Scan 5
Musical Courier 1891-10-14: Vol 23 Iss 608, 1891
146 lines. Read by computer on 20 September 2026, twice; the two readings disagreed in places. Printed page 414. See the scan on archive.org.
1not recover from a hearing of this tragedy condensed into an hour as quickly as he does from a hearing of a modern emotional drama. The latter is smooth, well rounded, weighty; the former is swift and keen and cuts like a knife.
3The word "Cavalleria" is accented, we understand, upon the penultimate—i.
5This appears to be the briefest yet most significant criticism of the work yet put forth. In last Sunday's "Times" appeared the following about the performance of the melodrama, which is not amiss, for it has yet to receive its ideal performance in this city:
7It is pleasant to sit in a dark corner with one's eyes shut and imagine performances of this little music drama with really good artists. For instance:
9Academy of Music, season of 1855—Max Maretzek, director; "Santuzza," Steffanone; "Lola," Vestvali; "Turridu," Brignoli; "Alfio," Amodio.
11Booth's Theatre, season of 1871—Max Strakosch, director; "Santuzza," Christine Nilsson; "Lola," Annie Louise Cary; "Turridu," Frapolli; "Alfio," Pantaleoni.
13Academy of Music, season of 1879-80—Col. J. H. Mapleson has the honor to announce, &c., "Santuzza," Emilia Ambré; "Lola," Annie Louise Cary; "Turridu," Campanini; "Alfio," Galassi.
15Metropolitan Opera House, season of 1889-90—"Santuzza," Lilli Lehmann; "Lola," Charlotte Huhn; "Turridu," Perotti; "Alfio," Reichmann.
17Metropolitan Opera House, season of 1891—Henry E. Abbey in the chair; "Santuzza," Lilli Lehmann; "Lola," Giulia Ravogli; "Turridu," Jean de Reszke; "Alfio," Edouard de Reszke.
19Suppose we defer further criticism of "Rustic Chivalry" until we hear it done on a scale commensurate with its merits?
21WALTER DAMROSCH.
23THAT this young and enterprising conductor will have his hands full is evidenced by the following news:
25The directors of the Symphony Society beg to announce that during the coming season the society will give as usual six afternoon and six evening concerts at Music Hall, under the direction of Mr. Walter Damrosch. An annual guaranty fund of $50,000 has been subscribed by the following gentlemen:
27Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller,
28Theo. A. Havemeyer, William D. Sloane,
29Collis P. Huntington, H. McK. Twombly,
30John S. Kennedy, Cornelius Vanderbilt,
31D. O. Mills, George W. Vanderbilt,
32J. Pierpont Morgan, William K. Vanderbilt.
34Dr. W. Seward Webb,
36for the purpose of making the orchestra of the society a permanent organization, the members of which shall be engaged by the year and shall be constantly under the training and direction of the same conductor.
38This generous support gives the orchestra a unique position in New York, and to strengthen it still more several eminent musicians have been added to its membership. Special mention should be made of Adolph Brodsky, formerly of Leipsic, who is engaged as concert master and solo violinist; Jules Conus, formerly with the Colonne Orchestra of Paris, as second concert master and solo violinist, and Anton Hekking, formerly with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, as first and solo violoncellist. The programs will include the following works:
40Symphonies Nos. 7 and 8—Beethoven
41"Romeo and Juliet"—Berlioz
42Symphony No. 4—Brahms
43Violin Concerto—Brahms
44Theme and Variations—Goldmark
45Serenade for strings in E—Dvorak
46Symphony in C—Schubert
47Symphony No. 2 (new)—Sgambati
48Symphony No. 5—Tchaikowsky
49"The Tempest"—Tchaikowsky
50"Kaiser Marsch"—Wagner
51Siegfried's Death and Funeral Music—Wagner
53The soloist for the first concert will be Adolph Brodsky, violinist, his first appearance in America. At the second concert the well-known contralto Mrs. Marie Ritter-Goetze will appear. The celebrated pianist Ignace J. Paderewski has been engaged for the third concert. Other important engagements for the remaining concerts are pending.
55The dates of the six evening concerts in the new Music Hall are Saturdays, November 14, December 5, January 16, February 6, March 5 and April 2, with afternoon rehearsals on the Fridays next preceding these dates. The program for the first concert is as follows:
57Symphony No. 7—Beethoven
58Concerto for violin, with orchestra—Brahms
59Mr. Adolph Brodsky.
60"Hamlet"—Tchaikowsky
62The Oratorio Society of New York will give four evening concerts in Music Hall on Saturdays, November 28, December 30, February 20 and March 26, with the customary Friday afternoon rehearsals. The sale of seats and boxes for the subscribers of last season will begin Monday morning November 2, and continue to Saturday, November 7, inclusive.
64The works to be given, in the order of their production, are:
66Requiem—Brahms
67"Faust," Part III—Schumann
68"Messiah"—Händel
69"St. Matthew Passion"—Bach
70"Samson and Delilah" (first time in America)—Saint-Saëns
72With two such superb organizations as the Symphony Orchestra and the Oratorio Society will surely be, there is every reason to believe that Walter Damrosch will eclipse all his former records as a worker and give us some good music.
74NO CINCINNATI MUSIC FESTIVAL.
76THE Cincinnati "Commercial Gazette" contains the following news:
78At last that which was expected, however unfortunate, has happened in the May Festival connection, and the board of directors of the association announce their inability to give the next festival in the series because of the lack of a chorus conductor. They have tried every known source this side of the ocean, but without avail in reaching a solution of the difficulty.
80The main facts of the situation have been presented to the readers of the "Commercial Gazette" from time to time, but it is now in order to give the official statement of the board as prepared at the closing meeting held yesterday afternoon. It may be that something will be done before the winter is over in the way of concert work, and the members of the chorus still owning allegiance to the festival and its aims will do well to hold themselves subject to call. Here is the declaration of the board:
82"It is with great regret that the directors of the Cincinnati Musical Festival Association are compelled to announce a failure of the arrangement which they had confidently expected would be completed with Mr. Arthur Mees to take charge of the festival chorus this winter.
84"Mr. Mees had hoped to furnish a substitute in one of the societies in the East with which he is engaged until the end of this year, but has found it impossible to secure any other leader acceptable to the society, and time does not allow search for a conductor in Europe. He has not been fortunate in changing the rehearsal night in the other society with which he is connected. Under the circumstances it has been impossible at this late day to supply the place, and the Cincinnati association is without a chorus conductor and without any prospect of securing one this season a musical festival next May becomes impossible. The directors earnestly ask the members of the chorus to continue to consider themselves as members and to be ready to resume active training whenever a suitable leader shall have been engaged.
86"The directors of the Festival Association appreciate the zeal and devotion of the chorus members and the excellent preparatory work done in the last year, especially shown in the 'Elijah' concert, and thank them heartily for their generous and efficient share in the festival's success.
88This is sad musical news, and it is singular that in a country where there is so much talent the directors of the festival could not find anyone to replace Mr. Thomas, Mr. Brand or Mr. Mees. The latter gentleman, whose abilities as a conductor are too well known to be dwelt upon, has transferred his interests East, and Mr. Thomas is wedded to the windy city. All hope that Cincinnati will have her festival in 1893.
90THE London "Musical News" recently contained the following:
92From time to time the American journals let off crackers on the subject of how exalted is music in New York as compared with London. How much is true and how much spread eaglesm is not easy to determine on this side of the Atlantic, but the following extract from "Freund's Music and Drama" puts the matter in a somewhat different light:
94"A very unexpected series of events seems to threaten the existence of the Metropolitan Opera House, for owing to the unhappy financial results of the German opera season and the utter dissatisfaction of the stockholders it is actually proposed to sell the property and turn it into a hotel. It appears that the stockholders, who paid $18,500 for the choice of a box, have since been assessed about $3,000 at the close of each season; moreover, all the boxes were not on the grand tier, and thus the selection by lot, though fair in itself, has not resulted satisfactorily. The income of the opera house will not be as large from outside sources as hitherto, for most of the great concerts will henceforth be held in Carnegie Music Hall. The subsequent fate of the building is dubious. It can be sold, but what a commentary such a sale would be on the results of German opera in New York, and on the liberality of the multi-millionaires of the American metropolis!" one of two readings
95"A very unexpected series of events seem to threaten the existence of the Metropolitan Opera House, for owing to the unhappy financial results of the German opera season and the utter dissatisfaction of the stockholders it is actually proposed to sell the property and turn it into a hotel. It appears that the stockholders, who paid $18,500 for the choice of a box, have since been assessed about $3,000 at the close of each season; moreover, all the boxes were not on the grand tier, and thus the selection by lot, though fair in itself, has not resulted satisfactorily. The income of the opera house will not be as large from outside sources as hitherto, for most of the great concerts will henceforth be held in Carnegie Music Hall. The subsequent fate of the building is dubious. It can be sold, but what a commentary such a sale would be on the results of German opera in New York, and on the liberality of the multi-millionaires of the American metropolis!" one of two readings
97If the "Musical News" only knew of the tremendous season to the fore of New York, and if it only knew of the idiocy that is perpetrated in the journal it quoted under the caption of musical news, it would neither sneer at national pride nor ever quote Clam-bake Harry's stuff and nonsense sheet.
99By the way, is it not a libelous commentary on the intelligence of the New York public that so many ignorant frauds start and maintain, however poorly, what they are pleased to dub "musical journals?" Dull asses!
101W. H. Courtney.—Mr. Wm. H. Courtney has reopened his musical and vocal studio for the season at 27 Union square. Mr. Courtney's pupils are always to be found among the aspirants for vocal honors.
103The "Kuenstlerverein" Committee.—The music committee for the festival of the "Künstlerverein," or Artist Guild, to be held December 3 at the new Music Hall, consists of William Steinway, Walter Damrosch, Frank Van der Stucken and William Zoellner. Mr. Edmund C. Stanton has charge of the decorations. Joseph Keppler is chairman of the arts committee.
105THE RACONTEUR.
107'Tis a dull sight
108To see the year dying,
109When winter winds
110Set the yellow wood sighing—
111Sighing, oh, sighing!
113When such a time cometh
114I do retire
115Into an old room
116Beside a bright fire—
117O pile a bright fire!
119And there I sit
120Reading old things,
121Of knights and lorn damsels,
122While the wind sings—
123Oh, drearily sings!
125I never look out
126Nor attend to the blast;
127For all to be seen
128Is the leaves falling fast—
129Falling, falling!
131YOU would not guess by whom these charming lines were written, with their Tennysonian smack. I found them the other day in the "Independent," with Edward Fitzgerald's name appended. Reading a life of Carl Loewe, the ballad composer, I was struck by one similarity in the lives of the two men. They were little known while living, except to an intimate circle, which comprised in the case of Fitzgerald all that was best in contemporary letters, and in Loewe's the name of Liszt and Wagner; but it was an esoteric circle, and the friends of the dead men did little to propagate their reputation. Their works have literally made for them a name, as neither of them was a social propagandist of his talents. Yet Fitzgerald to-day, the translator or rather the marvelous paraphraser of Omar Khayyam, is known wherever the English language is spoken, and Loewe is a name that is beginning to charm audiences, for this German, truly a "lion" in music, is almost the creator of an art form that is a condensed epic, a miniature music drama, the artistic value of which is gradually dawning on singers and critics.
133But it takes heroic stuff to sing these redoubtable ballads of Loewe, with their knights and demons, sprites and damsels. Wagner once said: "Now, my young friends, you think Schubert's 'Erl King' to be the best. Listen; here is one much finer, it is that by Loewe. Schubert's 'Erl King' is not quite true, but Loewe's is true." This is tremendous praise from a master dramatist like Wagner, who recognized in Loewe a kindred spirit.
135Albert B. Bach has published an interesting book about the art ballad and Loewe, which I recommend to all interested in the subject. It is published by Blackwood & Sons, London.
137I suppose when the final day has come to the tiny mud hill of the universe that we so fondly dub earth, and a glacial eternity is dawning, some enthusiastic gentleman will publish a book about piano playing and how to play the soft-loud in the shortest possible manner. There is no use of complaining about the matter. Wherever there is a teacher so surely is there a new method, or rather a want of it.
139Mr. C. A. Ehrenfechter is the name of the last writer on the subject, and his "Technical Study in the Art of Piano Playing" may be bought at Scribner's for $1. It is based on those extremely evanishing principles known as Deppe's, which may be summed up in one sentence, "Spielen Sie mit Gewicht." All of which Amy Fay told us in her delightful way years ago in "Music Study in Germany." But man is a perverse animal and wishes to brutally demonstrate where woman gracefully suggests. Mr. Ehrenfechter, whose name suggests a grim pedagogic vision with a touch as hard as the kick of a mule, skeletonizes Miss Fay's exposition of Deppe's methods and makes only one good point in the book, i.e., how violinists must smile at pianists, for there may be several schools in violin playing, but in piano playing—how many?
141The want of consistency in piano teaching among its professors is a startling truth and its results are only too well known. Modern methods are, up to a certain point, indispensable; but do teachers realize the limited tone of the instrument and shall we ever hear again on the concert platform what Deppe so aptly called the "floating tone," the luminous tone, with an aerial background—a background of dreamery, not the environment of a boiler shop?
143Heaven help us, but we are becoming so brutally realistic and lug the slop bucket so often into the drawing room, as Moncure Conway would say, that ideality is looked upon as an evidence of mental slushiness and the poet soon materializes into a politician—for revenue.
145Deppe earnestly attempted to stem the vulgarizing of the piano at the hands of the brutal man and advocated
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