His thematic substance at its best--in, say, the greater part of the sonatas, the "Sea Pieces," the "Woodland Sketches," the "Four Songs" of op.

56--has saliency, character, and often great beauty; and even when it is not at its best--as in much of his writing up to his opus 45--it has a spirit and colour that lift it securely above mediocrity.
It must have already become evident to anyone who has followed this essay at an exposition of MacDowell's art that his view of the traditional musical forms is a liberal one.

Which is briefly to say that, although his application to his art of the fundamental principles of musical design is deliberate and satisfying, he shares the typical modern distaste for the classic forms.

His four sonatas, his two piano concertos, and his two "modern suites" for piano are his only important adventures in the traditional instrumental moulds.

The catalogue of his works is innocent of any symphony, overture, string quartet, or cantata.