Scan 31
Musical Courier 1892-12-21: Vol 25 Iss 668, 1892
108 lines. Read by computer on 23 September 2026, twice; the two readings disagreed in places. Printed page 24. See the scan on archive.org.
1FROM THE VIRGIN CITY.
3What "She Who Must Be Obeyed" Is Doing by Her Magic "I Will"
5FIFTH AND SIXTH SYMPHONY CONCERTS—ART AT THE FAIR—RECITALS—CHAMBER MUSIC—CHIPS FROM THE "WHITE CITY" ON THE LAGOONS—REEVES', LATE GILMORE'S BAND.
7CHICAGO, December 3, 1892.
9THE Godard concerto, by Bendix, was the magnet at the fifth. It did not in any wise touch the level of his work last season in the Dvorák concerto. Godard is at the very best a very filmy and feathery thinker in tone, and even though it was a novelty, but little import can be attached to Max's performance of it. He is, however, a great favorite here, and was deluged with laudations. Herewith I give you a fair sample of the sort of "notice" greeting him on every appearance:
11A frank brightening of young eyes and perceptible flutter indicated the great magnet awaited by this fascinating assemblage of students of the divinely violet instrument. The attraction was Mr. Max Bendix, and when he stepped to the front of the Auditorium stage a hearty reception greeted him. His performance of Godard's beautiful G minor concerto was simply superb. All the wonderful changes, the force, exquisite delicacy and magnificent climax were deftly expressed, and the entire rendition of this difficult number proved one of the most brilliant treats Mr. Bendix has afforded his admirers since last winter. Bendix looks a little bit "fine" and thin, but is as handsome, as graceful and altogether as interesting as ever. It is very comforting to know that this soulful and most skillful musician is busy with the education of Chicago violin students. He is at the head of an earnest class of pupils, and directs, controls and inspires a coterie of artists imbued with the veritable spirit of true music and real art. He is immensely popular and comparatively unconscious of it.
13The F minor sonata of Bach for orchestra was a good etude for musicians, but the public were intensely bored. The G minor Mozart (Koechel, 550) was bright, pretty and refreshing, but likewise interested the audience only in the faintest degree. Only when we arrived at the "Leonore" No. 2 overture did we hear the Thomas Orchestra, for up to that time it was decidedly their night off. Quite a little disturbance has been created by a difference of opinion as to the merits of the Auditorium Symphony program sketches or histories. We would rather call them silhouettes or shadowgraphs, for, although they give a fair outline of the works, the constructional details are, as a rule, merely hinted at.
15Gilmore has been generally missed from his place both by his bandsmen, his critics and his audiences. Reeves, clever bandmaster as he is, can, however, hardly be expected to be entirely in rapport with his men with only a few days' acquaintance. I think he has been hustled a little too much. He should be given a little more time.
17On Saturday afternoon, November 19, I went to hear Schiller play the Sinding quintet, with Jacobsohn, Ohlheiser, Schmidt and Bruno Steindel. It is an immense work, full of pith and marrow, the odor of pine, the rush of waters, the rugged, rough hewn romance of Norseland, and beyond a doubt one of the most remarkable novelties, as is that like work of Thulile for wind and piano.
19Tone painting is therein attempted unparalleled before its appearance. Every virtuoso should know this work.
21Hans (he used to be called Friederich von Schiller in the old Leipsic days, but he changed his name, being unable to bear the burden of the mighty poet's name) did as well as could be expected of him without proper and adequate rehearsals. The performance was intensely interesting, but well nigh every climax and intricacy was blurred because of a lack of touch in the ensemble. We had part of a Haydn quartet to open with, and the contrast was an object lesson in itself of invaluable worth. Soon Bendix, Marum and others will begin their quartet and chamber music series, and therewith—in my mind—the best lessons for the music student.
23Last week the orchestra visited Detroit, Ann Arbor (where genial A. A. Stanley, an old Leipsic classmate, is doing such good things), Saginaw, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo and Valparaiso. Their success was unbounded, and such missionary work in the West is sure to bring good fruits.
25Liebling gave a recital some days ago for the Children's Aid Society; a number of young ladies played and Emil presented the "Last Hope." It is not often that our Chicago pianists play for sweet charity, and they do not very frequently resuscitate Louis Moreau Gottschalk.
27A so-called testimonial was given by Augusta S. Cottlow and thirty members of the Thomas Orchestra. It reminded vividly of the "Priejungen," or "public" examinations of old Leipsic days. To tell the plain, unvarnished truth, Miss Cottlow is a child gifted somewhat above the better average of graduates. She, however, should be in school and not on the concert platform, and the long suffering public should not be made the victim of her clever student performances.
29Mr. Wolfsohn was an admirable metronome in the Chopin E minor, the romanza of which was the best attempt of the young lady. Mr. Bendix performed the Mendelssohn G minor to its terminus with an intense delsartian action worthy of a danger signalman. Our able concertmeister should certainly cultivate more repose in his conducting. Mr. Sherwood got up and took off his coat in the middle of the Rubinstein valse caprice. It was evidently getting too hot for him. A delighted audience of children, youths, maidens and quite a few teachers listened to the program. Miss Augusta has a pretty touch, nimble execution and good talent. With proper guardianship she will develop into an artist.
31I wonder if Josef Hofmann has toned down again! I might here mention that the most notable prodigy or wonder child concert ever given was that organized by Christian Bach (son of Sebastian), the gambist Abel, and the violinist Giardini, on April 23, 1760, in the little Haymarket Theatre, of London.
33PARTICIPANTS.
34The thirteen year old Barron, violin (pupil of Giardini).
35The eleven year old Celia, cello.
36The nine year old daughter of Dr. Charles Burney, the famous historian, played the piano, and Gertrude Schmeling (La Mara), then a mere child, played and sang.
38The concert was in her honor. She was one of the primas who have shed lustre on the art, for she was a violinist, pianist, theorist and vocalist of well nigh equal ability.
40I see that Breitkopf & Haertel have published the fourteen sacred songs, with organ, of Albert Becker (he of the mass and "Reformation" cantata fame). He has, moreover, been called to the cantorei (leadership) of the Thomas Schulchor, of Leipsic. This is a gratifying acknowledgment of his great services to German classic sacred music.
42Is Dr. F. Rust dead, or has he retired? He was called to the post during my stay in Leipsic. The well-known story of his finding some Bach cantatas wrapped around the apple trees in the orchard of an Altenburg bauer may here be mentioned. Bach spent a summer once at this particular "Bauernhof" or "Meierei," and in an old chest the bauer found these old yellow papers, and thinking them to be of no value, utilized them in the above manner. He severely berated Rust for unwrapping his infant trees, but was appeased upon the worthy professor offering to purchase all those old worthless papers for a tidy little sum. Verily, truth is stranger than fiction. Those very cantatas are now famous, having received their initial rendition at the hands of that fine musical archæologist, Dr. Carl Riedel and his verein.
44Of course all know that Joseffy, Brinley Richards, Sidney Smith, Petersilea, Dr. Gustav Wolff (formerly of Bradford, England, now in Berlin) all studied at Leipsic about the same time, Peralto somewhat later. Waring (composes good songs and anthems, England), Kinsey (England), Wolff (Baltimore), Horsey (of Kansas City), Amy Goodwin (London), Stankowitch (Philadelphia), Martens (Toronto), Thomas Martin (London, Ont.) are all genuine imported Leipscikers.
46In short, "Leipscis all right." Stuttgart, Berlin and Munich are nowhere in America. Remember Chadwick, Schoenefeld-Carter, Annie Lampman, Harry Field, and a score of other of the young aspirants. Let some of our Berlin and Stuttgart friends tell us who is somebody from those art villages. Gotowsky has been severely criticised in Chicago, and is taxed with an utter lack of sensibility or poetic conception. He is certainly a brilliant performer, whatever else may be true of his style. Do you remember that old gag: "Who are the three biggest liars in town?" "Well, the biggest is a certain piano dealer." And the others? "Well, another piano dealer is the other two!" Hard on them, eh? But this is the latest, and a piano dealer is a very Grimm or Andersen in trade. Who are the artists in Chicago most competent to pronounce on the merits of a piano? Well, the answer must be certain gentlemen who play only one piano! Who is the best teacher of composition? Well, a party or parties who have never even perpetrated a tune. But enough of this uncharitableness! At the sixth Symphony to-day we have had a Gallic feast. The program opened with the classically simple and Gluck-like overture to "Phèdre" of Massenet. The principal and pretentious invocatory motive, which likewise closes the work, is strongly suggestive of the leading motif of Liszt's "Tasso." It was played with a fine sense of dynamic shadings of the medium varieties, and formed a calm, self contained proportion when compared with the erratic and very uneven Saint-Saëns concerto in C minor, No. 4. The "first time" after it refers, of course, to its playing in Chicago. I heard Saint-Saëns himself play it in Leipsic in 1879. It is a most peculiar and in the first movement a most fragmentary effusion. The opening allegro might well nigh be termed a parody, or mixture of a Lutheran and Romish ritual service. It is a somewhat meaningless passacaglia or series of metamorphoses on a very fragmentary motif. The gradations of shading from red to violet, and from gray to yellow, in the piano tone, probably induced Mrs. Zeisler to choose it. In this subtle shading she was startlingly successful, but the last movement in particular has a Sullivanesque and well nigh brutal playfulness, more suggestive of a Gaelic symposium or an Irish wake than of a concerto. It is the least interesting of Saint-Saëns's concertos, and was only made interesting by means of the marvelous powers of the pianist. I remember well how objectionable this work was to the staid Leipscikers. They even went so far as to say that the finale savored of the Ça ira, sabot and Mabille. In the ponderous chords of the first part Mrs. Zeisler very vividly reminded me of Rubinstein's ferociously crashing attack, and again in the aeolian flutterings of much of the arabesque figurations and vaporous scale work she displayed rare legerdemain. She was warmly received and repeatedly recalled. The great attraction, however, of the bill, however, was the mighty "Symphonie" Fantastique (first time in Chicago)—that marvelous idée fixée—that fate—that yearning—that love dominating all mankind alike—which has been besung in holy rhapsody by the saintly Thomas à Kempis:
48Amanis volat, currit, et laetatur; liber est, et non tenetur. Dat omnia pro omnibus, et habet omnia in omnibus; quia in Uno Summo super omnia quiescit; ex Quo omne bonum fluit et prodegit. Non respicit ad dona, sed ad donantem se convertit super omnia bona. Amor modo sepe nescit, sed super omnem modum fervescit. Amor onus non sentit, labores non reputat. one of two readings
49Amanis volat, currit, et laetatur; liber est, et non tenetur. Dat omnia pro omnibus, et habet omnia in omnibus; quia in Uno Summo super omnia quiescit; ex Quo omne bonum fluit et prospicit. Non respicit ad dona, sed ad donantem se convertit super omnia bona. Amor modo sepe nescit, sed super omnem modum fervescit. Amor onus non sentit, labores non reputat. one of two readings
51And in that passionate reverie I hear the well nigh seraphic sweetness of that immortal sonnet CXXIII. of Petrarca:
53Io vidi in terra angelici costumi
54E celeste bellezze al mondo sole;
55Tal che di rimembrar mi giove e dole
56Che quant'io miro par sogni, ombre e fumi,
57E vi di lagrimer quel duo bel lumi, one of two readings
58E vi di lagrimir quel duo bel lumi, one of two readings
59Ch' han fatto milie volte in vi dia al sole,
60Ed uno sospirando dir parole,
61Ch' a' sensi d'ogni sorta i fuumi. one of two readings
62Ch' a' sensi d'ogni uman vaga e fuimi. one of two readings
63Amor, senno, valor, pietate e doglia
64Facean piangendo un più dolce concetto.
65D' ogni altro che nel mondo udir si soglia;
66Ed era il cielo all ar monia si intendo,
67Che non si vedeal'ramo,mover foglia;
68Tanta dolcezza, pien l'aere e 'lvento.
70The divine beauty of this word painting is only equaled by Dante's seraphic sonato to Beatrice, so mellifluously set to music by Bulow. That wonderful "scene in the fields" grows on one as it becomes more familiar; there is an Angelus-like haze over it that infuses a well nigh supernatural calm and soul yearning into its wailing cadences. The thunder rolls by the four kettleists were done with one inspiring furore. One felt as excited as though witnessing the chariot race in "Ben-Hur." They were inspired by the tremendous importance of their task. There is absolute necromancy in Berlioz "Hectoring" of the timpani.
72Here in this work a fair estimate could be formed of the splendid power of the orchestra and of the infallible unanimity of the strings. They are now very unlike the vacillating phalanx of last year. I heard the "Fantastique" and "Juliet" symphonies by Gericke and the Boston aggregation, and certainly this last achievement of the Thomas Orchestra caps anything I have ever as yet heard in America. True it is that there is much of ugliness in the work, but then it is the ideal ugliness of Theophrastus. It is so remarkable, so unique and ideal an ugliness that it well nigh approaches unto beauty.
74I think that an inexperienced listener can impossibly discern even a tenth part of what meat there is in one of those colossal orchestration lexicons—a Berlioz symphonic score.
76I discover new point upon new ingenuity at each successive hearing, and feel that I as yet "see but dimly." Next week we are to have Schumann's melodious "Divertissement à la Hongroise," practically the first complete Hungarian rhapsody also a choice and tempting novelty in Edgar Tinel's "Fête dans le Temple de Jupiter" and the "March Slave" of Tschaikowsky. The program closes with the second rhapsody. The "Dance Macabre" and the Siegfried Waldweben will certainly complete a famous gonlash. Mrs. Ragna Linné will sing an aria of Weber ("Freischutz") and songs of Svendsen and Grieg.
78The eighth will be Beethoven night, Saturday December 17, Egmont music and the Titanic "Ninth." The ninth, on December 23 and 24, will be Wagner night.
80Truly we are enjoying a mighty crescendo.
82NOTES OF THE "WHITE CITY" AT THE FAIR GROUNDS.
84Cleveland's remark in a letter of recent date is worth quoting: I think it is quite time for every resident of the city of New York who has the least regard for her fair name to do whatever lies in his power to maintain the reputation of his city for public spirit and generosity, and at the same time to discredit the suspicion that jealous disappointment can enter into her conduct toward a great national and patriotic undertaking. If both the city and State of New York do not, when aroused on the subject, fully recognize their duty and interests, as they are related to the exposition, I shall be greatly surprised.
86The elaborate study of the painters and sculptors at the fair and of the products of their brush and chisel in last Sunday's "Tribune" has awakened great interest in those departments, in view of the late utterances of the Vatican, e.g., "From this fruitful alliance of democracy with Christianity will arise the future type of all civilizations."
88May we hope to have the glorious masterpieces of the cradle of modern art with us? It is stated that the Vatican is to contribute, but will the real treasures be in that collection? I fear not.
90In the talk of art I never hear that Story, Ezekiel, Porter and other of the classic American sculptors are interested. Can it be that Ezekiel has not been approached. I have also wondered whether facsimile representations of, e.g., the great Luther monument, in Worms; Maximilian Denkmal, in Innsbruck; the Albert memorial, Sir Walter Scott's monument, the Florence David and Samson, the San Pietro in Vincolo "Moses" would not be worth the trouble. We are to have large figures of many of the great kings and heroes of Europe, and when we stand before the myriad wonders there to be seen we shall be forced to use language similar to that of the Queen of Sheba when she stood before the glory and magnificence of Solomon. There is, as the critic says, "a little of the artist as well as the musician in every intelligent man and woman," and the results of this marvelous Columbian University extensive education can scarce be imagined.
92McEwen's panel in the great Liberal Arts Building takes in Music. "Starting from a statue representing one of the muses there is a procession—groups of figures singing and playing upon musical instruments of all descriptions, from satyrs with panpipes, a child playing a tambourine and a mother singing a lullaby to trumpets of victory and music of a higher order."
94Mrs. Lusk's "Music," in the Illinois Building, represents two figures playing the harp and violin that are of surprising beauty. Music Hall will have five great figures by Theodore Baur. St. Gauden's "Diana" has caused quite a ripple among the colony of prudes, but "Diana" has come to stay. A large, even magnificent structure is to be erected for the holding of Sunday religious services. Large numbers of choirs will sing together every Lord's Day.
96The latest music bureau move is a three days' supplementary festival (choral) in August.
98The Illinois Central is getting on its ear, and threatens "to leave the fair severely alone" unless they get all the concessions demanded by them now. We believe that; don't we? They are very likely to miss the chance of carrying 300,000 people daily to and fro. one of two readings
99The Illinois Central is getting on its ear, and threatens "to leave the fair severally alone" unless they get all the concessions demanded by them now. We believe that; don't we? They are very likely to miss the chance of carrying 300,000 people daily to and fro. one of two readings
101Uncle Tom's cabin is to be at the fair; Sir Walter Raleigh's home, from Youghal, Ireland; also a representation of Donegal Castle; also an Irish national industries exhibit. The Education building matter is still in abeyance. Davis wants it at the North end of the grounds, Burnham relegates it to the South end, with the pigs and cattle. It will be all squared up in a few days, however.
103The model of Vienna, with band, which was so popular at the Music exposition there, is to be at the fair.
105I am informed by Clara Flotow-Hyllested that Mr. August Hyllested has been engaged to play with the Thomas Orchestra some time during this season. Mr. Hyllested, I may be allowed to add, is one of the most interesting appearances in Chicago, and will be welcomed back to the concert platform with cordiality.
107W. WAUGH LAUDER.
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.