PHASES OF MODERN MUSIC STRAUSS MAC DOWELL ELGAR LOEFFLER MASCAGNI-GRIEG-CORNELIUS-VERDI WAGNER PARSIFAL AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE BY LAWRENCE OILMAN 41 So the music of the world flies away from us as we watch the burning out of the sun. Like bird after bird its newness flies from us, and finds separate resting houses here and there in the places of the past. We who live and observe whither it has ftown have also the privi lege of noting the flight of the celestial bird as it leaves our shores this day for the South that lies behind us. VERNON BLACKBURN. NEW YORK AND LONDON HARPER BROTHERS PUBLISHERS Copyright, 1904, by HARPER BROTHERS. All rights reserved. Published November, 1904. TO PHILIP HALE WHO IS AMONG THE FOREMOST OF THOSE WHO HAVE MADE MUSICAL CRITICISM IN AMERICA HONORABLE AND IMPORTANT, AND WHOSE WORK CANNOT BUT BE A STIMULUS TO ANY ONE WHO TO DAY IS STRIVING TO WRITE SINCERELY. JUSTLY, AND INDEPENDENTLY UPON THE SUBTLEST OF THE ARTS NOTE OF the twelve papers in this volume, those on MacDowell, Mascagni, and Par sifal, were published originally in The North American Review the article on Richard Strauss appeared in The Critic, and that on The Question of Realism in The Musical Record. The papers on Elgar, Cornelius, and De Laras Messa line were printed first in The Musical World, and the comparative study of Verdi and Wagner and the appreciation of Mr. Loeffler in The Musician. The note on Grieg and the essay on Woman and Modern Music appeared, respec tively, in Harpers Weekly and Harpers v NOTE Bazar, the latter In somewhat different form and under another title. I take pleasure in acknowledging the courtesy of the editors of these period icals in permitting me to republish the articles, all of which have been variously altered and amplified. L. G. CONTENTS PAGE THB ACHIEVEMENT OF RICHARD STRAUSS 3 AN AMERICAN TONE-POET .... 26 CONCERNING EDWARD ELGAR. ... 46 CHARLES MARTIN LOEFFLER .... 61 PIETRO MASCAGNI 72 A NOTE ON GRIEG 88 WOMEN AND MODERN Music .... 93 A REJECTED MUSIC-DRAMA .... 102 THE QUESTION OF REALISM .... 109 A NEGLECTED SONG WRITER . . . 121 VERDI AND WAGNER AN INQUIRY . . 130 PARSIFAL AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE . 153 PHASES OF MODERN MUSIC --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.