Philip Hale's Boston Symphony Programme Notes

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

56208

Title

Philip Hale's Boston Symphony Programme Notes

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

Philip Hale's Boston Symphony Programme Notes offers a unique blend of historical, critical, and descriptive commentary on music and composers. Edited by John N. Burk with an introduction by Lawrence Gilman, this collection assembles Hale's writings from thirty-two years of Boston Symphony Orchestra concerts. Hale judiciously withheld individual opinions in his original programme notes to address audiences with open minds, reserving his frank personal preferences and critical judgments for newspaper reviews. This book combines both voices, bringing together the critic...

Summary up to 500 words

Philip Hale's Boston Symphony Programme Notes, edited by John N. Burk, assembles the extensive musical writings of Philip Hale, a renowned critic and historian who contributed programme notes for over a thousand works performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra between 1901 and 1933. Edited from Hale's scrapbooks at the Boston Public Library, the volume merges his descriptive notes with pertinent critical paragraphs from his reviews in publications like the Boston Herald. The collection covers a vast array of composers, from Bach and Beethoven to Debussy, Stravinsky, and Sibelius, offering insights into their works, historical contexts, and performance practices. Hale's notes are presented in their original form, with minimal modification, preserving his frank expressions and occasional ridicule of snobbish elements in the public. The editor's introduction highlights Hale's wit, erudition, and ability to amuse while educating, noting his refusal to adopt a solemn prophetic tone in favor of discussing music as a favorite subject. The book aims to make Hale's treasure of musical knowledge permanent and accessible, celebrating his significant contributions to the musical civilization of his time. Hale never spoke as a major prophet, but as one who might be discussing a favorite subject over a demi-tasse. Anyone is privileged to disagree, and those insisting upon their eternal verities are referred to any one of a hundred books where the musical monuments are enshrined in ringing platitudes of praise. When this critic wrote, with the very opposite of solemnity, about Bach, or Brahms, or Wagner, his ridicule was always directed against a certain snobbish element in his public—a genus which sat at the feet of these composers. It is a joyful privilege to be the agent of bringing the treasure of Philip Hale's musical knowledge and commentary within the permanence and general accessibility of two covers. His death, November 30, 1934, came before the book was far under way.

LLM editorial rating

4.5/5

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Categories

• Music
• Music History
• Orchestral Music