Scan 18
Musical Courier 1895-12-25: Vol 31 Iss 825, 1895
54 lines. Read by computer on 26 September 2026, twice; the two readings disagreed in places. Printed page 19. See the scan on archive.org.
1Ellen Beach Yaw.
3After a sojourn abroad of nearly seven months Miss Yaw will return to America about January 6. The wonderful American singer, who will be accompanied by her sister, sails on the same steamer as Sauret, the violinist, and his wife.
5Much has been said and written abroad about the American prima donna. Her European stay has given her that which she most needed—rest. Her opportunities for recreation, the absolute freedom to study new works at will, and the novel period of time in which she had no nightly taxation of public appearance, which had been so consistently regular all last season, have accomplished wonders in reviving and strengthening the young artist for her work ahead.
7Miss Yaw understands the philosophy of travel unusually well for so young a woman. Her summer has been dedicated to much and varied observation; to life in the country of the Rhine, at Rodderberg-bei-Mehlem, where tradition and romance add their veiled vagaries to the picturesque Fatherland. Thence her journeys led her over France; finally to Paris, where a host of friends filled her days with rare, good memories of former student life.
9Since the early autumn Randegger, in London, has attended Miss Yaw in her studies, and her repertory has been enlarged with that same rare rapidity which characterizes all her lyric studies.
11Miss Yaw in a fresh spontaneous way is constantly creating something in her own way to produce that tonal beauty in which her voice is unlike probably any other ever heard. The strange though intensely human quality of her tone is, one may say, materially symbolized in the quaintness of a rare personal beauty. She evokes from the music sung a quality rarely found by others, something indefinable in its poetic, penetrating charm. As Paderewski, in his wondrously perfect work, has revealed Chopin in his grander masculine energy, where nearly every predecessor produced an effect of femininity, so, it seems, Ellen Beach Yaw lends newer, stronger value and meaning to works which by other singers have revealed a much more limited meaning. The furore of a year ago seems already actuating some of the cities where bookings for January have been made. Miss Yaw's tour will include Baltimore, Washington, Philadelphia, Rochester, Pittsburgh, Providence, Milwaukee, Minneapolis and a number of other large cities. In a material measure Yaw was an unprecedented success last year. The financial results were astonishing for one lyric artist. That success seems an assured repetition this year, though her tour is only for a few months in the East.
13It is fitting that Yaw should be received as an artistic ideal to the girlhood of her own country. Her indomitable perseverance and industry, added to her peculiar natural gifts, make her worthy of the deepest esteem and admiration. She will beyond doubt sing to large audiences, who will find in her development of the past few months of study and rest an artistic delight of unexpected proportion. Yaw is immensely improved in style, and in voice is limpid, pure and spontaneous as ever.
15Jeanne Franko Trio.—The next concert of the Jeanne Franko Trio will take place on January 6 in Carnegie Chamber Music Hall. The trio will be assisted by Victor Clodio, tenor, and Johannes Ziegler, accompanist. At the Garrick Club on December 28 the trio will also be heard.
17Pupils' Piano Recital.—An interesting piano recital was given on the evening of December 14 at Mr. Edwin C. Fish's music room, Elmira, N. Y., by pupils of Miss Roberts, assisted by Mr. John K. Roosa, violin. The program, carefully arranged, was most creditably performed.
19Boston Symphony Orchestra.
21The second concert of the Boston Symphony Orchestra was given last Thursday night in the Metropolitan Opera House. The attendance was slim, for Mr. Emil Paur, the conductor, is not a favorite in New York city, but it was a satisfying program and a satisfying performance, despite Mr. Paur's readings. The program was this:
23Symphony in G major (Breitkopf & Härtel, No. 13; Peters, No. 8)……………………………Josef Haydn
24Fantasia on Scotch folk melodies for violin, op. 46…Max Bruch
25Introduction, grave (E flat minor).
26Adagio cantabile (E flat major).
27Scherzo, allegro (G major).
28Andante sostenuto (A flat major).
29Finale, allegro guerriero (E flat major).
30Fantasie for orchestra, Francesca da Rimini, op. 32. Peter Ilyitch Tschaikowsky
31(First time at these concerts.)
32Preludes to Acts I. and II. of Guntram, op. 25…Richard Strauss
33(First time at these concerts.)
35Mr. Timothée Adamowski was the solo violinist.
36Mr. Paur made an error in playing both the Guntram preludes. The second, which we have heard at Mr. Damrosch's hands, would have sufficed, or, better still, to have ended the evening with Tschaikowsky's noble poem.
38Richard Strauss is primarily a theatrical scene painter. He had the theatre in his mind's eye when he composed Guntram, a work of inordinate length and almost insuperable difficulties. The prelude to Act I. is conceived in a Lohengrin mood, but on a plane of higher dynamic intensity. It is scored remarkably, even in these days, when every young composer who has nothing to say yet contrives to say it amazingly well. Dazzling white this prelude moves in Graal-like processional tones. The strongly marked mystic element, Guntram, the "Fighter for Love," love of the Cross, becomes monotonous, for we miss the context, the music drama itself. As program writing this prelude is empty, devoid of appreciable content, yet it means much in the theatre.
40The second prelude is a bright, animated picture containing some of Strauss' eccentric harmonic effects, but after all not ungrateful in the concert room.
42How different is the effect of that great, passionate Francesca da Rimini, a tremendous thunder-riven poem, full of pain and the passion that is pain and the regrets of that world famous pair who "read no more that day" of the fatal book. It was a foregone conclusion that Tschaikowsky would be enthralled by Dante's hapless lovers, the twain in hell's stormy blast. He has made a poem of the story that is worth a dozen music dramas by yesterday composers, and, if the truth be boldly spoken, a score in pregnant motifs, marvelous molding of material color and dramatic truthfulness that far exceeds in sheer musical value many symphonies by classicists in which the themes are without vitality because of the forbidding frozen form. In a word Tschaikowsky is a poet-psychologist as well as a composer. To quote a writer in The Musical Courier, "he says great things in a great manner," and this sympathetic poem is a specimen. Its whirling fury, hopeless despair, "all hope abandon ye who enter here" is carved on its harmonic portals, its unflagging life and its tenderness make us again sorrow for the dead master.
44Even Emil Paur could not prevent his band from playing superbly in this number. Technically it was a superb performance. As a reader Mr. Paur is too constrained, too angular and unpoetic to dig deep in the passionate vein before him, but he worked hard and doubtless was surprised himself at the result.
46The Haydn symphony, a gem among its composer's flawless gems—was rather pedestrian, lacking in grace and naiveté, although a clean cut performance.
48The Scotch fantasia was played here last season by M. Ysaye. It is a clever orchestral collocation of familiar Scotch melodies and, while not symphonically welded, the treatment by the composer is dignified, consistent and far from suggesting patchwork, as do most paraphrases of the sort. The solo instrument has plenty of stiff technical work, and a breadth of style is certainly called for, especially in the last section. Mr. Adamowski played with much ease and graceful finish, suggesting limitless work since he was heard here last. He was hardly big enough for the warlike last allegro, but he displayed much spirit, abundant technic, and in the cantabiles he was smooth and agreeable, if not very hot blooded. He got five recalls.
50The orchestra, an exemplar among all orchestras, did some remarkable things. The brilliancy of attack, the sensuous tonal beauty, the élan, elasticity and unanimity in feeling—especially in the expression of searching emotion—were as ever wonderful. It is a practical object lesson to hear this band play, and from the tympanist to the harp-ist all are artists. We listened with extreme pleasure to the lovely tone of Mr. Pourtau's clarinet. It is a great band. one of two readings
51The orchestra, an exemplar among all orchestras, did some remarkable things. The brilliancy of attack, the sensuous tonal beauty, the élan, elasticity and unanimity in feeling—especially in the expression of searching emotion—were as ever wonderful. It is a practical object lesson to hear this band play, and from the tympanist to the harpist all are artists. We listened with extreme pleasure to the lovely tone of Mr. Pourtau's clarinet. It is a great band. one of two readings
53Nina Bertini Humphrys.—Miss Bertini Humphrys, who is so well known as an operatic prima donna, is devoting her energies to concert oratorio and recital work, and has given the direction of her business affairs to the H. M. Hirschberg Musical Agency, which has already concluded several engagements.
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.