Scan 17
Musical Courier 1893-09-27: Vol 27 Iss 707, 1893
75 lines. Read by computer on 20 September 2026. Printed page 18. See the scan on archive.org.
1London Letter.
2LONDON, September 9, 1883.
4SIR ARTHUR SULLIVAN has made so much progress with the music of the new comic opera for the Savoy that Mr. D'Oyly Carte proposes to put it in rehearsal next week.
6Sir Augustus Harris opens his provincial tour at Edinburgh next Monday. The company will also visit Glasgow, Newcastle, Liverpool, Manchester, Belfast, Dublin, Cork and Birmingham, giving a week's performances in each place of the following operas: Monday, "Orfeo" and "Pagliacci;" Tuesday, "L'Amico Fritz" and "Cavalleria Rusticana;" Wednesday, "Les Huguenots;" Thursday, "Il Trovatore;" Friday, "Carmen;" Saturday matinée, "I Ranzau," and evening, "Faust." The principal artists—all, except Mr. Maggi, well known at Covent Garden—are: Sopranos, the Misses Gherlisen, Dagmar, Sofia Ravogli, Biancoli, Florenza and Lucile Hill; contraltos, the Misses Giulia Ravogli, Pauline Joran and Olitzka; tenors, Messrs. Morello, Giannini, Joseph O'Mara, Corsi and Guetary; basses and baritones, Messrs. Dufriche, David, Bispham, Maggi, Richard Green, Vaschetti, Vilani, Castelmary and Caraccolo. Mr. Seppilli, from Milan, will conduct, while Mr. Feld will be his able assistant.
8This enterprising impresario believes the time has come when the growth of music in England, from various active causes, will support a first-class touring company giving popular operas in Italian. The Carl Rosa Opera Company have secured a strong hold upon the public by these popular operas in English, and it is thought that a little healthy competition will be to their mutual advantage.
10Mr. Giuseppe Maggi, who sings in the above tour is a new Italian baritone from Alessandra, receiving his musical and dramatic training in Milan. He is an accomplished linguist and has a large répertoire of Italian, French, English and German operas.
12This evening Andrau's comic opera "La Mascotte" will be given at the Gaiety and will run until the new burlesque "Don Juan" is ready for production; probably early in October.
14The attendance at the Promenade Concerts has not averaged as high this week as previously; on "Wagner" night, however, the house was crowded to its fullest extent, and the admirers of the great master listened to a fine program well rendered by Mr. Cowen's able forces.
16On Monday night the instrumentalists rendered: Overture, "Fingal's Cave" (Mendelssohn), andante from Symphony No. 1 (Beethoven), "Invitation à la Valse" (Weber-Berlioz), intermezzo "L'Amico Fritz" and selection from "The Gondoliers." Mr. Oudin sang "In Happy Moments" ("Maritana") (Wallace), and "Who Knows," while other vocal numbers were contributed by Mrs. Giulia Valda, Mr. Charles Chilley, Master Cyril Tyler and the Meister Glee Singers.
18On Tuesday, Wagner night, the program comprised overtures "Tannhäuser" and "Meistersinger;" prelude and entr'acte "Lohengrin;" "Wotan's" "Abschied and Feuerzauber," "Traume," "Waldbewen," "Ride of the Walkire" and "Kaiser March." The vocal part was rendered by Miss Ella Russell, Mrs. Sweatlowski and others.
20On Wednesday, classical night, the audience listened to Beethoven's "Pastoral" symphony, which was well rendered and heartily appreciated; Schubert's overture "Rosa-munda," Berlioz' "Danse des Sylphes" and "March Hongroise," and a selection from "Carmen." Slivinski gave an admirable rendering of Schumann's concerto in A for the piano, and he also played Mendelssohn's "Fileuse" and transcriptions by Liszt of Chopin and Schubert. Mr. Braxton Smith, among the vocalists, received the heartiest encore of the evening for his singing of Händel's "Rendi 'l Sereno," while Mrs. Alwina Valleria, Miss Mackenzie, Mr. Oudin and others contributed to a delightful evening.
22The selections on Thursday, Gounod night, were overture "Mirella," entr'acte "Colombe;" saltarello, "Danse des Bacchantes;" ballet music and selection, "Faust," and march "Reine de Saba," while Mrs. Giulia Valda, Mrs. Belle Cole, Mr. Oudin and others sang selections from his works.
24Friday, English night, the orchestral numbers were overtures, "Sunshine and Shade" (Cliffe), "Robert Macaire" (C. Ould); symphonic poem, "The Passing of Beatrice" (W. Wallace); dances, "Henry VIII." (German); waltz, "Sleeping Beauty" (Cowen); "Imperial March" (Sullivan), and a selection from "Bohemian Girl." The vocalists were Miss Ella Russell, Miss Mackenzie, Mr. Charles Chilley and others, while Mr. Steadman's choir gave an excellent rendering of the popular vocal waltz. For to-night, known as the "popular" night, the program advertised is Beethoven's symphony No. 1; ballet music, "Sylvia" (Delibes); gavot, "Yellow Jasmine" (Cowen), and selection, "Les Cloches de Corneville." Mr. Johannes Wolff will contribute a violin solo, while Mrs. Giulia Valda, Miss Gertrude Aylward, Miss Carrie Curnow, Mr. Pierpoint and others will appear as vocalists. Mr. Sinkins assures us that Mr. Sims Reeves will positively make his first appearance next Monday evening at the Promenades. Miss Emma Juch has been engaged to sing at the Crystal Palace concerts the coming season.
26Mrs. Nordica sails for America on the Paris the 16th inst. to sing at the Worcester Festival. She has other engagements which will occupy her time until the grand opera season in November, when she is engaged to sing the dramatic rôles of the Abbey & Grau performances.
28Mrs. Nordica was the recipient of a beautiful gift, showing the great esteem that Queen Victoria holds for her, both as an artist of the highest rank and personally as a friend. It was a dagger crowned with diamonds and the blade (about 5 inches long) made of pearls, sapphires and rubies. This is the most elegant gift that the Queen has given to any who have sung before her, and Mrs. Nordica won it by her bright personality, beautiful voice and artistic singing. Mrs. Nordica is a great favorite, not only with the Queen, but other members of the royal family, and has several valuable tokens of their esteem for her.
30MR. ALFRED GILBERT.
32One of the most interesting institutions of London, from a musician's point of view, is "the Musical Artists' Society," organized in 1874 through the efforts of Mr. Albert Gilbert. The object of the society is to give an annual series of concerts, at which young composers have the opportunity for the performance of their works, and vocalists and instrumentalists the advantage of a public appearance. To make the programs attractive to the general public, a part of each is made up out of standard works.
34Acting as secretary Mr. Gilbert has secured the support of several prominent musicians, and during the past nineteen years has enabled many now well-known artists to make their first appearance before the English public. He has supplemented this work by continuing to help those having merit until they no longer needed such aid.
36This Mr. Gilbert has accomplished while leading a very busy life as teacher of the piano, conductor and composer.
38In the latter field he was destined to become widely known through the well-worn melody of "Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay," which was taken from his spectacular cantata, "Abdallah" (the last Moorish king), composed especially for the Merchant Tailors' School Choral Society. The American rights were sold to a Boston man in 1886, and the five bars constituting the above air were taken from it, and found their way back to England.
40The craze of "Ta-ra-ra." was at its height when Mr. Gilbert first heard it, and he at once recognized the melody as one from his cantata, "Abdallah." He immediately sold the English rights to Mr. Shierd (music publisher) for 100 guineas and a royalty, which has put a snug sum of money into Mr. Gilbert's pocket.
42Beside this cantata, which was very successful in England, he has written another, "L'Amie du Drapeau," for female voices, four operettas, a sonata, a complete school for the piano of 200 numbers, which is used extensively in England and numerous solos, duets, trios, quartets, &c.
44The Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Roma, awarded him a special diploma for introducing there a new form of composition; namely, a quartet for piano and strings, with an obligato for four voices.
46Mrs. Charlotte C. Gilbert, his wife, was a prominent English singer (soprano), a well-known teacher of the voice and composed some very good songs; the most popular were "Name Me Not" and "Night and Morn." Their son is the greatest sculptor in England to-day. Mr. Gilbert is a fellow of the Royal Academy of Music, being one of the celebrated one hundred, a director of the Philharmonic Society and member of the Royal Society of Musicians, and in his several capacities has done much for the furtherance of the art in Great Britain.
48FRANK VINCENT.
50LONDON, September 16, 1883.
52The thirty-eighth annual series of the Crystal Palace Saturday concerts opens on October 14. Among the artists already engaged to appear during the season are, pianists, Paderewski (December 9), Slivinski (October 14), Miss Janotha, Mr. Siloti (November 18), and Mrs. Bloomfield-Zeisler; vocalists, Miss Ada Patterson, Miss Palliser, Mr. Edward Lloyd, Mr. Ben Davies, Mr. William Ludwig, Mr. Andrew Black, Mr. Norman Salmond, Mr. B. Pierpoint and Mr. Foli. It is also arranged for Mrs. Moran-Olden, Miss Emma Juch, Miss Meisslinger, Miss Otta Brony, and Mr. David Bispham to make their first appearance at these concerts.
54Among the novelties Mr. Manns will introduce are "The Water Lily" (Cowen); Mr. Edward Geaman's new symphony; an orchestral ballad, "Durana" (Godfrey Pringle); concert overture, "Youth" (Dr. Henry Hiles); overture, "The Fire Worshippers" (Granville Bantock); orchestral prelude, "The Eumenides of Æschylus" (Wallace); cradle song for orchestra (C. H. Coultery). Mr. Julius Klengel will introduce his new violoncello concerto and Miss Frida Scotta will appear among the violinists. Mr. Manns also gives concerts at the Palace on Wednesdays, at which appear many young and unknown artists; if they please the conductor and the audience they are asked to sing at the Friday concerts, which are a grade higher; then if thought worthy they are engaged for the regular Saturday concerts at a nominal fee, usually of 5 guineas. In this same way instrumentalists and composers have an opportunity of coming before the public. The directors of the Palace in consideration of Saturday afternoon being a holiday in London have reduced the prices of admission from 2s. 6d. to 1s.
56The promenade concerts still continue to receive the hearty endorsement of the public, and Mr. Sinkins has decided to prolong his season until October 7. On Monday night Mr. Sims Reeves was received with great enthusiasm. He did not respond to the encore after "Tom Bowling" owing to a slight cold, but despite this the second number, "Come into the Garden, Maud," was so well done that an imperative encore brought out the veteran in "The Jolly Young Waterman." The other vocalists were Mrs. Valda, Miss MacKenzie, Cyril Tyler and Pierpoint. Slivinski played Rubinstein's concerto in D minor and the orchestra overture, "Prometheus" (Beethoven), Turkish Rondo (Mozart), exhibition overture (Auber) and selections from "Martha." On Tuesday night Mr. Cowen's forces played overture, "Anacreon" (Cherubini); ballet airs, "Rosamunda" (Schubert); melodie and minuet (Paderewski); Danza Esotica (Mascagni), first time; ballet, "Le Cid" (Massenet), and selections from Chevalier's coster songs. Mr. Johannes Wolff gave an artistic rendering of Godard's violin concerto, and Phillip Newbury, among the vocalists, sang "O, 'tis a glorious sight," "Oberon" (Weber).
58On Wednesday night, classical night, the orchestra played Schumann's symphony in D minor, overture to "Leonora," minuet and chassone (Gluck) and selection, "Les Cloches de Corneville." Mr. Johannes Wolff again appeared and Mrs. Valda, Cyril Tyler, Newbury, Oudin and Steadman's choir were the vocalists.
60Thursday was Mendelssohn night, and the program included the great master's Scotch symphony, overtures, "Midsummer Night's Dream" and "Ruy Blas," and selection from "La Grande Duchesse;" Slivinski's piano solo, "Variations Seriose," and vocal selection rendered by Miss Isidor, Cyril Tyler and Miss MacKenzie. Last evening (English night) saw a large audience gathered to hear overtures "Lurline" and "Dramatique" (Hervey); ballet music, Nordisa (Corder); incidental music, "Henry VIII." (Sullivan), and selection "Satanella" (Balfe). Miss Margaret Hoare led the vocalists, among whom were Mrs. Belle Cole, Cyril Tyler, Mr. Leyland, Mr. Thorndyke and Steadman's choir.
62To-night, grand popular evening, Mrs. Valda will sing "Je suis Titane" ("Mignon") and "Mia Picciarella" (Gomez), and the orchestra will play symphony "The Clock" (Haydn), suite "L'Arlesienne" (Bizet), overture "William Tell," and selection from Chevalier's "coster" songs.
64Next Monday evening Mr. Sims Reeves appears again, and on Wednesday evening we have the first performance of "Samson et Dalila," followed with a Saturday matinée and the third performance on Monday evening, the 25th inst. Mrs. Sanz and Mr. Lafarque, who originally created the two leading rôles, will come over to take them on these occasions. Mr. Oudin will be the "High Priest of Dagon;" Mr. Arthur Barlow, "Abimelech;" Mr. James Gawthrop, a Philistine messenger; Mr. H. Lewis Thomas, the first Philistine, and Mr. McGrath, an aged Hebrew, the second Philistine. The chorus and orchestra will be 350 strong, and Mr. Saint-Saëns is supervising the rehearsals, and will be present at the performances.
66Among the musical arrangements of the "Concert Direction of Daniel Mayer" may be mentioned Mr. Paderewski's tour of the provinces, where he gives thirty recitals commencing October 21, after playing at the Norwich Festival at Brighton, and finishing December 18 at Sheffield. He also plays at St. James' Hall on October 31, when he will be accompanied by the Symphony Orchestra and Mr. Henschel's Scottish orchestra will also accompany him at Edinburgh. The eighth series of London symphony concerts will take place at St. James' Hall commencing Wednesday evening, November 8. Among the soloists are Mr. Paderewski, Miss Frida Scotta, Miss Langley (a young English violinist), Mr. César Thompson, Miss Ilona Eibenschütz, Mr. Emile Sauert, Mr. Plunket Greene and Miss Marie Brema.
68Mr. Schoenberger will give a recital in London on November 2. Mrs. Fanny Bloomfield-Zeisler will appear at the Crystal Palace and other concerts. Mrs. Melba will make a provincial tour, visiting the following cities: Liverpool, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Brighton, Dublin and a number of other cities. Master Jean Gérardy also makes a provincial tour.
70Mr. Plunket Greene will be kept busy with engagements until his four months' American tour, which begins next January. Miss Evangeline Florence (Houghton), from Boston, who finished under Mr. Henschel, promises to be one of the most popular of the younger sopranos, having already over seventy engagements booked for the coming season. Miss Florence's high soprano voice is as fresh and pure as a bird, and under Mr. Henschel's training she has learned to use it most artistically.
72Report has it that Sir Augustus Harris' Royal Italian Opera Company had a very successful week in Edinburgh this week. The Queen has commissioned Mr. Tosti to write two small operettas for performance by members of the court, some of whom have considerable dramatic talent.
74The festival of the "Three Choirs," of Worcester, Hereford and Gloucester, that met at the former city this week,
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