its bold use of the dissonant element. The Roumanians have
come to the fore in Enesco, who has written several charac-
teristic works for orchestra. The Spaniards are endeavoring to
restore their former glories—for we must not forget that, in past
centuries, the Spanish composers Morales and Vittoria ranked
with the great painters which that nation has produced. Three
Spanish composers, indeed, are worthy of distinct recognition:
Albeniz for his pianoforte pieces,tangos,malagueñas,etc., in
which there is such a fascinating treatment of national dance
rhythms; Granados,[338] with several operas to his credit, and
Laparra, the composer of a fantastic suite recently played by the
Boston Symphony Orchestra. Spanish rhythms, melodies and
local color have been frequently incorporated in the works of
other composers,e.g., by Bizet inCarmen, by Debussy inIbéria,
and in the pianoforte pieceSoirée dans Granade, by Chabrier in
España, by Lalo in several works, and by the Russians, Glinka
and Rimsky-Korsakoff, in brilliant orchestral works. The Span-
ish influence,[339] in fact, may be called one of the most potent
in modern music.
[Footnote 338: Who lost his life on the Sussex when it was
torpedoed by the Germans.]
[Footnote 339: For a comprehensive account, historical and crit-
ical, of this influence consult the volume by Carl Van Vechten
The Music of Spain.]
Although there is no doubt of the strong musical instinct in-
herent in the Hungarians—witness the prevalence of Hungarian
rhythms in Schubert, Liszt, Brahms and others—their country
has always been so torn with political dissensions that the lack
of a national artistic culture is not to be wondered at. Recently
however three Hungarian composers, Dohnányi, Moor and Béla
Bartok, have produced works embodying racial tendencies and
yet of such significant content and sound workmanship as to
attract the attention of the world outside.
Italy, also, is awakening from a long sleep, and there is now a
group of young men representing New Italy (of whom Malipiero
and Casella are the best known) which should accomplish results
worthy of the glorious musical traditions of that country.
England is shaking off her subserviency[340] to the influence
of Handel and Mendelssohn, and at last has made a promising
start toward the achievement of works which shall rank with