There has never been, in this country at least, so thorough an attempt to collate the facts of programme music.... As a definite helper in some cases and as a refresher in others we believe Mr. Upton's book to have a lasting value.... The book, in brief, shows enthusiastic and honorable educational purpose, good taste, and sound scholarship.--_The American, Philadelphia_.
Upton's books should be read and studied by all who desire to acquaint themselves with the facts and accomplishments in these interesting forms of musical composition.--_The Voice, New York_.
It is written in a style that cannot fail to stimulate the reader, if also a student of music, to strive to find for himself the underlying meanings of the compositions of the great composers. It contains, besides, a vast amount of information about the symphony, its evolution and structure, with sketches of the composers, and a detailed technical description of a few symphonic models. It meets a recognized want of all concert goers.--_The Chautauquan_.
GROUND ARMS!
_The Story of a Life._
BY BERTHA VON SUTTNER.
This story is one of the strongest works of fiction of the present decade. The author is a philosopher and a philanthropist. Her clear, incisive reasoning, her large sympathies, combined with rare power of description, enable her to give the world a story which will hold in its thrall even the most shallow novel-reader who can appreciate good literature.--_The Arena_, Boston.
The author pierces to the marrow of the thing that has taken hold of her. By that thing she is verily possessed; it has made of her a seer.... The bare, bald outline of "Die Waffen nieder!" ("Ground Arms!"), which is all we have been able to attempt, can give but a faint, feeble idea of its power and pathos, and none at all of the many light and humorous touches, the well-drawn minor characters, the thrilling episodes, the piquant glimpses of the great world of Austria and France, which relieve the gloom of the tragic story.--_International Journal of Ethics_.
We have here unquestionably a very remarkable work. As a plea for a general disarmament it stands unrivaled. For a familiarity with the details of the subject treated, for breadth of view, for logical acumen, for dramatic effect and literary excellence, it stands unequaled by any work written with a purpose.--_Literary Digest_.
With a powerful pen the author tells of the horrors of war; not alone the desolation of battlefields, but the scourges of typhus and cholera that follow in their wake, and the wretchedness, misery, and poverty brought to countless homes. The story in itself is simple but pathetic.... The book, which is sound and calm in its logic and reasoning, has made a grand impression upon military circles of Europe, and its influence is destined to extend far into the future.--_Public Opinion_, New York.