On Conducting (Ueber Das Dirigiren); A Treatise on Style in the Execution of Classical Music (Paperback)

Excerpt: ...valid, as an antidote to all sorts of half-true or half-mad doctrines and maxims." Footnote: (See Eduard Bernsdorf in Signale fur die musicalishe Welt, No. 67, 1869). As I have related, a number of Viennese amateurs who attended a performance of this poor maltreated overture, heard it rendered in a very different manner. The effect of that performance is still felt at Vienna. People asserted that they could hardly recognize the piece, and wanted to know what I had done to it. They could not conceive how the novel and surprising effect at the close had been produced, and scarcely credited my assertion that a moderate tempo was the sole cause. The musicians in the orchestra, however, might have divulged a little secret, namely this: -in the fourth bar of the powerful and brilliant entrata I interpreted the sign, which in the score might be mistaken for a timid and senseless accent, as a mark of diminuendo Figure: diminuendo sign assuredly in accordance with the composer's intentions-thus we reached a more moderate degree of force, and the opening bars of the theme were at once distinguished by a softer inflection, which, I now could easily permit to swell to fortissimo-thus the warm and tender motive, gorgeously supported by the full orchestra, appeared happy and glorified. Our Capellmeisters are not particularly pleased at a success such as this. Herr Dessof, however, whose business it was afterwards to conduct "Der Freyschutz," at the Viennese opera, thought it advisable to leave the members of the orchestra undisturbed in the possession of the new reading. He announced this to them, with a smile, saying: "Well, gentlemen, let us take the overture a la Wagner." Yes, Yes: -a la Wagner I believe, there would be no harm in taking a good many other things, a la Wagner Footnote: "Wagnerisch"-there is a pun here: wagen = to dare; erwagen-to weigh mentally: thus "Wagnerisch," may be taken as-in a daring well considered manner. At all events...