prohibitive.

[Illustration (Score): FACSIMILE OF A PORTION OF THE MS. OF THE
"SONATA TRAGICA"]

In 1895 MacDowell published his "Sonata Eroica" (op. 50), and those
who had wondered how he could better his performance in the "Tragica"
received a fresh demonstration of the extent of his gifts. For these
sonatas of his constitute an ascending series, steadily progressive in
excellence of substance and workmanship. They are, on the whole, I
think it will be determined, his most significant and important
contribution to musical art. The "Eroica" bears the motto, "Flos
regum Arthuris," and as a further index to its content MacDowell has
given this explanation: "While not exactly programme music,"[14] he
says, "I had in mind the Arthurian legend when writing this work. The
first movement typifies the coming of Arthur. The scherzo was
suggested by a picture of Doré showing a knight in the woods
surrounded by elves. The third movement was suggested by my idea of
Guinevere. That following represents the passing of Arthur." MacDowell
had intended to inscribe the scherzo: "After Doré"; but he finally
thought better of this because, as he told Mr. N.J. Corey, "the
superscription seemed to single it out too much from the other
movements." Concerning this movement Mr. Corey writes: "The passage
which it [the Doré picture] illustrates, may be found in [Tennyson's]
_Guinevere_, in the story of the little novice, following a few lines
after the well known 'Late, late, so late!' poem. I always had a
little feeling," continues Mr. Corey, "that the sonata would have been
stronger, from a programme standpoint, with this movement
omitted--that it had perhaps been included largely as a concession to
the traditions of sonata form. The fact that no scherzos were included