendices the first and fourth (aresearch.
comparative chronological table synchronizing On the other hand, there are a good many
general and Jewish history of culture; and a Biblio- praiseworthy items in the book. Again, we pick
graphy) are of considerable interest and value. only the best raisins out of the cake: thus eg the
apparently incongruent activities of the diametrically
opposed personalities, such as Th. Herzl and Gustav
Mahler, are seen in a brilliant synopsis; the evalua-
While the organization of the vast material, tion, involving recognition and critique, of the
difficult as it is, leaves quite a few points in doubt, cantoral melos; the derivation of Bloch's 'Hebraic'
there are certain 'leading ideas' which permeate the style from Mahler's intensely prophetic message;
entire book, linking heterogeneous paragraphs and and the fine analysis of the artistic dilemma of the
chapters. The preference of the Asiatic 'horizontal- Israeli composer of today. Again, we encounter
melodic' component over the occidental 'vertical- in these valuable later chapters some false apposi-
harmonic' is one of these ideas, and, while it is tions, and the highly debatable one of high age for
not new, it serves its purpose well in the book. the relatively recent Sabbath-songs (Zemirot). In
Thus we shall not argue with the author on matters general Gradenwitz is better equipped to discuss
of organization, but rather take up the more music after the Renaissance than the difficult and
important question of the sifting of evidence. This controversial syndrome of problems arising out of
represents the scholar's watershed between historical the sphere of biblical and post-biblical music.
information and its critical interpretation, between There he has to rely chiefly on the research of other
well-founded theories and speculative pipe-dreams, scholars; wherever he does not do so, he allows
between real philosophy of history and wishful himself speculations and hypotheses unsupported
thinking. by convincing evidence.
To be specific, we single out of the huge material Yet all in all, and seen in the author's hetero-
a few of the more questionable points: geneous perspective, which vacillates between
(1) Mr Gradenwitz claims that the Greeks received Music of Judaism and Music of individual Jews, the
the practice and theory of musical modes from the book is a most creditable effort towards a good and
Hebrews (p27). There is not the slightest shred of serious popular introduction to Jewish music; it
evidence that points in this direction. demonstrates the truth of Goethe's dictum:
(2) The author assumes the origin of the Masoretic Who knows himself and others well
accents about 400-500 years earlier than all of the To him it will be plain:
world's Hebraists (p47). It is hardly possible to Orient and Occident
claim for these primitive accents any musical Are but one domain.
function whatsoever; likewise, one cannot speak of ERIC WERNER
them as indication of intervals.
(3) This reviewer is very appreciative of chapters 3
and 4, where the author frequently summarizes the
results of other scholars' researches in a few well- Woodwinds
formulated sentences. I realize that in a popular
Woodwind Instruments and their History, second
book footnotes indicating sources could be un-
popular, hence I applaud Gradenwitz's main con- edition. By Anthony Baines. Faber, 45s
clusions of these chapters. Especially excellently This book was enthusiastically received on its
formulated are the remarks about the penetration publication in 1957 [MT review, Sept 57]; the second
of Islamic culture in Europe (p71 ff). edition is a cheering tribute to its excellence, and an
(4) Whenever Gradenwitz enters the realm of indication of the present widespread interest in
theology, he finds himself on shaky ground, yet he woodwind.
decrees boldly, however falsely: 'Liberal science In a prefatory note the author thanks all the
and religious tradition are incompatible in Judaism' musicians and scholars who have drawn his atten-
(p110), or 'The Western Jews had received much tion to errors, and made expert suggestions for
inner strength from the Eastern Jews' (ibid)-but revision or amplification 'even if space prevents
when? Certainly not before the 16th century, and mention, in this fresh edition, of all the new and
768

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interesting
interesting things
thingsthat
thathave
havehappened
happened to to
come
cometo to other names: six new composers balanced by six
light
light during
during the
thepast
pastfew
fewyears
yearsinin
this
this
subject
subject
of of new musicologists. From abroad Berio, Nono and
Woodwind....' In fact the amount of addition and Stockhausen have come to his notice; from this
alteration is very small, so that no owner ofcountry-would the you ever guess his British trio?
first edition need do more than check from a new Joubert (without his largest work, Silas Marner),
library copy the pages that deal with his particular Kenneth Leighton and Ivor Walsworth! A book
interest. which lists 25 works by, say, Ruth Gipps (a good
There are still no entries in the index to direct one entry, characteristic of Blom's thoroughness) could
immediately to all the photographs or diagrams of surely find room for Maxwell Davies. Professor
each specific instrument, among the 32 plates and Westrup himself is credited with:
78 figures, although there is a list of illustrations Works incl. motet 'When Israel came out of Egypt' for
that give their generalized titles; prices mentioned unaccomp. double chor.; partsong Weathers; Passacaglia
for orch.; Divertimento for bn., co. and pf., 3 Shakespeare
have not all been brought up to date. But these and songs, &c.
other comparatively small points will presumablyBut for anything about, say, Birtwistle, Goehr,
be dealt with in the third edition, in about 1967;
Hoddinott, Maw, Musgrave, &c, &c, Everyman will
I hope that by then the author (who approves many
look in vain. The Bennett that he is more likely to
national instrumental differences and characteristics)
be curious about now is Richard Rodney rather than
will come round to using the specifically English Robert Russell; Huber, Ferdinand Furchtegott and
name Double Bassoon, instead of the mongrel Huber, Hans, are in, and rightly, but not Huber,
Contrabassoon, for the instrument on which he Klaus. And this is Sir Jack's fault unless he was
was formerly so musical a performer. (But of course instructed to leave lots of blank space still for yet
no one wants to oust the colloquial abbreviation- another shabby, halfbaked revision in 1966.
the Contra-that has so long been used by orchestral A.P.
players.)
In the meantime make sure that your woodwind-
playing nephews and nieces (whether amateurs or
students) have this book. Its combination of
erudition and humour, musicology and musician- Pedalling
ship, historical sense and contemporary musicalPiano Pedalling. By Reimar Riefling, translated
realism, makes it, as the blurb says, the definitive from the Norwegian by Kathleen Dale. Oxford,
book on the subject. 18s
JOHN CRUFT
This is a revised and shortened version of what
must be one of the most comprehensive and extensive
works on a most important subsidiary of pianoforte
Blom Betrayed playing, cursorily dealt with as a digression of a few
paragraphs in a larger treatise. Here it is treated
Everyman's Dictionary of Music. Compiled by Eric
expansively.
Blom, new edition revised by Sir Jack Westrup. The introductory chapters deal with the historical
Dent, 22s 6d aspects of the subject. Noteworthy is the mention
This is wretched. The blurb quotes my opinion of a 'janissary'
that pedal for the playing of Mozart's
of all the one-volume musical encyclopedias and Turkish Rondo. Several pages show the immense
dictionaries available, Blom's is far the best. So it diversity of pedal indications in music from
was. One hoped that Messrs Dent, entrusted with Beethoven onwards.
something of rare worth, were keeping it carefully In the chapter, 'How to secure effective pedalling'
up-to-date-not only with deaths and new dis- the author, after excellent instructions about foot
coveries, but especially in point of excellently fulland pedal movement, etc, makes what is to my
lists of works, and entries for composers obscure asmind the most significant statement in the book,
well as famous. These made Blom's work unique and one which subsequently is stressed again and
of its kind. Perhaps they are; perhaps a strapping again. This is, that 'all pedal action should be
worthy successor is even now being gestated, to dictated by attention to the sound...the ear should
replace in a year or two this present stunted offspring be in command!' But when the author gets down
of a splendid sire. to the brass tacks of really instructing the reader how
Some technical articles have been revised, but to achieve these vital pedal movements, some
otherwise this new edition, dated March 1962, is deficiencies occur.
neither up to nor out of date, but merely tinkered He describes pedalling with the key moving
with in a way to make nonsense of the principles by down-detached, or 'rhythmic', pedalling-with
which Blom compiled it. The pagination of the some accuracy, though the instruction 'with the
1958 edition has been retained, so for every two attack' is vague. Does this mean at the moment the
lines slipped in here, two others must be deleted keys descend, or when the sound begins (key
there. How Sir Jack consented in such a plan I nearly down)? Later, there is a statement: 'After
cannot imagine. The result is that one gets prettythe attack, ie after the hammers have set the strings
detailed lists of works up to 1958, and then hit-or-vibrating'. This seems to imply when the sound
miss. Formerly one could see at a glance a com- begins, but there is much confusion and little
poser's principal works. Now, under Henze, for accurate definition in any of these statements.
example, the operas are Das Wundertheater, Every pianist is presumed to know that the
Boulevard Solitude and-an addition-Elegy for production of piano sound occurs after the key has
Dead [sic] Lovers, and the ballets are Jack-Pudding, begun to move down. Whether it is struck, banged,
Variations and Rosa Silber (not The Stag King nor pressed, or poked makes no difference. But with
Homburg; not Ondine). Agon is missing from the regard to legato-pedalling, no writer seems to be
Stravinsky list, though The Bees [??] remains. precise and accurate. Legato means joined-
There was some blank space at the end of letters sounds following one another without overlap. The
in the earlier edition, and Sir Jack has used some of it attention should be focused on the beginning of
for additions: of famous performing artists who sound, pedal and key moving simultaneously to-
have by death qualified for inclusion, and of 12 wards this point. Matthay in Relaxation Studies
769

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