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Musical Courier 1896-12-02: Vol 33 Iss 874, 1896
57 lines. Read by computer on 20 September 2026. Printed page 15. See the scan on archive.org.
1pianist, will play, and a Kinder symphonie will be given by seven young ladies.
3The first in a series of four lectures before the members of the Brookline Educational Society was given in Shailer Hall, of the Brookline High School, Monday evening. The subject of the lecture, which was given by Prof. Louis C. Elson, of the New England Conservatory of Music, was The Story of German Music, illustrated by songs. Dr. Walter Channing, president of the society, presided.
5A concert was given at the Newton Club house Wednesday evening, under the auspices of Mrs. Mary Beebe Cutler, for the benefit of the Newton College Hospital. The artists taking part were Miss Laura Webster, Miss Alice Cole, Mr. Eliot Hubbard and Mrs. Mary Beebe Cutler.
7The program for the second of Miss Orvis' four concerts for young people, in Chickering Hall, this morning, will include a lecture recital by Miss Helen A. Brooks, on Old French and English Dances. At the third concert, December 5, Miss Orvis will talk about the Piano Sonata, its development from the song and rondo, and play rondos by Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, a sonata by Clementi, and a sonata by Beethoven, op. 14, No. 2.
9The four oratorio concerts of the Händel and Haydn Society will be given December 20 and 21, The Messiah; February 7, Elijah, and April 18 Hors Novissima.
11Mr. David Bispham sings with the Händel and Haydn Society in the concerts of December 20 and 21.
13A paper was read by Prof. Claudius Deslouis, formerly baritone at the Opéra Comique and the Théâtre Italien, in Paris, yesterday, at the house of Mr. and Mrs. George Hollis Blake, in Gloucester street, on The Teaching of Singing and Vocal Art. After the lecture Mrs. Gorham Hubbard, Mrs. Thatcher, Mrs. Blake and Mr. Gustave Priesing, pupils of Mr. Deslouis, sang French songs, and the professor sang a solo, and also his composition, a duo, Hommage à Washington, with Mr. Priesing. M. Deslouis announced his intention to organize in Boston a musical society whose raison d'être shall be to present, in society, the chefs d'oeuvres of the old French musicians, who wrote music from the heart, and not merely from the head, like Boieldieu, Nicolo, Grizard, Carafa, Lulli, Hérold, &c. Their music pleased everybody, because everybody understood it.
15A Youngstown Concert.—A concert under the direction of Mr. W. W. Leffingwell, assisted by Miss Harriet Worrall, soprano; Miss Carlotta Russell, violinist; Miss Harriet Thorne, pianist; Mr. Simon Weinstein, flutist; Mr. Wm. Wilson, violoncellist, and Miss Myra McKeown, accompanist, was given at the First Christian Church, Youngstown, Ohio, on Tuesday evening, November 17. Some of Mr. Leffingwell's violin pupils were heard on this occasion. The program was neatly made.
17Charles Bigelow Ford's Recital.—The following notice of Mr. Ford's recent organ recital is from the New York Journal: Charles Bigelow Ford gave his first recital of the present season last night at the Baptist Church of the Epiphany, of which he is organist. His share of the program included selections from Rink, Saint-Saëns and Wagner, in the latter of which he afforded another proof of his being one of the best pedal players of the organists' guild. Professor Ford was assisted by Mrs. Gerrit Smith, who sang Händel's Oh, Had I Jubal's Lyre and the Bach-Gounod Ave Maria with good voice and expression.
19Max Bendix Writes.
20Editors The Musical Courier:
21BELIEVING you to have done me injustice in not publishing a recent contribution of mine to your invaluable paper (notwithstanding the fact that you have willingly published any quantity of "anonymous" letters in past issues) I ask of you to give space to the following: Several Chicago papers, and above all the Chicago Tribune (of which the music critic (?) Armstrong was formerly an expressman on the West Side), have been attacking me for several months, and I am so tired with their nonsensical rubbish that I finally, at the request of my hundreds and hundreds of friends in the Windy City, have decided to "fly into print," as Longfellow says, although I much dislike ostentatious and capricious publicity. Strange to say these newspapers have not always been unfriendly to me. As the concertmaster of the Chicago Orchestra everybody looked up to me as the sure and only successor of Mr. Thomas. I enjoyed Mr. Thomas' full confidence, and he himself jokingly told me often to study conducting, for, said he, "I have poor lungs, Max, and may pass off any day, so a word to the wise is sufficient."
23But, thanks to Him, Mr. Thomas remained well and sound until, during the World's Fair at Windy City, Mr. Thomas grew strangely ill (some say on account of the draughts which rushed through Music Hall on the fair grounds, the many empty seats offering no check to the fierce wind).
25Up to this time Mr. Thomas had always treated me as a brother and looked up to me as his dear friend and helper in all things, musical as well as unmusical. Time and again Mr. Thomas had asked me in the presence of the entire orchestra to explain to them such obsolete words as "tempi neni," "speidelando," "rutschicato," and I here challenge any of the orchestra to find me one single time at fault.
27As each concert progressed during the first week at the fair in 1893 Mr. Thomas' face grew longer. About the middle of May, 1893, a two-span carriage drove up to my residence on Lake Shore Drive and who should get out but Theodore Thomas in evening dress. He rang the bell, rushed past my colored man, and threw himself upon my sofa. "Max," he said, looking up to me affectionately, "I have given up my position as director of music at the World's Fair, and my cloak now falls on your young shoulders. As one of my best and longest friends none other but you could be my legitimate successor."
29In short, I really became the successor of the greatest American conductor, Theodore Thomas. Now comes the fatal turning point. For immediately on assuming my high position the audience began to grow proportionately as the concerts progressed under my direction, plainly indicating a desire for a change in the conductorship of the Chicago Orchestra for the Auditorium concerts the coming winter.
31The last concert I gave with the Chicago Orchestra (now ruled as I thought best with progressive ideas) was attended by nearly 3,000 people, whereas Mr. Thomas succeeded in attracting only 327 people, by actual count, in his palmiest day during the fair.
33Now Mr. Thomas began to change, and inspired by one of the first violins, who wished to occupy my place with its salary of $3,000 annually, intrigues began spinning about my nose. At Detroit in 1894 Mr. Thomas told me in the presence of the entire audience, "Sie können zum Teufel gehen, sie Jude," an insult which I never forgot. But the climax arrived last spring when Thomas told me to "go to hell," which impudence can be proved by nearly all the first violins and flutes who heard the unjust remark. Hereupon I determined to quit the whole organization of jealous musicians.
35In order to upset my position Mr. Thomas has organized a rival quartet, but it remains to be seen whether I with my twenty years' experience can be beaten by a German boy just out of school (even if it is the over-praised Joachim school). Two of his players have derived all their knowledge in quartet playing, having been members of the Bendix Quartet last year. Long live American musicians!
37This is the whole and true story, Mr. Editor, and I beg of you to see justice done me and my good reputation. Either publish this whole letter or none, for I don't want only parts of my public documents printed and the other part marked with the pencil, as the expressman of the Chicago Tribune once did. Respectfully,
38MAX BENDIX,
39Ex-Concertmaster.
40CHICAGO, November 28, 1896.
42Who Were Adams' Other Fiascos?
43Editors The Musical Courier:
44IN THE MUSICAL COURIER of November 25 is an editorial called Another Fiasco. After commenting upon the dismal failure of Mrs. Sprague and quoting the criticisms of two of the critics who dealt so gently with the lady, you say:
46How much longer are Americans going to spend their money among European singing teachers when such results as the above and others recently recorded in these columns face them?
48Why do you lay all the blame for Mrs. Sprague's lack of ability upon the European teachers? Is it not true that she studied with Mr. Charles R. Adams, of Boston, before she went abroad? And has she not been studying or "coaching" with him for the past six months since her return from Paris, taking, it is said, six lessons a week? Did she not take three lessons a day for three weeks preceding the "fiasco?"
50Why did Mr. Adams allow a pupil to appear when he must have known that failure awaited her? If he could not prevent her appearing, why did he countenance her by his presence? Can any teacher be benefited by such an exhibition of incompetency as Mrs. Sprague presented? Rather does it not seriously injure his reputation, and will not future pupils avoid a teacher who has presented several "fiascos" to the Boston public in the shape of incompetent pupils? Yours truly,
52Lambert Pupil Plays with Damrosch.—Miss Florence Terrel, a pupil of Mr. Alexander Lambert and a gifted young pianist, will make her professional début at the Damrosch Sunday night concert on December 6.
54New York Ladies' Trio.—The New York Ladies' Trio, composed of Dora Valesca Becker, violin; Flavie van den Hende, 'cello, and Mabel Phipps, piano, will play on December 8 with the Orpheus Society, Paterson, N. J.
56A Saenger Pupil Again.—Mrs. Josephine Jacoby, the young contralto who achieved such a great success at the Damrosch popular concert a fortnight ago, is a pupil of Mr. Oscar Saenger, who is justly proud of her work. She has a magnificent voice, which she uses with great skill, and is rapidly rising into prominence. She is booked for a number of important concerts.
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