Sonata . . . . . . . . . Cesar Franck
BAUER-THIBAUD

Either of these programs is artistic from the standpoint of the compositions represented.  And even these programs are not too short—­they take almost two hours to play; while for my ideal program an hour-and-a-half of beautiful music would suffice.  You will notice that I believe in playing the big, fine things in music; in serving roasts rather than too many hors d’oeuvres and pastry.

“On a solo program, of course, one must make some concessions.  When I play a violin concerto it seems fair enough to give the public three or four nice little things, but—­always pieces which are truly musical, not such as are only ‘ear-ticklers.’  Kreisler—­he has a great talent for transcription—­has made charming arrangements.  So has Tivadar Nachez, of older things, and Arthur Hartmann.  These one can play as well as shorter numbers by Vieuxtemps and Wieniawski that are delightful, such as the former’s Ballade et Polonaise, though I know of musical purists who disapprove of it.  I consider this Polonaise on a level with Chopin’s.  Or take, in the virtuoso field, Sarasate’s Gypsy Airs—­they are equal to any Liszt Rhapsody.  I have only recently discovered that Ysaye—­my life-long friend—­has written some wonderful original compositions:  a Poeme elegiaque, a Chant d’hiver, an Extase and a ms. trio for two violins and alto that is marvelous.  These pieces were an absolute find for me, with the exception of the lovely Chant d’hiver, which I have already played in Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and Berlin, and expect to make a feature of my programs this winter.  You see, Ysaye is so modest about his own compositions that he does not attempt to ‘push’ them, even with his friends, hence they are not nearly as well known as they should be.

“I never play operatic transcriptions and never will.  The music of the opera, no matter how fine, appears to me to have its proper place on the stage—­it seems out of place on the violin recital program.  The artist cannot be too careful in the choice of his shorter program pieces.  And he can profit by the example set by some of the foremost violinists of the day.  Ysaye, that great apostle of the truly musical, is a shining example.  It is sad to see certain young artists of genuine talent disregard the remarkable work of their great contemporary, and secure easily gained triumphs with compositions whose musical value is nil.

“Sometimes the wish to educate the public, to give it a high standard* of appreciation, leads an artist astray.  I heard a well-known German violinist play in Berlin five years ago, and what do you suppose he played?  Beethoven’s Trios transcribed for violin and piano!  The last thing in the world to play!  And there was, to my astonishment, no critical disapproval of what he did.  I regard it as little less than a crime.