ng of the drama where Astarte
appears (pp. 284-285 in the Everyman's Edition) will, we believe,
corroborate it. The rest of the Exposition consists in a treatment of
the Astarte motive, primarily of a musical nature; though there is a
real dramatic intensity in measures 96-103, which are an expansion of
the love message with its characteristic "appoggiatura." The
Development, beginning in measure 132, is a striking example of how
difficult it was--even for an exponent of freedom in musical
expression like Schumann--to break loose from the shackles of
arbitrary form. The musical thought is kept in motion, to be sure, but
that is about all; for the treatment is often very labored, and
nothing is added to the dramatic picture. The world had to await the
work of Tchaikowsky, and Strauss for a satisfactory adjustment[195]
between the demands of dramatic fitness and the needs of musical
structure. In the Coda, beginning measure 258, Schumann--now that he
is free from considerations of structure--gains a dramatic effect of
truly impressive power. The horns, supported by trumpets and
trombones, intone a funeral dirge of touching solemnity (evidently
suggested by the closing death scene of the drama) while, above, hover
portions of the Astarte motive, as if even in his death her influence
was paramount in Manfred's imagination, _e.g._

[Music]

Notwithstanding certain blemishes, this Overture at the time of its
composition was a landmark in the development of program music, and if
to our modern tastes it seems a bit antiquated, this is largely
because of the great progress which has since been made.[196]

[Footnote 193: The poem is easily procured in a volume of Everyman's
Library.]

[Footnote 194: These chords are an amusing example of a "paper
effect," for unless you watch the conductor's beat, it is impossible
to feel the syncopation. There being no first beat proper, the chords
are syncopated against the air!]

[Footnote 195: For pertinent comments on this point see Newman's essay
on Program Music, pp. 134-135, in his _Musical Studies_.]

[Footnote 196: In studying this work consult, if possible, the
orchestral score. For those who need a condensed two-hand arrangement,
the Litolff edition is to be recommended.]

SYMPHONY IN D MINOR.

This Symphony is selected from Schumann's four, both for the peculiar
romantic beauty of its themes and because the form in which it is cast
makes it an important connecting link b