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Musical Courier 1898-06-01: Vol 36 Iss 952, 1898
83 lines. Read by computer on 22 September 2026. Printed page 9. See the scan on archive.org.
1prove of interest: "Nowadays child prodigies are so plentiful a youngster is considered extraordinarily stupid if he can neither recite a poem, sing a song, or play a piece on the piano or violin. Such precocity generally proves merely temporary, for most of these wonder-children sink to the level of the commonplace so soon as they become too old to pose further in the role of infant phenomena. During the last decade the field of music has been especially blessed with liliputian marvels. Of the vast band but an infinitely small proportion have achieved international significance—the rest wear glasses, play in orchestras, or teach for a shilling an hour.
3"Naturally enough the rare instances in which it has been given a child to develop its talent proportionately with its age presuppose the possession of unusual musical gifts. The subject of this sketch, Miss Meta Asher, was such an infantile miracle. * * * Miss Meta was placed under the kindly guidance of Professor Barth, who from the first displayed the greatest interest and self-sacrificing devotion for his young pupil. * * * She lacks nothing, least of all appearance, to assist her in some day occupying a leading position in the musical life of the far West. * * *"
5Mr. Nusbaum, of Chicago, Ill., a pupil of Halir, has left Berlin.
7Vladimir de Pachmann and his secretary, Wm. McKay, have gone to England, where the eminent Chopin player is booked for a number of recitals.
9Mrs. von Ende, the well-known Chicago composer and writer on musical topics, has completed four songs for soprano, which a prominent Berlin music house thinks of publishing.
11Miss Ella Free, of Davenport, Ia., has been making splendid progress under her new instructor, Prof. Dr. Jedliczka. Miss Free should easily carry off first musical honors in her native State next season.
13Walter E. Balfour, of Chicago, Ill., is one of Frau Prof. Nicklass-Kempner's most promising pupils. Already the possessor of a rarely sympathetic baritone voice even before he placed himself under the famous teacher's direction, he has now developed into a vocal artist who can hold his own with the very best of our younger school of singers.
15Marcel Herwegh, the Parisian violinist who recently gave a concert in Berlin, has been approached by an American manager regarding a possible fall tour through the States. M. Herwegh will probably accept.
17Edw. F. Schneider has changed his intention of leaving Berlin. He will remain another year. (I, who know Mr. Schneider well, can assert positively that the outbreak of war in the United States is in no way connected with this change of plan.)
19Harry Samuels, of San Francisco, who has been studying with Joachim for four years, left Berlin for Brussels, where he will "finish" under Thomson. "Sam," as he was popularly known, constituted one of the leading figures in the student life of Berlin. A Bohemian by inclination and practice, he never made an enemy and never lost a friend. "Sam" was unique: Berlin seems not the same without him.
21Adolph Loeb, of Cincinnati, a pupil of Markee at the Hochschule, is making regular and rapid progress on the violin. He has just finished a thorough study of the Tchaikowsky Concerto.
23Mr. Grebe, of Philadelphia, a pupil of Raif, thinks of going home this summer. He is an accomplished musician of culture and versatility, for he also plays organ and violoncello.
25Miss Alice Watson, of New York, formerly a pupil of Delle Sedie, in Paris, has come to Berlin in order to finish her studies with Professor Blume.
27Heven Lunn, of Holyoke, Mass., is making noteworthy progress on the piano. I recently heard him play some Chopin, and was especially struck with his impressive earnestness and full, rich tone. Mr. Lunn seems to be treading the correct musical path, and will doubtless reach his goal, for he is one of the hardest workers in Berlin.
29Louis Schwebel, from Cincinnati, pupil of De Pachmann, is about to return to the United States.
31LEONARD LIEBLING.
33Music in Rome.
34[SPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE]
35119 Via Frattina,
36ROME, Italy, May 10, 1888.
38THE musical season here is practically over with this month, but as if to make the most of the time, the last few weeks have been fairly filled with concerts, &c., and should a list of them all be made we should find that Rome would not suffer in comparison with most other capitals as far as the number of her musical entertainments is concerned, though she might suffer more in a like comparison of quality. As it is, I shall confine myself to a passing mention of the more important events of the past month.
40Mancinelli's new work "Ero e Leandro," which brought the rather unfortunate grand opera season at the Argentina to a close just before Easter, was a great success, and though the public was surprised and annoyed at its being allotted only three performances, it did much to calm and propitiate the open discontent which was being shown on account of the weak representations of other works during the season.
42Of the relative faults and merits of the new opera I will speak at length in a future letter, for, although the work cannot be placed on the same plane of importance as Puccini's "La Bohème," there is much in the libretto and score which merits attention. For the present it will suffice to say that it met with far more than the "succès d'estime" which has been the lot of several much vaunted works of late, not only in Italy, but in other countries; and this success was due in no small measure to the fine cast and mise-en-scène, not to mention the carefully conducted orchestra.
44The parts, which are few in number, were distributed as follows: Ero, Adelina Sthele; Leandro, Edoardo Garbin; Ariofarne, Vittorio Arimondi; Muse of Poetry, Angelica Aranda.
46Mancinelli himself conducted, and on his appearance at the director's desk was received with a grand ovation by the audience, which so well remembered the time, some years back, when he so creditably held the post of director of the opera here.
48The applause from the packed and brilliant house was loud and continuous throughout the evening, Sthele and Garbin coming in for their due share.
50For all their performances it was next to impossible to obtain as much as standing room, and the enthusiasm was unusual for a Roman audience.
52The much-heralded work, in fact, seemed to have in no wise disappointed the expectant public, and the inexplicable action on the part of the management in not giving an extended number of performances beyond the three advertised was severely criticised by the press notices.
54Orchestral concerts during Lent were few in number, there being one of the Bach Society under Costa's direction, with Gulli and Signorina Ghirardengo as soloists, and two concerts of French music under the auspices of the above mentioned society, directed by two members of the Académie de France here, Messrs. Raband and Max d'Ollone, which were most interesting in the make-up of their programs, which included characteristic examples of almost all the composers of the modern French school, many of the works being quite new to Rome.
56This makes three concerts this winter devoted exclusively to French works. There have been others made up entirely of modern Russian and German music as well. Let us hope that during the coming year some of the conductors here may be prevailed upon to give the Roman public an opportunity of hearing some composition written by a musician from the New World—MacDowell, for instance. Why does not some enterprising young American conductor follow the example set by Mr. Arens some years ago in Germany. He need not confine his attentions to that country alone, for there are others in Austria, Italy and France who would appreciate the opportunity of hearing some of the productions of the country beyond the seas, from which we all know much is to be looked for in the future of music as well as the other arts. I can vouch for the fact that any capable American who would undertake such a praiseworthy pilgrimage would be accorded a cordial welcome on this side of the water.
58Since my last letter there have been several most interesting concerts at the Santa Cecilia. Emil Sauer came the week after Thomson and played a long and varied program. There are many things which this artist, who is the chosen pet of Vienna, plays most beautifully, almost, perhaps, uniquely; especially certain works by Schumann, Mendelssohn and Liszt; but when he chooses Chopin he pleases me less. I might except, perhaps, this composer's "Bolero," which seems to be a special favorite of Sauer's. But Chopin's "Bolero" is hardly a characteristic work of the great Pole.
60Sauer was very successful here, and was invited by the Queen to play at the court the next evening. Altogether, his return to the city which he knew in his younger days as a pupil of Liszt, during that master's sojourn here, was quite a triumphal one.
62Pablo Sarasate was the soloist at the next two concerts. It is unnecessary to mention his programs, for they are invariably the same, nor the success which he had here, for that also is a mere repetition.
64He opened the first concert with Beethoven's "Kreutzer Sonata," which he played with Signor Bustini. Criticism of Sarasate's Beethoven playing is time wasted. Almost everyone knows that there are other compositions more suited to the Spanish violinist's peculiar talents than is the "Kreutzer Sonata." Judging from a certain standard, it is easy to find much fault with this celebrated virtuoso, but everybody understands and feels the power of one or two points which he possesses in such a marked degree.
66One of his most successful efforts here was in the Mendelssohn Concerto, which he executed with great smoothness and finish.
68Of course the house went beyond itself when he played his Spanish dances, and with good reason, for it is precisely here that we find Sarasate at his best, and even his worst detractor is silent and admires when he plays these beautiful little pieces.
70Sarasate was much feted during his short stay here, and was tendered several receptions and honors. Immediately previous to his departure the Circolo Artistico gave him a reception and banquet, at which several celebrities were present and where the Spanish artist expressed his hopes of returning to the Italian capital in the near future.
72The Academy brought their season to a close by three performances of Verdi's "Requiem Mass," which was written on the death of Alessandro Manzoni, and first given in Milan in 1874. The work has not been performed here for a number of years, and the Direction of the Santa Cecilia last autumn formed the commendable resolution of ending their present series of concerts with as careful and artistic a performance of the aged master's work as it was in their power to produce. The result has been most satisfactory—three of the best performances of a choral or vocal work that the Academy has given to the public for a long time.
74The solo parts were divided between Lillian Blauvelt, Laira Contini-Falchi, Marconi and Nannetti. The whole was under the baton of Maestro Stanislao Falchi.
76Miss Blauvelt, who happened to be staying in Rome at the time, was invited to take her part only a day or two before the first performance. It will be unnecessary for me to say more than that her beautiful singing was an unexpected surprise to the Romans, who have since been unable to offer her sufficient praise. The honors were not, however, confined to her alone. Marconi, who is one of Rome's favorites, was in fine voice, and specially distinguished himself by his rendering of the "Infemisco." Nannetti and the Signora Contini-Falchi also received much praise for their artistic singing of their respective parts. Falchi conducted in a careful and conscientious manner, and to him is due in great measure the unusual success of these concerts from an artistic standpoint.
78As to the music of the mass itself, it is so well known to most musicians to-day that it would be idle for me to dilate upon it here.
80The audience was an unusually large one, and every seat was sold for all three performances, notwithstanding the comparatively high price of tickets.
82A telegram was sent to Verdi announcing the great success of the representations, to which the old master replied
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