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Musical Courier 1895-05-15: Vol 30 Iss 793, 1895
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1make his first appearance next November. M. Dôme is a Hungarian, and it will be remembered that, like M. Jean de Reszké, he first sang in England as a baritone.
3One of the sad things to write about this week is the death on April 27 of Mrs. Mary Winn Russell, mother of our famous prima donna, Miss Ella Russell. It will be remembered that this popular singer settled in London something like eighteen months ago in order that her mother could have the best medical attendance and the comforts of a home. During this time she has done everything she could to minister to the wants of one who has been her constant companion, counsellor and friend. The bond of affection very closely allied them, and consequently Miss Russell feels the loss the more keenly. Although the inevitable was known some months ago, the end came comparatively suddenly. The funeral service took place at Kensal Green Cemetery Chapel last Wednesday, when a large number of her friends attended, and the floral offerings sent were some of the most beautiful I have ever seen. After the service the remains were removed to the vaults preparatory to sending to America.
5Another death I have to record is that of Mr. Ebsmith Hill, of the firm of W. E. Hill & Sons, the well-known and long established house of violin makers and dealers in Bond street, at his residence, Heath Lodge, Hanwell, on April 2. I quote from a contemporary an excellent historical sketch of Mr. Hill and his firm.
7Mr. Hill was the representative of a family who have during more than two centuries practiced and transmitted from father to son the craft of making stringed instruments, and who trace descent through Joseph Hill, who lived at the Harp and Flute in the Haymarket in the last century, to the Mr. Hill mentioned by Pepys as having been employed by him to string his lute. At the time of Mr. Hill's birth, 1817, violin making in England was in a fairly flourishing state. The Forsters, the Betts, Bernard Simon Fendt, Richard Tobin, Dodd and Mr. Hill's father, Henry Lockey Hill, were all working at the time, and regular apprentices were taken. However, with the introduction of free trade a few years later this happy state of affairs was rudely disturbed, and the industry rapidly became a very poor one. No more apprentices were taken and the craft merely lingered on, a few descendants of these men working at it. Mr. Hill was one of these, and when he was old enough to take an active part, which he was soon obliged to do through the death of his father in 1839, he found that violin making would not be a means of livelihood. Most of the instruments made by Henry Lockey Hill were made for the principal shopkeepers of the day, and the various members of the family worked for such well-known music firms of the past as Longman and Broderip, &c. After the destruction by fire in 1789 of Joseph Hill's business in the Haymarket the Hills no longer had a shop, and at the beginning of the century most of them lived in the Borough.
9To return to the subject of our memoir, he speedily found that to exist and maintain the traditions of the craft it would be necessary at least for a time to strike out into quite another field. With his usual readiness of resource he turned his attention to dealing with old instruments of merit, and he became remarkable for the accuracy of his judgment and his strict integrity. This led eventually to the founding of the business which is carried on at the present day by his sons. Owing to their success as dealers, it has been possible for them to devote time and money to the resuscitation of violin making in this country—it is to be hoped as a permanent English industry. Workshops have been built at Hanwell, and the last years of Mr. Hill's life were spent there in developing, with the help of his sons, this branch of their business.
11F. V. ATWATER.
13Ella Russell.
15WE take pleasure in quoting a few recent opinions on Miss Ella Russell's singing in Birmingham, Leicester and other provincial cities:
17Her assumption of the rôle of Judith reflected on Miss Russell the greatest praise. No matter whether in her opening song, Lady, Thou Queen of Israel, or in the dramatic scene in which she defies the priests, or where the watchers on the walls of Jerusalem are bidden to open the gates that she may enter with her ghastly burden, in all of these she sang superbly.—Leicester Daily Post.
19Miss Ella Russell possesses a world-wide reputation as a highly gifted soprano and fully maintained it on this occasion. Her best efforts were the soli in which she interrupts the sacrifice with the cry, Stay Your Hideous Mockeries, and her return from the camp of the Assyrians, Ho, Ye Upon the Walls. Her initial word upon the high B was given with telling effect.—The Wyvern.
21One of the best vocal efforts heard in the city for some time was that by Miss Ella Russell in the new dramatic scene The Two Angels, specially written for her by Sir A. C. Mackenzie. She fixed the attention of the audience throughout, and finished a well sustained effort in a manner which roused the whole house to enthusiasm. As an encore she gave the favorite old song Within a Mile of Edinboro' Town. Later she charmingly rendered Louisa Gray's Scotch song Ronald and I, and again won an enthusiastic encore.—Devon and Exeter Daily Gazette.
23Of Miss Ella Russell's contributions, Angel Faces, sung with exquisite grace, took the audience by storm. The gifted soprano appeared again to give Home, Sweet Home in a manner that could hardly be excelled.—The Western Times.
25Wolverhampton—Miss Russell's singing of Softly Sighs, from Weber's Der Freischutz, was a truly superb effort, alike in respect of the fervor which marked the delivery of the impressive and tender strains of the opening, and in the impassioned declamation and finished vocalization of the latter section, and was a worthy interpretation of the great scena. Her subsequent contributions were Franco Leon's new song, The Two Poets, followed by a Scotch song in response to a recall, and the good old ballad Robin Adair, all of which she sang with a charm and beauty of style which quite captivated her audience.—Birmingham Daily Post.
27We quote from a contemporary regarding Miss Russell's singing in the Bride of Dunkerron for the West Bromwich Choral Society.
29Miss Ella Russell, who at Covent Garden has achieved many triumphs, now took the part of the sea maiden, and as it was her first appearance, it is not too much to say she more than justified the great things said of her. She sang her part splendidly, infusing passion, tenderness and expression, and in the trying and difficult music displayed much brilliancy of execution. In the lovely recitative and aria Our Home Shall Be on This Bright Vale, Miss Russell quite enchanted her audience, and it was only the prolonged character of the first part that kept back a redemand. In the second part Miss Russell had no reason to complain of want of appreciation or tangible expression of it after her essay of Softly Sighs. Her singing of this highly operatic piece, so full of passages demanding brilliant vocalization, showed a mastery of the art that left little or nothing to be desired.
31Ffrangcon-Davies in the Redemption.—Mr. Ben Davies gave full effect to his opening scenes, and Mr. Ffrangcon-Davies was not less successful in the bass narrator's music, which was declaimed with solemn and elevated dignity. In Part I, the Jesus song (Mr. Ffrangcon-Davies), If My Deeds Have Been Evil, was sung with tones suggestive of the patient, unrepening bearing of the Saviour under the sufferings inflicted by persecutors and calumniators. Ye Daughters of Israel was a model, both in its poignantly pathetic utterances of our Saviour and the sympathetic restraint of the orchestra. The terrible but vivid and reverent music descriptive of the Crucifixion was ably set forth by Mr. Ffrangcon-Davies. Pardon Their Sin, My Father, was exquisitely noble and spiritual. The Jesus solo, Arise and Hear, was declaimed with dignity, and in the right spirit, by Mr. Ffrangcon-Davies.—Liverpool Daily Post.
33Mr. Ffrangcon-Davies' refined powers and grand voice were never displayed to better advantage than in the dramatic episodes of the Crucifixion.—Liverpool Review.
35Mayence.—The opera Der Arme Heinrich, by Hans Pfitzer, proved an unexpected success at its first representation at Mayence. The plot of the opera is from Hartmann von Ane's work of the same title and a subject treated by Longfellow in his Golden Legend. The orchestration is full and somewhat noisy; however, enough is shown to prove Hans Pfitzer a composer of promise. The composer himself directed. Hans Pfitzer is connected with the Hoch Conservatory of Frankfort-on-the-Main.
37Naples.—On the occasion of Mascagni's first production of Ratcliff at Naples, the composer, who directed, was called out twenty-seven times by the enthusiastic audience.
39Mascagni's Novelties.—Mascagni's Cigarette, the new and much talked of work, will be produced next fall. The composer is preparing a new opera on a subject which is furnished by a German writer. Its name will be Berdoo, and it treats a work by Grabbe entitled Duke Theodor of Gothland. Verdi also was much interested in the story, and Illica is studying it with a view of using it for a libretto.
41A Helmholtz Memorial.—It has been proposed to erect a memorial to the late Professor von Helmholtz, and a central committee has been formed in Berlin to carry out the project. A sub-committee has also been formed for the purpose of arranging meetings in other towns and getting subscriptions. A large sum has already been received.
43Alexander's Musical Taste.—Wagnerites will be comforted by the knowledge that the young Emperor of Russia is a warm admirer of the works of the Bayreuth master, and has a distinct aversion to the music of the Italian and French schools.
45David Bispham as an Interpreter of Bach.
47NOW that the Bach festival in London has come to a triumphant conclusion, it is fitting that the success of Mr. Bispham in this style of music should be recorded, so widely different from that of the stage with which he has been of late so closely associated.
49His high artistic aims lead him, however, into the highest artistic paths in whatever sort of music is being performed, and his enjoyment in each is equal. Two years ago at Cambridge he sang the bass part in the Coffee cantata of Bach, when that rarely heard and very amusing work was given with the original instruments, and later in the ancient hall of Clifford's Inn, London, he sang with much success in the second of Bach's comic works, The Bauern cantata, also with the quaint accompaniments of harpsichord, viola d'amore and other archaic instruments; but a more important work was his share in the St. Matthew Passion last year at Queen's Hall, in connection with which a heated musical discussion in the daily papers only served to emphasize the value of his vocal contributions.
51The subordinate bass parts were taken by Mr. Bispham, who made the whole scene of Peter's denial most dramatic, and sang the beautiful airs Gebt mir meinen Jesum and Komm süßes Kreuz in excellent style.—Times.
53Mr. Bispham certainly obtained the highest artistic success among the male singers.—Morning Leader.
55Mr. Bispham seemed to realize the true spirit of the undertaking.—Woman.
57Mr. Bispham was heard to great advantage.—Morning Post.
59He was at once retained for the Bach Festival of 1895, and in the three performances of the past week the choice of the committee has been amply justified, Mr. Bispham having more than held his own, not only in the music of the Saviour in the St. Matthew Passion, but also in the cantatas of the second day and in the B minor mass at the close of the festival. It is thought by many that in work of this sort and in classical songs generally he has at present no equal.
61Among the soloists mention must be made in the first place of Mr. Bispham, who sang the part of the Saviour with perfect devotional feeling and in a manner which establishes his claims to be numbered among artists of the highest rank.—Times.
63The singing of Mr. Bispham frequently attained an ideal excellence.—Morning Post.
65Mr. Bispham sang the music of the Saviour in an irreproachable manner; all its features were adequately brought out, while the pathos and impressiveness pervading the whole was entirely free from effort or self assertion.—Daily Chronicle.
67I am a great admirer of this really thorough artist; his rendering of this music was most impressive.—Court Circular.
69The dramatic fervor and high artistic intelligence that marked Mr. Bispham's rendering of the part of the Saviour constituted an important feature of this sacred concert.—St. James' Gazette.
71The Passion Music needs artists who shall establish a just balance between the sacred and dramatic elements; Mr. Bispham accomplished this admirably.—Musical News.
73His singing in the Passion Music was a really memorable performance.—The Morning.
75The brightest part of the performance was Mr. Bispham's singing. In the magnificently pathetic passages of consecration Mr. Bispham gave us the true Bach spirit; he too was (the phrase is not exaggerated) magnificently pathetic. Mr. Bispham is an artist. He has that rare and peculiar quality of voice which communicates our emotion more than the mere effect of fine singing. It is not only temperament; it is a peculiar quality of pathos which is imparted, as it were, outside the mere voice.—Pall Mall Gazette.
77The celestial message Blessed Are the Dead was sung with great solemnity and dignity by Mr. Bispham, from the organ loft.—Daily News.
79His singing of the Voice from Heaven was one of the finest things this consummate artist has yet done.—Observer.
81He made further friends by the breath and dignity of his style.—Daily Chronicle.
83He once more proved himself an artist of extraordinary versatility.—Morning Post.
85He has greatly enhanced his already high reputation during the festival.—Daily Graphic.
87Mr. Bispham has done by far the best vocal work of the festival.—Daily News.
89The brightest recollection of the Bach Festival of 1895 will be Mr. Davis Bispham's triumph as a vocalist, and to achieve so distinct an artistic success without imperiling the reverent regard for Bach's music is a feat of which any artist may well be proud.—Morning Advertiser.
91SPECIAL ATTRACTION!
93The widest ranged Soprano in the world,
95Miss Ellen Beach YAW,
97Supported by the distinguished artists:
98Mr. MAXIMILIAN DICK, Violinist, and
99Miss GEORGIELLA LAY, Pianiste.
101For engagements write immediately to
103Mr. VICTOR THRANE, Manager,
104148 East 56th St., New York City.
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