the unseen world and other essays-第52节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


　at　Portland；　contains　some　of　the　best　fugue…writing　in　the　work；　and　is　especially　rich　and　powerful　in　its　instrumentation。

The　second　part　of　the　oratorio　begins　with　the　crucifixion　and　ascension　of　Jesus。　Here　we　must　note　especially　the　deeply　pathetic　opening　chorus；　〃The　Son　of　Man　was　delivered　into　the　hands　of　sinful　men；〃　the　joyous　allegro；　〃And　on　the　third　day　he　rose　again；〃　the　choral；　〃Jesus；　my　Redeemer；　lives；〃　and　the　quartet；　〃Feed　the　flock　of　God；〃　commenting　upon　the　command　of　Jesus；　〃Feed　my　lambs。〃　This　quartet　has　all　the　heavenly　sweetness　of　Handel's　〃He　shall　feed　his　flock；〃　which　it　suggests　by　similarity　of　subject；　though　not　by　similarity　of　treatment；　but　in　a　certain　quality　of　inwardness；　or　religious　meditativeness；　it　reminds　one　more　of　Mr。　Paine's　favourite　master；　Bach。　The　choral；　like　the　one　in　the　first　part　and　the　one　which　follows　the　scene　of　Pentecost；　is　taken　from　the　Lutheran　Choral　Book；　and　arranged　with　original　harmony　and　instrumentation；　in　accordance　with　the　custom　of　Bach；　Mendelssohn；　and　other　composers；　〃of　introducing　into　their　sacred　compositions　the　old　popular　choral　melodies　which　are　the　peculiar　offspring　of　a　religious　age。〃　Thus　the　noblest　choral　ever　written；　the　〃Sleepers；　wake；〃　in　〃St。　Paul；〃　was　composed　in　1604　by　Praetorius；　the　harmonization　and　accompaniment　only　being　the　work　of　Mendelssohn。

In　〃St。　Peter；〃　as　in　〃Elijah；〃　the　second　part；　while　forming　the　true　musical　climax　of　the　oratorio；　admits　of　a　briefer　description　than　the　first　part。　The　wave　of　emotion　answering　to　the　sensuously　dramatic　element　having　partly　spent　itself；　the　wave　of　lyric　emotion　gathers　fresh　strength；　and　one　feels　that　one　has　reached　the　height　of　spiritual　exaltation；　while；　nevertheless；　there　is　not　so　much　which　one　can　describe　to　others　who　may　not　happen　to　have　gone　through　with　the　same　experience。　Something　of　the　same　feeling　one　gets　in　studying　Dante's　〃Paradiso；〃　after　finishing　the　preceding　divisions　of　his　poem：　there　is　less　which　can　be　pictured　to　the　eye　of　sense；　or　left　to　be　supplied　by　the　concrete　imagination。　Nevertheless；　in　the　scene　of　Pentecost；　which　follows　that　of　the　Ascension；　there　is　no　lack　of　dramatic　vividness。　Indeed；　there　is　nothing　in　the　work　more　striking　than　the　orchestration　of　the　introductory　tenor　recitative；　the　mysterious　chorus；　〃The　voice　of　the　Lord　divideth　the　flames　of　fire；〃　or　the　amazed　query　which　follows；　〃Behold；　are　not　all　these　who　speak　Galileans？　and　how　is　it　that　we　every　one　hear　them　in　our　own　tongue　wherein　we　were　born？〃　We　have　heard　the　opinion　expressed　that　Mr。　Paine's　oratorio　must　be　lacking　in　originality；　since　it　suggests　such　strong　reminiscences　of　〃St。　Paul。〃　Now；　this　suggestion；　it　seems　to　us；　is　due　partly　to　the　similarity　of　the　subjects；　independently　of　any　likeness　in　the　modes　of　treatment；　and　partly；　perhaps；　to　the　fact　that　Mr。　Paine；　as　well　as　Mendelssohn；　has　been　a　devoted　student　of　Bach；　whose　characteristics　are　so　strong　that　they　may　well　have　left　their　mark　upon　the　works　of　both　composers。　But　especially　it　would　seem　that　there　is　some　real；　though　very　general　resemblance　between　this　colloquial　chorus；　〃Behold；〃　etc。；　and　some　choruses　in　〃St。　Paul；〃　as；　for　example　Nos。　29　and　36…38。　In　the　same　way　the　scene　in　the　high…priest's　hall　might　distantly　suggest　either　of　these　passages；　or　others　in　〃Elijah；〃　These　resemblances；　however；　are　very　superficial；　pertaining　not　to　the　musical　but　to　the　dramatic　treatment　of　situations　which　are　generically　similar　in　so　far；　and　only　in　so　far；　as　they　represent　conversational　passages　between　an　apostle　or　prophet　and　an　ignorant　multitude；　whether　amazed　or　hostile；　under　the　sway　of　violent　excitement。　As　regards　the　musical　elaboration　of　these　terse　and　striking　alternations　of　chorus　and　recitative；　its　originality　can　be　questioned　only　after　we　have　decided　to　refer　all　originality　on　such　matters　to　Bach；　or；　indeed；　even　behind　him；　into　the　Middle　Ages。

After　the　preaching　of　Peter；　and　the　sweet　contralto　aria；　〃As　for　man；　his　days　are　as　grass；〃　the　culmination　of　this　scene　comes　in　the　D…major　chorus；　〃This　is　the　witness　of　God。〃　What　follows；　beginning　with　the　choral；　〃Praise　to　the　Father；〃　is　to　be　regarded　as　an　epilogue　or　peroration　to　the　whole　work。　It　is　in　accordance　with　a　sound　tradition　that　the　grand　sacred　drama　of　an　oratorio　should　conclude　with　a　lyric　outburst　of　thanksgiving；　a　psalm　of　praise　to　the　Giver　of　every　good　and　perfect　gift。　Thus；　after　Peter's　labours　are　ended　in　the　aria；　〃Now　as　ye　were　redeemed；〃　in　which　the　twelve　disciples　and　the　full　chorus　join；　a　duet　for　tenor　and　soprano；　〃Sing　unto　God；〃　brings　us　to　the　grand　final　chorus　in　C　major；　〃Great　and　marvellous　are　thy　works；　Lord　God　Almighty。〃

The　cadence　of　this　concluding　chorus　reminds　us　that　one　of　the　noteworthy　points　in　the　oratorio　is　the　character　of　its　cadences。　The　cadence　prepared　by　the　6/4　chord；　now　become　so　hackneyed　from　its　perpetual　and　wearisome　repetition　in　popular　church　music；　seems　to　be　especially　disliked　by　Mr。　Paine；　as　it　occurs　but　once　or　twice　in　the　course　of　the　work。　In　the　great　choruses　the　cadence　is　usually　reached　either　by　a　pedal　on　the　tonic；　as　in　the　chorus；　〃Awake；　thou　that　sleepest；〃　or　by　a　pedal　on　the　dominant　culminating　in　a　chord　of　the　major　ninth；　as　in　the　final　chorus；　or　there　is　a　plagal　cadence；　as　in　the　first　chorus　of　the　second　part；　or；　if　the　6/4　chord　is　introduced；　as　it　is　in　the　chorus；　〃He　that　overcometh；〃　its　ordinary　effect　is　covered　and　obscured　by　the　movement　of　the　divided　sopranos。　We　do　not　remember　noticing　anywhere　such　a　decided　use　of　the　6/4　chord　as　is　made；　for　example；　by　Mendelssohn；　in　〃Thanks　be　to　God；〃　or　in　the　final　chorus　of　〃St。　Paul。〃　Perhaps　if　we　were　to　confess　our　lingering　fondness　for　the　cadence　prepared　by　the　6/4　chord；　when　not　too　frequently　introduced；　it　might　only　show　that　we　retain　a　liking　for　New　England　〃psalm…tunes〃；　but　it　does　seem　to　us　that　a　sense　of　final　repose；　of　entire　cessation　of　movement；　is　more　effectually　secured　by　this　cadence　than　by　any　other。　Yet　while　the　6/4　cadence　most　completely　expresses　finality　and　rest；　it　would　seem　that　the　plagal　and　other　cadences　above　enumerated　as　preferred　by　Mr。　Paine　have　a　certain　sort　of　superiority　by　reason　of　the　very　incompleteness　with　which　they　express　finality。　There　is　no　sense　of　finality　whatever　about　the　Phrygian　cadence；　it　leaves　the　mind　occupied　with　the　feeling　of　a　boundless　region　beyond；　into　which　one　would　fain　penetrate；　and　for　this　reason　it　has；　in　sacred　music；　a　great　value。　Something　of　the　same　feeling；　too；　attaches　to　those　cadences　in　which　an　unexpected　major　third　usurps　the　place　of　the　minor　which　the　ear　was　expecting；　as　in　the　〃Incarnatus〃　of　Mozart's　〃Twelfth　Mass；〃　or　in　Bach's　sublime　〃Prelude；〃　Part　I。；　No。　22　of　the　〃Well…tempered　Clavichord。〃　In　a　less　degree；　an　analogous　effect　was　produced　upon　us　by　the　cadence　with　a　pedal　on　the　tonic　in　the　choruses；　〃The　Church　is　built；〃　and　〃Awake；　thou　that　sleepest。〃　On　these　considerations　it　may　become　intelligible　that　to　some　hearers　Mr。　Paine's　cadences　have　seemed　unsatisfactory；　their　ears　having　missed　the　positive　categorical　assertion　of　finality　which　the　6/4　cadence　alone　can　give。　To　go　further　into　this　subject　would　take　us　far　beyond　our　limits。

The　pleasant　little　town　of　Portland　has　reason　to　congratulate　itself；　first；　on　being　the　birthplace　of　such　a　composer　as　Mr。　Paine；　secondly；　on　having　been　the　place　where　the　first　great　work　of　America　in　the　domain　of　music　was　brought　out；　and　thirdly；　on　possessing　what　is　probably　the　most　thoroughly　disciplined　choral　society　in　this　country。　Our　New　York　friends；　after　their　recent　experiences；　will　perhaps　be　slow　to　believe　us　when　we　say　that　the　Portland　choir　sang　this　new　work　even　better；　in　many　respects；　than　the　Handel　and　Haydn　Society　sing　the　old　and　familiar　〃Elijah〃；　but　it　is　true。　In　their　command　of　the　pianissimo　and　the　gradual　crescendo；　and　in　the　precision　of　their　attack；　the　Portland　singers　can　easily　teach　the　Handel　and　Haydn　a　quarter's　lessons。　And；　besides　all　this；　they　know　how　to　preserve　their　equanimity　under　the　gravest　persecutions　of　the　orchestra；　keeping　the　even　tenour　of　their　way　where　a　less　disciplined　choir；　incited　by　the　excessive　blare　of　the　trombones　and　the　undue　scraping　of　the　second　violins；　would　be　likely　to　lose　its　presence　of　mind　and　break　out　into　an　untimely　fortissimo。

No　doubt　it　is　easier　to　achieve　perfect　chorus…singing　with　a　choir　of　one　hundred　and　twenty…five　voices　than　with　a　choir　of　six　hundred。　But　this　diminutive　size；　which　was　an　advantage　so　far　as　concerned　the　technical　excellence　of　the　Portland　choir；　was　decidedly　a　disadvantage　so　far　as　concerned　the　proper　rendering　of　the　more　massive　choruses　in　〃St。　Peter。〃　All　the　greatest　chorusessuch　as　Nos。　1；　8；　19；　20；　28；　35；　and　39were　seriously　impaired　in　the　rendering　by　the　lack　of　massiveness　in　the　voices。　For　example；　the　grand　chorus；　〃Awake；　thou　that　sleepest；〃　begins　with　a　rapid　cresce