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Musical Courier 1898-01-19: Vol 36 Iss 933, 1898
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1hurrying or to faulty use of the pedals, her execution is clear and her phrasing precise and accurate. Like Miss Buckley she was warmly received. The concert as a whole was decidedly enjoyable.—Chicago Daily Record, January 13, 1898.
3Of somewhat unusual interest was the recital at Handel Hall last night, to which Miss Mary Wood Chase contributed the instrumental and Miss Helen Buckley the vocal numbers. The hall was filled to the doors and both artists were accorded a cordial greeting. It was a program of remarkable length and high quality which these two young women rendered. Miss Chase is a comparatively recent addition to the rapidly growing band of Chicago pianists. She comes from New York State and with the best of credentials. Her education for the piano was finished under peculiarly favorable circumstances in Germany. She showed last night that she deserved to be classed among our best pianists at once. In her work there was always the real artistic spirit, and in addition to an uncommonly fine technic she has already developed a personality in her performance which is highly agreeable. She played a number of pieces by Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Moszkowski and Chopin—rather too great a variety if anything. In all of them the grasp of Miss Chase upon the meaning of the composer was very apparent. She plays with her mind as well as her fingers, and mere brilliancy of technic is overshadowed by the rare quality of expression which Miss Chase has already attained. Perhaps with a choppier program the talents of this young pianist would have been still better displayed, but as it was she made an excellent impression and won several encores strictly upon her merits.
5The ability of Miss Helen Buckley as a vocalist has been duly recognized long since. She sang an astonishing number of songs from all lands in her accustomed happy style, and the limpid sweetness of her voice was most of the time pleasantly in evidence.—Chicago Chronicle, January 13, 1898.
7Miss Helen Buckley, soprano, and Miss Mary Wood Chase, pianist, gave a recital last evening in Handel Hall, which was largely attended. Miss Buckley, who has made frequent and important concert appearances here, was last heard in a recital program with Max Heinrich. Miss Chase may properly be considered to have made her Chicago début last evening, as she has hitherto been heard locally only upon semi-public occasions.
9The program was an interesting one. Miss Buckley brought forward several new songs by Oscar Meyer, Gabriel Fauré, and Baron Frederic d'Erlanger, numbers which she sang with distinction and admirable musical taste. Mr. Meyer's new songs, "Once More Only," based on a theme of Chopin's piano nocturne, op. 37, No. 2, and "May Roses" are delightful bits for the concert room, and Baron d'Erlanger's setting of "Si mes vers Avaient des Ailes" is a gay little example of this talented composer's writing. Beyond these Miss Buckley was heard in a wide range of songs in French, German, English and Italian—thirteen in all, exclusive of encores, which she gave without notes or lines and in charming fashion. Two of the best evidences of her work and of her versatility were Berlioz's "Absence" and Chamindi's "Villanelle. The long list of accompaniments was given entirely without notes by Miss Roosevelt Fuller.
11Miss Chase has established a reputation for herself, judging from her performances of last night. At the outset of the program, perhaps in a measure due to nervousness, she did not prove as acceptable as later. In the Brahms numbers, the Capriccio from op. 76, and the Intermezzo, which was also given, and comprised in the second group of her selections, Miss Chase began to evidence more thoroughly that of which she was capable. Later, in two preludes by Chopin and the Ballades, op. 47, given with really surprising breadth, and the same composer's op. 20, she demonstrated her merit as a pianist. If greater degree of temperament remains easily to be desired, Miss Chase, on the other hand, is possessed of enthusiasm in performance, musicianly taste, and excellent technical equipment.—Armstrong, Chicago Daily Tribune, January 13, 1898.
13Miss Mary Wood Chase, pianist, a comparatively recent acquisition to the musical circles of this city, and Miss Helen Buckley, whose voice has often been heard with pleasure, gave a recital at Handel Hall last evening, with highly creditable results. The hall was crowded with representative music lovers, and the young ladies had every reason to be satisfied with their reception.
15Miss Chase was heard in three groups of short piano compositions representing a great variety of thought and treatment. Such standard composers as Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Moszkowski and Chopin were represented in that fragmentary manner inevitable in such programs, a manner unfriendly to any sustained effort. But in spite of this constant change of theme and manner, Miss Chase easily proved herself an accomplished pianist, playing with great fluency and excellent expression. Her tone is firm and extremely musical, and her technical skill is adequate to any reasonable demands. The strictly ornamental passages made no draft upon brilliancy of execution that she could not readily honor, and her readings, although not at all poetic or elaborately imaginative, were entirely sympathetic. In the happy fancies of the Schumann and Moszkowski numbers she was particularly pleasing and brilliant, exhibiting more than once a virtuoso quality that was most agreeable and promising. Miss Chase is a pianist who will undoubtedly be heard with increasing favor, and with the imaginative faculty developed to correspond with her technical accomplishments she should attain a high position.
17Miss Buckley was charming in several groups of songs. Her voice, without losing its brilliant qualities, is becoming stronger, and thus her vocal work gains new beauty and artistic finish.—L. B. Glover, Chicago Times-Herald, January 13, 1898.
19In Handel Hall the young pianist Miss Mary Wood Chase appeared yesterday evening for the first time before a Chicago public. She was most ably assisted by Miss Helen Buckley, soprano, and Miss Roosevelt Fuller, accompanist. Every number of the rather long and varied program was received with applause. Miss Chase possesses a solid musical education, her touch is good, and in the conception of the different compositions she manifests a perception which is noteworthy. In two numbers of Moszkowski, to which an encore was demanded, and in the Scherzo, op. 20, of Chopin, a technic was displayed which in purity and surety left nothing to be desired. Through her glowing interpretations Miss Chase won remarkable distinction. "In der Nacht," by Schumann, and the Nocturne, op. 62, No. 2, of Chopin, were superior performances, and brought the artist well-deserved applause. Miss Chase is a decidedly important acquisition for Chicago, and will undoubtedly soon be numbered among the best pianists.—Translation from the Staats Zeitung, Chicago, January 13, 1898.
21Miss Jenny Osborn sings at Neenah, Wis., January 19, and in "Judas Maccabeus" at Madison, January 24. Miss Osborn's success this season has been well merited, and her work has shown yet one other instance of admirable coaching with that accomplished artist, Mrs. Johanna Hess-Burr. A notable example of previous work done with her is Mrs. Serena Swabacker, who is to sing with the orchestra next week. Mrs. Swabacker, who accomplished much good work in Paris, was for three years with Mrs. Hess-Burr, and was known as a finished vocalist before she went abroad. But, as so often happens, it was not until after she had been heard in Paris with success that she could obtain a hearing with our biggest organization.
23Mrs. Regina Watson lectured before the Fortnightly Club yesterday, taking as her subject, "Russian Music from the Earliest Period to the Present Time." She thoroughly interested the large audience with her concise account of the development of Slav music, and illustrated it with selections taken from the comparatively unknown composers, as well as those of a later period. The lecture was replete with anecdote, and the appropriateness of the music played by Mrs. Watson evidenced her extreme musicianship and research. The following is the comprehensive program presented, the playing of which elicited the keenest appreciation:
25Danse polovtsienne from the opera Prince Igor, Borodine
26Far niente, op. 40………………………………………Cui
27Intermezzo from Suite, op. 21…………………………..Cui
28Peasant Dance from his unfinished opera, The Fair of Sorochin………………………………………Moussorgsky
29Sonata op. 37………………………………………Tschaiikowsky
30Schezzino op. 11………………………………………Rimsky-Korsakoff
31Dance indienne from the opera ballet Mlada.
32Réverie Prelude, op. 15………………………………………Schterbatchef
33Clair de lune, op. 25………………………………………Schterbatchef
34Une goutte de pluie, op. 13………………………………………Kopylow
35Etude op. 9………………………………………Kopylow
36Prelude E flat major………………………………………Liodow
37Une Tabatière à Musique………………………………………Liodow
38Nocturne, op. 6………………………………………Blumenfeld
39Prelude C sharp minor, op. 17………………………………………Blumenfeld
40Valse de Concert, op. 41………………………………………Glazounow
41Prelude C minor, op. 11………………………………………Scriabine
42Etude D sharp minor, op. 8………………………………………Scriabine
44It will be noted that the above contains no example of Rubinstein. In her eulogy of the great pianist composer, Mrs. Watson related how he had said of himself, "The Russians call me a German, the Germans call me a Russian, the Jews call me a Gentile, the Gentiles call me a Jew; now what can I be?" Taken altogether, the lecture, recital of Mrs. Regina Watson was one of the most entertaining given this season.
46She is engaged to appear at Greencastle January 18, New Milford (Conn.), January 21; Chickering Hall, January 24; New York, January 25 and 27; Danbury (Conn.), January 28; Bridgeport (Conn.), January 29.
48The third class reunion of Mrs. Regina Watson's school of music took place this afternoon, when Miss Edna Summy gave the following program:
49French Suite, D minor………………………………………Bach
50Allemande, Sarabande, Menuet.
51Two songs without words………………………………………Mendelssohn
52E major and F minor.
53Waltz, op. 64, D flat major………………………………………Chopin
54Rondo Brillante, op. 109………………………………………Hummel
55Song of the Brook, op. 92………………………………………Lack
56Pan's Flute, op. 50………………………………………Godard
57Two Impromptus, op. 94………………………………………Schubert
58F minor, C sharp minor.
59Sonata Pathetique………………………………………Beethoven
61Miss Summy is a very talented girl, and inherits her gifts from a musical father and mother, both of whom have been conspicuous figures in Chicago musical life for many years.
63* * *
65The Banda Rossa played to an enormous crowd at the Columbia Theatre Sunday and again last night in Central Music Hall. That such a powerfully attractive organization would not be long without an enterprising American manager was a foregone conclusion. I hear that Mr. Fred. Pelham, whose chief is Mr. Hersey, of Cleveland,
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