but, in _Mid-Winter_ and _From a Log Cabin_, two of the most
significant and inspired of all his shorter pieces. In the _New
England Idyls_ as a whole, we have the eloquence and poetry of
MacDowell in its fullest maturity. The American atmosphere is
strong in these pieces, the scene suggested by each one belonging
unmistakably to New England. In addition to the expressive and
suggestive power of these idyls, they possess a fragrance and
freshness that are rare in music. Each piece is headed by a verse
of the composer's, and it should also be noted that he has
dropped his English directions as to expression, etc., and gone
back to Italian. There is no great gain in this, for the terms he
uses, although in the language traditionally employed for the
purpose, are by no means always the actual terms of traditional
standing; he simply took the unnecessary trouble to translate his
English-thought directions into a foreign language. His Italian
is not always that generally used in music.

1. _An Old Garden_ (_Semplice, teneramente_). This opens with an
expressive and tender little theme. In the middle part a
beautifully formed lyricism appears. The opening theme eventually
reappears and the piece ends with quiet, but rich and sonorous
chords.

2. _Mid-Summer_ (_Come in sogno_). This is a tone impression of a
drowsy summer's day:--

... _Above, the lazy cloudlets drift,
Below, the swaying wheat_....

It is exquisitely done, with the composer's usual unerring