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Musical Courier 1896-07-15: Vol 33 Iss 854, 1896
46 lines. Read by computer on 23 September 2026. Printed page 13. See the scan on archive.org.
1BRITISH OFFICES OF THE MUSICAL COURIER,
221 Princes Street, Cavendish Square,
3LONDON, W., July 4, 1896.
5AMERICANS in London—and just now the hotels and streets are full of them—will celebrate the Fourth of July by a banquet to be held this evening at the Criterion Restaurant, in the Great Hall, under the auspices of the American Society. The chair will be filled by Mr. Bayard, the United States Ambassador, and among others who will speak will be Sir Richard Webster, Q. C., M. P., and Mr. James Bryce, M. P. An interchange of compliments between the hosts of the occasion and their guests may be expected, the American Society having for one of its aims the promotion of friendly and social relations between this country and the United States. Bartholdi's figure of Liberty, on a reduced scale of course, will, with State and national emblems and the American and English flags, adorn the banqueting hall, and American artists will provide the musical entertainment. This festivity has no connection with the private fixture arranged to take place at the Magazine in Hyde Park, when there will be a meet of coaches, buggies and vehicles of American build. At various places of entertainment fêtes in honor of the day have been organized, special significance attaching to the Crystal Palace program and the symphonic firework display. In the East End of London the Trades Exhibition is also making a feature of the event, and a baseball match is specially organized to take place at Balham.
7The Grand Duke, which is now being played at the Savoy Theatre, will be withdrawn for the present season after Friday, July 10, as Madame Palmy goes then by arrangement to Budapest for two months. Mr. D'Oyly Carte will give performances of The Mikado in the evenings, as well as on Saturday afternoons, on and after Saturday, July 11.
9The Daily Telegraph has received a large number of letters respecting a proposed memorial to the late Sir Augustus Harris, all agreeing that something should be done to perpetuate the memory of the famous impresario, but differing widely in idea about the form it should assume. Several of the writers suggest that a committee should be formed of influential personages who would discuss the best method of carrying into effect what appears to be a universal wish, and when they have given their decision subscriptions could then be invited.
11The number of persons present at the Crystal Palace Saturday on the occasion of the jubilee performance of The Elijah was 23,007.
13Mr. Mendelssohn Parry, the concert agent, has taken new premises at 11 Northumberland Mansions, Northumberland street, near Baker street. Mr. Parry is a son of Dr. Joseph Parry, of Cardiff, and naturally he has a large Welsh connection as well as the one he has worked up in England and Scotland.
15Mme. Liebhart held one of her popular "at homes" on Sunday afternoon, when a large number of people were present and listened to a long and interesting program. Among the artists who took part were Miss Pauline Joran, Mme. Clara Poole and Miss Blanche Ruby.
17Miss Fanny Davies gave a delightful musicale yesterday, when a large number of the friends of our highly esteemed English pianist passed a most enjoyable afternoon.
19Artists and the public will be interested to know that Mr. Daniel Mayer has, in consequence of the great amount of work devolving upon him in connection with his various enterprises, disposed of the "Concert Direction Daniel Mayer" to Mr. W. Adlington. This gentleman, who will carry on the business under the same title and with the same staff, is a well-known musician and a member (one of the original 100, we believe) of the Royal Academy of Music. The management of the business will be in the hands of Mr. J. D. McLaren, who has acted for Mr. Daniel Mayer in that capacity for some years.
21Lady Harris returns her most sincere thanks for the kind letters and telegrams containing expressions of sympathy received during her sad bereavement. Her ladyship finds it is impossible to thank the writers individually, owing to the large number received.
23The marriage of Miss Dorothea Baird with Mr. H. B. Irving is fixed to take place at St. Pancras Church, London, on Monday, July 20, and not at Oxford, as previously announced.
25On Wednesday the wife of General Collins, United States Consul-General, entertains the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Boston at lunch, at the Hotel Cecil. The Boston company is a branch of the Honorable Artillery Company of London, and was founded in 1727 by the colonists of the New Plymouth settlement. It was the first organized military body in America, as the parent corps was in England, and the germ from which sprung the trained bands of Washington. The company will be royally entertained during the week. They arrive on Tuesday, and for every morning, afternoon and evening something interesting has been arranged.
27The National Eisteddfod of Wales opened on Tuesday at Llandudno. Lord Mostyn, as president of the festival, opened the Cymrodyrion section, and Professor Herkomer presided over the proceedings of the first Eisteddfod meeting. The professor expressed the belief that the day would come when an emotional people like the Welsh would excel in art as they did now in music. In the customary choral competition the chief prize of 200 guineas was awarded to the Builth choir.
29Mr. Frank Novara has been appointed by the committee of the Royal Academy of Music a professor of singing, to fill the vacancy created at that institution by the election of Mr. W. H. Cummings as principal of the Guildhall School of Music. Mr. Novara, despite the foreign pseudonym which, in accordance with the custom of the period, he adopted when he made his début at the opera, was originally a West Country church vocalist, and he has frequently sung at the Three Choirs and other festivals. His family name is Naish.
31Tristan and Isolde will be given again to-night, Saturday, when the stalls will be 25 shillings.
33Among our callers at Princes street this week have been Miss Elmina Sandmeyer, soprano, from New York, who has recently been studying with Mme. Marchesi; Mr. and Mrs. Dayton C. Miller, of Cleveland, Ohio; Mr. James W. Hill, of Haverhill, Mass.; Miss Carrie Hirschman, the New York pianist, who is staying a few days in London before going to Berlin and Vienna, where she will probably take a few lessons from Professors Barth and Leschetizky; Mr. Franz Kneisel, who called to bid me "au revoir" and whom I was unlucky enough to miss, and so could not give him my congratulations on the extraordinary success which has rewarded him and his confrères in London; Mrs. Harmon-Force, the dramatic soprano from New York, who made her London début in Arditi's Le Seron Rose, accompanied by the composer, this past week; Mrs. L. A. Nicholls, Mr. Fred W. Primer, Geo. P. Bent's "Crown" interests; Mr. William Keith, Signor Lardelli, the Australian composer, and many others.
35Mr. Hirschberg has completed arrangements with Gregorowitsch, the celebrated Russian violinist, for the season of 1896-7, and with Mr. David Bispham for his concert work. I have received a letter from Mr. Bispham saying that he has arranged with Abbey & Grau to appear in a number of characters, and he will sail for America about November 1. I must congratulate the New York management on securing an artist who has won his way to the very top of operatic interpretation. His Beckmesser is one of the finest things which was ever done under the late Sir Augustus Harris. Mr. Hirschberg has also arranged with Miss Fanny Darling Jacobs, the young gold medalist of the London Academy, whose violin playing has been very favorably received here, to go out for the season.
37Mr. Hirschberg sails on Wednesday, and is still in negotiation with two or three people whom I may be able to announce next week.
39Mr. Henry Wolfsohn sailed on the Augusta Victoria from Hamburg.
41CONCERTS.
43Herr Reisenauer gave his only recital this season before a well-filled hall on Tuesday afternoon. The program calls for no special comment, for it contained little that has not constantly been heard throughout the musical season—with the exception of a Fantasia by Haydn, whose piano music is, in our opinion, wholly unsuited to the concert room. The pianist was in good form, the delicacy of his pianissimo being well exemplified in Schubert's Theme and Variations in B flat, and the cadenzas of Chopin's Barcarolle, while the latter composer's Mazurka in B minor was given with a good deal of spirit. Why do pianists so seldom let us hear Chopin's mazurkas? They are full of beauty, and are, perhaps, the most characteristic compositions of the Polish master. It cannot be that they are too national in character! Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodies, which are deeply dyed in local color, are to be heard at every recital, whether the pianist has seized the spirit of the gypsy music or not. Herr Reisenauer played No. 12 of these same rhapsodies—a piece which seems to have hovered in the air lately, for we have heard no fewer than four pianists wind up their recitals with its well-known strains in the last few weeks, not to mention Joachim's arrangement played by the brothers Ysaye at their last concert.
45The jubilee of Mendelssohn's Elijah, which actually comes on August 26, was fittingly celebrated at Sydenham on Saturday afternoon by a performance, on Händel festival scale, under Mr. Manns. Over 23,000 people visited the Crystal Palace that day, and judging from the vast concourse of listeners a very large percentage of the people must have attended the performance. The audience and the large choir and orchestra certainly made an imposing sight. The balance of the choir and their singing was better than usual. With two or three exceptions their work was exceedingly well done. Mme. Albani was in remarkably fine voice, and her delivery of the soprano music was really a rare treat. This was all the more remarkable after her singing the trying rôle of Isolde on the previous evening. Contrary to custom, she also sang the youth's music, which was very effective. Miss Clara Butt also sang, contrary to custom, Woe unto them! scoring a triumph in this as in O rest in the Lord. Her magnificent voice was again greatly admired. Mr. Lloyd sang the tenor music in his usual faultless manner, and Mr. Santley, once more in good voice, aroused his hearers
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