Then, after having admitted his greatness during those two shadowed
years, when the hand of death rang down the curtain on his
earth-drama, his contemporaries began to examine more critically into
the why and wherefore of the decision that accorded him leadership.
A well-known critic calls him the American Grieg, but while applauding
the fanciful style of the Norwegian, one often hears MacDowell accused
of being merely capricious. But what is caprice?
Bishop Trench reminds us in his famous treatise that the word is
derived from _capra_, "a goat," and represents, in a picturesque
manner, a mental movement as unaccountable, as little to be calculated
on beforehand, as the springs and bounds of that whimsical animal.
The work of MacDowell certainly has the characteristic vigor and
vividness, the unstudied activity, the unexpected leaps and springs
that the derivation of the word "caprice" suggests. And, if one cares
for mysticism, it is interesting to know that according to the
teachings of the ancient science of astrology, which is having a
considerable revival at present, the composer is entitled to
unconventional methods and an unusual combination of qualities, as he
was born on the cusp between the zodiacal signs of Sagittarius and
Capricornus.
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