nd Paris fell in love with his compositions. He not only
orchestrated the last opera of his friend Moussorgsky, but also
Dargomyjski's The Stone Guest, and with the assistance of his pupil,
Glazounow, completed the score of Prince Igor, by Borodine. He was an
indefatigable workman, and his fame will endure because of "handling"
of gorgeous orchestral tints. He is an impressionist, a stylist, the
reverse of Moussorgsky, and he has the "conscience of the ear" which
his friend lacked. Praised by Liszt, admired by Von Buelow, he revealed
the influence of the Hungarian. Profound psychologist he was not; an
innovator, like Moussorgsky he never would have been; the tragic
eloquence vouchsafed Tschaikovsky was denied him. But he wielded a
brush of incomparable richness, he spun the most evanescent and
iridescent web, previous to the arrival of Debussy: he is the Berlioz
of Russia, as Moussorgsky is its greatest nationalist in tone.

I make this discursion because, for a period, the paths of the two
composers were parallel. Tschaikovsky did not admire Moussorgsky,
spoke slightingly of his abilities, though he conceded that with all
his roughness he had power of a repellent order. Turgenieff did not
understand him. The opera La Khovanchtchina, notwithstanding the
preponderance of the chorus--in Russia choral singing is the
foundation of musical culture--I found more "operatic" than Boris
Godounow. The Old Believers become as much of a bore as the
Anabaptists in Meyerbeer; the intrigue of the second plan not very
vital; but as a composition it is more finished than its predecessor.
The women are more attractive, the lyric elements better developed,
but the sense of barbaric grandeur of Boris is not evoked; nor is its
dark stream of cruelty present. Doubtless the belief that Modeste
Moussorgsky is a precursor of much modern music is founded on truth,
and while his musical genius is not to be challenged, yet do I believe
that he has been given too lofty a position in art. At the best his
work is unachieved, truncated, a torso of what might have been a noble
statue. But it will endure. It is difficult to conceive a time when,
for Russia, Boris Godounow will cease to thrill.

XI

NEW PLAYS BY HAUPTMANN, SUDERMANN, AND SCHNITZLER

I

In the present volume I have examined, more out of curiosity than
interest, the figures of Zola's book sales. To m