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Musical Courier 1894-02-14: Vol 28 Iss 727, 1894
31 lines. Read by computer on 21 September 2026. Printed page 13. See the scan on archive.org.
1LONDON, January 30, 1894.
3THE Philharmonic Society have issued the prospectus of their thirty-second season, and the series of seven concerts begin on February 28 and take place at the Queen's Hall fortnightly thereafter under the conductorship of Dr. A. C. Mackenzie. Thirteen works will be added to their répertoire, including, for the first time in London, Dvorák's new symphony in E minor; Edward German's symphony in A minor and Dr. Hubert Parry's overture "On an Unwritten Tragedy" in A; for the first time in England, Tschaikowsky's new symphony No. 6; Vincenzo Ferrari's "Overture d'Ariosto;" Sophie Menter's "Zigeunerweisen" fantasia and Tschaikowsky's fantasia. The remainder of the thirteen are Berlioz' overture to "King Lear;" Goldmark's overture to "Sakuntala;" Smetana's "Lustspiel" overture; Wagner's "Eine Faust Overture;" Mackenzie's "Pibroch" and Paderewski's "Polish Fantasia." Among the standard works down for performance are Beethoven's symphony No. 4 in B flat and No. 8 in F; Brahms' symphony No. 2 in D; Saint-Saëns' symphony in C, for orchestra, organ and piano (four hands), conducted by the composer; Mendelssohn's overture, "Meeresstille," and others. It is expected that Dvorák will come over and conduct his work. Among the soloists announced are Paderewski, Sapellnikoff, Mrs. Sophie Menter, Miss Fannie Davies, Mr. Leonard Borwick; violinists, Mr. César Thomson, Mr. Sauret and Miss Frida Scotta; vocalists, Miss Ella Russell, Miss Landi, Mr. Ben Davies and Mr. Oudin.
5The performance of Sullivan's "Golden Legend" on Thursday night by the Royal Choral Society at the Albert Hall was fully up to their usual high standard. Miss Esther Palliser as "Elsie," though somewhat nervous at first from never having sung the rôle before, gave a most satisfactory rendering to the music, "The night is calm and cloudless" being sung with much fervor and charm, and in the marriage duet with "Prince Henry" she shared the honors with Mr. Ben Davies. The popular tenor sang with his accustomed style and finish, and Miss Marian Mackenzie, as "Ursula," and Mr. Andrew Black, as "Lucifer," repeated the successes they have made so many times before in these parts. Sir Joseph Barnby conducted with his customary skill, and secured a rendition of the choral numbers that was fully up to their best work. The performance of Gounod's "Redemption" is announced for Ash Wednesday.
7The Triennial Händel Festival at Crystal Palace takes place this year on June 22, 25, 27 and 29. Arrangements have been consummated this week with the following artists as soloists: Mrs. Albani, Miss Anna Williams, Miss Emma Juch, Mrs. Clara Samuel and Mrs. Melba as sopranos; Miss Marian Mackenzie and Miss Clara Butt, contraltos; Messrs. Lloyd and Ben Davies, tenors, and baritones, Messrs. Santley, Andrew Black and Norman Salmond.
9Mr. Sims Reeves has once more consented to appear on the concert platform, and will under the concert direction of Mr. Daniel Mayer make a tour of the principal provincial cities after Easter.
11Mr. Plunket Greene will sail for America about February 3, having postponed his tour in the States until that date on account of the severe illness of his father with influenza, and he himself has been suffering from overwork. He is taking a long needed rest and looks forward to his second American visit with keen anticipation, and, like Mr. George Grossmith, speaks in the most enthusiastic terms of his treatment over there.
13Master Jean Gérardy has just gained an immense success at the Philharmonic concerts in Vienna under the conductorship of Dr. Hans Richter.
15The Imperial Institute gave another of their interesting concerts at their large hall on Wednesday evening. Gottlieb's Viennese orchestra opened the concert with Bach's "Hungarian March," and played five other selections. A charming combination was effected by a quartet for voice, violin, harp and piano; another pleasing selection was a new song by Mrs. Guy d'Hardelot, "Visions," with harp accompaniment, sung and played by Miss Marguerite Viller, and a violin obligato was played by Miss Louise Nanney. Among the other artists were Miss Gwladys Wood, Miss Charlotte Russell, Mr. Maldwyn Humphries and Mr. Arthur Barlow. The new orchestra, which will hold 100 performers, will be occupied next Wednesday by the orchestra of the Royal College of Music, under the conductorship of Prof. C. Villiers Stanford. The program as arranged will include Schubert's "Rosamunde" overture, Spohr's clarinet concerto in C minor, with the solo taken by Mr. Charles Draper (a student); Dvorák's symphony No. 4, in G, and Liszt's "Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2," in D. The vocal numbers are the waltz from "Romeo e Giulietta" and recitative and cavatina "Dio possente," "Faust." Before Easter the Royal College will hold another concert there, the Royal Academy of Music two, and the Imperial Institute orchestra and Choral Society, under the conductorship of Mr. Alberto Randegger, two; so that London is provided with a new concert room in the West End.
17On Wednesday night, at St. James' Hall, Mr. Boosey gave one of the best ballad concerts thus far of the series. Among the artists were Miss Evangeline Florence, Miss Liza Lehmann, Mrs. Antoinette Sterling, Miss Clara Butt, Mr. Santley and others. The two American artists were among the favorites of the evening.
19Dr. Bridge, of Westminster Abbey, completed a most interesting series of lectures at the City of London School, on the Victoria Embankment last night. Crowded houses have gathered to hear what he had to say on the topics that I mentioned in my letter to THE MUSICAL COURIER last week, and I propose giving a full report of them all as soon as possible. Last evening the subject of "Musical Gestures" was most interesting and was well illustrated by some of the boys from the Abbey. Mr. David Bispham returned to London this week from a highly successful tour in America. M. Ysaye will appear at several concerts in Scotland this month. Mr. W. H. Cummings will commence to-day a series of lectures on "English Schools of Musical Composition" at the Royal Institution. Mr. Joseph O'Mara and Mr. Richard Green have gone to Milan to more fully prepare for next season of opera at Covent Garden. Miss Eibenschtuz will play Brahms' new "Clavierstücke" at the Popular Concerts next Monday. Sir Augustus Harris is recovering from his late serious illness and is planning for the coming season, which it is hinted will be a very brilliant one. Professor Stamford's mass in G, which will be the novelty at the first concert of the Bach Choir, has been heard at Brompton Oratory several times, but no doubt will gain much by a performance in the concert room by a large, well trained choir. Miss MacIntyre has had great success in Milan in Wagner's "Walküre," and arrangements are being made for her to take the leading rôles in several other operas at La Scala. Miss Ethel Sharp has been making an equal success in Vienna, where her piano playing has elicited the warmest praise. This afternoon is an interesting concert event, namely the giving of "Cavalleria" and "Pagliacci" in concert form at the Queen's Hall with Miss Ella Russell, Mr. Oudin, Mr. Ben Davis and Mr. Lloyd in the principal parts. Miss Fanny Davis has just received the membership of the Beethoven House at Bonn. The Orpheus Glee Club Society celebrates its jubilee on February 1. To-night Mr. Aramis, of Covent Garden Opera, gives a grand concert at Queen's Hall, when he will be assisted by several operatic artists who are in the city. Next Wednesday Mr. Boosey gives another ballad concert at the Queen's Hall, thus alternating between that and the old locale, St. James' Hall.
21Quite an amusing contribution was sent to a contemporary the "Minstrel" by an admirer of Paderewski, which I quote entirely:
23"Sir—A gentleman gave me a ticket for the Paderewski concert, and I went to hear the great man play the piano in a way that made me feel all over in spots. As soon as he sat down on the stool I knew by the way he handled himself that he understood the machine he was running. He tapped the keys up at one end, just as if they were gauges, and he wanted to see if he had water enough. Then he looked up as if he wanted to know how much steam he was carrying, and the next moment he pulled open the throttle, and sailed on to the main line as if he was half an hour late. You could hear him thunder over culverts and bridges, and getting faster and faster, until the fellow rocked about in his seat like a cradle. Somehow I thought it was my engine pulling a passenger train and getting out of the way of a 'special.' The fellow worked keys on the middle division like lightning, and then he flew along the north end of the line until the drivers went round like a buzz saw and I got excited. About the time I was thinking to tell him to cut her off a little, he kicked the dampers under the machine wide open, pulled the throttle back in the tender, and 'Jerusalem,' how he did run. I tried to yell out, but my tongue wouldn't move. He went around curves like a bullet slipped an eccentric, blew off his soft plug, went down grades fifty feet to the mile, and not a confounded brake set. He went by the meeting point at a mile a minute, and calling for more steam. My hair stood up like a cat's tail, because I knew the game was up. Sure enough, in front of us was the headlight of a 'special.' In a daze I heard the crash as they struck, and I saw cars shivered into atoms, people mangled and bleeding, and gasping for water. I heard another crash as the Pole struck the deep keys down on the lower end of the southern division, and then I came to my senses. There he was at a dead stand-still, with the door of the fire-box of the machine open, wiping the perspiration off his face, and bowing to the people before him. If I live to be a thousand years old I'll never forget the ride that Paderewski gave me on the piano?"
24—An Engine Driver on the Great Western Railway.
26MR. GEORGE GROSSMITH.
28"I sail for America next Saturday," said that wonderfully entertaining and artistic personality known as Mr. George Grossmith to me the other day, "and I am so pleased with America and the Americans that I want to start right by going over on an American steamer, so have booked by the Paris from Southampton. I shall never forget the feelings that I experienced after my maiden voyage, to set my foot on terra firma once more, and hear those classical strains of 'Ta-ra-ra' welcoming me to the land of the Stars and Stripes. I must confess that I was rather lonesome for some days, until I had met some of those broad-minded, hospitable Americans, who have mastered the art of making strangers feel at home and at once interested in all around them. I assure you I look forward to my second visit with fond anticipations, hoping to renew those pleasant acquaintances among some of the most charming people to be found anywhere in the world.
30"This same broad spirit seems to pervade everything, and I noticed in my entertainments that those parts having the most real art were best appreciated. My experience last year has enabled me to prepare an entertainment for the coming tour that will appeal more directly to the Americans than the one I used then. The outlines of my humorous and musical recital, which I am constantly changing, will be something like this: Part first will be devoted to a new sketch which I have written on the 'Art of Entertaining,' being a humorous criticism on the various methods, in which we publicly and privately endeavor to entertain our fellow creatures, introducing two new songs. Part second is an entirely new musical reminiscence entitled, 'How I Discovered America,' touching upon the voyage over, first impressions of America, the difference
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