Page 42 - Weiss, Jernej, ur./ed. 2024. Glasbena kritika – nekoč in danes ▪︎ Music Criticism – Yesterday and Today. Koper/Ljubljana: Založba Univerze na Primorskem in Festival Ljubljana. Studia musicologica Labacensia, 7
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glasbena kritika – nekoč in danes | music criticism – yesterday and today
self. Several times he stresses that he does not want to write and behave like
a critic. By doing so he criticizes the critics of his time and the genre of cri-
tique itself. Correspondingly he is skeptical about the classical genre of the
symphony, which he considers to be outdated. It is not astonishing that a
symphony composed by M. Witkowski, which Debussy wrote about does
not find his approval:
A symphony by Mr. G.-M. Witkowski was received with enthusiasm. It
seemed to me that, since Beethoven, the proof of the uselessness of the
symphony was made. Also, with Schumann and Mendelssohn, it is only
a respectful repetition of the same forms with already less force.14
His remarks on composers he considers as geniuses and their “holy
works” show that from his point of view, a genius does not need any ap-
proval by a critic. “I will speak very little about works consecrated, either by
success or by tradition; once by all, Meyerbeer, Thalberg, Reyer ... are men of
genius, it does not matter otherwise.”15 What a composer should develop, ac-
cording to him, is a distinguishable, individual handwriting. If the influ-
ence of another genius is discernible, as for instance with Schumann’s Faust
or the Ouverture Le roi Lear by A. Savard, he is not interested in the piece.
At the end Debussy criticizes the institution of the concert as a whole
by ironizing the behavior of a singer presenting orchestral songs by Fritz
Delius and the way in which the audience demonstrates approval.
It was ineffable as anything, this music! It was sung by Miss C. An-
dray-Fairfax with a dreamy and melancholy voice. Miss Andray-Fairfax
devised, while the music was lamenting, a game of comparison between
the audience and the chandelier, which turned, I must say, entirely to
the glory of the chandelier. This charming game seemed to defend the
delicacy of the melodies from the barbarous noise of the bravos.16
14 “Une symphonie de M. G.-M. Witkowski fut accueillie avec enthousiasme. Il me sem-
blait que, depuis Beethoven, la preuve de l’inutilité de la symphonie était faite. Aus-
si bien, chez Schumann et Mendelssohn n’est-elle plus qu’une répétition respectueuse
des même formes avec déjà moins de force.” Cf. Claude Debussy, “Le ‘Faust’ de Schu-
mann. – Ouverture pour ‘Le Roi Lear’ d’A. Savard. – Le troisième acte de ‘Siegfried’.
– Une Symphonie de Witkowski,” in: Claude Debussy, Monsieur Croche et autres
écrits, ed. Francois Lesure (Paris: Gallimard, 1987), 25.
15 “Je parlerai fort peu des œuvres consacrées, soit par le succès, soit par la tradition ; une
fois par toutes, Meyerbeer, Thalberg, Reyer … sont des hommes de génie, ça n’a pas au-
trement d’importance.” Ibid., 24.
16 “C’était ineffable comme tout, cette musique ! Elle fut chantée par Mlle C. Andray-Fair-
fax avec une voix rêveuse et mélancoliquement distinguée. Mlle Andray-Fairfax ima-
gina, pendant que se lamentait la musique, un jeu de comparaison entre le public et le
42
self. Several times he stresses that he does not want to write and behave like
a critic. By doing so he criticizes the critics of his time and the genre of cri-
tique itself. Correspondingly he is skeptical about the classical genre of the
symphony, which he considers to be outdated. It is not astonishing that a
symphony composed by M. Witkowski, which Debussy wrote about does
not find his approval:
A symphony by Mr. G.-M. Witkowski was received with enthusiasm. It
seemed to me that, since Beethoven, the proof of the uselessness of the
symphony was made. Also, with Schumann and Mendelssohn, it is only
a respectful repetition of the same forms with already less force.14
His remarks on composers he considers as geniuses and their “holy
works” show that from his point of view, a genius does not need any ap-
proval by a critic. “I will speak very little about works consecrated, either by
success or by tradition; once by all, Meyerbeer, Thalberg, Reyer ... are men of
genius, it does not matter otherwise.”15 What a composer should develop, ac-
cording to him, is a distinguishable, individual handwriting. If the influ-
ence of another genius is discernible, as for instance with Schumann’s Faust
or the Ouverture Le roi Lear by A. Savard, he is not interested in the piece.
At the end Debussy criticizes the institution of the concert as a whole
by ironizing the behavior of a singer presenting orchestral songs by Fritz
Delius and the way in which the audience demonstrates approval.
It was ineffable as anything, this music! It was sung by Miss C. An-
dray-Fairfax with a dreamy and melancholy voice. Miss Andray-Fairfax
devised, while the music was lamenting, a game of comparison between
the audience and the chandelier, which turned, I must say, entirely to
the glory of the chandelier. This charming game seemed to defend the
delicacy of the melodies from the barbarous noise of the bravos.16
14 “Une symphonie de M. G.-M. Witkowski fut accueillie avec enthousiasme. Il me sem-
blait que, depuis Beethoven, la preuve de l’inutilité de la symphonie était faite. Aus-
si bien, chez Schumann et Mendelssohn n’est-elle plus qu’une répétition respectueuse
des même formes avec déjà moins de force.” Cf. Claude Debussy, “Le ‘Faust’ de Schu-
mann. – Ouverture pour ‘Le Roi Lear’ d’A. Savard. – Le troisième acte de ‘Siegfried’.
– Une Symphonie de Witkowski,” in: Claude Debussy, Monsieur Croche et autres
écrits, ed. Francois Lesure (Paris: Gallimard, 1987), 25.
15 “Je parlerai fort peu des œuvres consacrées, soit par le succès, soit par la tradition ; une
fois par toutes, Meyerbeer, Thalberg, Reyer … sont des hommes de génie, ça n’a pas au-
trement d’importance.” Ibid., 24.
16 “C’était ineffable comme tout, cette musique ! Elle fut chantée par Mlle C. Andray-Fair-
fax avec une voix rêveuse et mélancoliquement distinguée. Mlle Andray-Fairfax ima-
gina, pendant que se lamentait la musique, un jeu de comparaison entre le public et le
42
