Scan 9
Musical Courier 1896-09-16: Vol 33 Iss 863, 1896
112 lines. Read by computer on 21 September 2026, twice; the two readings disagreed in places. Printed page 10. See the scan on archive.org.
A town on its own line is one of the directory's headings. That is where the town on a maker's page comes from.
1Fanny Losey.
3GENERALLY speaking, it is a fact that the violin seems to have been made for man and not for woman. Almost without exception the truly great players have been men, that is the players who are named and remembered as pre-eminently masterful in the handling of that most exacting instrument.
5Why this should be so; why women, with their high strung musical sensibilities and their more emotional temperaments, should not excel in an art which is all sensibility and temperament, is a question not easy to answer. There have been and are women who play the violin with exquisite sweetness, fine expression, thorough understanding and abundant technic; but there are no female Joachims, Wilhelmjs, Halirs, Van Oordts, Ysayes, Sarasates or César Thomsons. "'Tis true, 'tis pity, and pity 'tis 'tis true."
7Shall we have a big, broad, masterful woman violinist one of these days? There is reason to think so. Miss Fanny Losey seems likely to fill the gap in time. This young woman has every needful thing to become eminent. She is young, but not girlish, and she has health, strength and enthusiasm. In physique she is fortunate. A tall, well proportioned figure, a fine repose of manner and an attractive personality are her exceptional gifts, so that if bodily strength and vigor are the missing requisites we shall have them in this young lady.
9Musically, there is much to please and encourage. Miss Losey is already a violinist of remarkable breadth and power, a brilliant, accomplished technician, a player of marked musical temperament. Her tone is strong, clear and pure, her intonation sure and true, and her style alike sympathetic and musically.
11As to Miss Losey's antecedents and training no one is better qualified to speak than her eminent instructor, the veteran virtuoso Bernhard Listemann, who says of her: one of two readings
13"Miss Fanny Losey when quite young came to Boston to study with me the violin, her favorite instrument. Her industry and natural talent enabled her to go through almost the whole repertoire (exclusive of the exceptionally difficult works) within five or six years, and she found it advisable to spend several years of study in Europe. She went to the two musical centres of Germany, Leipsic and Berlin, studying at the former place with A. Brodsky; at Berlin with Professor de Ahna and Professor Wirth, both head professors at the Royal Hochschule. She has acquired a faultless left hand, a fine bowing arm, plays with a great deal of sentiment and feeling, and gives a masterly interpretation of all compositions she plays in public. She is certainly one of the most gifted lady violinists in America." one of two readings
14As to Miss Losey's antecedents and training no one is better qualified to speak than her eminent instructor, the veteran virtuoso Bernhard Listemann, who says of her: "Miss Fanny Losey when quite young came to Boston to study with me the violin, her favorite instrument. Her industry and natural talent enabled her to go through almost the whole répertoire (exclusive of the exceptionally difficult works) within five or six years, and she found it advisable to spend several years of study in Europe. She went to the two musical centres of Germany, Leipsic and Berlin, studying at the former place with A. Brodsky; at Berlin with Professor de Ahna and Professor Wirth, both head professors at the Royal Hochschule. She has acquired a faultless left hand, a fine bowing arm, plays with a great deal of sentiment and feeling, and gives a masterly interpretation of all compositions she plays in public. She is certainly one of the most gifted lady violinists in America." one of two readings
16Miss Losey is well equipped as regards repertory for her concert season of 1896-7. She has in her fingers and memory a formidable list of important works for the violin, including the compositions of Bruch, Bach, Bazzini, Chopin, Wilhelmj, Chopin-Taborowsky, Cui, Ernst, Hauser, Hubay, Leonard, Laub, Mendelssohn, Nachez, Svendsen, Spohr, Saint-Saëns, Schumann-Wilhelmj, Sarasate, Vieuxtemps, Wagner, Wagner-Wilhelmj and Wieniawski.
18The appended notices show how uniformly successful Miss Losey has been in her concert work thus far:
20Miss Losey's violin solos were very fine and showed her to be a true artist.—Philadelphia Times.
22Miss Losey is a violinist of rare talent, and her playing was really the artistic feature of the evening.—Worcester Spy.
24Miss Losey, the violinist, gave evidence of having been a close student of her instrument. Her playing, which savors more of the brilliant French school than the broad German, showed a remarkable technical ability, her double stopping being remarkably well done; her intonation was most excellent and her tone good. She was at her best in the brilliant and difficult Faust fantasia, by Sarasate.—Baltimore American.
26Miss Fanny Losey on her violin was simply grand, and has few equals in the United States. Her execution was as near perfect as possible, and encores were frequent.—Hartford Times.
28Miss Fanny Losey was inspired with true musical talent on the violin. She did not furnish the catchy tunes so often employed on such occasions and so successful with the majority, but they were classical and rare, full of charm to the lover of purity and richness of harmony and tone.—Pittsburgh Dispatch.
30The violinist, Miss Fanny Losey, played two numbers. Her tone was exquisite, and showed to the best advantage in the Bazzini melody. The Chopin song which followed brought a well deserved encore, and we consider her Wieniawski mazurka and the legende beyond reproach.—Chicago Herald.
32Miss Fanny Losey's playing was a genuine surprise to the audience. Technic, tone and general finish were very marked qualities in her playing, so that we had another proof of what American artists nowadays are capable of doing.—Leipziger Tagblatt (translation.)
34A very pleasant feature of the concert was Miss Fanny Losey's interpretation of Svendsen's romance and Weiniaowski's mazurkas. This young lady, at present a pupil of Prof. de Ahna, deserves the greatest encouragement in her struggle for public recognition. She has a true talent. We should be delighted to meet her soon again on the concert stage.—Berlin Montags-Zeitung (translation.)
36Miss Losey, the violinist, was the bright, particular star as far as merit went. She is an artist of great talent.—Philadelphia Inquirer.
38Miss Fanny Losey, violinist, is certainly an artist in her line. She seems to have perfect control of her instrument.—Pittsburgh Press.
40They were assisted by Miss Losey, from Chicago, one of the most accomplished violinists ever heard in Washington.—Washington Post.
42The bow, guided by the hand of Miss Fanny Losey, the violinist, causes the instrument to respond in tone, both clear and beautiful. Her playing of the Hungarian Dance captivated the audience.—Milwaukee Sentinel.
44Miss Fanny Losey appeared for the first time in this city and proved herself to be a violinist of excellent schooling. Her bowing is firm, her tones musical and her technic fine and even.—Pioneer Press, St. Paul.
46The most pleasing and artistic part of the musical program was Miss Losey's playing of Sarasate's Faust Fantasia.—St. Paul Globe.
48The violinist, Miss Fannie Losey, at once won the favor of her hearers by her faultless bowing and altogether brilliant style of playing. She played with sentiment, and her interpretations were marked with that intelligence characteristic of the cultured musician who seeks to attain the purpose of the composer and to convey his thoughts to the audience unalloyed by personal peculiarities. She has mastered an extensive repertory and is as industrious as she is talented and conscientious. Her training was acquired in Berlin and Leipsic, and she showed that she has absorbed the best methods. She played selections by Vieuxtemps and Sarasate, besides encore numbers.—Free Press, Detroit.
50Miss Fanny Losey showed in her performance a rare technic, a clear and firm tone and faultless intonation even in the most difficult passages, qualities we seldom find so happily combined together. She belongs, by all means, to the front rank among the younger violinists and a great future stands before her.—La Crosse Nordstern.
52The Tuesday musical brought to the front Miss Fanny Losey, of Chicago, a new and bona fide worthy claimant for fame as a violinist. Miss Losey is comparatively fresh from the tutelage of De Ahna and Wirth, and from five years' study in Berlin and Leipsic. In her work she is not bound to the stereotyped style, but has a mark of brilliancy and originality, tempered all the while by the intelligence to give each composition its dominant characteristic. Her handling of the bow was well-nigh faultless. In her work she won instant recognition from the audience, and was most heartily applauded. For a new artist in the field she scored more than a satisfactory reception here.—Daily Journal, Detroit.
54Miss Fanny Losey's violin playing was greatly appreciated. She is careful, true and conscientious in her playing, and, unlike many so-called renowned violinists, resorts to no tricks to capture her auditors. Miss Losey has gained in breadth of tone since her last appearance here.—Madison Democrat.
56Miss Losey, the violinist, is well known here, and the beauty and skill of her playing are enhanced by her charm of manner.—Madison Journal.
58Miss Fanny Losey, the violinist, was a favorite with the audience, and was twice encored with enthusiasm. Her playing was marked by smoothness and delicacy of touch.—Terre Haute Tribune.
60Miss Fanny Losey, by her violin playing, showed that she has not ceased to work in solidifying her technical and musical status. Her playing has developed much in tone and style and shows that healthy growth which is the only sure guarantee of ultimately attaining a high degree of artistic perfection. Miss Losey was greeted with a hearty round of applause at each appearance and her three solo numbers and two encores received the enthusiastic approval of the audience.—La Crosse Republican.
62The Ruben & Andrews' Artists.
64THE special announcement sent forth for the season 1896-7 by the new agency of Messrs. Ruben & Andrews, 489 Fifth avenue, New York, gives a remarkable list of prominent artists for whom they have been duly and fully authorized to negotiate engagements. Among this list of artists of the first degree we notice the names of Madame Nordica, Madame Clementine de Vere-Sapio and Madame Julie Wyman. As has been earlier announced, the Ruben & Andrews firm undertake the management of artists, operatic and other, solely for concerts, musicales and musical festivals.
66The brilliant work of Mme. Nordica in concert and oratorio is well known to rival in artistic power her superb success upon the operatic stage. She is a tremendously valuable factor in the Ruben & Andrews forces.
68Mme. Clementine de Vere-Sapio is another artist as valuable as she is successful. Her superb voice and training, united to a rare versatility, have made her for some years past a prime favorite on the American concert stage. Like Mme. Nordica, her concert repertory is enormous, and she is prepared to fill capably at call the principal oratorios and cantatas in use, while commanding a series of programs, operatic, lyric and other, which she is at all times prepared to deliver in a finished manner, without trouble or rehearsal.
70The delicious mezzo soprano of Mme Julie Wyman and her delightful lyric work, particularly in the French field, is too well known to all lovers of good vocal music to need comment. She has a voice of rare and luscious timbre, and her deep feeling and dramatic instinct are unsurpassed by any singer on the concert stage to-day. We hope to hear from Mme. Wyman very often, as few lyric artists can deliver a song with the passion and pathos of this full throated mezzo soprano.
72Madame Lillian Blauvelt, the little soprano prima donna of exquisite voice and finish, is also on the list. Among the sopranos there then come Madame Anna Burch, Madame Torriani Hutchinson, Madame Rosalia Chalia, Madame Marguerat Macdonald, Mlle. Le Gierse and Madame Ruth Yebba. Among these Madame Anna Burch is already well known to the New York public as a charming and sympathetic artist.
74Among the contraltos are Madame Eugenia Manletti, of the Metropolitan Opera, who will beyond doubt make a superb success as a concert artist; Madame Helene Hasreiter, Mlle. Marie Parcello, Madame Rosa Linde, Mrs. Vanderveer Green and Mrs. Katharine Bloodgood.
76The tenors number leading and familiar names, including Mr. William H. Rieger, Mr. Orlando Harley, Mr. W. C. Towne and Monsieur A. L. Guille.
78The baritones and basses include Monsieur Plançont Signor G. Campanari, Mr. Emil Fischer, Mr. Carl E. Duff, and Mr. E. de Gorgoza.
80Miss Maud Powell and the brothers Franz and Paul Listemann are among the string players, and the triumphant pianist under the management of the new firm is Rafael Joseffy.
82This list makes a brilliant showing, and there can be little doubt but that Messrs. Ruben & Andrews will keep their accomplished ranks in active occupation.
84Carlotta Desvignes.—Miss Carlotta Desvignes during her vacation spent four weeks in Switzerland, and afterward paid a visit to the well-known composer Mlle. Chaminade at her home near Paris. She left Europe by the Umbria September 5. She had a very successful London season, her concert at Steinway Hall being a genuine triumph. Miss Desvignes begins a concert tour with Camilla Urso on October 12, which will last till the end of January, with one week free at Christmas for oratorio engagements.
86Published by G. SCHIRMER, New York.
88EUGENE GRUENBERG.
90The Violinist's Manual.
92A Progressive Classification of Technical Material, Etudes, Solo Pieces, And the most important Chamber Music Works, AS WELL AS A Short Synopsis of the Literature of the Viola, TO WHICH IS ADDED HINTS FOR THE VIOLINIST.
94Flexible Cloth, 75 Cents.
96Wm. H. RIEGER,
97Tenor.
98ORATORIO,
99CONCERT
100AND
101SONG RECITALS.
102For terms, dates, etc., address
10318 E. 22d Street,
104New York.
106MORRIS RENO,
107REPRESENTATIVE OF
108First-Class
109Concert Artists,
110144 WEST 74th STREET,
111New York.
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