Scan 10
Musical Courier 1896-12-02: Vol 33 Iss 874, 1896
102 lines. Read by computer on 20 September 2026, twice; the two readings disagreed in places. Printed page 5. See the scan on archive.org.
1WELL, I was overwhelmingly right with regard to the outcome of the election, and though I won no bet, not even a glass of weiss beer, over the event, I must say I am very glad of it, and offer my heartiest congratulations to any sound money man or woman who cares to accept them. And now let me return from politics to music, with the self-imposed promise that I shall not again refer to the former within the next four years from now.
3*** one of two readings
4(no line here) one of two readings
6Musically the week from Election Day up to to-day began somewhat tamely, but increased in interest as the week wore on, and reached its well timed climax at the end with last night's third Philharmonic concert.
8The concert of Mrs. Adelina Sandow-Herms, and of her husband, the violoncellist, Eugen Sandow, I should probably not have visited at all if any other concert of more importance or interest had taken place on Tuesday night of last week. I heard both these artists last year, and wrote of them at length. Sandow is no strong man upon the 'cello, but he plays his instrument quite acceptably. His wife has not a particularly agreeable or ausgiebige alto voice, but she sings with taste and has a certain charm of delivery and Gestaltungsvermoegen, or, to translate this long German word, a power to bring out the individual traits of each Lied she sings.
10Both artists had some novelites on their not uninteresting combined program, for which reason chiefly I went to the Singakademie, which spacious concert room I found well filled with an appreciative and generous audience.
12Sandow performed a violoncello concerto in D minor by C. Eckert, once upon a time court conductor in Berlin, and the composer of several long-forgotten operas. The work I did not know, having never before heard it, and as I am always on the lookout for new 'cello concertos for my friend, the most admirable 'cellist, Louis Blumenberg, I was eager for the acquaintance of this addition to the limited solo literature for one of the most sympathetic, but also one of the most unappreciated, of solo instruments.
14Well, the Eckert concerto I shall not send on to New York, as I don't consider it worth the postage, let alone the trouble of studying it. The first movement alone, which contains an allegro moderate, andante, scherzo vivace, and again andante, might have done service for a whole concerto in one movement. It is not bad, but real Kapellmeistermusik. Then comes a rondo à la cosaque, which contains nothing new, and at last the concerto winds up with an allegro non troppo which is banal and commonplace beyond endurance.
16If therefore I cannot conscientiously advise the importation into the United States of Eckert's 'cello concerto, some of the Lieder by the Berlin composer critics which figured on the program may prove welcome to not a few of the American seekers after vocal novelties. For their benefit I mention the quaint Luarin, by E. E. Taubert; Rastlose Liebe, by Oscar Eichberg, and Harren, by Otto Lessmann.
18*** one of two readings
20(no line here) one of two readings
21Of Hermann Gura I wrote at length in my last week's budget. He gave his second Lieder and Balladen Abend in Bechstein Hall on Wednesday evening, before an increased audience. I stayed to hear the sixteen Gesaenge which form the immortal Dichterliebe cycle of Robert Schumann, and some of which one has but rare opportunities of hearing so well sung. The remainder of the program brought the following selections:
23Morgenlied, op. 51, No. 5. …………….. Alexis Hollaender one of two readings
24Ablösung, op. 51, No. 7. ……………… Alexis Hollaender one of two readings
25Ständchen, op. 106, No. 1. ……………… J. Brahms one of two readings
26Allerseelen, op. 10, No. 8. ……………… Richard Strauss one of two readings
27Schlagende Herzen, op. 24, No. 2. ………. Richard Strauss one of two readings
28Wiederschein, Nachlass Ltg. 15. ………… F. Schubert one of two readings
29Prometheus Nachlass Ltg. 40. …………… F. Schubert one of two readings
30Der Wirtin Töchterlein, op. 1, No. 2. ……. F. Schubert one of two readings
31Herr Oluf, op. 2, No. 2. ……………….. F. Schubert one of two readings
32Der Edelfalk, op. 68, No. 2. ……………. F. Schubert one of two readings
33Das Erkennen, op. 65, No. 2. …………… C. Loewe one of two readings
34Der Zauberlehrling, op. 30, No. 2. ………. F. Schubert one of two readings
36*** one of two readings
37Morgenlied, op. 51, No. 5. Alexis Hollaender one of two readings
38Ablösung, op. 51, No. 7. Alexis Hollaender one of two readings
39Ständchen, op. 106, No. 1. J. Brahms one of two readings
40Allerseelen, op. 10, No. 8. Richard Strauss one of two readings
41Schlagende Herzen, op. 24, No. 2. Richard Strauss one of two readings
42Wiederschein, Nachlass Ltg. 15. F. Schubert one of two readings
43Prometheus Nachlass Ltg. 40. F. Schubert one of two readings
44Der Wirthin Töchterlein, op. 1, No. 2. Ries & Erler one of two readings
45Herr Oluf, op. 2, No. 2. Ries & Erler one of two readings
46Der Edelfalk, op. 68, No. 2. C. Loewe one of two readings
47Das Erkennen, op. 65, No. 2. C. Loewe one of two readings
48Der Zauberlehrling, op. 30, No. 2. C. Loewe one of two readings
50On the same evening I heard at the lugubrious hall of the Royal High School for Music an Italian chamber music organization, new to Berlin, which gave a concert for the benefit of the triple monument of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, the erection of which in Berlin has been planned for some time. I am afraid the said soirée will not much advance the present laggard state of the monumental affair, for the conservatory hall did not contain many listeners, which is all the more to be regretted as the performance of the Italian Quintet would have deserved a more general and widespread recognition.
52The most important member of the quintet seemed to me to be the pianist, L. Gulli, by whom Professor Earth lately played two very promising compositions, and who is said to have been a pupil of the Hochschule. Except that he once in a while, especially in forte passages, took the wind out of his four associates of the strings by overpowering them with his concert grand piano, Gulli proved himself an excellent chamber music performer, full of intelligence and of the most refined musical taste. I felt this more particularly in the slow movement of the Brahms F minor quintet, and in the intermezzo of the Sinding quintet, though both these works, so characteristic of their respective composer's nationality, are anything but Italian. The natural suavity of the Southerners, however, toned down to some advantage Brahms' at moments too severe ruggedness, and the Northern weirdness of Sinding.
54The members of the string quartet, Signori R. Fattorini, R. Zampeti, E. Marengo and C. Bedetti, gave a neat ensemble performance of Mozart's C major quartet, which delightful work was received with much applause by the small but cultured audience, of which the Hochschule students formed the by far strongest contingent.
56*** one of two readings
57(no line here) one of two readings
59There is no use denying the fact that Lilli Lehmann still draws in Berlin. She announces three vocal recitals, with rather heterogeneous programs, and the first one of them, last Thursday night, drew one of the largest audiences so far seen in the Philharmonie this season. I cannot explain the fact of this paying popularity of such singers as Lilli Lehmann, except on the ground that one hears so very little good singing in Berlin all the year round that people will embrace most any opportunity offered them in that direction, even if the singer be no longer in her prime. I don't want to be understood, however, in the sense as if Lilli Lehmann were no longer worth listening to. Her voice indeed has, to me at least, no longer the charm, mellowness or fullness it once possessed, but she is still a consummate artist. She knows how to hide the ravages of time, and even her lack of true passion is concealed by means of her superior musical intelligence and fine artistic instinct. The latter quality, however, did not appear outwardly, for, as usual, the lady was dressed in the worst kind of taste.
61Another lack of taste became apparent this time in the selection of the novelties which Lilli Lehmann this time introduced to the Berlin public. Previously she had shown considerable musical insight in the choice of her protégés, the acquaintance of whom she took it upon herself to disseminate among her audiences. Thus she did a great deal for Bungert, who scarcely would have made his way so quickly without her. Her selections from Reinhold L. Herman and from Hans Herrmann's Lieder were also justifiable, although not all what the latter writes is musical gold. But this time she gave us dross in a group of six Lieder by one Johannes Lechner, a Berlin composer heretofore absolutely unknown. I am told on pretty good authority that Lilli Lehmann was induced more by the feeling of charity than by anything else to sing just these songs, as the composer is said to be in very needy circumstances. While such a motive does credit to the lady's kindness of heart, it cannot possibly relieve her artistic conscience, nota bene if she carries about with her such a rare article. There are also more ways than through the public singing of his mediocre Lieder that Frau Lehmann could have assuaged the unknown composer's financial troubles.
63The story goes that she did so also in at least one way and not at the expense of her own well filled purse either, as anybody who knows anything of Lilli Lehmann at all will readily presume. The following are said to be the circumstances: There is here an enterprising, but by no means very lavish music publishing firm, Ries & Erler, the last named partner of which, although he is a very rich man, bears somewhat the same reputation for not over great prodigality with his "boodle" as does Lilli Lehmann herself.
65It was just this man whom Lilli got interested in her "newly discovered genius," Johannes Lechner. She sang the Lieder to Erler with all that winsomeness that she knows how to display, and she told the publisher that she would sing them also in public. Erler agreed to see the composer, and to strike a bargain with him. But Lilli, who knew well enough that that poor fellow would jump at anything that the publisher might offer, and who knew her man, insisted quietly, but firmly, that the bargain could only be struck with her, and not with the composer. The bargain was struck, and Ries & Erler are stuck for a nice little sum. It won't hurt them, and it will do the composer lots of good. The Lilli also kept her word. She did sing the Lechner Lieder in public, but—they proved a fiasco.
67I could not await the singing of the Adelaide and Egmont Lieder of Beethoven, as well as of three Schubert songs and the usual encores, as I wanted to hurry down to the Singakademie. Mention, however, should be made of the fact that Prof. Franz Mannstaedt, who accompanied Frau Lehmann at the piano, did not do so with as great an amount of musical taste as one might have expected from so experienced an artist, nor with that beauty of tone and touch that a former piano virtuoso is supposed to have at his command.
69*** one of two readings
71(no line here) one of two readings
72At the Singakademie that same evening Miss Selma Thomas held forth. She is a local mezzo soprano who sings acceptably, but has no very pronounced qualities in any direction. Her voice and delivery are alike cold and dispassionate, but she succeeded in pleasing her very friendly disposed audience.
74The program contained the usual Schubert, Schumann, Cornelius and Brahms selections, intermixed with a classical sprinkling of Händel, Mozart and Beethoven.
76The last group, however, consisted of four older Gesaenge (Todessehnsucht, by J. S. Bach; Gut' Nacht, an old serenade from the Middle Rhine; Lord Gregory, an old Scotch ballad, and Rosa, a Flemish dance ditty), in the careful and musically arrangement of Dr. Reimann, and these I recommend to the notice of American vocalists.
78*** one of two readings
79(no line here) one of two readings
81The Steigerung, of which I spoke in my opening paragraph, was reached on Friday night with the third symphony concert of the Royal Orchestra, under Herr Court Conductor Felix Weingartner's so pronouncedly popular direction.
83The program was an interesting one and opened with Schumann's Manfred overture, which irrelentlessly gloomy work received a somewhat too sleek and polished interpretation at the hands of the conductor, as well as of the band of artists, to allow of its fullest effect of doom and despair.
85In pleasing contrast thereto stood Hermann Goetz's F major symphony, a work which is but rarely heard nowadays. Ten or twelve years ago it used to be one of the stock pieces of Theodore Thomas' broad and most catholic repertory, but since then the composer of the Taming of the Shrew has vanished almost completely from our concert programs. For myself I hailed the resurrection with pleasurable anticipation, for I consider this refined symphony the direct forerunner of Raff's Wald symphony, one of the finest and most descriptive works of the entire modern musical literature.
87The performance of Goetz's work was, under Weingartner's dashy baton, very spirited and cleverly worked out as to rhythmic and dynamic details. Also did the symphony, especially the gay intermezzo and the melodious slow movement, meet with a favorable reception on the part of the fashionable audience, which, as usual, filled every available seat in the Royal Opera House. one of two readings
88The performance of Goetz's work was, under Weingartner's dashing baton, very spirited and cleverly worked out as to rhythmic and dynamic details. Also did the symphony, especially the gay intermezzo and the melodious slow movement, meet with a favorable reception on the part of the fashionable audience, which, as usual, filled every available seat in the Royal Opera House. one of two readings
90The real novelty of the evening was a Lustspiel overture by E. N. von Reznicek, a composer much patronized by Herr von Weingartner, and vice versa. In former years it was urged against our leader of the Royal Orchestra's symphony evenings that no contemporaneous composer was suffered to appear on the program. The reproach at the time must have reached Weingartner's ear and must have found consideration with him, for he changed his tactics and now gives us modern composers. So far this season he has been careful, as in the case of Schilling's Seemorgen and again in this instance of Reznicek's Lustspiel overture, to select just such works as are apt to find no favor with his audiences. Reznicek's overture to his comic opera Donna Diana is very clever and popular good music in the vein of Smetana's Verkaufte Braut overture, but this E major overture is banal in invention and scored in clap-trap style. It is a Possen but not a refined Lustspiel overture.
92The second half of the program was made up of Beethoven's less frequently heard first Leonore overture and Haydn's D major symphony (No. 4 in the B. & H. edition), yclept The Bell symphony. Why it is thus called I don't know, but I imagine it must be because of the opening bars of the slow movement in G major, the reiterated thirds B, G, in the bass producing a slight suggestion of the effect of a tolling bell.
94Both works of the classics were reproduced by Berlin's best orchestra under Weingartner's most careful direction in a flawless and highly enjoyable style.
96The next concert, on December 17, will be dedicated exclusively to Beethoven, the program being made up of the Fidelio and the Leonore No. 2 overtures, the seventh symphony, and the E flat piano concerto, the latter to be played by Busoni. This will be the first time for a long while that we shall have a soloist at one of these royal concerts.
98*** one of two readings
100(no line here) one of two readings
101While the above described concert was progressing the Stern Singing Society gave its first concert of the season
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.