Musical Criticisms — Inside the Classic

Johnstone's Critical Method

Johnstone evaluates compositions by isolating specific musical elements. In the 'King Olaf' review, he itemizes 'the Hammer music, the Iceberg music, the Thunder and Lightning music' as distinct expressive components. He also notes the chorus's difficulty with 'puzzling cross-rhythms,' grounding his judgment in performance challenges. His analysis of the 'Enigma Variations' traces the variation form back to 'canto fermo and counterpoint,' showing historical awareness. These passages reveal a critic who balances technical scrutiny with a sense of how music functions in performance.

Elgar Under Scrutiny

Johnstone devotes a full chapter to Elgar, then an emerging composer. He acknowledges Elgar's 'gift for thematic invention' and 'unconventional treatment,' but reserves his strongest criticism for the choice of texts. Of 'King Olaf,' he writes that Elgar 'throws away the resources of his remarkable art upon a text that is in places unfit for any kind of musical treatment.' He contrasts this with the 'Enigma Variations,' which he treats as a more successful work. The excerpts show Johnstone applying consistent standards across a composer's output.

Wagner and the Bayreuth Experience

Johnstone's coverage of Wagner includes reviews of the 'Ring' at Covent Garden and Bayreuth, as well as 'Parsifal.' The table of contents lists separate entries for the 1903 and 1904 Bayreuth festivals, suggesting he attended multiple seasons. His approach blends reportage with analysis: he describes the 'Ring' performances in detail, noting orchestral execution and vocal delivery. The excerpts do not include his full Wagner reviews, but the structure implies he treated Wagner as a central figure in contemporary musical life.

The Memoir as Context

The volume begins with a memoir by Henry Reece and Oliver Elton, who also edited the collection. They drew on letters, many written to Elton, and assistance from Johnstone's family and friends. The memoir provides biographical context for the criticisms that follow. Johnstone's early death in 1904, at age 43, gives the collection a retrospective quality. The editors' preface thanks the Manchester Guardian for permission to reprint, confirming the journalistic origin of the pieces.

Readers approaching Musical Criticisms for the first time will find a critic who values clarity and specificity. Johnstone does not shy from faulting a composer's judgment, as with Elgar's libretto, but he also recognizes achievement. The book's organization by composer allows for comparative reading: one can trace how Johnstone applies similar criteria to Bach, Beethoven, and Strauss. The memoir adds a personal dimension, but the criticisms stand on their own as documents of early twentieth-century musical taste.

Reading Johnstone's sharp words on Elgar’s orchestration, I remembered sitting beside my father, who hummed along to a cracked radio broadcast. He never read a score, but he felt every swell. That same quiet awe returned when I first opened The orchestra and its instruments — A Reader’s Guide, studying the woodwind diagrams as if they were family photographs, utterly familiar yet somehow mysterious.