Scan 19
Musical Courier 1898-01-05: Vol 36 Iss 931, 1898
89 lines. Read by computer on 21 September 2026, twice; the two readings disagreed in places. Printed page 20. See the scan on archive.org.
1THE MUSICAL COURIER.
2PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY
3BY THE
4MUSICAL COURIER COMPANY.
5(Incorporated under the laws of the State of New York.)
619 Union Square, New York.
7TELEPHONE: 2437 18th.
82438 18th.
9Cable Address, "Pegujar," New York.
10ESTABLISHED JANUARY, 1880.
11No. 931.
12MARC A. BLUMENBERG – EDITOR-IN-CHIEF. one of two readings
13MARC A. BLUMENBERG – – EDITOR-IN-CHIEF. one of two readings
14THE BERLIN, GERMANY, Branch Office of The Musical Courier, Linkstrasse 17, W., is in charge of Mr. Otto Floersheim.
15Single copies for sale at the music store of Ed. Bote & G. Bock, Leipzigerstrasse 89, W.
16THE LONDON, ENGLAND, Branch Office of The Musical Courier, 21 Princes Street, Cavendish Square, Oxford Circus, W., is in charge of Mr. Frank Vincent Atwater.
17PARIS, FRANCE, The Musical Courier, 107 Avenue Henri Martin, is in charge of Fannie Edgar Thomas.
18Single copies for sale at Brentano's, 87 Avenue de l'Opéra; 37 Rue Marbeuf; Galignani Library, 234 Rue de Rivoli; Shakespeare Library, 75 Avenue des Champs Elysées.
19THE VIENNA OFFICE OF The Musical Courier, IV. Plosselgasse, III. Stock, Thür 34, is in charge of Emeline Potter-Frisell.
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27LONDON: Single copies, Principal London Publishers.
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29Subscription (including postage), invariably in advance: Yearly, $4.00; Foreign, $5.00; Single copies, Ten Cents.
30SPENCER T. DRIGGS – BUSINESS MANAGER. one of two readings
31SPENCER T. DRIGGS – – BUSINESS MANAGER. one of two readings
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50Published Every Saturday during the Year.
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52For particulars apply to "Trade Department," MUSICAL COURIER.
53NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 1898.
54The London MUSICAL COURIER is published every Thursday from 21 Princes street, Cavendish Square, Oxford Circus, W., London, England. This paper, while containing the salient points of THE MUSICAL COURIER, of New York, devotes special attention to music throughout Great Britain and the British Colonies.
55Specimen copies, subscriptions and advertising rates can be obtained by addressing the London office, or
56THE MUSICAL COURIER COMPANY,
5719 Union Square,
58New York City.
60OF course it was a misprint, yet it is not altogether inappropriate to call it "The People's Chloral Union! Perhaps it would better suit the soporific Oratorio Society.
62ALTHOUGH he has a knack of writing popular comic operas, Reginald DeKoven is not a power in critical estimates of music. His article on opera in New York in the current Scribner's is an excellent specimen of bad history. Mr. DeKoven should always verify quotations, even if he leaves out the quotation marks.
64PERFECTLY disinterested eye-witness reports that the German opera company of Damrosch and Ellis, now singing in Philadelphia, is the worst equipped as to scenery, costumes and voices that young Mr. Damrosch has had the impudence to impose upon an unsuspecting public. But he will discover that New York is not Philadelphia.
66THE Cosmopolitan University has announced its series of courses or branches of studying. There are about a score of them. The first course is Wisdom. When we hear who the Professor of Wisdom is, we shall join his classes. Till he is appointed Wisdom may cry aloud in the streets, but we shall not regard her. But who can be the Professor of Wisdom?
68THE new management of the Brooklyn Academy of Music is placed in the hands of Rafael Navarro, which appears to us as the best New Year's gift the Borough of Brooklyn has had. Mr. Hooper and his Brooklyn Institute relinquished all aims at spreading in the line of lessees of public halls and are more intent upon developing a taste for musical entertainments, for which purpose one of Professor Hooper's committee will visit Europe soon to engage "talent," as it is called, directly, thereby saving commissions and applying them to the advancement of individual prestige in an entirely novel manner to be explained hereafter, when we will explain it.
70Naturally, if Professor Hooper were an organist and chloral, beg pardon, choral director and composer, &c., he might also become a beneficiary under the system soon to be developed, but Professor Hooper claims to be only a farmer, and true to his natural instincts he permits his associates to enter the more remunerative fields of musical manipulation. There is a great future—a great future ahead, too, for the Brooklyn Institute under the acute supervision of a combination of minds whose intellects are diffused in so many varied and interesting directions.
72THE CONFUTING OF MOSES.
73OUR old acquaintance, the critical Moses of New Haven, has been at his funny tricks again. He has been telling his yokel friends that an orchestral conductor should not use the baton; that it is useless, &c., ad nauseum. The story got into the London Musical Standard and brought forth the following squelching reply:
75WHY CONDUCT WITH A BATON?
76To the Editor of The Musical Standard:
77SIR.—"Why Conduct with a Baton?" in your issue of December 4 has caused me no little interest. Your contributor expends a great deal of space in expatiating upon the manifold essentials of a conductor and follows this by advocating the disuse of the baton; at first sight an illogical sequence of ideas. The notion of the writer of the article in question seems to incline toward some branch of hypnotism or animal magnetism! In short, that the conductor should sit in the midst of his orchestra and imbue his men with his ideas—with the help of an occasional wink or smile. Conductors would certainly have to be "born, not made."
78If I were one of a "skilled body of artists" I certainly should not feel any "humiliation" in being under the control of Dr. Richter's baton—with its "toneless beat and metronomical movements." Mentioning Dr. Richter will, of course, suggest the occasion when his orchestra played the five-four movement of the "Pathetic" Symphony without any beat. In my mind that was necessarily a more mechanical and metronomical reading than anything done under his baton. Referring to past ages of music does not stand for an argument. Music has advanced; and the modern orchestra of 100, playing modern works with few rehearsals, cannot be classed with an eighteenth century church choir and orchestra doing comparatively simple works after many rehearsals—and perchance indifferently.
79We might as well say, "Why use the ninth position on the violin? Corelli didn't." Yours faithfully,
80JANUS.
81Again we make the inquiry: Where was Moses when the lights went out? In New Haven or in the dark?
83ORATORIO IN RELAYS.
84WE are accustomed to get our oratorio with one conductor throughout, one soloist in each role. But there is nothing unique about this. This is the "commonplace" of which Tennyson speaks as being so very "common." This is monotony.
85Now, on last Wednesday afternoon, December 29, a new departure was made in this matter of oratorio in New York, embracing novelty and variety in a piquant degree. "The Messiah" was billed for performance in Carnegie Hall, with the New York Symphony Orchestra, Walter Damrosch conductor, and among the soloists Ellison van Hoose, tenor. The New York Symphony Orchestra happens to be at present in Philadelphia, assisting Mr. Damrosch in the presentation of that versatile scheme of opera which he has made his métier this season. But a piece of deception of this kind did not embarrass things any. The majority of "Messiah" lovers, it was calculated, might hardly distinguish the personnel of an orchestra so long as the conductor was there, and a scratch band might pass muster. It did. Individual factors, however, are different. Mr. Damrosch could not pass another man off as himself, nor could the tenor Van Hoose, who is also engaged in the operatic venture now in Philadelphia and directed by Mr. Damrosch. Both men had to put in an appearance. Both men did.
86And thereby hangs the tale which gives to our metropolis its henceforth noble prestige for brilliant originality in the conduct of oratorio affairs.. Damrosch conducted and Van Hoose sang just about half way through the oratorio. But what would you? Opera was running in Philadelphia. Time was up, if a train was to be caught. A man cannot be present in two places at the same time. Which performance to choose? The opera, of course. A bas the oratorio. The conductor of the New York Symphony and Oratorio societies had set things under weigh. Now off to Philadelphia, he and his tenor, and let any other two men of hardihood and will lay hold of the deserted ship and steer her into port.
87Was ever such an opportunity for three men of genius? Elliot Schenck jumped to the desk and grappled the headless ranks like a really sound musical man. The delightful charm and impressiveness of the situation lay in the wholly impromptu character of each man's action. Henry Wolfsohn arose and with the eye of Mars, live with the spirit of Jeremiah, bade a man arise from the audience and straightway raise his voice in the tenor's strains. An inspired man rose. He was called Mitchell by Mr. Wolfsohn, who in his prophetic exaltation had shouted forth: "I know a man who can sing the tenor part," and suiting the action to the word designated the man Mitchell with his managerial forefinger. In a trice the orchestra had struck up under Elliot Schenck, and the new tenor had his place in the solo ranks. Of course the audience hardly thought of the tenor as Mitchell. He was to them just the spirit and genius of song summoned to the rescue by the breathlessly astounding and unfailing inspiration of management.
88It was the greatest coup d'effet ever struck in a New York concert room, and the public can only be supposed to marvel much at the heroic action of
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