the ethics of art

8/12/2019 The Ethics of Art

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The Ethics of ArtSource: The Musical Times and Singing Class Circular, Vol. 30, No. 555 (May 1, 1889), pp. 265-266Published by: Musical Times Publications Ltd.Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3360274.

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THE MUSICAL TIMES.-MAY I, 1889. 265THE MUSICAL TIMESAND SINGING-CLASS CIRCULAR.

MAY I, I889.THE ETHICS OF ART.THERE is a certain portion of the reading publicwhose minds are ofso invertebrate n order thattheyare either unwilling or unable to form an opinionforthemselves. To them any statement proceedingfroman authoritative source appeals with convincingforce, and they are ready to admit this authoritativesanction as attaching to everythingthat appears inthe Papers. They are fetish-worshippersof print.Now there are various modes in which the claims ofworks of literaturecan be advocated in the organs ofpublic opinion-leading articles, reviews, paragraphs,correspondence; but, failing all these, there remainsthat refuge of the author, the publisher's announce-

ment. We do not mean the mere advertisementof the title of the book, but such anonymousheadings as " A work ofthrillingnterest," " A daringexposeofthe vices of society," and so forth. If thereviewer will not " crack up " his book, the authormust do so himselfbehind the mask of his publisher.It is in this way that the work which we proposeto considei is launched at the heads of the public.Whether Mr. Edward Irenaeus Stevenson or hispublishers are responsible forthe efforto start a newcorrespondence boom on the subject "Is Musicimmoral?" we care not to inquire. The circularissued drawing attention to his book, which recentlyreached us, is, doubtless, withthe full sanction of theauthor, and is a mere piece of clever ad captandumadvertisement. A book, however good-if by an un-known author-is in danger of being crowded outnow-a-days by the enormous over-production ofprinted matter. It is the aim of an enterprisingpublisherto fixthe attentionofthe public on his ownwares by some new device. He must emulate theDon't-look-at-my-back tyleofthe itinerant andwich-man, or in some such way endeavour to stimulate thepublic curiosity. Thus it is, then,that in the volumebefore us we have the spectacle of a powerfully:written nd engrossingromance, which is not allowedto be judged on its own merits,but is thrustupon ourattention as an impeachmentof the moralityofart ingeneral and music in particular. Our attention isdirected in the publishers' circular " to the fact thatwithin some fortyyears only three novels that werestronglymusical, and yetotherwise nteresting noughto make a popular success, have appeared-viz.,' Charles Auchester,' the (anonymous) 'Alcestis,'and ' The First Violin' of Miss Fothergill. To these'Janus '* comes as a natural successor, though astory ofvery opposite attributes." This last sentenceis studiously vague, butwhatfollows s explicitenoughin all conscience: "'Janus' is an argument in theform of a dramatic story, to the effect hat any talkabout the elevating influence of music is bosh, andthat music is the most vitiating and corruptingprinciple to morals and society."The plot of "1Janus may be summarised as fol-lows:-Moritz Heisse, a brilliantyoungmusician'andcomposer,loves and is beloved byNadine von Lillien-burg, the beautiful and accomplished daughter of aworthless AustrianCount. She is about to elope withhim at Milan when the story opens, but fails to keepher assignation, and hurries away to Turin to rejoinher father. After n interval of a few years we findMoritz established as a rising operatic composer in

Germany,and so far cured of his earlier passion as toindulge in a platonic attachment-born of reverenceratherthan of ove-for his primadonna,Elsa Ehlert,who is, by the way, a very close counterpart of theself-sacrificing eroine of " Alcestis." An old friend,Alexis von Gravenhorst, nvites Moritz to visit him athis home and make the acquaintance of his wife.The composer gladly accepts, all unsuspecting ofharm, and is brought suddenly face to face withNadine. And then the story resolves itself into amodern version of Clytemnestra, Agamemnon, and.iEgisthus. Nadine had foreseen everything andaccepted the situation in advance. Alexis is alwaysaway on his estate, and the other two make muchmusic and more love. So the months slip by untilMoritz awakens to a consciousness of his treachery.Nadine's demands on his devotion growtoo exacting,and his passion for her dies. He escapes fromhisVenusberg and resumes his platonics with Elsa, untilherfiance", stolid lawyer, losing patience, provokesher into a tacit confession of her love forMoritz inthe latter's presence, a love which Moritz is at onceobliged to explain he can never return. But a worsecatastrophe remains in store. Alexis hears of theearly relations between Moritz and his wife,and, tosatisfyhimself,opens a pocket-book of the former'swhich falls into his possession. Finding his worstsurmises confirmed he shoots himself, but so con-triveshis suicide that it may be set down to despairconsequent on serious financial losses. Nadine,though secured by his devotion against all exposure,has nothing to live forand poisons herself. Moritzquits the scene abruptly, and is slain in a duel inItaly withoutredeeminghis early promise.So much for the plot, which is worked out withconsiderable power. It abounds in strongsituations,which are handled with success. The dialogue isbright and pointed, and the characters are clearlydrawn. It is, in fine, a clever and painful novel,but quite free fromthe unwholesome excrescenceswhich are now-a-days paraded out of an allegeddevotion to realism. If it were not for the pub-lishers' announcement, one might very well acquitthe writer of any deliberate intention to attackmusic in the interests of public morals. An authoris not necessarily committed to the views that heputs in the mouth of his characters; but in viewofthe explicit declaration quoted above, we have nochoice but to take the opinions ascribed to Alexis vonGravenhorst as those held by Mr. Edward IrenaeusStevenson. The statement of these views does notoccupy much space in his pages, and they are suc-cinctlyput forward n the closing portionof the sub-joined passage :--" In regard to this vexed problem of music andmorals, morals and music, art and morals-tobroaden it-the difficultywith the question is that,like a statue of Janus, it presents two faces in apeculiarly uncompromising manner-an agreeabletheoryand a logical fact; and few people who standat one angle, and study and descant, will shift theirground and studythe other. But in all the historyof civilisation of the human species, art dominatesand develops a people to destroyit. The philosophyof it is simple. Art is a means. Devotion to ameans belittles."The first sentence is somewhat hazy, but theremainder is perfectly intelligible and furnishes uswith a totally new clue to the decline and fallof the various great States and Empires of theworld. It was the artof Pheidias and Michael Angelothat was the corrodingand vitiatingelement in theirgreatness and stability. Of course theremust be anexception to prove every rule, and the case ofGermany is doubtless to be explained in this way, or* "Janus." A Novel. By Edward Irensaus Stevenson. (Belford,Clarke and Co., Chicago and New York.)

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266 THE MUSICAL TIMES.-MAY I, I889.perhaps the poison there has been neutralised bythe action and reaction of various influences.Beethoven has been the antidote to the vitiatingeffect of Bach, the inroads of Mozart on publicmoralityhave been repaired by Gluck, Schumannhas counteracted Schubert, and so on. England'sprosperityis no doubt to be accounted for by hercomparative lack ofgreatcreative musicians. HappyEngland, and happier America to have thus escapedthe contaminatinginfluence of art"Art is a means," proceeds the speaker, andhaving propounded an assertion which is aboutas well founded as the proposition " the moonis made of green cheese," he proceeds airily tothe further statement " devotion to a means be-littles." Ergo devotion to music, to art in fact,belittles and degrades nations and individuals. Letus, accordingly, see how the author works out hisown thesis. Nearly all the persons who figure n hisstoryare more or less concerned with,or devoted to,music. None more so than Elsa Ehlert, the singer,who is representedas risingto theveryforemost ankof European primedonne. From this constant con-tact with a degrading art one might expect the mostdisastrous results. On the contrary,Elsa is the onlyperson in the storywho enlists our admiration. Sheis described as a woman of singular purity of heartand loftiness of aspiration, who bravely hides thecruel wound which theman she loved had inflictedonher and passes serenely through life without a flawon her character. Anotherpersonage who does notseem to have suffered rom a life-longattachment tothis degrading art is old Deli6 the violoncellist,whois described as a shrewd but tenderhearted old man.Mr. Stevenson, it is true,has forestalled these objec-tions by declaring that in the case of musicians whowere good men,their art had nothingto do with theirvirtue. " In their cases virtue nbornor acquired hasbeen too stoutto be sapped by any enervatingenemy."Music-even themusic ofMasses and Chorales-onlybrings about a sensuous enjoyment,an affectionofthe nerves. It unbraces and relaxes us. Apparently,according to Mr. Stevenson, even fugues are to beplaced in this category.Into a discussion of the propositionthat " art is ameans" we do not feel called upon to enter. It is nolonger necessary to confute the arguments of thosewho disbelieve in the rotundity f the earth. As tothe ethics of the subject, Mr. Stevenson's attitude isprobablyprovoked by the disquisitions of those whoclaim for music on the positive side as much as heclaims on the negative. No sensible person willargue that music, divorced from its associations-apart fromthe words to which it is linked or thesurroundings nwhich it is heard-has a religious,or,to use a bad word forwant of a better, a moralisinginfluence. Music cannot rebuke or advise; it cannotpreach patience or forgiveness. But, on the otherhand-equally divorced fromits associations-musiccannot demoralise or degrade any more than a pro-position of Euclid can. Its ancillary influence forevil can be as potent as its ancillary influence forgood. That is to say, it can be employedto embellishor illustrate an unwholesome story,and so may rein-force the message or moral of that story, just as itmay embellish and reinforce the sublimest truths ofreligion as set forth n a Mass or Oratorio. But tosay that music is immoral is as logical as to declarethat paint-boxes are immoral,because theircontentsare frequently mployed to illustrate unworthy ub-jects. Or again, one might aver, with equal truth,that law is immoral,because it is concerned with therepression of crime, or because the personal moralsof those who practise it are not always above sus-picion. Indeed, it would seem that Mr. Stevenson

had confounded the morals of musicians with themoralityof music. His position is apparentlythis :When a musician is virtuous his art has nothingwhatever to do with it (videp. 87), but if he be im-moral, it has everythingto do with it. Evidently hehas no belief in the often-quoted lines about thehumanising influence of the arts-. . Ingenuas didicisse fideliter rtesEmollit mores nec sinit esse feros.Or iftheysoften, t is only in the sense ofenervating.The more a man is an artistthe more is he likely tofall a preyto temptation. Such is the view advancedin the followinghypothetical case, and endorsed byAlexis von Gravenhorst,who represents the author'sviews:-"' Imagine a man who thoroughlyknowsright from wrong and perfectly appreciates thebeauty of honour and goodness. Now by nature heis the keenest possible enjoyer ofthe beautiful,and asuccessful,practical man of art,a painter,a musician-what you will. Put him where only moral prin-ciple can make him keep his footing. Will the artistelement in him weaken him for contest ? Will hefall the sooner because of it ? I don't ask ifthat sideof his character, directly or indirectly,holds him up.Will it drag him down?' She spoke slowly,choosing her words. Alexis moved back from thetable. He laughed undisguisedly. ' You havesketched one of the most truly artistic or, rather,musical of temperaments,to borrow the cant phrase.I would notwager manyrows ofpinsfor ts stability.'' My unlucky friend falls then?' Nadine askedgravely. 'The more readily; the deeper. Requiescatinpace.' " This is apparentlya fairtest,but in realitythe question is begged by the firstspeaker. " Puthim," she says, " where only moral principle canmake him keep his footing." Exactly; no saneman so circumstanced would make his art thearbiter of his destiny at such a crisis. Butthat does not prove that art is immoral. Andthen what an elastic term is that of "artist"including, as it does, in the popular accepta-tion of the term, everything from the sincerestdevotee to the most cynical charlatan. Two pointsmay be readily conceded. The first is that theartistic temperament is generally highly strung,emotional, impulsive, sensitive, capricious. Andsecondly,the conditions underwhich art is cultivatedto any great extent do not, as a rule, admit of asimultaneous devotion to manly sportsand exercises.But the exceptions to the rule have almost alwaystended to prove that the artist is a better artist forbeing an " all-round" man. It has been pointedout,we thinkby Herr Spitta, that,since Weber, nearly allthe great composers have been men ofgeneral accom-plishments,and not exclusively swallowed up intheirone pursuit. Schumann, Berlioz, and Wagner wereall eminent as writers. Mendelssohn had a giftfordoing everythingwell, and as to character, why hehad hardly a single redeeming vice To sum up,then, there is not the least reason why an artistshould not be manly and virtuous; and the bestartistshave generallybeen both.

THE GREAT COMPOSERS.BY JOSEPH BENNETT.

No. XXVII.-HANDEL (continued rompage 207).GENERAL reference was made last month to thefact that Handel, after the performances of his" Esther " by Bernard Gates, was provoked by theaction of a speculator into taking up Oratorio on hisown account. This matter now demands full atten-tion.

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