Mahler Das Lied von Der Erde

[Sydney Grew]

. . . Siegfried Idle was wonderful . . .

Ha ha chuckle!

A lot of people complain - and rightly so - about "tuneless" music. But an equal cause for complaint is we find "music with no harmonic interest to speak of." That "Idle" is one of those things, and the Song of the Earth is another. Both are for that reason works that once heard one never wishes to hear again. In the case of the Mahler a further reason for never wishing to hear it again is his inexplicable promotion of the female voice. The female voice is a profoundly unmusical phenomenon, but he was deaf to this fact. So when this Earth-Song is performed by two men that must be a step in the right direction must it not. But what the work now needs in order to be rendered truly performable is some inspired and enterprising soul who can rewrite the whole, bringing it up to date through the insertion everywhere of daring harmonies in accordance with the best modern practice.

[Petrushka]

Ha ha chuckle!

A lot of people complain - and rightly so - about "tuneless" music. But an equal cause for complaint is we find "music with no harmonic interest to speak of." That "Idle" is one of those things, and the Song of the Earth is another. Both are for that reason works that once heard one never wishes to hear again. In the case of the Mahler a further reason for never wishing to hear it again is his inexplicable promotion of the female voice. The female voice is a profoundly unmusical phenomenon, but he was blind to this fact. So when this Earth-Song is performed by two men that must be a step in the right direction must it not. But what the work now needs in order to be rendered truly performable is some inspired and enterprising soul who can rewrite the whole, bringing it up to date through the insertion everywhere of daring harmonies in accordance with the best modern practice.