Hoffmann: Author of the Tales by Harvey W. Hewett-ThayerReview by: Abram LoftJournal of the American Musicological Society, Vol. 1, No. 3 (Autumn, 1948), pp. 41-42Published by: University of California Press on behalf of the American Musicological SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/830017 .

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REVIEWS 41

thing but outside reading in the usual coun- terpoint course.

The Direct Approach, then, fills a very definite need. It analyzes Palestrina's prac- tice in a thoroughly organized set of classroom notes, almost a digest, with headings, subheadings, numerations, and a practical exercise handy at every step. Mr. Soderlund is of course thoroughly familiar with the style, although he tends to be more liberal than Jeppesen with usages recommended to the student. He takes what many will find a sensible middle course on the question of the species; he uses some modified species sparingly, treat- ing them as beginners' exercises from which the chinese-puzzle element (still present in Jeppesen) has been removed and from which the student is urged to graduate at the earliest opportunity. While many teachers will regret that he makes no use, nor indeed mention, of the C-clef, other of his smaller innovations seem ex- cellent- for example, his introduction of imitative writing a due before treating quarter notes, and of the "familiar style" a quattro before trying imitation. By a sound didactic plan the Direct Approach is designed to accompany the author's pre- vious compilation Examples of Gregorian Chant and Works by Orlandus Lassus, Giovanni Pierluigi Palestrina and Marc Antonio Ingegneri, which is a very useful 240-page reprint largely of Mass excerpts from Palestrina. Reference is made to this volume constantly, and the numerous ex- amples in the text are cross-referenced to it. Yet it must be admitted, in face of Mr. Soderlund's rather too statistical analyses, that Jeppesen and Merritt communicate the aesthetic value of the style more success- fully. The virtues of either approach have their cognate defects, and I am not sure that with all his codification Mr. Soderlund really gets much further than Jeppesen in pinning down the more elusive elements of the style- the use of quarter-note figures and of suspension dissonances in three or more parts. Indeed he illustrates exceptions so profusely that it is sometimes impossible, merely from reading the text, to realize which usages are to be emulated as most normal.

As an eminently practical theory text- book the Direct Approach can afford an occasional lack of musicological finesse; it is, for example, of little interest to begin- ning students that a full-dress analysis of a Palestrina hymn-setting (In Festo Quad- ragesima, as Mr. Soderlund calls it) makes no reference to the plainsong. But they will be more essentially concerned with the author's fairly large section on the use of the G chord by Palestrina. The discussion hardly establishes the "conscious recogni- tion" of what are now considered the " harmonic possibilities " of this chord, and, with Jeppesen, I do not believe that it re- quires particular treatment outside of sus- pension dissonances in general. These chapters could be conveniently omitted by the many counterpoint teachers who will be attracted by the patent advantages of this text.

J. W. KERMAN

Princeton University

Harvey W. Hewett-Thayer. Hoff- mann: Author of the Tales. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1948. viii, 416 pp., illus.

" THERE is nothing more gratifying than to

speak one's mind fully about an art that is nurtured and cherished deep within the soul; but how can this be done?" 1 In these words, E. T. A. Hoffmann once expressed the problem that confronts the music critic - or, for that matter, the student of any art. Mr. Hewett-Thayer's new study demonstrates that Hoffmann was ideally equipped to seek the answer to his own question. In a detailed survey of the life and works of Hoffmann, the author pieces to- gether the picture of an arch-Romantic, a man of astounding vitality and versatility, a writer gifted with curiosity, imagination, and devilish skill with words, an extremely sensitive spirit hovering on the borderline of reality and trying always to escape into fantasy.

1 "Es gibt nichts Erfreulicheres, als sich iiber eine Kunst, die man tief im Herzen hegt und pflegt, recht auszusprechen; aber wenn kommt man dazu ? "

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42 JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MUSICOLOGICAL SOCIETY

A talented composer (as well as author, painter, lawyer, stage designer, conductor, theatrical engineer, government official, and music critic), Hoffmann thought to have found his escape from reality in the abstract world of music. Although he came to the realization that his creative genius was best suited to literature, music remained his central interest. In his writings, music and musicians form an ostinato which appears in such varied guises as Milo, the educated

ape turned musical virtuoso, Kreisler, the

hypersensitive Kapellmeister, and the som- bre figures of the fantasy-analysis, Don Giovanni. Not only in the subject-matter, but also in the quality of his writing, Hoff- mann reveals his absorbing passion. As

Hewett-Thayer points out, "the musician Hoffmann is evident in the subtle cadence of the sentence, even as the structure of musical composition, of counterpoint, can be traced in many of his stories." Tone- color, leitmotif, contrasting moods and movements, all appear in Hoffmann's writ-

ings as well as in his music. He composed in prose, almost accomplishing the impos- sible feat of transmuting music into words.

Hoffmann was a skilled analyst, in the best sense of the word, and decried the

pedantry of the musical dissecting-table where "hidden fifths and unharmonic cross-relationships, rooted out from the flesh of the complete harmony, lie quiver- ing under the gleaming knife of the anato- mist." 2 He wanted to penetrate beyond the surface details of music to study the emotional purpose of the composer and the emotional response of the listener. It was in dealing with these intangibles that he made greatest use of his musical-literary alchemy. In his hands, music criticism be- comes what it should always be, something creative and individual. One has only to read his Don Giovanni to realize that in analysing - today it would be called psy- cho-analysing - the characters in Mozart's opera, Hoffmann at the same time reveals something of his own personality. The critic, the writer, the man are inseparable.

Let the musically-minded reader not be dismayed, then, to find in the Preface to Hoffmann: Author of the Tales this note of apology: "Hoffmann as musician and critic of music unquestionably deserves a more comprehensive treatment than the brief account in the Epilogue, which is ob- viously derivative. This important phase of Hoffmann's activity could be adequately evaluated only by a competent scholar in the history of music." For the author has provided the point of departure for such a study. The first section of his book orients the Hoffmann works in a chrono- logical account of the artist's life and multi- ple careers. Part II is an analysis of Hoff- mann's personality, literary style, artistic ancestry, and relationship to the intellectual life of his time as evidenced by his writings. The Epilogue views Hoffmann's influence upon literary developments since his time, considers his paintings and caricatures, and offers the brief musical evaluation already referred to. The musicologist who will eventually write a comprehensive, English- language critique of Hoffmann the musician will rely on Hewett-Thayer's book for aid on at least three counts: in understand- ing Hoffmann and his importance in the nineteenth century scene; in threading the complexities and hidden meanings of the Hoffmann plots (the chapter entitled "Kreisler-Hoffmann " will prove especially helpful in this respect); and in assembling an exhaustive bibliography.

Quite aside from its scholarly value, the book provides fascinating reading in de- tailed summaries of many of the Hoffmann stories. These synopses whet the appetite for a modem English translation of their originals; at present, only a fraction of the Hoffmann writings are readily available in English (unfortunately, the author does not give a complete list of the translations). Perhaps it is optimistic to expect a "com- plete works" in these days of rising pub- lishing costs. We may, however, hope for at least a Hoffmann "reader" which will include a generous sampling of the music criticisms.

2 .. .. ich sehe schon verdeckte Quintenfolgen, unharmonische Querstinde, entbl6sst von dem Fleisch der vollen Harmonie, unter dem fun- kelnden Messer des Prosektors emporzittern ! "

ABRAM LOFr Columbia University

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