Scan 33
Musical Courier 1896-12-02: Vol 33 Iss 874, 1896
48 lines. Read by computer on 20 September 2026. Printed page 28. See the scan on archive.org.
1Gregorowitsch.
3CHARLES GREGOROWITSCH, the eminent Russian violinist, has come to hold the fort. He is an artist not destined to dazzle or to confuse popular judgment by artificial devices or showy methods. Gregorowitsch is a sound, thoroughly musical, finished violinist, whose art at each appearance grows more and more upon the public taste. Already Gregorowitsch has established himself with a feeling of permanence in popular favor, while he has been welcomed among musicians as an artist of intellectual calibre and the earnest musicianly methods which are bound to win enduring favor.
5Gregorowitsch was brought here without any advance puffery. He made his début before the New York public with the American Symphony Orchestra in Chickering Hall on Tuesday evening, November 24, solely upon his merits. The public ear had not been stuffed beforehand with the loud réclame which precedes many artists, and which sometimes predisposes an audience to enthusiasm. Even the man's most modest merits had not been talked about and paraded in advance. The manner in which Gregorowitsch made his first appearance in America was dignified and artistic. His appeal was made not to a fad, a vogue or the disqualified judgment which is the result of biased newspaper advertisement and flattery beforehand; it was made to the true artistic intelligence, and the Russian has won his day.
7The enthusiasm created on his début, being the result of honest, intelligent criticism, has proved the key to the future career of Gregorowitsch in this country. He has come to stay. He is an artist to wear, and times have already proved it.
9After this first concert Gregorowitsch was directly engaged by Messrs. Abbey, Schoeffel & Grau for their following Sunday night concert at the Metropolitan Opera House, and also engaged by Messrs. Ruben & Andrews for the Metropolitan matinées at the Waldorf. Not only this, but the increased application for dates has caused his manager, Mr. H. M. Hirschberg, to raise the original contract for forty concerts up to sixty-five, which after all will only succeed in covering the most prominent among the engagements proposed.
11Among the numerous cities where Gregorowitsch will play are included Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Chicago, Cleveland, Toledo, Ohio; Milwaukee, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Boston, and several further appearances will be made in New York. In St. Paul and Minneapolis he will appear with Nordica.
13Personally Gregorowitsch is a man of refined, genial and sympathetic interest. He is young, being only twenty-nine, a native of St. Petersburg and son of a gifted musical family, from whom he has directly inherited his remarkable talents. He showed the usual musical precocity at a very childish age, disclosing his special talent for the violin by his use of a tiny toy fiddle. From one prominent master to another he passed until he reached Wieniawski, who, delighted with the youth's ability, undertook his tutelage and predicted for him the future which is now his. He was the last pupil Wieniawski taught, but Gregorowitsch the pupil left Wieniawski the master a master himself. Gregorowitsch was the master, of Bronislaw Hubermann, the boy violinist, and a watch presented to him by the father of his pupil, Hubermann, the violinist always carries.
15When Gregorowitsch steps upon the platform the impression of dignity, confidence and authority is at once conveyed. There is nothing aggressive about his bearing, but there is the quiet, firm certainty which inspires musical belief and satisfaction in an audience. He is medium in height, blond, vigorous in physique without stoutness, but looks a little older than his years, owing perhaps to the seriousness and energy with which he has pursued his art. He is the owner of numerous decorations of honor, but wears on the stage only the decoration of the Order of Christ, a most distinguished honor, which was conferred upon him at Lisbon for his superb performances. Gregorowitsch has played with eminent success before the leading potentates of the leading cities of Europe. Under the direction of Rubinstein he has played repeatedly before the Czar. Were Gregorowitsch to wear his full host of decorations he would stand emblazoned. He carries them always with him, but wears only the Order of Christ during a performance, since the others would interfere with the handling of his violin. The violin upon which he plays is a Guarnerius valued at $1,000—a perfect instrument.
17Aside from his musicianship Gregorowitsch is a man of superior intelligence and versatile accomplishments. He speaks his native Russian, French, German and a little English. He is courteous, cordial and refined as a man.
19He is also one of the best violinists who has ever visited this country, recalling many times during a performance the Wieniawski of magic fame. Below are appended some press criticisms received upon his New York début. As a truth Gregorowitsch was heard to increased advantage at his second appearance in the Metropolitan Opera House, but the following sufficiently attest this great artist's merits:
21Mr. Charles Gregorowitsch, a Russian violinist, and a pupil of Wieniawski, made his American début last evening at Chickering Hall, the occasion being the first concert this season of the American Symphony Orchestra. He created a most agreeable impression and made it evident that he is a violinist of talent and culture. He chose for his introduction his master's concerto No. 2, in D minor, in the interpretation of which he showed a well developed technic, a fine rhythmic sense and much sentiment. The romanza in the second movement was given in a cantabile that in singing tone was all the term indicates. The racial character of the gypsy movement, which concludes the concerto, was admirably brought out. The audience seemed to be delighted with Mr. Gregorowitsch. He was thrice recalled and then played Popper's Elfen Dansen, a 'cello solo, with piano accompaniment, arranged for the violin. The facility of execution he displayed in this pleased the audience again, and a second encore was insisted upon, when he played with muted violin—more's the pity!—a dainty berceuse by Godard. It can be said that the new violinist scored a popular hit.—New York Herald, November 25.
23The advent of another violinist was by all means the important feature of this concert. The orchestral selections were Gluck's serene overture to Iphigenia in Aulis and Mendelssohn's gay Italian Symphony. Mr. Gregorowitsch, a Russian, who has studied with yoachim and Wieniawski, contributed Wieniawski's concerto in D minor. It is a work of much sensuous beauty, of considerable difficulty, altogether a fine vehicle for the display of ardent temperament and showy execution. These two qualities Gregorowitch possesses, together with a gift of easy bowing and facile fingering. The artist evidently takes his art and life easily; his style is not conventional nor classic.
25He is a player of talent and attainments, but a player for the millions, not for the few.—The Sun, November 25.
27Mr. Gregorowitsch comes to America with a substantial European reputation that was immediately and enthusiastically ratified by last evening's audience. He chose to exploit the more distinctively technical side of his powers by playing Wieniawski's second concerto; but he accomplished it in a manner that left no doubt of his artistic stature. His command of the highest technic of the violin is absolute and unfailing. The heaped up difficulties of the composition were as nothing in his hands, and were mastered with impregnable certitude. His bowing is strong and free, and in the mazes of the most complicated passages his intonation was never astray, while with all the impulsive sweep of his playing there was never lacking a crystalline and pellucid clearness and the nicest sense of proportion. There was something more than technic in Mr. Gregorowitsch's performance of this concerto; there were the unmistakable evidences of a glowing temperament and a sane and vigorous musical feeling. But it takes music of a higher order than a concerto of Wieniawski to establish an artist in the highest places in his art. Mr. Gregorowitsch did not manifest last evening, because there was nothing to call them out, the finest qualities of a musician, a deep emotional feeling, the poise and serenity of the noblest art; he may show later whether or not he possesses them. In the mean time, the fact that he is a violinist of most interesting and engaging qualities and of the most consummate attainments is assured. The audience was stirred to great enthusiasm by his performance, and called him again and again. He played first a piece in the style of a Perpetuum Mobile, by Popper, and then a dainty little melody by Godard.—Tribune, November 25.
29Chickering Hall was crowded, and the audience became very enthusiastic over the performances of the Russian violinist, Mr. Charles Gregorowitsch. He played a Wieniawski concerto, which affords little scope for expression, wherefore the player's attainments in this line could not be fairly gauged, but he showed that his bow commands a pure tone, while his left hand controls a correct intonation, and is master of all the secrets and difficulties of technical execution. He is an excellent artist, whose future appearances will be looked forward to with pleasure. The audience made him add two extra pieces.—Evening Post, November 25.
31A music-loving audience filled Chickering Hall last evening, drawn by the first concert of the American Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Mr. Sam Franko. Mr. Gregorowitsch, a Russian violinist, who made his first appearance, was received with evidences of warm appreciation.
33But symphony and orchestra were overshadowed by the soloist—Mr. Charles Gregorowitsch, a Russian violinist. He came almost unheralded and made his début at a concert given by an organization not yet established in public favor. His success was instantaneous.
35He is entitled to a place among the great violinists of the day. His playing is individual, authoritative, refined, tender, and soulful. His technic is of the best.
37His tone is of varying size. It is normally a medium tone, but it grows in volume when extracted from the G string. It is a bit "scratchy," but in spite of that it has a caressing quality.
39Mr. Gregorowitsch played Wieniawski's second concerto, especially the second movement, with rare charm. As encore he played a transcription, by Carl Halir, of Popper's 'cello piece, Elfentanz, a sort of "perpetuum mobile," with great technical accuracy, and another transcription, a berceuse by Godard, on muted strings, with exquisite softness and tenderness and with a legato that was really extraordinary.
41After his great success last evening he will certainly be heard again.—World, November 25.
43Of course a great part of the interest that attracted the large audience attached to the first appearance of the soloist, Mr. Charles Gregorowitsch. His choice of Wieniawski's second concerto did not seem very musically, though it might be assigned to a desire to render homage to the composer, who was also the violinist's teacher, and with whom he studied the concerto. But in truth Gregorowitsch is one of those violinists of whom it does not much matter what he plays, so much he reveals, and leads his hearers to revel, in the mere beauty of the successions of tones he draws from his instrument. From the time when the Russian violinist began to "play along" with the orchestra in the tutti that precedes the entrance of the solo instrument it was evident that he was an assured and well equipped performer, and before he had completed the first movement he had insured his welcome.
45His tone is not very large, though it is larger than that of most of the violinists to whom he may be likened; with that of Sauret, for example, but it is beautifully delivered and graded, and with mathematical exactness of intonation. The third movement, à la Zingara, the only one which has much musical value beyond mere virtuosity, was played with all the willfulness and spirit that belong to it, and the violinist concluded in a storm of deserved applause. He responded to it with a rapid and difficult study of the moto perpetuo kind, an effen-tance of Popper for 'cello transcribed for violin, and after another encore of unmistakable heartiness played with a muted instrument another transcription from a composition for 'cello, a berceuse by Godard.
47Altogether the first concert of the American Symphony was a pronounced success, a thoroughly studied performance, and
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