Scan 22
Musical Courier 1898-10-17: Vol 37 Iss 971, 1898
56 lines. Read by computer on 21 September 2026. Printed page 23. See the scan on archive.org.
1book must be Englished. With the exception of Germer, it is the most complete treatise on the subject of manipulating the instrument. I do not include Adolphe Carpé, because Mr. Carpé is a specialist in rhythms, and I may say an unequaled one.
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4If you are a Henry James fanatic, read his last contribution to literary psychology called "In the Cage." If you are not, avoid the little book, which is a miracle of workmanship; a cherry stone most fantastically carved. Mr. James brings to play upon an insignificant subject the entire battery of his style, the curiously involved music of his orchestra. A slight theme given him, he weaves magnificent arabesques, tortuous verbal hieroglyphics. It reminds me of the richly colored, soundless music of a master pyrotechnicist. And it remains in the memory just as long. I have read greater books by Mr. James, but none cleverer.
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7Mr. Richard Burmeister played for a few friends the other night several new compositions. A song, a violin romane, and a piano fantasy. The latter is only an opus 8, and I must confess surprised me by its harmonic richness, novelty and the beauty and dramatic vigor of its themes. It is in C sharp minor, and the strongly maintained narrative tone gave the impression of a ballade. The simple, pleasing theme so skillfully handled and harmonized and developed; the tender, piquant graciosso, that leads to such surprising revelations; the breadth and stormy power of the finale, with the return of the first subject; if all this is not a story, a tale of charm and mystery, then I never heard a ballade before. There is more of Liszt than Chopin in the coloring, and more of Burmeister than Liszt. Of the runic quality of Brahms there is nothing, although Burmeister plays Brahms exceedingly well. He gave with clarity and vigor during the evening the first movement of the Hamburg master's C major sonata and made much of the second theme.
9The fantasy is difficult, but lies beautifully for the instrument. It is yet in manuscript, but as new piano music of worth is rare just now, I hope soon to see it published. Mr. Burmeister will certainly play it in recital this season. It is the most important piano work since his D minor concerto.
11His violin romane is written with orchestral accompaniment, so I had to guess from the composer at the piano what it will be. The violin part was artistically played by Heinrich Klingensfeld, who also played for violin solo the second movement of Bach's Italian concerto—an idea of Mr. Burmeister's. It certainly sounds better than on the piano. Violinists will, I am sure, welcome Mr. Burmeister's melodious romane with its sprightly scherzo. The pianist is playing in fine form after his Western trip and long rest.
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14It gratifies my critical vanity to reprint the following paragraph from the London letter to the Times. Years ago I insisted on the power of Matilde Serao and since Bourget took her up the rest of the critical bloodhounds are on her trail. This is what Mr. Alden wrote:
15"I begin to hope that some day the English speaking public will discover that Matilde Serao is a great novelist. She is known in England and America only by one of her books, 'Fantasy,' which is by no means her best, while d'Annunzio is, so it seems to me, vastly overestimated. Matilde Serao, who is as far above him as a novelist as Thackeray is above Crockett, remains unknown outside of Italy. But at last the Saturday Review has discovered her. Now the opinion of the Saturday Review under its present management is of very little consequence, but the fact that any one of the London literary papers has found out that there is a novelist in Italy by the name of Serao, and that she is a woman of rare genius, is something. Matilde Serao will come into her heritage some of these days. By and by some literary papers of real weight will discover Serao, and after a time there will be a Serao cult, which will place the author where she deserves to be. I hope to live to see this. It ought to have arrived long ago, but it has been strangely delayed."
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18I hear that whisky Sauers will be a popular drink in the piano playing world this season.
20Richard Burmeister.
21Richard Burmeister has been engaged for the third symphony concert of the Cincinnati Orchestra, Van der Stucken conductor. He will play by special request his arrangement of Liszt's "Concerto Pathetique."
23Analytical Piano Recitals.
24Dr. Henry G. Hanchett announces a course of analytical piano recitals to be given in Chickering Hall on eight consecutive Monday mornings at 11 o'clock, beginning October 31. These recitals will be the same as those announced for Tuesday afternoons by the Brooklyn Institute, the programs of which appeared in these columns recently. They are very elaborate and cover a vast deal of ground. Music lovers and piano students will be sure to attend in force.
26Mrs. Grenville Snelling.
27Everything points to a brilliant season for this singer. She is enjoying great success at musicales, "at homes" and concerts, and her manager, Townsend H. Fellows, is rapidly filling in dates for her and is booking for her some important engagements.
28Mrs. Snelling last season assisted W. J. Henderson, the music critic of the New York Times, in illustrating his lectures on the "History of Song," and when music critics like Mr. Henderson select an artist for work of this nature one can depend upon her artistic worth. Mrs. Snelling has the entrée into many fashionable homes, and in this way secures a great deal of drawing room work.
30Ellison Van Hoose in London.
31This popular and rising young tenor has returned from London, where he met with most gratifying success at the Queen's Hall Promenade Concerts. His work was so highly appreciated that he sang no less than nine times in two weeks. The following are some notices by the foremost London critics:
32It is a long while since I heard so fine a voice, such innate musical feeling and such artistic appreciation of the poetic contents of a composition as were displayed in Mr. Van Hoose's singing of "Lohengrin's Narration." His voice is powerful and rich in tone, and capable of expressing all shades of color; in short, Mr. Newman has made quite a "find." He was encored, and never was an encore more deserved. The brilliance, certainty, power and fine quality of his voice could not be easily matched. He made a tremendous impression. I am quite anxious to hear him again.—London Musical Standard, September 10, 1898.
34A very successful first appearance in England was made by Ellison Van Hoose, gifted with a pure, well-trained tenor voice, who sang "Lohengrin's Narration" so well that he was compelled to repeat the entire piece. Mr. Van Hoose created a decidedly favorable first impression, and he will assuredly be heard again at no distant opportunity.—London Standard, September 6, 1898.
36Another event of that evening was the first appearance in England of Ellison Van Hoose, of Madame Melba's company, whose fine singing of "Lohengrin's Narration" created a veritable furore, and compelled a repetition. His voice is resonant, strong, of good compass and admirably under control. It is apparently a good "staying" voice, being as pure and unwearyed in effect at the end of the second rendering as at the start. We shall look forward to Mr. Van Hoose's future appearances with interest.—London Musical News, September 10, 1898.
38A highly satisfactory first appearance in this country was made by Ellison Van Hoose, an artist hailing from the United States, who owns a tenor voice of good quality, over which he has obtained thorough control. He possesses, too, the great advantage of style. Electing to be tested in "Lohengrin's Narration," this promising singer accomplished his task with so much ability that he was called upon to repeat the famous excerpt.—Daily Telegraph, September 6, 1898.
40The chief feature of this concert was the fine singing of Ellison Van Hoose. He is the possessor of a splendid tenor voice of beautifully clear timbre, and which has not, strange to say, been overtrained. His success was instantaneous and he may be welcomed as a genuine addition to the London operatic stage.—Whitehall Review, September 10, 1898.
42Ellison Van Hoose has shot into success like a rocket, and once again carried his audience away with him in the "Prize Song" ("Die Meistersinger"), for which he was several times recalled and encored. His last contribution, "Mandolin Serenade," was sung with a genuine burst of passion and an unrestrained excitement, which, with the fascinating harmonies of the song, must have recalled to the hoary heads present some lone episode of "the days that are no more."—London Musical Courier, September 15, 1898.
44Mr. Van Hoose deserves thanks for bringing forward the fine song (with its recitative), "Oh tu che in seno agli angeli," from Verdi's "La Forza del Destino," which we do not remember to have heard at a concert before. The singer's fine voice and dramatic style shone to great advantage in the passionate strains of the Italian master, and his audience insisted on hearing him again, their perseverance being rewarded with "I'll Sing Thee Songs of Arab," a ballad which Mr. Van Hoose delivers with notable distinction of style and appropriateness of tone color.—The Observer, September 18, 1898.
46I listened attentively to Ellison Van Hoose's singing, for I had recently found a lot to admire in this promising artist. The "Flower Song" ("Carmen") was given with an altogether cantabile quality and a captivating chasteness of delivery. I was not present on Monday evening, but I hear on unimpeachable authority that he did wonders with Wagner's "Preislied." Therefore it does seem that we have in him just the man for the tenor roles in Wagner's music dramas. He has much resource, he can rise to a great dramatic impression, and there is, too, an extraordinary lyrical beauty in his vocalization.—Musical Standard, September 17, 1898.
48Ellison Van Hoose has made four appearances during the week, more than confirming the extremely favorable impression he made on his initial appearance.—London Dispatch, September 18, 1898.
50Speaking of Monday's concert, mention should not be omitted of the singing of Mr. Van Hoose, a tenor gifted with a voice of remarkable power and quality, who delivered the "Prize Song" from "Die Meistersinger" in a manner truly admirable.—Westminster Gazette, September 14, 1898.
52The principal item of news about the Promenade Concerts this week is the début of a tenor, Ellison Van Hoose, from America. This gentleman has a genuinely fine organ, and he sang "Lohengrin's Narration" as I have seldom heard it sung in England. Not that I wish to infer that we have suddenly dawned upon another Jean de Reszke, but I do think that since the days of poor Joseph Maas no such recruit has come into our midst. It belongs to Madame Melba, I believe, the honor of discovering the artist, and I congratulate the lady. It will be a pity if this artist is ever allowed to leave our shores.—Weekly Sun, September 11, 1898.
54Of Mr. Van Hoose's singing of "The Messiah" the London Times of September 19 says:
55Of the soloists the most successful was Mr. Van Hoose, a tenor of unusual promise, who seems as much at home in Handel as he has already proved himself to be in Verdi and Wagner.
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