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Musical Courier 1896-12-23: Vol 33 Iss 877, 1896
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1CONCERTS and recitals come thick and fast nowadays; behold, on Tuesday last week, when I might have gone (but didn't) to the Mendelssohn Glee Club concert, the Huberman concert, the second Hans Kronold 'cello recital and the Kaltenborn-Beyer-Hané string quartet evening, all at the same hour and in various parts of this New York. Added to this was the Sieveking first piano recital in the afternoon, not to mention the Metropolitan Opera.
3At the Mendelssohn concert was centred much curiosity as to the new era on which this esteemed organization has entered. Beginning its thirty-first season with Composer-Pianist E. A. MacDowell as the new conductor, naturally there was a universal interest in this first appearance, for Mr. MacDowell (no, Dr. MacDowell) virtually made his début in this capacity on this occasion. The evening was one of refined musical delight; that MacDowell (he needs no title) fulfilled all expectations, that the soloist, Miss Pianist Little, and Mr. Basso Herbert Witherspoon were most acceptable, and I repeat joy reigned supreme. There was reason for this, for such refined male chorus singing is not heard elsewhere; the forty men sang as one voice. Indeed I found myself listening to the words as they came from the singers' lips, and not following the program words—there was no necessity of this latter. Even the vague text of Kingsley's Longbeard's Saga (Hypatia), in which we are told of Winilmen, of Gambara, Ayo, Ibor, Ambri and Assi, wherein we hear wonderful phrases such as "cloud-eaves," "sword-luck," "war-lindens," "mail-nets," and so on à la Hiawatha meter—even these came out clean cut, distinct. But the composition by Charles H. Lloyd I found tiresome in the extreme, long spun out, what the German folk call "gemacht" (manufactured). Certainly it may "grow on one" as one of the singers suggested; but then corns, warts and other things undesirable "grow on one"! Dr. MacDowell wisely placed this first, while the audience was fresh; its great difficulty of execution, consisting in changing rhythms, keys, modulations, was apparent, but the work impressed without affecting the hearer. Another eccentric work was Liszt's Trooper's Song, which, however gloomy, is still effective; they sing We're Dying, but it is the Ride of the Six Hundred, triumphant over death. Here, without piano accompaniment, were entire unity, time and pitch, the key of C minor being kept to finish—or rather they die boldly and majestically in C major. (Any connection between the Major and the Troopers?)
5Veritable gems were the two a capella numbers, the Suabian Volkslied, by Zehngraf, and the Rose and the Gard'ner, by E. Thorne. If there's no rose without a thorn, verily this particular rose may be proud of its Thorne, for such lovely, dainty music I have dreamed of. Come out of your shell, modest "E. Thorne," and tell us who you are! At the close, where occur the words
7And I wove the thing to a random rhyme,
8For the Rose is Beauty: the Gard'ner, Time.
10the most entrancing quality of tone issued from the first tenors and the first basses. Here was the apex of daintiness. Ye male chorus conductors who think that roaring Podbertsky's songs, or shouting Kremser's or Sturm's works, who strive for quantity, for volume of sound, take a lesson from the singing of the Mendelssohns, and learn that a snow apple is better than a pumpkin.
12As a conductor MacDowell is unpretentious, no fuss or feathers whatever; simple and direct as is the man, alert, observing, but of almost "maidenly modesty."
14I made the observation that of the entire list of officers and singers there was but one German name. This is an American society indeed! Little Miss Little, of Boston (a pupil of MacDowell) has a fluent technic, a fine trill and strong wrist; Gregh's Nocturne is running over with nightingales, Van Westerhout's Capriccioso is a dashing little sketch, and his gavot in A quaint and catchy, in which the rapid octaves seemed just a bit too much for her. Her second group, closing with Rubinstein's Staccato Etude, again emphasized Miss Little's superior musical nature and technical ability. The étude took me back to the early days of Rosenthal and d'Albert.
16Young Mr. Witherspoon, height 6 feet 6 or thereabouts, and who has certainly not yet cast his first vote, has a luscious bass voice, throbbing with expression, a calm nerve and easy, graceful presence. He looks like a young college glee club boy, but sings like a mature artist. How the Lord has gifted some people!
18Mr. H. Stanley Knight, of New Haven, organist of Madison avenue M. E. Church, of this city, played Witherspoon's accompaniments in most artistic style.
20Hans Kronold's second 'cello recital in Steinway Hall again displayed that young virtuoso's ample technical facility and big tone; that not every note was in tune was doubtless owing to the foggy air and the wet evening. He played Servais' Souvenir de Spa and other pieces, accompanied by Mr. Morris Baer in very enjoyable, stylish fashion. The little Hänchens of my Leipsic days has indeed blossomed out.
22Mr. Albert Gérard-Thiers contributed vocal numbers; Bemberg's solemn, dreary Chant Hindou read most effectively; to this Miss Kate Chittenden supplied the accompaniment, which I truly enjoyed. Later Mr. Thiers sang another group of songs to his own facile piano accompaniment. All of which took me back to the past sweet summer time, when he was the belle of several musical balls, so to speak, which we gave at the Fenimore, Cooperstown (Otsego Lake), N. Y., and when he was chargé d'affaires de musique at the Earlington, Richfield Springs.
24That Italian with the solid German musical schooling (Vienna), Signor Herr Paolo Gallico, I heard for the first time, and with much pleasure, for his vivacity and expression at once claim attention. Allied with this is a clean technic, ready to cope with anything, and so Chopin's berceuse and tarantelle became especially enjoyable. It is common report that he is to be the soloist at a prominent Harlem orchestral concert soon, and I should certainly like to hear him with orchestra.
26The chief orchestral number of the concert was Frederick Hymen Cowen's Scandinavian Symphony, which is the second of three symphonies written by Cowen, and was performed for the first time under the direction of Theodore Thomas at a New York Philharmonic concert about twelve years ago. The work went very smoothly—the result of careful rehearsal and capable orchestral members. The other special orchestral work was Edgar Tinel's Tableau Symphonique, which is the last of three instrumental compositions designed to illustrate Corneille's Polyeucte.
28Miss Seygard sang the aria Il est doux, from Massenet's Héroïade, with orchestral accompaniment, acceptably, and Alfred G. Robyn's You for encore. Her other number was the theme and variations from Auber's Crown Diamonds.
30Sieveking's étude on black notes reminded me of the woman who was in mourning, and so to be consistent played on the black notes of the piano only, ate Kohl-rabi, read Black's novels, and finally would hear no singer but the Black Patti. Also that lovely D flat melody in the Fantaisie Impromptu reminded me of Sidney Luska's As It Was Written, that startling New York musical novel, in which the author characterizes the heroine, Veronika, by this same melody. By the way, what has become of "Sidney Luska"? That he was a young Hebrew, married, and of wealth, this I knew, but since his Mrs. Peixotto I have heard nothing of him. Perhaps marriage, wealth and its attendant responsibilities have killed his literary aspirations!
32During the Schumann Fantaisie a curious contretemps occurred, a lusty infant setting up a howl ever and anon in the movement marked (appropriately, under the circumstances) "langsam getragen, durchweg leise zu halten." "Energisch gespant" applied to ye infant would have suited Pianist Sieveking better, I know!
34Buffalo's enterprising impresario Dan Minehan, wants Sieveking so badly that he offers $1,500 for a recital. This speaks well for the immense hit the pianist made on his only appearance there with Lund's Symphony Orchestra, a fortnight ago. "Impresario" is such a long word, why not abbreviate it "imp."? Like the teacher who refers to her pupils as her "pup.'s."
36A reading and musicale was given by Mrs. Mercedes Leigh, dramatic reader; Miss Elise Lathrop, pianist, and Miss Helen Lathrop, soprano, last Friday afternoon, December 11, at the Waldorf, when a very varied program was submitted to critical judgment.
38Miss Elise Lathrop's most difficult as well as most brilliant piano number was the Liszt concert study in D flat. Some writer in the Journal recently referred to "Albert Morris Bagpipes" Waldorf Musicales," whereas everyone knows "bagpipes" is an utter misnomer; 'twas surely a Scotchman who so vulgarized the euphonious and strictly American patronymic belonging to Albert Morris Bagby!
40The concert arranged by Sir Knight George S. Sturgis at the Masonic Temple last Friday evening was signalized by the participation in the same by the following persons, all more or less known to fame: Miss Adelé M. Arnold, soprano; Mrs. Katherine Bloodgood, contralto; Mr. Emil Schenck, violoncello; Mr. F. W. Riesberg, solo pianist and accompanist; Sir Francis J. Barrett, organist, and the New York Templar Quartet—Sir Harry B. Mook, first tenor; Sir Geo. S. Sturgis, second tenor; Sir Carl E. Dufft, M. D., baritone; Sir Herman Trost, Jr., basso.
42After various "welcomes" and other ebullitions, ca- cothes loquendi as it were, had been inflicted on the come-for-the-concert audience, at 9:45 the concert began. It is needless to say that Mrs. Bloodgood pleased everyone; she reminded me of that passage which says, "Even the lily is not arrayed like one of these," so girlishly pretty did this tall California woman appear! Miss Arnold has been mentioned in this column several times before, so I will this time give her a rest. Mr. Schenck contributed several fine 'cello numbers. Mr. Mook sang Clay's Araby, Dr. Carl Dufft's sonorous bass voice was heard in Rodney's Courier of Moscow, the Templar Quartet sang with perfect ensemble, and your "Gotham Gossiper" contributed more than anyone else, since he was on the stage eight out of twelve numbers.
44The pioneer American pianist on the German concert stage was Alexander Lambert, and not so very long ago, either. Since then many Americans who studied in Europe have given concerts there, but it remained for Mr. Lambert to educate an American girl, Miss Jessie Shay, in America, then send her over to Berlin, and meet with universal praise there. See what the Vossiche Zeitung of recent date said about her concert with orchestra at the Singakademie, when were present such critics as Moszkowski, Kullak, Boise, Urban, Krebs, Tappert and others:
46Miss Shay is an honor to her instructor, Mr. Lambert, proprietor and director of the widely known New York College of Music. She possesses strength of touch in high degree, as is required in the Henselt F minor concerto. At the same time her tone is noble and flexible, full of nuance. Full of tenderness was the concerto Larghetto, and in Schumann's Bird as Prophet we became aware of a technic able to cope with any difficulty, whether in bravour or smoothly flowing, pearly figuration. Her interpretation combines
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