instinctively and finds with pleasure this feeling endorsed by so eminent
an authority as the author. Eric Sams, however, is no euphemist; he
does not overstate his case. Thus he tells us that one may prefer the
strong sweetness of Schubert Ganymed to the blissful masochism of
Wolf's, that the latter's Philine loses by comparison with Schumann,
that the popular In dem Schatten meiner Locken by no means eclipses
that of Brahms (a statement which must surely make Hugo turn in his
grave). These are suggestions, however, not edicts and the reader will
draw from them his own conclusions and, more often than not, find him-
self in complete agreement.

Our guide will not lead us astray for he is not blinded by his hero and
claims for him, in Frank Walker's words, 'a modest place among the
immortals'. His judgement is fair, unclouded but not arbitrary. He
induces us to think for ourselves.

The fruit of deep study and sympathy with his subject, this book
should be on the shelf of every man who professes or calls himself
musical.

It is a masterpiece.

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