Philharmonic Society of New-York Public Rehearsal: 5th

“8^th Symphony.  Midsummer Night’s Dream music and the heavy labored unmeaning Overture ‘to Prometheus’ by Bargiel.  Why ‘to Prometheus’ rather than Oedipus or Agamemnon or the Eumenides, or the Seven against Sheba? . . . The concert was delightful.  I am now fairly well acquainted with all Beethoven’s Symphonies except No. One.  No. 8 is plainly third rate as compared with the C minor, the Eroica, and the A major Symphonies, or even with the D major the Pastorale.  Only its exquisitely delightful little second movement can claim admission into that august circle.  Even that movement cannot claim it as a right but only because it is so good, hearty, honest, true, simpleminded, and genial that though comparatively on a low degree it ought to be received in aristocratic society.  The other three movements are quite beneath any movement of the symphonies from No. 2 to the last of the series. But how wonderfully beautiful, fresh, original and forcible they are, every one of them!  Our Bargiels and Schumanns and Wagners are not worthy to black Beethoven’s boots. They differ from his in gluere [?], not merely in degree as the most sagacious anthropoid apes differ from man.  The Mendelssohn music, from the Overture to the grand joyous Wedding March, came out delightfully.  His skillful delicate handling of orchestral machinery reminds one of Mozart's refinement and subtlety of musical thought or phrase.  Mendelssohn [is] as exquisite in artistic mechanism--or in language--as Mozart in creative artistic faculty.  But no one should underrate Mendelssohn as an artist.  What immense power he displays in the opening of this overture, when he interrupts the flitting, buzzing, gauzy, fairy-like or mosquito-like movement of the violins with one or two simple chords from the wind-instruments!  Their effectiveness and pungency can hardly be matched by anything in music.  Then the ‘Notturno’!  It is surely entitled to rank with the almost supernatural ‘Pastoral Symphony’ of the Messiah--that most lovely little embodiment of starlight in music--though they are so diverse in form.”