Scan 11
Musical Courier 1897-11-24: Vol 35 Iss 925, 1897
62 lines. Read by computer on 25 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1plies that Government stipends are never awarded foreigners. In stipends, however, which are given from the interests drawn from legacies, the awarding is done according to the conditions made by the testators. Such is the case with the two Felix Mendelssohn prizes, which, according to the last will of the testator, are to be bestowed upon "the most deserving parties from among students at all German conservatories subventioned by the Government, independent of their age, sex, creed or nationality."
3Under the circumstances the committee, of which Professor Joachim is the president, says that it not only had the right, but it was his duty to award the prizes to the two foreigners, who gained them in honest victory over all competitors, the Germans of course included.
5* * *
7Among the musical visitors at this office during the past week were: Mr. Paul B. Patterson, from Sandusky, Ohio, who is studying the piano here with Professor Barth, composition with O. B. Boise, and is looking for the right party with which to cultivate his baritone voice; Miss Flora Star, of Chicago, a pupil of Prof. Franz Kulak; Mr. Michael Banner and Mrs. Banner, née Levy; the young New York violinist, who will appear for the first time in Berlin in a concert of his own next Tuesday night in Bechstein Hall. Mrs. Dory Burmeister-Petersen, "royal Saxonian chamber virtuoso," came to tell me of her triumphs achieved with a performance of her husband's piano concerto at Braunschweig last week. The Hanover court conductor, Kotzky, was present at this concert and immediately engaged the lady to play Richard Burmeister's work at one of his own symphony concerts. In January Frau Burmeister-Petersen will be heard in Paris. She talked some of giving a recital also in Berlin, but I succeeded in dissuading her from this idea. Adolph Loeb, a young violinist from Cincinnati; Harry Samuels, from San Francisco, a pupil of Josef Joachim; Reginald A. Wyon, an English baritone and opera singer, who will shortly be heard here in concert; Edward F. Schneider and Mr. Samuel A. Ritter Brown, both of San Francisco, the latter of whom intends to appear as conductor before the Berlin public in a concert which he will give soon with the Philharmonic Orchestra at the Singakademie.
9O. F.
11BERLIN MUSIC NOTES.
13At a private recital given by pupils of Prof. Dr. Jedliczka I heard Miss Visanska, of New York, play Chopin's B minor scherzo and Mr. Bassett, of Brooklyn, Tschakowsky's B flat minor concerto (first movement). Miss Visanska has gained astonishingly since last season in breadth of style and fullness of tone.
15Abundant power and well-nigh omniscient technic formerly dominated her playing, but now she impresses rather with a sense of authority and quiet but absolute intellectual mastery. The ease with which Miss Visanska conquers all technical and musical difficulties looks very like indifference, but is in reality complete repose and precocious maturity. Given these rare artistic qualities, there is nothing Miss Visanska should not accomplish in the piano world. With whirlwind celerity she raced through the interwoven network of awkward passage work in the presto portions of the piece and, to my secret envy, struck every one of the high B's and E's with unfailing precision and clearness. Those few notes have been the bane of many a pianist's existence.
17Mr. Bassett is a player of determination and power, who does not lack sentiment and sympatico. His tone is large and penetrating, his technic adequate to all demands. The daring octave rushes in the middle and at the close of Tschakowsky's lurid movement were taken with rousing brilliancy and much show of temperament. One gains the conviction while listening to Mr. Bassett that he is above all things a splendid musician. And, after all, is not that most important—after technic?
19The famous Bohemian String Quartet is at present engaged in a lengthy and most successful Russian tour.
21A concert given in the Singakademie by Martha Wolff and Hans Mendel-Hammerstedt was one of the best jokes I have heard this season.
23The Sängerbund des Berliner Lehrer-Vereins gave a concert before a tremendous audience in the Philharmonie a few days ago. They sang choruses by Mendelssohn, Schwartz, Stange, Rheinberger and some lesser lights. Prof. Felix Schmidt, the leader, produced some beautiful effects in phrasing and rhythm. He seems particularly suited for this sort of work.
25His pupil, Miss Asta Caspari, who sang new lyrics by Humperdinck, Tinel, Ries, Bungert and Berger showed evidence of careful training and musical intelligence, but lacked volume and sweetness of voice. Anton Hekking, the violoncellist, contributed four numbers to the program. His was the real success of the evening, and after his marvelous performance of Servais' "O cara memoria" loud cheers and thundering applause compelled him to play Massenet's "Elegie" as an encore. Never have I heard Hekking play as on that evening. His steadiness of tone, his absolute technic, his consummate taste combined to make his playing little short of phenomenal.
27Emil Steger, a baritone, who sang at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, in the days of Lehmann and Niemann, gave a song recital at the Hotel de Rome. He has a powerful voice that is eminently sympathetic, but shows signs of wear and tear in some few tones. His delivery is forceful (operatic at times) rather than refined. Of the songs I heard Grieg's "Cehwan," Brahms' "Feldinsamkeit" and Schubert's "Au die Leyer" were done best. The audience was delighted with Steger and accorded him an enthusiastic reception. The Berlin press notices were all more than favorable.
29At this concert Paul Hassenstein introduced the Mason & Hamlin harmonium to the Berlin public. He played an arrangement of his own from the "Walküre" and a sweet little Wiegenlied. Both pieces were very well received, and the audience seemed greatly pleased at the change from hearing the inevitable assisting piano solos. The Mason & Hamlin harmonium will from now on be a frequent feature of the Hotel de Rome concerts, and next week we shall hear it in conjunction with the piano, violin and voice. The outlook for its permanent adoption as a factor in concert work is most promising.
31Seldom have I seen an audience so demonstrative in its applause, so bent on seeing and hearing more of a pianist after the completion of his regular recital program as that which surrounded the platform after the conclusion of Vladimir de Pachmann's concert at the Singakademie. The wonderful little manplayed this program in wonderful fashion: Sonata, op. 58; Barcarolle, three Preludes in D, E flat and B flat minor; two Mazurkas; three Etudes, op. 25. Nos. 1, 3 and 6; Nocturne, op. 37, No. 1; two Valses, op. 61, No. 1, and op. posthumous; Scherzo, B flat minor, all by Chopin.
33It were superfluous to go into details regarding Pachmann's separate performances, as his unique art is well known to Americans. Were it possible to play more beautifully, more lusciously, more poetically, more whimsically, more daintily than did Pachmann at his Chickering Hall recitals in New York, then he outdid himself last evening. The saccharine largo, sugary almost to the point of fulsomeness, from the B minor sonata was sung with matchless tone color and deepest sentiment. The Prelude in B flat minor was thundered out with demoniac intensity and astounding velocity. The Etude in thirds was the most sensational performance I have ever heard on a piano.
35The tempo was inconceivably quick, without in the least hampering a perfect legato. The audience literally rose at Pachmann after that unbelievable feat and he repeated the etude. He was recalled again and again and finally played the little valse, op. 64, No. 1. Pachmann is one of the few pianists who understands Chopin's mazurkas, and under his magic fingers they become sources of purest, spontaneous musical delight.
37What need to speak of one's own ideas regarding the interpretation of the barcarolle, the scherzo and the finale of the sonata? Pachmann is no Munkaczy, no Veschagin, his art is that of the miniature painter. Refinement is his watchword. He loves the piano too well to pound; he must needs caress. After scenes of the greatest enthusiasm Pachmann consented to play an encore, and chose the etude F minor, op. 25, No. 2.
39Then came what many persons had been waiting for. Before seating himself Pachmann stretched out his right foot, away from the pedal, and when the last notes of the etude had died away he turned quickly and said to the audience, "Ohne Pedal, das gauze, das ist eine Kunst" ("The whole without pedal; that is an art"), then ran from the stage. Queer man, wonderful genius!
41LEONARD LIEBLING.
43Hans Sitt's Concertos.
45ONE of the correspondents of THE COURIER (I think it was Emily Grant von Tetzl) was inquiring a few weeks ago about novelties in the way of solo music for violin. Permit me to call attention to the fine work of Hans Sitt in this line—thoroughly modern as regards harmonic ideas, and yet well written and effective for the violin, and given the soloist something satisfactory and "dankbar." His D minor concerto (op. 11, I believe) is his greatest and perhaps most difficult work, although even that is not difficult of execution compared with many modern concertos, it lies so well in the hand.
47The first movement contains a very fine and quite difficult cadenza by the composer. It is perhaps not quite correct to speak of this work as a "novelty," for it has been much played in Leipsc and certain other German cities for several years, but it is so little known in this country that it deserves mention here. Then there are his concertos in A minor and D minor, the last having been originally written for viola, being published in G minor for that instrument. Lastly a very fine concerto in E minor, in which the composer has limited himself to the three lower positions (with a view to using the piece for teaching purposes, no doubt), but which musically is as interesting as any, and gives no sign of artificial limitation in its structure.
49I forgot to say that the D minor concerto first mentioned has been edited by Brodsky and the bowing and fingering carefully and judiciously indicated. Any violinist who does not make himself acquainted with these works is missing something good.
51EDWIN H. PIERCE.
5383 WEST HURON STREET, BUFFALO.
55Howard F. Pierce.—A piano recital in Carnegie Chamber Music Hall, on the afternoon of December 1, is announced by Howard F. Pierce. Mr. Pierce has but recently arrived in this city, and expects to make New York his home.
57Charlotte Maconda.—The well-known soprano Charlotte Maconda is deservedly popular. Her engagements for the season are numerous. Among the important concerts for which she is booked to appear may be mentioned the Orpheus, at Paterson, N. J., December 7, the New York Philharmonic Club, at Plainfield, N. J., and the Musical Club, of Brooklyn, on November 29.
59Jaroslaw de Zielinski.—Jaroslaw de Zielinski, of Buffalo, is stopping with his wife at the Holland House. He is here in the interest of the program work for the next meeting of the New York State Music Teachers' Association, which meets next June at Binghamton. The program committee is composed of the following: Jaroslaw de Zielinski, chairman; Louis Arthur Russell and William H. Hoerner. Mr. de Zielinski speaks well of the first concert of the season, given last week by the Buffalo Symphony Orchestra.
61New York College of Music.—Alexander Lambert, director of the New York College of Music, has engaged the services of W. J. Henderson, the well-known critic, to deliver a lecture on the "Orchestra and Its Instruments Explained" at the Lyceum Theatre, on Tuesday afternoon, December 7, at 3 o'clock. In illustrating his remarks Mr. Henderson will have the assistance of the American Symphony Orchestra (Sam Franko conductor). The lecture will be radically different from the one delivered last winter in Chickering Hall, as the orchestral illustrations have been prepared with the greatest care and will in the main be entirely new.
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