Scan 17
Musical Courier 1893-07-01: Vol 27 Iss 695, 1893
74 lines. Read by computer on 23 September 2026. Printed page 18. See the scan on archive.org.
1Grove, say to these bitter words? For did they not write the voluminous, pretentious and wholly inadequate Life of Jenny Lind in two volumes, in which we are told that the Bishop of Tasmania approved of the singer's character; that her manner toward the Bishop of Norwich was intensely reverential; that Dean Stanley thought highly of her singing; that she preferred the Bible and sunsets to the life upon the stage? This swollen and yet incomplete work abounds in such pious orgies of cheap rhetoric.
3Now, the Lord forbid that I should jest at man or woman on account of righteousness of life. The purity and the charity of Jenny Lind excite the admiration of readers to-day, in spite of the sentimental and fulsome eulogies of her biographers. Alfred de Musset, however, once said that George Sand used the word chastity until it became indecent; and when the purity of a singer is extolled and italicized for a thousand pages, the reader may easily be pardoned for hoping that there might have been at least one peccadillo, un péché vénial, after the manner of Blanche d'Azay, that escaped the notice of the canon of St. Paul's and the British Matron.
5Or when he sees a sentence like this: "The very existence of an artist, who responded to Mendelssohn's Ideal, is bound to set us thinking," what can the reader do but drop the book. It is as bad as the "Hoot mon" that starts the opening chapter of so many "novels of character."
7I wish that Jenny Lind had written her own life, the record of her private and artistic life; that is if she had written honestly, without affectation, and without concession to popular English taste. We might then gain some idea of her real personality. For even your selfish scoundrels, when they write apologies for their existence, show as a rule their evil disposition, and the good of which perhaps they, as well as the world, were unconscious.
9The autobiography of a virtuoso should be peculiarly interesting. Ulysses-like, he sees many cities and many men; he is thrown in with singular dwellers in Bohemia, and smug inhabitants of the land of Conventionality. There are books written or dictated by musicians that are delightful reading, and again there are autobiographies that disappoint and are dull.
11Perhaps the most fascinating of all these books is the joyous and pathetic account of Dittersdorf's life, dictated to his son, a wretchedly printed volume of about 300 pages. It bears no motto, but this one would serve:
13"O, how wretched is that poor man, that hangs on princes' favors!"
15Then, there are the books of Grétry, garrulous, shrewd, a queer mixture of nonsense and acuteness.
17There are the stories told by Spohr, Adam, Roger, Duprez, Rubinstein,—there is a long list.
19Take for instance the "Souvenirs" of Giuseppe Marco Maria Felice Blangini. How charming is the innocent vanity of the man! Do you remember his account of his relations with S. A. I., the Princess Pauline, Princess Borghès? How discreetly indiscreet the sad dog is. "Now, I arrive at the point where I must speak of my acquaintance with the Princess Pauline. My relations with her have made too much noise in the world for me to think that I should be constrained by useless discretion; but in speaking of her, I shall point out characteristics that have not, perhaps, as yet received just treatment. The rumor of my reputation as a chamber singer and composer reached her; she wished to know me, to hear me, to take lessons. As soon as I was informed of her wish, I was at her command. She took several lessons, and in a few days she named me 'Director of her Music.' But before I pursue this delicate theme I must note here other recollections, which might escape me."
21Giuseppe, your promotion was as rapid as that of Fritz in the service of La Grande Duchesse. But you and your Princess Pauline and the 300 of your noble pupils, whose names you so diligently record, where are you all to-day? Where is the Baroness de La Bouillerie, or Lady Doyle, or Miss Sullivan? Perhaps, although you yourself died over fifty years ago, some very old woman, with snow white hair, with shaking knees, some venerable woman may even now blush for a moment at the recollection of your name, and sigh at the distress of your latter years? For you were loved by women, Blangini, and you melted them by your romances. But where are your 174 romances in thirty-four volumes? And where are your 170 nocturnes for two voices?
23And now comes Charles Dancla, with his "Notes et Souvenirs," published this year by Delamotte in Paris. Here we have no Blangini with his amourettes. It is a set, sad, earnest face that meets the reader at the very start. This is Dancla, the violinist, composer and professor; the man of prizes, medals and decorations. His book is not without lovable naiveté. He tells you when he was disappointed; when he was treated unjustly. He expresses his opinions freely.
25He does not tell us when he was born, but it was in 1818. The first impression was made by Robinson Crusoe; he sought adventure in the neighborhood, and on his return was trounced by a heavy handed father.
27When he was thirteen he heard Paganini. "His violin still sings in my ears." Dancla's remarks concerning the peculiarities of Paganini's performance are of great interest to violinists, and they, as well as his comments on other masters of the fiddle, should be translated at length. He declares that the finger ensemble of Paganini, "so indispensable in obtaining sureness of intonation," was approached by Vieuxtemps alone. Listen to this man of severe taste and rigid views. "Some artists have said that Paganini was a dazzling meteor who left no trace of his path. I dispute the validity of this opinion, erroneous, unjust, because to-day, as then, Paganini has rendered a great service to intelligent violinists, who have gained inspiration by novel effects once peculiar to him. * * * I believe that outside of the works of Bach, Tartini, Locatelli, Campagnoli, and other ancient and modern works especially contrived for enlarging the play of the fingers, it is necessary to study seriously the studies of Paganini, which are masterpieces, a very monument of the art of violin playing. * * * In spite of the abandon which Paganini gave to a phrase, he was exact in his delivery of a measure."
29In 1880 Dancla admired the elegant and irreproachable bearing of De Beriot, as well as the purity of his tone. "His style was of a rare exactness, and his bowing was remarkably supple." Dancla was convinced that De Beriot adopted the same scordatura as that of Paganini in the performance of his concerto, i.e., all the strings were raised a semitone.
31"Leonard was an honest and loyal artist." In 1869, when he was asked to serve on the Conservatory jury, he refused on the ground that he should not judge publicly his own pupils.
33In 1887 Dancla played for the first time at the Société des Concerts, and an amateur offered him a fine Stradivarius. Dancla worked with it for ten days, but he did not master it, and he played on his own, an instrument of Gand père.
35"Vieuxtemps was a virtuoso in the best meaning of the term; his style was large, of clear sonority, powerful, transparent, perfect in intonation; his bowing was supple, his staccato was pure. * * * Everything was united in him, and he was a remarkable composer."
37"According to my opinion, a conductor that is not a violinist cannot indicate in an orchestral work, or even in opera, the proper bowing and fingering, which vary the timbre of the strings and give ensemble, homogeneity and finish."
39"My colleague, Mr. Massart, always a teacher thoroughly engrossed, preferred that a pianist should accompany his pupils, as he probably thought that the ensemble is more complete and the pupil better sustained. I do not agree with him. The violin supports the pupil better, and inspires him more."
41"The chief characteristics of the instrumental works of Viotti are nobleness of thought, grandeur and elevation of style, expressive and charming melody. Viotti should be regarded as the true chief of the French violin school."
43"In 1841 I heard the young violinist Thérèsa Milanollo. This twelve year old girl triumphed, and justly. I was struck by her precocious skill and the accuracy of her execution. Besides true sentiment and great purity of style, she had a sympathetic tone that moved the hearer. * * * As I left the hall I saw Berlioz, who, as a critic, was surely Somebody, and he was enthusiastic."
45In 1845 Dancla played with Liszt at Lyons. The pianist did not wish to play the variation written by Osborne and De Beriot in their duet founded on "William Tell," as "the variation was pretty without doubt, but for little girls." Dancla wondered at the fire, the dash and the fancy of the pianist. "I never understood why ancient and modern masters paid so little attention to useful and necessary indications, without which it is difficult to interpret their works, I asked the reason of this of De Beriot and Vieuxtemps. 'To what good,' was the reply; 'when one is intelligent he should divine that which is necessary.' Now, I should not like to say that these masters perhaps wished to keep their traditions and secrets."
47"I am struck by the slowness and sweetness of the clarinet solo in the overture of 'Zampa,' as it is played to-day. Hérold used to say, 'You need dash and vigor, for it is Zampa that speaks!' And if I remember aright, the celebrated clarinetist Bouffil played the C clarinet instead of the A so as to gain a more biting tone."
49But this is enough of Dancla for the present. His comments on contemporaneous music are interesting and perhaps irritating, but they will keep.
51The total subscriptions to the new Music Hall up to Saturday evening amount to $384,100. The subscribers are 242, and the amounts range from $100 to $25,000. The sum of $65,000 is still needed, and earnest appeals are made to the citizens "to retain for Boston its pre-eminence in music."
53The report of the engagement of Mr. Weingartner as conductor of the Symphony Orchestra is denied at Music Hall.
55PHILIP HALE.
57An American Singer.
59PARIS, May 26.
61AMERICA as a land of sweet songstress scored another great success on Wednesday night, when Miss Sanderson, of California, appeared here in the leading part in Saint-Saëns' comic opera of "Phryne." This vocalist has all the gifts needed for the part. She has a splendid figure, a face which one is never tired of looking at and a delightful voice of the light and rich soprano kind. It was not easy to be "Phryne" without trenching on the proprieties. Yet she was equal to this requirement. The music is worthy of the composer of "Samson and Delilah," who was enraptured with his Californian songstress, as well he might be. Miss Sanderson is an accomplished actress. She lives here with her mother and several other sisters, who are all gifted but in different ways, which is fortunate. They do not, therefore, enter into rivalry with one another. Somehow she did not take in London, where she sang in "Manon." Perhaps she would now impress a London public differently, her voice and talents having since then gained in maturity. The music of "Phryne" is on the whole light, lively and most original. It is free from the dross of every sort of vulgarity. Harps and timbrels are brought into it with the happiest effect. The use made of them gives one the idea of glancing cleverness, a mental quality for which the Athenians of former days were famous. Some passages are simply splendid in the overflowing fullness of strong musical sentiment. One of these is the hymn of invocation to Venus. This is an appropriate hymn to be sung in the house of "Phryne." It is given as a trio, with an accompaniment which Saint-Saëns only could have composed.
63The Athenian professional beauty, whom Miss Sanderson has to personate, is not so bad in the opéra comique as she might be. There are in her favor extenuating circumstances without number. Were she not what she is, how could she associate with the men of talent in Athens, or escape from the coop'd up life to which the respectable Greek woman was condemned? She is made out to be a good hearted person and loyal to the "Archon's," or Judge's, nephew, "Nicias."
65"Nicias" is like Charles Surface in being nobody's enemy but his own. He outruns the constable in many ways. Having, for Athens, a large estate, his avaricious uncle combines with the creditors of "Nicias" to throw him into prison and sell his property for anything it may bring, so that the corrupt and unnatural uncle may buy it. Phryne determines to defeat his plans. She begins by setting on her slaves to beat the bailiffs sent to arrest "Nicias" and to seize on his property. She also sets them on to sing ribald songs in front of the bust of the Archon, "Dicephile," which has been freshly unveiled. For this she is summoned before the Areopagus. But we only hear of her trial, and for the sake of stage effect she is represented to have been condemned.
67The "Archon," having seen her before the Court of Athens, falls in love with her and comes to call on her at nightfall. She, wanting to get "Nicias" off, plans with him a course of action. She is to lead "Dicephile" to compromise himself, and then "Nicias" is to rush in with a number of witnesses and force the uncle under the threat of exposure to promise the reversal of the sentences against "Phryne" and "Nicias." Miss Sanderson's by-play is above all praise when she is inveigling the knavish old "Judge" into the trap. He cannot go further in folly. As Athens was never a dressy city in the Parisian sense, the eye is not diverted from Miss Sanderson by the finery of her clothes. The costumes are of course all Greek, and the plot is of the flimsiest. All the better. The interest of the work entirely depends on the beauty of the principal singer and on the vocal and instrumental music.
69E. C. in "Tribune."
71Emil Liebling's June Concerts.—Emil Liebling played before the New York State Music Teachers' Association at Rochester on June 27, and before the Indiana State Music Teachers' Association on June 30 at La Porte. His program at both concerts was wholly composed of Schumann compositions.
73Highland Park Commencement.—The commencement concert of the Highland Park Normal College, at Des Moines, Ia., was given last Monday evening under the direction of Mr. James M. Tracy, the music director. The program was an interesting one and very well given.
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