S.

'Tis not in seeking,
'Tis not in endless striving,
Thy quest is found:
Thy quest is found.
Be still and listen;
Be still and drink the quiet of all around
Not for thy crying,
Not for thy loud beseeching,
Will peace draw near:
Will peace draw near:
Rest with palms folded,
Rest with thine eyelids fallen
Lo! peace is here.

Copyright, 1900, by H.B. Stevens Co. International copyright secured.

Used by permission of H.B. Stevens Co., Boston, owners of the
copyright.]

Of his compositions H.E. Krehbiel in 1892 recorded the opinion that
they "entitled him to a position among the foremost musicians in this
country." He is an uncle of Arthur Whiting.

G.W. Marston's setting of the omnipresent "Du bist wie eine Blume" is
really one of the very best Heine's poem has ever had. Possibly it is
the best of all the American settings. His "There Was an Aged Monarch"
is seriously deserving of the frankest comparison with Grieg's
treatment of the same _Lied_. It is interesting to note the radical
difference of their attitudes toward it. Grieg writes in a folk-tone
that is severe to the point of grimness. He is right because it is
_ein altes Liedchen_, and Heine's handling of it is also kept
outwardly cold. But Marston has rendered the song into music of the
richest harmony and fullest pathos. He is right, also, because he has
interpreted the undercurrent of the story.

Bodenstedt's ubiquitous lyric, "Wenn der Fruehling auf die Berge
steigt," which rivals "Du bist wie eine Blume" in the favor of
composers, has gathered Marston also into its net. He gives it a
climax that fairly sweeps one off his feet, though one might wish that
the following and final phrase had not forsaken the rich harmonies of
the climax so completely.

This song is the first of a "Song Album" for sopranos, published in
1890. In this group the accompaniments all receive an attention that
gives them meaning without obtrusiveness. "The Duet" is a delicious
marriage of the song of a girl and the accompanying rapture of a bird.

A captivating little florid figure in the accompaniment of a setting
of "Im wunderschoenen Monat Mai" gives the song worth. "On the Water"
is profound with sombreness and big simplicity. "The Boat of My Lover"
is quaintly delightful.

Marston was born in Massachusetts, at the little town of Sandwich, in
1840. He studied there, and later at Portland, Me., with John W.
Tufts,