Scan 27
Musical Courier 1898-06-22: Vol 36 Iss 955, 1898
67 lines. Read by computer on 22 September 2026. Printed page 28. See the scan on archive.org.
1139 Kearny Street,
2SAN FRANCISCO, Cal., June 15, 1898.
4WHAT IS A MUSIC LOVER?
6TOO often one is confronted with the remark that certain people or classes of people are music lovers, so often in fact that it becomes necessary to define the word music-lover.
8We cannot take the layman's acceptation of the term any more than we can take his views as authentic upon any subject where he must have a thorough understanding of music; consequently a broad acceptation of the word music-lover is of no value to anyone, for it includes the little children in a back alley who dance to the piping, droning tones of a broken-down hand organ as also those who stand on the corner for hours to wait for an excrable little German street band.
10From the foregoing remarks it will not be difficult to infer that the term music-lover must be accepted in its most exclusive sense or it is devoid of all value in its relation to music. Consequently the statement that a community is music-loving because it is fond of comic opera or because it pays $7 a seat to see Melba or $5 a seat to see Paderewski is entirely erroneous and misleading.
12San Francisco can never win for itself the reputation of being musical because of its willingness to support such attractions, but the way San Francisco patronizes opera bears me out in my attitude toward the education of the masses, as it is a well known fact that the Tivoli has been the educator in opera for at least twenty years, and for this reason San Francisco patronizes opera.
14Where San Francisco rightfully lays claim to being musical is in the fact that it has supported a symphony orchestra that came out ahead this season, and everyone who knows anything about the difficulties of an orchestra which is not on a permanent basis knows how significant this is. Yet the splendid presentation of Beethoven's Choral Symphony should have drawn a larger audience. The Kneisel Quartet should have had larger audiences. Ysaye and Gérardy should have had larger audiences. These things alone tell the tale to an impartial observer, and the fact that people tell one that San Francisco is musical cannot possibly make you believe it unless you can see for yourself that what is great, good and important receives the recognition which it deserves. There will be some very real, some very serious, some very noble musical work done here next season. What support will get it? Nous verrons!
16An affair of social importance in musical circles was the marriage of Miss Alice M. Bacon to Frank Washington, which occurred yesterday at Mill Valley, a beautiful little spot not far from San Francisco. The ceremony was performed by Horatio Stebbins. A string quartet composed of Giulio Minetti, Hother Wismer, A. Walcott and Arthur Weiss played the Lohengrin wedding music as the bridal party entered, and after the ceremony the air of Bach. The music was very beautiful and impressive, especially as the bride is one of the most earnest and sincere workers in the musical fields of San Francisco, where she has long been identified with the very best work done.
18The bridesmaids, who are all young pupils of the bride, were: Misses Florence Sharon, Lucy Brown, Edith Allen, Merle Morrison; maid of honor, Miss Katherine Selfridge; groomsman, J. W. Twiggs. The bride was given away by her brother, Wm. O. Bacon. Mr. and Mrs. Washington will reside in Mill Valley for the summer.
20Musically there has been little to report, with the exception of a few Red Cross entertainments, a recital of Master Irwin Evelleth Hassell and the weekly piano recital by Wm. Piutti.
22Young Hassell is another boy who has studied hard in addition to being extremely talented. There is little doubt that F. Loui King does much to develop the taste of his pupils, as is distinct in this boy's work and in the prospectus, which shows that King believes in letting his pupils hear as much music as is in his power to present to them. Hassell has a fluent technic and an intelligent conception; that he accomplishes what he does with the position in which he holds his hands is nothing short of marvelous. He has tone when he uses his arm to bring it. It was an error of judgment to begin such an imposing program with the Chopin sonata, for it would if anything throw him off rather than work him in.
24Miss Berglund has a pretty voice, which is marred by the white quality in some places and a certain amount of throatiness in others. There was a lack of ensemble between the accompaniment and the song.
26This was the program:
28Sonata, op. 35 ………………………………………Chopin
29Nymphs and Shepherds ……………………………Purcell
30Where Be Going? ………………………………….Old Cornish
31Alma Berglund.
32Tarantelle, op. 4 …………………………………….Karganoff
33Hark, Hark, the Lark! ……………………………Schubert-Liszt
34Scherzo, à la Russe, op. 1 ………………………..Tschaikowsky
35Fugue, in F …………………………………………..Hassell
36Humoreske, op. 10, No. 1 ………………………..King
37Shouggie Show, My Bairnie ……………………..Henschel
38Rever'es ……………………………………………..Neidlinger
39Come Va……………………………………………..Tosti
40Alma Berglund.
41Scherzo, op. 31 …………………………………….Chopin
42Étude, op. 25, No. 7 ……………………………Chopin
43Valse, op. 64, No. 2 ……………………………Chopin
44Solianato, Andante and Polonaise, op. 22 ……Chopin
45Concerto, op. 25 …………………………………..Mendelssohn
46With orchestral accompaniment.
48Henry Bettman, who is violin teacher in the conservatory, was concertmaster, and King conducted. I was not present at the last number nor during the time when Hassell played his own composition, but the press spoke very highly of both works. An entertainment was given at the home of Mrs. Neufeld for the Red Cross Society that was enjoyable, and it gave the opportunity to some clever young amateurs to work for charity and for music. The amateurs on the program were assisted by Armand Salomon, violinist, and Miss Carolyn Boyan, contralto. Mr. Salomon, who is a pupil of Sigmund Beel, played with much taste, understanding and musical feeling. Miss Delvalle is a pupil of Pasmore, who, although young in the work, shows the stamp of this excellent teacher.
50A number which gave me the greatest pleasure was contributed by three young men who play well enough and care enough for good music to have given a Beethoven trio. Albert Landsberg, violin (a Rosewald pupil); Strelletz, 'cello, and Neufeld (a Fleishman pupil) gave a good reading, and I hope that they will continue the work they have so well begun
52Miss Merriatt G. Patton leaves San Francisco for her home in Winnipeg, Canada. Miss Patton has been studying for a year under the excellent instruction of Mrs. Mariner-Campbell, at whose recent recital I had the opportunity to hear her sing. Miss Patton will be an acquisition to the vocal profession of Winnipeg, for her beautiful voice and cultivated use thereof should be appreciated.
54I wish to say to those who give recitals, concerts, &c., or who appear at entertainments of any nature that announcements beforehand are what I want and not programs afterward, as I am responsible for what goes into these columns, and will only be responsible by personal observation. Again I take this opportunity to cordially invite those giving musical entertainments to apprise me. I shall certainly attempt to be present.
56EMILIE FRANCES BAUER.
58No Artistic Singing Among the Germans.
60IF there are any German teachers of singing or German directors of choruses who possess any knowledge of artistic singing I have never seen them—not one. They are usually bent on noise, noise, noise. In their estimation there are no composers but German, no method of singing but German. German is classical, German in everything. German, no matter how bad it is, is the best thing in the world. A composition by Wagner if rendered by a cross-cut saw is supposed to be far more pleasing than a Verdi creation rendered by Calvé. Melba said she would never again sing in German opera, so there can be nothing for her says the German; but the true American critic can see much for her in Italian and French opera roles, for there is beauty in cadenzas when sung with a voice of bird-like quality; but the German comes along and says, "You like dot? Dem leetle veak tone?" He understands so little of the artistic that he cannot recognize volume unless it comes with the old buzz-saw quality.
62A German director of May festival choruses, of an orchestra, and head of a college of music, said to one of my pupils, "You should come to —— and hear my pupils sing; not how they sing, but what they sing." Such an expression is within itself enough to condemn him as a critic and take from him the position that he is only pretending to fill. What are these vocal pupils paying him for? Is it to learn German songs regardless of rendition? Voice culture does not mean memorizing tunes; it means voice tone work: how to sing with feeling, with sense. This great director has world-wide fame in chorus and orchestra work. He asked my pupil to name some of her selections, and when she mentioned arias from "Attila," "Sonnambula," "Huguenots," "Stabat Mater," oratorios, &c., he said: "Oh, those old chestnuts; fit only for the kitchen; not worth your time. Why do you not get some of the classics: Schubert, Schumann, Brahms and Bohm?" Perhaps these arias were not good enough for a chorus director's pupils, but I concluded that if Patti, Eames, Calvé, Melba, De Reszké and all the great artists were singing them before the most cultured audiences at salaries ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 per night that I would still continue in the culinary department for a while at least.
64He also state that in the compositions he mentioned there was a great opportunity for expression. What does he know of expression if it is not how to sing but what to sing? Only those who know how to sing know the true meaning of expression. One of his best pupils sang at a medical commencement and his ideas, "not how to sing," was clearly illustrated, for the song (German of course) was harsh and unmusical and the throat of the listeners ached in sympathy, while the extent of her knowledge in expression was simply more noise and less noise. It is really amusing to hear them talk about expression just as though they knew a thing about it, and with all the "airs" of egotists sneer at the one who recognizes tone work in voice.
66These erroneous ideas regarding voice culture do not end with hideous singing. While there are muscles which are gifted, there are other which are stubborn, and also muscles which if incorrectly used will result in permanent
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