what Bach meant here, and I
believe it is generally thought that the carrying out of the arpeggios
in Hans von Buelow's edition of this piece is very near the solution
suggested by Mendelssohn. At any rate, I advise using the Buelow
edition, particularly as the figures are written out in full and the
fingering is carefully marked--a very important consideration in one or
two places in the fugue.

The fugue also is interesting, and is elaborated to two quite imposing
climaxes, the first beginning in measure 60 and the other in measure
140, where the bass has the principal theme in octaves. Mr. Liebling
does not regard this fugue as quite up to Bach's standard, inasmuch as
Bach has repeated quite long passages in different keys without
materially changing the treatment, something which he rarely does, his
fertility of fancy being such that he always or nearly always avoids
exactly repeating himself, no matter how many times he chooses to bring
back the principal theme. The composition as a whole is by far the
most modern of Bach, and it is a veritable tone-poem. In order to
realize this it will be necessary to hear it several times, its
elaboration being so great and the difficulty of playing so
considerable that only very good players will have enough sentiment and
surplus of technic to interpret it with sufficiently musical quality.
But when so played it is one of the surest masterpieces in the entire
repertory of the piano-forte. And in consequence of its elevated and
poetic sentiment, its caprice and program-like character, it affords
one of the best possible studies in Bach's style at its best.

The sonatas by Beethoven named upon the programs are of quite
dissimilar value. The "Sonate Pathetique" is a very strong work
indeed, and, if we have many times seen its name, we must not forget
that after all it is not very often played in any one place. Moreover,
new players are all the time coming on to whom this strong and original
work is new. The introduction carries out the emotional spirit of the
Bach fantasia, as also does the work itself. The headlong allegro, the
slow, sustained, and beautiful adagio, and the easy-going finale all
have their own beauties, and continue the story, which, as Beethoven
thought it, was one story from beginning to end. The least
satisfactory part of this work is the rondo, the tempo of which is not
altogether easy to determine; I prefer it at rather a slow tempo.
There is a