Page:Rolland - Beethoven, tr. Hull, 1927.pdf/153

 full of the tonics and dominants of summer happiness.

Bird-like twitterings and horn calls come from all directions, yet how perfectly balanced it all is and what a marvel of development! The scene by the brook with its drowsy re iterated figure on the under-current of divided strings is the very Bourdon ever sounding in Nature herself.

Wagner has not forgotten this in his Woodland Murmurs. The dance of the villagers, founded on the old country dances, is full of humorous touches, the drowsy bassoon notes, the romp round, and into this almost without warning, breaks the storm. A remarkably controlled storm