Das Neue Wiener Journal Nr. 4718 berichtet auf S. 12f ausführlich vom Berliner Konzert des Wiener Männergesangvereins mit Helgoland am 8.12.1906 - anwesende Prominente, Konzertverlauf, ausverkaufte Philharmonie, anschließend Kommers bis tief in die Nacht, am 9.12.1906 nachmittags Empfang bei Kaiser Wilhelm, daher Rückfahrt um 8 Uhr abends im Frack (*).

 

The Sun Nr. 100 (New York) bringt auf S. 43 (= S. 10 des 3. Teils) einen Konzertrückblick, in dem die 7. Symphonie [Aufführung am 6.12.1906] nochmals besprochen wird:

"             NEW MUSIC OF ONE WEEK.

[...] Anton Bruckner, His E Major Symphony and His Near-Wagnerism.

     The week just ended was one of the most noteworthy in the history of music in New York. [... Oper, Mr. Hammerstein ...]. Music pure and undefiled must be sought in the instrumental works, and perhaps for that reason the first consideration here ought to be awarded to the E major symphony of Anton Bruckner, revived at one of the concerts of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, or to the new violin concerto of Gustav Strube [siehe die Anmerkung]. But what the picturesque Mr. Finck calls "Jumboism" in music is bound to prevail. [... was groß ist, imponiert ... neu aufgeführte Werke ...erwähnt werden u.a.: Bellini (Puritani), Caruso, Pierné ...].

     The performance of Bruckner's E major symphony by the Boston Symphony Orchestra on Thursday night was one of the most noteworthy achievements of this admirable organization. If there had previously been any fear under Dr. Muck it would lose any of that beauty of tone and nicety of balance which it displayed under Mr. Gericke it must have disappeared. One of the most delightful features of the playing of this orchestra has been the manner in which it has suceeeded [sic] in disguising ugliness. Mr. Gericke was able to make even Mr. Strauss's portentous personal conflict with fate in "Ein Heldenleben" sound like a prize debate between Princeton and Harvard. Muck accomplished something of the same nature with the stupendous ugliness of certain portions of Bruckner's symphony. From beginning to end there was tonal beauty in the performance. The disagreeable doses were cleverly sugar coated with well conceived gradations of force.

     Such an interpretation, however, does not wholly disguise the existence of the ugly passages. It is conceded that a composer may write jarring discords when at the same time he shows us that they have reason for existence  In the Quarrel between Alberich and Mime and in the first part of the second act of "Siegfried" Wagner wrote music as ugly as music can be. Nevertheless we find that the scene demands just such treatment, and when all is said and done what the master has written is still undeniably music. It is not merely instrumental squawks nor vocal bleats.

     Bruckner's apologists hold that his ugly points are unavoidable, that they come in the inevitable development, in the logical processes of his counterpoint. This is of course a specious fallacy. Counterpoint is strictly logical only when written in canonic form, which calls for rigorous imitation, interval by interval. Yet Bach contrived to write a goodly number of fugues without producing anything unbeautiful. Some of his fugues may be dull, but none of them is repulsive.

     When a composer is writing counterpoint of the free sort employed by the modern symphonist  he can evade the so-called logical development of ugliness whenever he chooses so to do. [... über den Konflikt zwischen Kritikern und Unkonventionellen (s. "Meistersinger") ...].

     Therefore wise critics, who have studied the history of music, hesitate before damning any music simply on the ground that it is ugly. What sounds ugly to-day will sound beautiful fifty years hence. But Bruckner's E major symphony has had twenty years of rest. In the meantime local music lovers have been trained to a taste for Tschaikowsky, Brahms and Richard Strauss, three composers differing greatly from one another in style and differing still more greatly from Beethoven and Mozart.     [... in Kenntnis anderer Novitäten braucht man nicht mehr immer ...] candy for dinner. And in spite of all this we still find at least two out of the four movements of this E major symphony dull, needlessly involved, bald in idea and tiresome in treatment.

     With the old controversy between the devotees of Brahms and the admirers of Bruckner we New Yorkers have no concern. But it may be well to note in passing that Bruckner gets more credit from being a follower of Wagner then he deserves. He is not a Wagnerian composer in his method and artistic bent. He falls into occasional imitation of Wagner's melodies and harmonies, but he does not conceive melodic roots after the fashion of Wagner, nor does he copy the Bayreuth master in his method of developing them. An effect has been mistaken for a cause.

     For example, there is a passage in the scherzo of the E major symphony which runs ridiculously close to the apprentice music in the first act of "Die Meistersinger," but it occurs in a development of the movement. It is plainly a fortuitous imitation. Bruckner's germinal ideas, his themes, are not like Wagner's at all. His orchestration is not k´like Wagner's and his characteristic uglinesses are thousands of miles from the warring dissonances which Wagner uses for unmistakable purposes.     [... Brahms gelte manchen als Schüler Schumanns ...].

     In a certain sense this is true, but he was much more a disciple of Beethoven and Bach. But when by the term disciple commentators intend to convey the notion that he was an imitator they write superficial and foolish criticism.  In the same way Bruckner gets credit for being a disciple of Wagner chiefly because he was an ardent adorer of that mighty genius.

     Those who can find in the E major symphony anything characteristically Wagnerian in method must admit something of imagination into their reasoning. Bruckner's method of composition, except for its prolixity, is much more like that of Brahms than that of Wagner. But this is rank heresy and an excellent place to stop.

                                          W. J. HENDERSON." (**).

 

The Evening Star Nr. 16877 (Washington, D. C.) erwähnt auf S. 55 (= S. 7 des 4. Teils) Bruckner im Bericht über die Musikabteilung der Library of Congress:

"MUSICAL TREASURES OF THE NATIONAL LIBRARY

THE basement of the Library of Congress contains as many treasures as the upper floors. On the north side of the building [... vor 12 Jahren noch keine Musikabteilung ... 450000 Nummern, u. a. 1200 Opernpartituren etc. ... Erwerb meist infolge des Copyrights, auch international ... Benutzerstatistik (9 Leser täglich) ... über die Opernpartituren (einige Beispiele) ...].

     There are also recent accessions by modern composers, Liszt, Brahms, Bruckner, Franck Dvorak, d'Indy, Debussy and Richard Strauss.

     Not a few rare pieces have been added to the collection of Americana. [... Beispiele ... Gesamtausgaben (Bach, Händel etc. ... leider zu wenig Manuskripte älterer Meister ...]." (***).