Scan 25
Musical Courier 1897-01-13: Vol 34 Iss 880, 1897
71 lines. Read by computer on 23 September 2026. Printed page 26. See the scan on archive.org.
1Suza Doane and Gerard-Thiers' Recitals.—The following press notices obtained in Boston last week show the highly successful standard attained in the combined efforts of these artists:
3Miss Doane has made no little advance in her art since she played here some years ago. Her technic has developed, her feeling has become more mature. Her playing is full of passionate-ness, which seems not in the least morbid, but youthful and genuine; she shows distinctly musical feeling; her phrasing is in general excellent. There is a romantic streak in her, too; though it shows itself perhaps less strikingly than her passionateness. She plays with considerable intellectual grasp of the music, and seldom allows the more violent side of her nature to betray her into incoherence or confusedness. That she has not reached the end of her musical development seems pretty clear. Her playing of Schumann's Carnival, for instance, was marked throughout by an earnestness, which—considering the character of much of the music—had something of immaturity in it. The picturesque side of the music seemed to escape her, and she made little contrast between numbers of the series. It was curious to hear her play the Chopin number in one glow of passion, as if Chopin himself had written it, and with no hint at the dreamy romanticism Schumann could not help putting there. Yet, from her own somewhat limited point of view, her playing of the Carnaval was excellent; she carried the working out in the finale through with very strong and sure hand. Her playing of the shorter pieces by American composers was thoroughly fine; Miss Lang's rhapsody and Mr. MacDowell's étude, in particular, came as it were hot from the furnace. To the Chopin scherzo she is not yet quite grown; there was much good in her playing of it, but there is more in the music than she showed forth.
5Mr. Gérard-Thiers may be called a well nigh-ideal salon singer. He has a delicately beautiful voice, and uses it with consummate skill. His style is of the super refined, exquisite, rather excessive sort that is exactly adapted to the parlor song and ballad. Some of his effects of phrasing are extremely beautiful in their way. We should not care to hear him sing Schubert, Schumann, Franz or Brahms; but of songs which made up the bulk of his selections last evening he is certainly a complete master.—Boston Transcript, January 7.
7Chickering Hall was well filled last night on the occasion of Miss Suza Doane's concert. The little hall has a great advantage in that performer and auditor are so close together that no special forcing of tone is required, and something of the informality of the drawing room results.
9The assistance of Mr. Gérard-Thiers, with several vocal numbers, formed an excellent foil to Miss Doane's piano performances.
11Mr. Gérard-Thiers opened the concert with Clay's setting of The Sands of Dee—a very dramatic number, in which the composer has used the accompaniment most graphically to represent the incoming tide, the rowing of the boatmen, &c.
13Mr. Thiers possesses a fine tenor voice, full of sympathy, which he here used with admirable effect. In striking contrast with this was Bohm's Still wie die Nacht, so richly harmonized. Morley's It was a Lover and His Lass, a quaint bit of old Shakespearian music, made a charming ending to the vocal group.
15Miss Doane made her entrance with Schumann's Carneval, op. 9, an ambitious work for any pianist, because of its many shifting and contrasted moods.
17With a fine technic she combined much poetic taste in her interpretation of the varied effects which Schumann has introduced. Her clear, firm touch told strongly throughout, but in the powerful finale was especially marked.
19Mr. Thiers' rendering of Tosti's two songs, Ninon and Could I, was artistic and effective.
21In MacDowell's concert etude, op. 36, Miss Doane was afforded ample scope for exhibiting her brilliancy of technic. She was enthusiastically received. Her sustained effects are especially worthy of notice.
23In Chopin's scherzo, B minor, she seemed at her best. She is a young pianist of much promise, and even now shows a degree of facility in technic and a breadth of interpretation quite unusual in a young musician.—Boston Daily Advertiser, Thursday, January 7, 1897.
25Goldmark Lectures on Wagner.—Ruben Goldmark has just given a series of successful lectures on Wagner and His Music Dramas in Denver and Colorado Springs. Some of Mr. Goldmark's own compositions were played by Seidl at Brighton Beach last summer.
27Ogden Crane Musicale at Asbury Park.—Madame Ogden Crane recently gave a successful musciale at Asbury Park, of which the following is a press notice:
29One of those pleasant events that remain as an indelible pleasure in memory was enjoyed by about two hundred of our élite society Wednesday night in the invitation parlor musical given by Madame Ogden Crane, of New York, assisted by her local conservatory pupils. Through the courtesy of Charles Wyckoff his massive parlors had their fullest capacity tested by an enthusiastic and appreciative audience, who showed their recognition of the vast perceptible advancement of each pupil in the vocal realm, which could not be otherwise under Madame Crane's system of teaching, which encompasses all the power every voice will develop. During the gathering and throughout the evening a social spirit pervaded, much to be encouraged for the enlargement of our society circle of acquaintance with each other. The program, an interesting one, required an hour and a half, with credit to each participant. The opening number was a duet, O Wert Thou in the Cold Blast, Mendelssohn, by Madame Ogden Crane and Miss Bertie Tilton. The latter's sweet, full toned contralto powers was a real surprise as she soared high and low in harmony with the voluminous soprano of her teacher. The first appearance of Miss Ruth Clayton, in her mezzo soprano solo, If I had Known, Victor Harris, was heartily received and her rapid developments highly commended for a bright future of success. Clifton Jelliff, with his high and clear defined baritone, rendered Love's Sorrow, Shelley, and his local vocal popularity was strongly emphasized in his warm reception by all present. In My Dreams, Topping, was a selection well chosen, for the two voices of Miss Ida Wyckoff and Harry Martin. Her well placed contralto tones were artistically harmonized with Mr. Martin's high registered tenor. This number was a grand and praiseworthy début in this well sustained duet. Frank Dudley, in his baritone selection, Queen of the Earth, Pinsuti, with ease and personal credit to himself, held the full sympathy of his audience as he leaped from the heights to the depths of the vocal register. Madame Crane favored her guests with her extensive singing qualities by rendering Avouel of Love, Tome, which demanded as an encore A Dream, by Wood. Her matured soprano of years which has now its own renown because of its power and intelligent interpretation of the value of tones which only the trained ear fully enjoys. Allie Hunt, only twelve years old, was brought before her first audience and her enunciation was of special notice. The madame had Harry Martin render My Dreams, Tosti, which required an encore. The marvelous register of his phenomenal, well developed and real rich, artistic tenor voice bespeaks a future public notoriety beyond our municipal boundary lines. The pleasure of the evening was terminated in the quartet, The Parting Kiss, Pinsuti, Madame Crane, Miss Bertha Tilton, Messrs. Harry Martin and Walter Hubbard. All present expressed themselves as delighted.—Evening News, Asbury Park, January 5.
31A d'Arona Pupil's Debut in Opera.—The following press notices report the success of Mrs. S. T. Carnes in grand opera. The lady is a beautiful woman, a serious and careful student, and gives up set ideas and opinions with a childlike confidence once she recognizes the truth. She took daily lessons from Mme. Florenza d'Arona even in the heat of summer, following her to the country, and is a most conscientious, loyal pupil, desiring to do justice to her teacher's work above all things:
33No performance given in Memphis has equaled, either in artistic work, general ensemble or smoothness of rendition, that of Bellini's opera Somnambula. Not even the oldest playgoers could possibly find fault with any portion of the representation. All interest centered in our beautiful townsman, Mrs. S. T. Carnes, who as Amina won fresher laurels than in anything she has previously attempted before the public. The lovely voice, exquisitely trained, combined with beauty, will make her path an easy one if she adopts the stage as a profession.—Memphis Public Ledger.
35Altogether one hundred persons took part in the performance. Mrs. S. T. Carnes, as the fair somnambulist, was the opera. Not only did she shine resplendent above all others, but she exhibited talent that would win applause among artists who have achieved fame. Her voice is a clear, mellifluous soprano of wide range, extraordinarily beautiful timbre and trained to excellent modulation. The conception of the dramatic necessities of her rôle was artistic. She brought out the effects grandly, and to this was due the prolonged applause that followed the finale of the second act.—Memphis Appeal-Avalanche.
37A fashionable audience witnessed the performance of the opera last evening. Mrs. S. T. Carnes was a lovely Amina. She sang exquisitely, and her acting was good beyond expectation.
39Mrs. Carnes as Amina was simply superb. She has a refined and intellectual countenance. The work done by her last night convinced the audience, critical as it was, that she deservedly ranks as the best soprano that has ever visited Little Rock, and she compares most favorably with many a high-priced professional star. Her particular merits lie in the charm of her voice, in the absence of affectation, in her artistic posing and in the beauty of her trill, which she executes with marvelous facility.—The Memphis Commercial.
41Mr. J. H. McKinley's Success at Cincinnati.—Mr. McKinley left a most favorable impression. He is an artist of the legitimate type of the true oratorio school. He is a tenor the like of whom there are not many. Mr. McKinley was heard to particular advantage in the great dramatic aria Lend Me Your Aid, by Gounod. His tones are pure and far reaching, his high tones being clear and resonant.—Cincinnati Commercial-Tribune, December 28.
43Mr. McKinley is a tenor who did himself proud in the great dramatic aria Lend Me Your Aid. He is possessed of the true artistic temperament, and his voice is endowed with purity as well as strength. It is managed admirably for crescendo effect and reaching a climax. This was shown to advantage in the concluding lines of the aria, which rang out with clearest resonance and force.—Cincinnati Inquirer, December 28.
45Mr. J. Henry McKinley, an excellent tenor, received a very flattering reception. After the great dramatic aria Lend Me Your Aid he received a storm of applause that was well deserved. Mr. McKinley is magnetic, possesses dramatic fire, and intelligently reveals the character of the composition as meant by the composer.—Cincinnati Daily Volksblatt, December 28.
47Mr. McKinley is an incomparably fine tenor who possesses a voice naturally fine and most musical; particularly is his fine enunciation to be praised. After both his numbers he was recalled several times.—Cincinnati Free Press, December 28.
49Mr. McKinley is the best tenor Fort Wayne has had the opportunity of hearing in a long time. His enunciation and phrasing were perfect, and all his numbers were given with the expression and dramatic feeling that only the true and intelligent artist is capable of.—Fort Wayne Journal, December 31.
51Mr. McKinley is engaged for the spring tour of the Boston Festival Orchestra, and up to that time will be one of our busiest tenors. His January engagements include con-
53Clementine Sheldon
54SOPRANO.
55Direct from Delle Sedie, Paris.
56DIRECTION:
57H. M. Hirschberg Musical Bureau,
5836 West 15th Street, New York.
60THE KRONBERGS.
61NANNIE HANDS-KRONBERG, Soprano.
62S. KRONBERG, Baritone.
63ON TOUR WITH THE
64U. S. West Point Cadet Band.
65Address THE MUSICAL COURIER, New York.
67High-Class Artists.
69THE HENRY WOLFSON MUSICAL BUREAU,
70131 East 17th Street, New York.
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.