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Musical Courier 1893-01-04: Vol 26 Iss 670, 1893
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1THE MUSICAL COURIER.
3been chiefly confined to church and oratorio fields. Her first "hit" was made by singing high C in the "Star Spangled Banner" in the Händel and Haydn Society of Brooklyn, of which the elder Mr. Damrosch was director. Parepa, the prima donna of the occasion, sought out the "high C's" father, and insisted that the child with the "fortune in her voice" should be cultivated, which she was. Like many another good singer she is indebted to America alone for her musical training. She began church singing at thirteen at Bedford Avenue Church, Brooklyn; later sang for five years at St. Anne's ("a magnificent place to sing in"), and several years at the Church of the Puritans, Lafayette place and Marcy avenue, under Mr. Lawrence Bogert, the present director, and then came to St. James'. She is well known as a concert singer here and elsewhere, is a member of the Manuscript Society, and has a beautiful voice, which lies close to the lips and teeth. One of her studio fads is "The Hollingsworth Quartet," composed of the wife and three daughters of Mr. J. H. Hollingsworth, an influential musical citizen of Harlem.
5Miss Fielding Roselle, also familiar to the public in concert work, has a rich, full, musical, contralto voice, without jar or break through its compass. A member of the Taylor Lyceum Star Company, a constant student of Mr. Courtney, her ambition is operatic work. Of Southern birth, she lives in New York, is pleasing in manner, dignified and impressive in appearance.
7Mr. Shepherd, the basso, comes from the same sunny clime as Miss Roselle, and possibly the letters from and chats about "home" are exchanged between anthems. Mr. S. is a polished, gentlemanly musician, handsome, with a beautiful baritone voice, mellow in quality and finished in method. Mr. Dean is the tenor. He and Mrs. Crane, sad to say, are the only married members of the St. James' organ loft combination.
9The organ loft is delightful, the acoustics the best. "An easy church to sing in!" is a stereotyped expression in regard to the place. Rehearsals are held on Friday evenings.
11Mr. J. H. Hollingsworth, Judge Dean (no relative of the director) and Mr. R. S. Hollingsworth are among the wealthy and musically interested members. Regular and generous appropriation made annually for the music save this organ loft from subscription care.
13One of the best known places of worship among the Oranges is the Hillside Avenue Presbyterian Church, whose pastor is the Rev. Stanly White, son of Dr. Erskine White, of New York, a young and vigorous preacher and organizer. One year ago the seating capacity of the church was increased from 800 to 1,300. Among the members are some of the best people of Orange, which is saying much. The pastor believes in making the music an aid to worship, and has in the organ loft a quartet of singers who would shine in any metropolitan church.
15The soprano is Miss Jessamine Hallenbeck, well and favorably known in musical circles; contralto, Mrs. Frank Griffin, not so long ago a member of one of Brooklyn's celebrated church quartets, which included Mr. Gerrit Smith and Mr. Francis Fischer Powers; tenor, Mr. J. R. Mix, a talented organist as well as singer, and basso, Mr. Alec Irving, recently of the Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church, New York, and one of the officers of the Mendelssohn Club, whose voice is frequently heard from the concert platform as well as from the choir loft. At a recent special service, when the usual sermon was omitted to give way to the music, an auxiliary quartet from New York, consisting of Mrs. Bessie Stone, soprano; Mrs. Minnie Bell-Irving, contralto; Mr. C. A. Barnes, tenor, and Mr. Percy Heywood Hall, basso, assisted under the direction of Mr. A. Crommelin, organist. The program was unusually fine, and Mr. Irving sang Faure's "Nativity" hymn, arranged by him for solo, chorus and organ.
17Mr. Lawrence Bogert, who—must now wait till next week.
19FANNIE EDGAR THOMAS.
21Arpeggios.
23A PROPOS of "The Messiah," at its performance in Music Hall on Friday evening extremes met when Mr. Louis Lombard, the smallest man in the audience, leaned over the footlights to shake hands with Mrs. Jennie Patrick Walker, by all odds the largest woman in the place. About ten years ago Eastern towns were gladdened by visits of the Lombard Concert Company, of which the small director of conservatory and the oratorio nightingale were the stars. They remain fast and firm friends. He refers to her as "one of my girls."
25Mrs. Ogden Crane says she likes a tall, slim studio; the vocal faults remain close about her and are held by the air long enough for salutary treatment. She also says that she loves THE MUSICAL COURIER and has grown too long for its appearance each week, which shows her to be a teacher of progress as well as skill.
27Mr. Oscar Franklin Comstock is buried in St. Joseph, Mo., teaching, piano singing and harmony in the conservatory there, and also choirmaster and organist in a synagogue and a Presbyterian church. Without inspiration other than that of his own enthusiasm, the young man would gladly return home if a good position offered itself in the city and would be grateful for any suggestion to that effect.
29Stirring rehearsals are in progress for the next concert of the Metropolitan Society, to take place on January 10 at Music Hall. Among the musical numbers to be performed are "Gloria Patri" in Ninety-seventh Psalm, by Barnby; A "Slumber Song," by F. N. Löhr; a magnificent cantata by Becker, containing brilliant solos, trios, quartets and choruses; "Woodland Angelus," by Dvorák; Charles Wood's "Full Fathoms Deep," Gall's "Maidens With the Lips so Rosy," "Rose of the Garden," by Leslie, and "A Wreath of Roses in Our Love," by Rhineberger. The really quartet and solo work of the last two is being conquered by the chorus of 265 voices. Emma Juch will assist at the concert.
31Another Wolff-Hollman Matinee.
33MESSRS. WOLFF and HOLLMAN gave a matinée last Wednesday afternoon at Palmer's and played a popular program to an interested audience. Numbers by Ernst, Sgambati, Rubinstein, Chopin, Tchaikowsky, Wieniawski and Hollman were given in the usual finished style of these two entertaining artists. Mr. Hollman played his "Carmen" fantasia on the 'cello, and though it is nothing but a number of the better known melodies of that opera, strung together in a loose fashion, yet he made a great hit with it. His tone is certainly remarkable. Mr. Wolff had also much success. With Mr. Hollman's obligato Mrs. Anna Burch sang in a refined manner a pretty little "Chant d'Amour," by the Paderewski-periwigged 'cellist. José Da Motta, a young Portuguese pianist, and a pupil of Von Buelow, played Liszt's ballade in B minor, the Rubinstein-Beethoven "Turkish March," and for encore Schubert's "Wohin," from the "Schoene Muellerin" cyclus. Later Mr. Da Motta played with Messrs. Wolff and Hollman the piano part in Mendelssohn's D minor trio. Both as a virtuoso and a musician he revealed many admirable qualities. He has repose, fire, finish and a pure musical touch, crystalline scales and wrists as light as a feather. Mr. Da Motta was not heard under the best auspices, for his piano was pushed so far back on the stage as to lose sonority. He will be heard to better advantage to-day at another Wolff-Hollman matinée in Palmer's Theatre. Miss Alice Mandelick, a talented young contralto and pupil of Mrs. Ashforth, will be also heard.
35Communicated.
37LAST Friday a meeting of the women and men comprising the two music committees of the world's fair auxiliary, was held, when the following action was taken:
39It was voted to arrange musical congresses to occupy one week, beginning July 3. The time was to be apportioned approximately as follows:
41One day, American College of Musicians.
42Two days, National Association of Music Teachers.
43Two days, musical educators (not connected as above), namely:
44(a.) Common school music teachers.
45(b.) College music teachers, meaning those who, like Professors Paine and Stanley, are trying to effect an equation between music and other studies as conditions for degrees.
46(c.) Heads of conservatories.
47One day, women as such. The women will co-operate in all the previous classifications.
49A sub-committee was appointed to take the matter immediately in charge and report to the full committee at a meeting held early in January. The men's committee consisted of Mr. Cady and Mr. Eddy, and the undersigned as chairman.
51Nothing has been heard as yet of the project to hold a festival of the M. T. N. A. in connection with the fair proper at this same time. The opportunity is open for a three days' festival, at which three important choral programs with orchestral additions and accompaniments may be had, devoted to American compositions. Two advantages will result from this: First, the collecting of a chorus and training it in local sections will result in many people making practical acquaintance with important American compositions for the first time. In this way public interest will be awakened. Moreover, when these works come to be given at the fair, the attendants will realize for the first time the real beauty of some of these works.
53A second and obvious advantage is that a festival of this kind not wholly within the authority of the music bureau of the fair would permit the introduction of American works which, on account of their having been long time printed, or for any other reason, might not have passed the board of censors, before whom all compositions regularly have to pass as condition of performance in the fair proper—works which still might be worth considering and performing.
55With reference to the congresses I may add it was not decided to give up the entire time to the organizations above specified, but only the principal meeting of the day. This leaves room to provide for small congresses of specialists not foreseen at this time.
57The question of musical illustrations at the congresses came up, and it was stated by Mr. Thomas that he would be able to afford all the help needed in the line of instrumentalists, but that it was yet somewhat uncertain in respect to vocalists. It was also asked what we might expect in the line of eminent foreign musicians and musical educators, and Mr. Thomas said that he was sorry to say the prospect was very remote. It seems that the plan he proposed for bringing over some of these gentlemen was overruled by a higher or more active power, and a different proposition substituted, the practical effect of which was to discourage the foreign composers from coming. I believe that Mr. Thomas proposed to offer a lump sum large enough for a man to come upon in good shape, and still by economy have a trifle left. Then if he chose to come plainly he would have more left. But the other proposition, I have been told, was merely to entertain the gentlemen here and on the way.
59As yet the matter is only in a nebulous state, for no one of the committee is able to see exactly where a real practical benefit to art or to education will be likely to come from the congresses. But perhaps our minds will be more enlightened a few months later. Meanwhile we are honestly trying to get the thing in as practical shape as possible. It is to the latter end that the foregoing remarks are submitted to THE MUSICAL COURIER, in the hope that editorially or otherwise some good suggestions will be made.
61The women have some great plans, which if they carry out they will have at all events an attractive meeting.
63Respectfully,
64W. S. B. MATHEWS.
66Vienna Letter.
68VIENNA OFFICE THE MUSICAL COURIER,
69IX Schwarzenpanierstrasse 15.
70December 12, 1892.
72THE third Philharmonic concert, under Dr. Hans Richter, came off on Sunday, December 4, with the following program:
74Overture, "Ruy Blas"………………………………………Mendelssohn
75Violin concerto, D minor, No. 3……………………………Max Bruch
76Max Lewinger.
78Symphony, C major………………………………………Schubert
80The overture was brilliantly played and enthusiastically applauded.
82Mr. Lewinger, a young violinist of great promise, pupil of Professor Grün, played the Bruch concerto with great success. This work was heard here last winter, when Joachim introduced it, without creating a very favorable impression. The young virtuoso Lewinger has a pure, good tone and plays like a thorough artist. The Schubert symphony has not been heard since 1886, and although an unusually long work was listened to with profound attention to the end.
84The veteran composer Franz von Suppé personally conducted a revival of his popular operette "Fatinitza" at the Carl Theater last week, and although a man seventy-two years old handled the baton with energy and fire. The next day he was seized with a sudden attack of influenza and is now dangerously ill and confined to his bed. At the Theater an der Wien Alphons Czibulka's new operette "Der Bajazzo" was produced for the first time on Wednesday last and made a great hit. The comedian Girardi has the leading rôle and, as usual, made the most of it. The music is original, tuneful and catchy, and the operette would be sure to please equally as well in America, as it has done here. Mrs. Anna Judic is appearing in Ronacher's Variety Theatre and is singing to crowded houses. She has recently been fulfilling engagements in Buda Pesth and elsewhere and will remain here to the end of the month.
86Mascagni's new opera "I Rantzau" will be heard at the Hof Oper in January, the orchestral rehearsals having already begun. Van Dyk will sing the principal tenor rôle. There has been quite a fight between Mesdames Lola Beeth and Renard as to who is to create the part of "Lisa." When Mascagni was here in September he distinctly wished Lola Beeth to take the part and now the director of the opera wants Miss Marie Renard to sing "Lisa," for some unknown reasons of his own. The outcome of this squabble is looked forward to with unusual interest.
88Impresario Ignaz Kugel, of Vienna, has engaged the celebrated baritone Jean Lasalle, of Paris, for a series of concerts throughout Austria, Germany and Russia. Lasalle will be heard in Vienna some time in January. The same manager has also secured Mrs. Albani for an extended tour of the Continent, and she will also sing here next month. Both these concert will be under the local management of Alexander Rosé, who so successfully superintended the Diémer concert last week.
90The friends of Felix Mottl here were rather amused when they read Mr. Lauder's letter in THE MUSICAL COURIER of November 23, where he speaks of the "lamented Mottl." Somebody asked me whether Mr. Lauder was referring to Mottl's impending marriage. I also noticed a slight error in the same number, when speaking of Weingartner's opera "Genesius," as having been produced in Vienna, whereas it was heard in Berlin. Speaking of "Genesius" reminds me of a good joke which the 'cellist Heinrich Grunfeld made lately. He was asked his opinion
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