Scan 29
Musical Courier 1896-12-23: Vol 33 Iss 877, 1896
75 lines. Read by computer on 25 September 2026, twice; the two readings disagreed in places. No printed page number was found. 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.
1technic and sound musicianship, and Miss Rina Allerton sang the grand aria from Die Freischütz.
3The promenade concerts are really doing more for orchestral music in our midst than we at first think. Besides exemplary performances of selections from their already large répertoire, Mr. Henry J. Wood is always adding some worthy novelty from either the pen of some able contemporaneous composer or some work that has up to now not been heard here. The novelty thus chosen on Saturday evening was the Symphonic Suite, Scheherazade, by Rimsky-Korsakoff, who claims the honor of being the first Russian to compose a symphony. In order of publication the suite follows the Caprice Espagnole, produced for the first time in England at these concerts in September, and subsequently heard under the baton of M. Lamoureux. The Symphonic Suite, according to the note prefixed to the score, is founded on the Arabian Nights, and has reference to the familiar story of Scheherazade. It is divided into four movements, entitled respectively The Sea and the Ship of Sinbad, The Story of the Prince Kalendar, The Young Prince and the Young Princess, and Festival at Bagdad. The Sea. The Shipwreck on the Loadstone Rock.
5A theme given out by the solo violin, and heard again in each of the movements, probably represents Scheherazade and her remarkable inventive faculties, the "Sea" also having its representative theme, heard at the beginning and end of the work. Sandwiched between the strenuous passages of the opening movement are some charming conversational passages for the strings and wind instruments. The music of the second section is Oriental in style; the melancholy strains uttered at the commencement of the third movement are effectively contrasted with the vivacity and energy developed later; while the wild and hysterical music, with abundance of noisy percussional adjuncts of the final section afforded an effective climax. Mr. Wood secured a remarkably fine performance. Another novelty was the orchestral arrangement of the late Sir George Elvey's graceful gavot (à la mode ancienne). Mr. Frederick Dawson gave a skillful performance of the solo part of Scharwenka's piano concerto in B flat minor, and Mr. Arthur Payne played De Beriot's Violin Concerto in D. Miss Lenna Mendelssohn made a successful début, her rendering of The Lost Chord earning a double recall. Mlle. Amelia Sinico and Mr. Reginald Brophy were the other vocalists.
7The novelty at St. James' Hall at last Monday's popular concert was a string quartet in A minor by Mr. Stanford, played by Lady Hallé, Messrs. Ries and Gibson and Signor Piatti. It is one of the composer's best works and was cordially received. The principal theme of the first movement is introduced in the slow movement and again at the close of the finale. Signor Piatti brought forward a sonata of his own, in E minor, which has not been heard before, and is interesting, especially in the first movement, and an andante religioso. Signor Piatti, with Mr. Henry Bird, gave a very clever reading of it and was twice recalled to the platform. Mlle. Clotilde Kleeberg, who took part in Grieg's F major sonata with Lady Hallé, played the Variations Sérieuses of Mendelssohn and Scarlatti's sonata in D minor as an encore, playing the original version. The vocalist was Mme. Gomez, who sang two German songs, Ein Traum and Ubers Jahr, by Carl Bohm, and a Rondel by Mr. Edward Elgar, which is not this clever musician's best effort by any means.
9The Musical Guild gave its fourth concert this season in the Kensington Town Hall on Tuesday. Mozart's string quintet in C opened the program, and was artistically played by Messrs. Arthur Bent, Samuel Grimson, Ernest Tomlinson, Percy Kearne and Paul Ludwig. Brahms' piano quartet in G minor, op. 25, which was written in 1863, was given by Miss Ethel Sharpe at the piano, Miss Donkersley and Messrs. Alfred Hobday and Paul Ludwig, who played particularly well, especially in the opening allegro and the Rondo alla Zingarese. Mr. Paul Ludwig also played the beautiful adaptation for the 'cello, the adagio and minuetto from Tocatelli's sonata in D, with a piano accompaniment by Signor Piatti. Mr. Ludwig scored a great success with this, which showed how completely he is master of the technic of his instrument. Mr. Plunket Greene, who is always welcome, chose Brahms' Komm bald, Grieg's Ein Schwan, and a song by Schumann, and Dr. Villiers Stanford's settings of the clown's songs from Twelfth Night, the composer playing the piano accompaniments. The third of these, When That I Was a Little Tiny Boy, was particularly pleasing to the audience, and had to be repeated.
11The performance on Tuesday evening, in St. James' Hall, of Sir Arthur Sullivan's Martyr of Antioch by the students of the Guildhall School of Music shows that the very excellent work done by the late principal, Sir Joseph Barnby, is being sustained by his able successor, Mr. W. H. Cummings, and the present principal and conductor may be congratulated upon having secured such good results as were exemplified by the work of the students on this occasion. This work was given almost wholly by pupils, and a noteworthy feature was the spirit infused into the orchestral playing, the band being largely composed of female students. The work of the choir was hardly on a par with that of the orchestra, though commendable in many respects. The singing of the lovely anthem, Brother, Thou Art Gone Before Us, was particularly fine, while the Pagan chorus was somewhat lacking in power. The cantata was preceded by Sir Arthur Sullivan's In Memoriam overture.
13Miss Pauline Joran gave an excellent concert in St. James' Hall last Thursday, where the public had a chance to admire this favorite operatic artist in the unfamiliar capacity of violinist. Her charming singing is well known, but her instrumental ability was a surprise to many. She, with her sister, a very capable pianist, opened the program with Schütz's Suite, op. 44, and played as solo Ries' Romanza and Scherzo from op. 28, a most excellent rendering. Of her songs Beatrice Hallet's Frühlingslied deserves special mention, for it is a charming composition, and was very well sung. Mr. Richard Green was, as usual, artistic and pleasing, gaining an encore for Thou Art Passing Hence. Miss Elise Joran played some solos with much delicacy as well as vigor, and the whole concert was a decided success.
15F. V. ATWATER.
17New Aeolian Pamphlet.—The Aeolian Company is out with a new illustrated pamphlet well put together and interestingly descriptive of the workings of these popular instruments.
19Rochester Ladies' Club.—At the Tuesday musicale of the Ladies' Club held on December 10 in the First Presbyterian Church, Rochester, N. Y., the music was provided by Mrs. Mary Chappell Fisher (member of American Guild of Organists), assisted by Dr. Mandeville. The program was excellently chosen and supplied unusually clear and helpful descriptive notes.
21MONTEFIORE, …
22Dramatic Soprano.
23Concerts and Oratorios. Write for reference and repertory care of THE MUSICAL COURIER, Union Square West, New York
25FRANZ WILCZEK,
26The Austrian Violinist.
27………….
28MR. and MRS. WILCZEK,
29Violin Duets.
30Bach, Sarasate, Godard, &c., &c.
31ADDRESS: WOLFSON'S MUSICAL BUREAU,
32New York.
341896 TENTH TOUR. 1897.
35SOUSA AND HIS MEN.
36Ocean to Ocean.
37Gulf to Gulf.
38Assisting Artists:
39ELIZABETH NORTHRUP, SOPRANO. one of two readings
40MARTINA JOHNSTONE, VIOLINISTE. one of two readings
41ELIZABETH NORTHRUP, one of two readings
42SOPRANO. one of two readings
43MARTINA JOHNSTONE, one of two readings
44VIOLINISTE. one of two readings
45Initial Concert of the Season,
46December 27,
47CARNEGIE HALL.
49CHICAGO OFFICE THE MUSICAL COURIER,
50226 Wabash Avenue. December 19, 1896.
52BEFORE the season opened there was a $100,000 fairy tale given out to the public. This was to the effect that the season ticket subscription sale to the Chicago Thomas Orchestra Concerts had reached that amount. If this were correct then many of those thousands of subscribers have regretted their expenditure and are conspicuous by their absence. Yesterday the audience was the thinnest of the season; holiday shopping may be urged, a program with two symphonies might also be offered as an excuse, but whatever the cause the fact remains that the Auditorium was remarkable for rows upon rows of empty chairs. This too for a Beethoven concert and with Beethoven choral work, and our new chorus which was to outshine every other chorus under Chicago's sun. But it did not meet expectation, in fact it was hardly bearable except one alto who was determined to be in evidence and so gave voice a beat before everyone else on each and every occasion. The tenors were—where?—the sopranos nowhere and the orchestra was heard above them, and so on to the finish. This auxiliary chorus, which has been trained under the direction of Mr. Arthur Mees, took part in Beethoven's Fantasia and the Ruins of Athens; the latter I did not hear, the first number being sufficient.
54The pianist Hans Bruening, who played the Fantasia, is a weak mechanical player, when he does not blurr, and at all times was certainly most amateurish. Why must we import such people into the city when there are a dozen here already, yes, a dozen, who can do far better work? There is Sherwood never heard at these concerts, Hans von Schiller never heard, Liebling never heard, and again, that good pianist Walter Spry, who does such remarkable work; and as for the women, why, there are several here who would scorn to do such public work. Nervousness there might be in the case of Mr. Bruening, but that would not take away color, nor prevent an even scale. I may have heard him to disadvantage and the work may not have offered good opportunities, but in my opinion a pianist with less technic has rarely been heard at what should be a concert of the finest description.
56With the exception of the Nordica event last week, she personally drawing an immense crowd, the concerts have been extremely unsatisfying, not one soloist deserving unqualified praise. There is no reason for this. Have we not to-day in Chicago artists who can abundantly fulfill all requirements and take their place in the orchestral programs?
58There is Ragna Linne here, a grand soprano, with splendid presence, and one who can sing, but as head of
60J. J. RACER,
61BARITONE.
62Oratorio, Concert and Song Recitals.
63For terms and dates address
64109 East 26th St.,
65NEW YORK,
66And Leading Agents.
67VOCAL … INSTRUCTION.
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70489 Fifth Avenue,
71NEW YORK,
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73Only authorized Agents in United States and Canada for
74MADAME NORDICA
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