Scan 6
Musical Courier 1894-10-03: Vol 29 Iss 760, 1894
63 lines. Read by computer on 22 September 2026, twice; the two readings disagreed in places. Printed page 7. See the scan on archive.org.
1The Musical Courier.
2PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY
3—BY THE—
4MUSICAL COURIER COMPANY,
5(Incorporated under the Laws of the State of New York.)
619 Union Square W., New York.
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41ESTABLISHED JANUARY, 1880.
42NO. 760.
43NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 1894.
44IN the September number of "The Young Woman" is given an interview with Mr. F. H. Cowen. "I usually begin and finish the score of a song in an hour, or an hour and a half," he said, and when asked if "The Better Land" was written thus rapidly he replied, "Yes, if I remember rightly. It is seventeen years ago, you know, since it was written. Madame Antoinette Sterling called my attention to Mrs. Hemans' poem one day, saying that she thought it would make a beautiful song for her. I went home, wrote the score, and sent it to Madame Sterling. She liked it so much that she wanted to buy the copyright outright, but I could not consent to this."
45IT may not be exactly yellow, nor yet sere, but the musical season has fairly opened, and when we read in a Sunday paper that there are 226 pianos in one block alone of Gotham, and all most industriously used, why then we need not despair for the prosperity of the season. But this particular season promises to be one of unusual significance. Paderewski will not be here; but it will be far from an off year. The best evidence of this is the activity of the Philharmonic, Oratorio, Symphony and other musical societies. Therefore let us hope; besides, have we not grand opera in French, Italian and German, and violinists galore? And by the middle of the month teaching will be well under way. Let us to work.
46THERE are many fads indulged by the American student of singing and those who are pursuing what they please to call vocal method, but one of the most inexcusable is the habit of going abroad and engaging tuition with certain well advertised teachers, who, although able to give routine for certain limited purposes, have never demonstrated their ability to create great artists. Take, for instance, that foolish fad of "studying for finish with Shakespeare." Now what has Mr. Shakespeare ever accomplished to make a study with him on the part of American students essential to a finish in singing—granting that there is such a thing? And yet thousands of dollars are spent with him and we never hear of the pupil after the "finish." True, the students go to London, frequently depriving themselves of the comforts of life, frequently borrowing money from their friends here to enable them to pursue the fad, and after a long period of solicitude and hope deferred they get through with Shakespeare or a dozen others for that part, and are never heard except as choir singers, if they chance to go that far. Is it not about time for Americans to recover their equilibrium on this subject and apply some good, ordinary common sense to it, as they are in the habit of doing in other practical affairs of life? This Shakespeare fad is ridiculous and so are others we shall also in time refer to.
47Mr. Shakespeare is no doubt a good singing teacher, but as far as results show he is not one whit better than, if he is as competent as a number of our home teachers, and some of these are unquestionably superior to him in the more modern and advanced theories of the vocal art and its adaptability to the music of our period. Let us stop this worship of fads that interfere with progress and that blind us to truth and facts.
48THIS SEASON'S CONCERTS.
49THE fifty-third season of the Philharmonic Society will be directed by Anton Seidl, and the concerts will be given in Music Hall on November 16 and 17, December 14 and 15, January 11 and 12, February 8 and 9, March 8 and 9, and April 5 and 6.
50One of the orchestral works that is to be heard for the first time in this country will be some "Funeral Music," composed fifty years ago by Richard Wagner. The score was forwarded to Mr. Seidl during the past summer by the great composer's widow, in order that it might be heard here under the direction of a conductor whose name is peculiarly identified with the Wagnerian cause in America. The work, which is in reality a funeral march, has not been heard since the occasion for which it was specially written in 1844. At that period Wagner was Hofkapellmeister at Dresden, and when it was decided to remove the remains of Weber from Moorfields, near London, where they had lain for eighteen years, the musical arrangements were intrusted to him. Wagner accordingly wrote the funeral march in question, for wood and brass wind, and the sad occasion upon which it was played was when the cortége was proceeding from the railway station to the cemetery in Dresden, where all that was mortal of Weber was laid in its last resting place, on December 14, just fifty years ago. As the third concert of the Philharmonic Society takes place, by an odd coincidence, on December 14, it is probable that the march will be given at that concert. The work is written upon motives taken from Weber's "Euryanthe," which opera Wagner selected to conduct at the regulation "test" performance when he commenced his duties at Dresden.
51The symphonies to be played during the season by the Philharmonic will include Dvorák's No. 5 in E minor, "From the New World," which was heard for the first time last season; the C minor and the Eighth in F, both by Beethoven; the Raff "Lenore" and Brahms' Fourth in E minor; Tschaikowsky's third suite in G major; the Liszt symphonic poem, "Les Préludes;" Dvorák's "Overture—Trilogy," comprising "Nature," "Carneval" and "Othello;" the "Lohengrin" prelude, the Venusberg music from "Tannhäuser," the "King Lear" overture by Berlioz; the Cherubini "Anacreon" overture, the Hunt music from "Les Troyens," by Berlioz, and excerpts from Nicodé's symphonic ode, "The Sea."
52Among the soloists already engaged are M. Eugene Ysaye, the Belgian violinist, who will make his first appearance here in Saint-Saëns' Third violin concerto in B minor, and at the same concerts on November 16 and 17 will play Max Bruch's Fantaisie, "Écosaise" for violin and orchestra. At the second concert and rehearsal Mr. E. A. Macdowell will play his own piano concerto in D minor, No. 2, and Miss Lillian Blauvelt will sing the "Mad Scene" from Thomas' "Hamlet." The orchestral numbers at the first concert will be—in addition to Dvorák's E minor symphony—Goldmark's "Sakuntala" overture and a fugue in A minor by J. S. Bach, scored for string orchestra by Josef Hellmesberger. The soloist at the concerts on January 11 and 12 will be M. César Thomson, the other Belgian violinist, who will play Ernst's F sharp minor concerto—the "Concerto Patetico"—and either Tartini's "Trillo del diavolo" or Corelli's "La Follia."
53The dates of the Symphony Society's concerts, directed by Mr. Walter Damrosch, are: November 9 and 10, December 7 and 8, January 4 and 5, February 1, 2, 22 and 23 and March 22 and 23.
54The novelties at these concerts will include during the season Goldmark's "Sappho" overture, Macdowell's D minor piano concerto, Mackenzie's "Rule Britannia" overture. The répertoire given at the six concerts will consist of the "Scène d'Amour" and "Fête chez Capulet," from Berlioz' "Romeo et Juliette" symphony; Brahms' symphony in D, Beethoven's Eighth symphony, Dvorák's symphony in E minor, "From the New World," and the same composer's overture, "In der Natur;" the prelude to Humperdinck's "Hansel and Gretel," Mozart's E flat symphony, Mendelssohn's "Scotch" symphony, Smetana's symphonic poem, "From Bohemia's Meadows;" the "Symphonie Pathétique," by Tschaikowsky, which was given for the first time last season, and the same composer's symphonic poem, "Hamlet," while the Wagnerian excerpts will include the "Liebestod," from "Tristan and Isolde." It is also announced that some selections from an opera in three acts, "The Scarlet Letter," by Mr. Walter Damrosch, will be given.
55Mrs. Julie L. Wyman will be the soloist at the first concert, and will sing a number of new French chansons, as well as the aria, "Ma Lyre Immortelle," from Gounod's "Sappho." The other soloists during the season will be M. César Thomson, who will play Dr. Leopold Damrosch's violin concerto in D minor, and a tarentelle by Wieniawski; M. Eugene Ysaye, who will play Lalo's Spanish symphony for violin and orchestra, and Mr. E. A. Macdowell, who will play his second piano concerto.
56The works selected by the Oratorio Society for its twenty-second season are "The Creation," "The Messiah" and Bach's "Passion"—according to St. Matthew." The dates of the concerts, which will be conducted by Mr. Walter Damrosch, are November 30 and December 1, December 28 and 29 and April 12 (Good Friday) and 13. The Oratorio Society will in addition give a week of oratorio early in May, when the principal work given will be Beethoven's stupendous "Mass in D."
57The Musical Art Society, which was founded last season, and whose ranks include most of the church soloists in the city, will give two concerts, under the conductorship of Mr. Frank Damrosch, on December 22 and March 23.
58Five concerts will be given in the Metropolitan Opera House on Wednesday evening, October 10; Saturday afternoon, October 13, and Sunday evenings, October 21, 28 and November 28. The soloists will be Mme. Melba, Mme. Scalchi, M. Mauguire and M. Plançon, and the concerts will be further enhanced in attraction by an orchestra of sixty musicians, under the conductorship of Mr. Anton Seidl.
59The Boston Symphony Orchestra will this season give its concerts in the Metropolitan Opera House, on Thursday evenings, November 1, December 6, January 10, February 7 and March 14. The soloist at the second of these concerts will be M. Thomson, who will play Goldmark's violin concerto, in A minor, and an "Adagio Appassionato" by Max Bruch. M. Ysaye will also appear at one of the New York concerts of this organization.
60EMANUEL CHABRIER'S DEATH.
61A KTHUR POUGIN, the well-known French critic, writes: Another one gone, alas! before his time. An artist, full of originality, gifted, full of go and vigor; Frenchman in soul, spirit and talent, and who, let us affirm this, has not given us the true measure of his worth.
62The poor Chabrier, whom sickness had broken and who for the past two years morally hardly existed, was a type of intense life, even to exuberance. This excellent man, this great artist, gifted at the same time with health and fantastic imagination, had a store of gaiety, of good humor and Gallic push almost inconceivable. Only those that were intimate with him can appreciate this statement. He was really and sincerely full of gaiety, full of droll surprises in the spirit of Rabelais, who believed, like the priest of Meudon, that to laugh is the property of the human race. Alas! who could have told us that one still so young would in some sort survive
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