Scan 17
Musical Courier 1891-12-16: Vol 23 Iss 617, 1891
69 lines. Read by computer on 19 September 2026, twice; the two readings disagreed in places. Printed page 714. See the scan on archive.org.
1William H. Rieger, Tenor.
2(no line here) one of two readings
4Among the favorite vocalists of New York is Mr. William H. Rieger, whose name is a familiar one on the programs of many of our first-class concerts. He is a tenor of exceptional qualities. His voice is rich and pure, with a delightful timbre peculiarly its own. This valuable organ has been carefully trained, and in oratorio music as well as in the ballad style it reflects great credit on its possessor, and has afforded much pleasure to a host of concert visitors.
6Mr. Rieger has been a singer from his youth upward. As a boy chorister he was a member of St. John's choir in Varick street, and one of the soloists of the Young Apollo Club. His youthful soprano developed into a very sweet and melodious tenor, which has proved so acceptable in choir work that, as a tenor, he has only made one change. He began in the Church of the Covenant, where he sang for several years and is now the solo tenor of the Madison Avenue Reformed Church. The incumbency of these two positions has been sufficient to give him a wide reputation as one of the leading tenors in this branch of musical art in the metropolis.
8About three years ago Mr. Rieger decided to devote himself to music professionally, and at once assumed a prominent position as a concert and oratorio singer. His repertoire includes Liszt's "Christus;" Handel's "Messiah," "Judas Maccabeus" and "Samson;" Haydn's "Seasons" and "Creation;" Mendelssohn's "Elijah" and "St. Paul;" Rossini's "Stabat Mater;" Gounod's "Redemption" and "Mors et Vita;" Grell's "Mass;" Berlioz's "Damnation of Faust;" Bruch's "Arminius," and other standard works, besides a number of cantatas and minor compositions. He has appeared as soloist with all the leading vocal societies of New York. This month he is engaged for fifteen nights, besides having many dates ahead for distant concerts and festivals.
10Early last month he sang at the Taunton Festival. The Boston "Journal" of the 11th said: "Mr. Rieger's aria took the house by storm. He has an exceptionally beautiful tenor voice, his articulation is perfect, he easily leads any tenor who has preceded him at these festivals." The Taunton "News" observed: "Mr. Rieger is the most satisfactory tenor we have ever heard here. In Bruch's 'Arminius' he displayed his ability to do dramatic parts well; he is a thorough artist." The Taunton "Gazette" remarked that "Mr. Rieger's voice is fresh, his enunciation clear and distinct, his method most artistic. He was accorded the warm welcome he so magnificently earned." And the Boston "Advertiser's" correspondent wrote that "Mr. Rieger will henceforth be a great favorite here."
12Of the recent performance of the Mozart "Requiem," at Providence, R. I., the "Journal" of that city says:
13(no line here) one of two readings
15"Mr. William H. Rieger sang the tenor part in a way which showed his appreciation of the work. While Galassi's voice is dramatic, Mr. Rieger represents the lyric type peculiarly adapted to the part which he represented in the 'Requiem.' His voice is pure and clear as a woman's, without being in the least effeminate. His range is not out of the ordinary run, but he has not one weak tone, and his phrasing and intoning are artistic to a large degree."
17About Mr. Rieger's latest New York appearance with the Philharmonic Society, on Friday afternoon and Saturday evening of last week, criticism will be found in another column of THE MUSICAL COURIER.
19Progress at Vassar College.
20(no line here) one of two readings
22The trustees of Vassar College, at a meeting week before last, unanimously resolved to place the department of music on a collegiate basis.
24This is a most important step, for it means that hereafter music at Vassar will be an elective collegiate study and therefore recognized as on an equal footing with any other branch in the college curriculum. It means further that students of music will hereafter be obliged not only to pass an entrance examination in music, but will be compelled to matriculate and pursue a course of college study. This will insure a higher class of students to begin with and, per consequence, thoroughly educated graduates at the close of their college career.
26Incidentally this proceeding promotes the musical director to a seat, on state occasions, among the college faculty—an honor not enjoyed heretofore by the incumbent at Vassar—and carries with it the legitimate title of professor.
28We take pleasure also in announcing that, upon the recommendation of Professor Bowman, the vocal department at Vassar will be put in charge of Mr. James Sauvage, who will assume the discharge of his duties at once. Mr. Sauvage came to this country about a year ago under engagement to Professor Bowman, as soloist in his choir at the Peddie Memorial, in Newark. He was trained by the best London masters, Garcia, Shakespere and others, has had a successful experience as an artist in opera, oratorio and concert and is a teacher of ability. We understand that there is an excellent corps of subordinate teachers in the musical department, and we therefore have no hesitation in predicting that Professor Bowman's administration will mark a new era at Vassar College.
30The Janko Keyboard.
31(Translated and Compiled by Emil K. Winkler.)
33X.
35During and since the time of Johann Sebastian Bach it has become customary to tune pianos and organs according to the so-called tempered tone system, by which the octave is divided in twelve even intervals or half tones. This system of tones makes all scales alike in the various keys, the only difference being the pitch.
37The old keyboard was at the time of its invention intended only for tones of the C major scale. Later on the need was felt for additional tones, and the upper keys were created gradually. At the time of the introduction of the tempered tone system the keyboard underwent no change, and thus remained until the present time, through force of habit and ignorance of something better, an abnormality. It demands for theoretically even intervals different spacial relations. Scales and chords in different keys which theory and harmony consider congruent have to be played on the old keyboard with totally different fingering and position of the hand. Thereby arises the great difficulty in mastering the vast technical material, it being necessary to study exercises and difficult passages in twelve different keys.
39All these defects are easily and naturally overcome on the new keyboard, on which scales and chords are alike in the different keys. There is absolutely no difference felt in playing the same tone combination in different keys. This uniformity refers to the position of the hand, the fingering and all special relations of the composing parts—in short to everything concerning the sense of feeling of the hands. This wonderful feature of the new keyboard is due to three of its most important characteristics. In the first place all touch plates are uniform in size, and the fingers feel no difference whatever in touching them. The second feature is the even distribution of the tone material represented by keys. In accordance with the tempered tone system we have now also a regulated (tempered) system of keys or touch plates. The element of our tone system, the half step, is always represented as a uniform distance. On the old keyboard great trouble is caused by the half steps e f and b c, which appear exactly like whole steps.
41On the new keyboard half steps are formed by going from one touch plate to the next one on the right of the left side in the next row above or below. Whole steps are also uniform and are formed by going from one touch plate to the next right or left one in the same row. Each row of touch plates contains whole tones only, and each two consecutive rows form the whole chromatic scale. Any given interval can be measured out by half and whole tones, and if we go though the same operation starting with another touch plate we prove at once that all even intervals have the same spacial relations.
43As before explained the three touch plates of the new keyboard (see diagram below) which lie in a straight line one above the other belong to one and the same key. One set of keys can be struck in the first, third or fifth row, and the other set in the second, fourth or sixth row. Therefore the first and second rows are repetitions of the third and fourth row and also of the fifth and sixth one.
45Let us consider now only the first and second row of touchplates (the two lowest of the diagram). These two rows are sufficient to give to even intervals the same distances, but not always the same position of the hand. Let us strike, for example, the interval C A with the first and fifth fingers of the right hand. C is taken in the lowest row and the A in the second one. For the musically same interval C sharp A sharp, we have to place the thumb on C sharp in the second row and the fifth finger on A sharp in the lowest row. Thus, in the first case, the thumb is below the fifth finger, in the second above it, the distance in both intervals being the same. To avoid any change in the position of the hand we must use the third row, which is a repetition of the first one. We play C sharp again with the thumb in the second row, and A sharp with the fifth finger in the third row. Then appears the interval C sharp A sharp, exactly alike as the interval C A. All we have to do is to keep the fingers in the same position, and to move the hand diagonally to the next upper touch plate on the right side. Repeating this operation diagonally downward we arrive at the interval D B and so on.
47In the diagram below the figures refer to the fingering of the two chords, on the left the C major triad and on the left the C minor triad.
49If we strike one of these chords, for example the major one, as shown above, and move the hand to the right parallel to its original position—i.e., without change of the position of the fingers and without turning the hand—we arrive at the D major chord. By repeating this procedure we may transpose this or any other chord up or down one or more whole tones.
51If the hand moves parallel to its first position and diagonally, we reach first the chord of C sharp major, and continuing in the same way we can effect transposition into any key desired. Of course the same must take place in order to transpose scales or any tone combination. The position and fingering for the C major scale are given below, and remain the same in any other key.
53Analysis of the Language of Music.
54By G. Bertini de Wier.
56The object of this work is to formulate a system of grammar, by a method of analysis, directly applicable to the art of musical composition, so that its rules may be as clearly apprehended, as justly applied and prove of as forcible application as now governs and controls our spoken or written language.
58The first thing to consider in a work of this character is its practical utility.
60Would a grammar of music lead a person not only to a better understanding of the art in a general way, but will its study actually enable a student to read, write and play music more correctly?
62We reply unhesitatingly in the affirmative. Why not? For manifestly the aim and object of such a work would be to accomplish the same results in the study of music as English grammar does for a student who desires to read, write and speak the English language correctly.
64More than this, it systematizes, controls and brings the science under the government of laws to which hitherto it has never been subjected; it presents for the student's guidance sound practical rules of grammar that are well known, established and taught in all our educational institutes.
66The study of grammar enlarges our mental horizon, matures our perceptions, rendering us capable of discriminating between that which is correct from that which is false, aids us in forming accurate habits of thinking out our ideas and of analyzing and presenting them in their strongest forms of expression.
68It is rightfully one of the most important branches of
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