Edward MacDowell . u revivalM in contemporary letters has sosingularly failed to revive. For it is, I repeat, theheroic Gaelic world that MacDowell has made tolive again in his music : that miraculous world ofstupendous passions and aspirations, of bards andheroes and sublime adventure — the world ofCuchullin the Unconquerable, and Laeg, and QueenMeave ; of Naesi, and Deirdr6 the Beautiful, andFergus, and Connla the Harper, and those kindredfigures, lovely or greatly tragical, that are like noother figures in the worlds mythologies. Deirdr6 he has realised exquisitely in his middlemovement: th
Edward MacDowell . u revivalM in contemporary letters has sosingularly failed to revive. For it is, I repeat, theheroic Gaelic world that MacDowell has made tolive again in his music : that miraculous world ofstupendous passions and aspirations, of bards andheroes and sublime adventure — the world ofCuchullin the Unconquerable, and Laeg, and QueenMeave ; of Naesi, and Deirdr6 the Beautiful, andFergus, and Connla the Harper, and those kindredfigures, lovely or greatly tragical, that are like noother figures in the worlds mythologies. Deirdr6 he has realised exquisitely in his middlemovement: that is her image, in all its fragrant andhaunting loveliness. MacDowell has limned hermusically in a manner worthy of comparison withthe sumptuous pen-portrait of her in StandishOGradys Cuculain : a woman of wondrousbeauty, bright gold her hair, eyes piercing andsplendid, tongue full of sweet sounds, her counten-ance like the colour of snow blended with the close of the last movement we are justified in. 1 o CO ?J w wWH faO CO a•—i o I—I a! o fa a H o fa faO <J CO to <5 s CO I THE SONATAS 67 tracing an emotional portrayal of the sublime tradi-tion of Cuchullins death, the manner of which is thusdescribed by Standish OGrady : Cuculain sprangforth, but as he sprang, Lewy MacConroi piercedhim through the bowels. Then fell the great heroof the Gael. Thereat the sun darkened, and theearth trembled . . when, with a crash, fell thatpillar of heroism, and that flame of the warlikevalour of Erin was extinguished . . Then Cuculain,raising his eyes, saw thence northwards from thelake a tall pillar-stone, the grave of a warrior slainthere in some ancient war. With difficulty hereached it, and he leaned awhile against the pillar,for his mind wandered, and he knew nothing for aspace. After that he took off his brooch, andremoving the torn bratta [girdle], he passed itround the top of the pillar, where there was anindentation in the stone, and passed the ends underhis
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookpublisherlondon, bookyear190
