Scan 7
Musical Courier 1899-11-29: Vol 39 Iss 1028, 1899
90 lines. Read by computer on 21 September 2026. Printed page 8. See the scan on archive.org.
1exact in dress. An effect may be unusual, as you like, but must be true, correct. In what this "correction" consists is best known to themselves. It seems like a sixth sense with them. Fashion, title, wealth do not dictate it. It is wholly independent. Happy those who accord with it. Girls, old women, tradespeople, boys, men, all have it as well as specialists.
3All forms of flirting seem incongruous with London and English women. The latter seem "ungainly," even when pretty. Natural coquetry is totally foreign, too—almost totally absent from the race.
5The men seem strong, somewhat forceful, manly, honest, frank and kindly. They look straight at other men and at women, who return the look and pass on unharmed.
7This sort of atmosphere is eminently more frank and clean than in Paris. The eyes of Frenchmen are weak, sweet, cynical, tired, gentle, with rusy, foxy, sidelong glints through them. Those of the Englishmen are young, searching, gay, calm and frank. English eyes think, French eyes see.
9In London there is rhythm, but it is the rhythm of the spinning wheel; no melody in it, no inspiration, no impulse, no sensitiveness in the pulse beat. It impresses as a carriage without springs, or as after skating when one walks upon the ground. The people seem hypnotized by regularity.
11The French are eternally busy doing nothing. They have no time but for that which they have always done. The English seem to have plenty of time and are busy, too. They read and converse on all the world, but mind the business at home just the same. The French go round and round; the English on.
13War, sport, theatre are the leading topics at present, and the Queen's picture is everywhere. The place and papers are flooded with portraits of actresses. These latter all seem tame and flat of expression beside the French actress. They may be handsome, but are never "délicieuses." In almost every case you can see the woman through the actress guise. In France you can never see the woman for the actress.
15There is much more food for conversation in English circles than in French. Women in Paris have no food for conversation, and they talk all the time. The English can talk funds of sense and information, but they do not know how to keep up a conversation.
17The English will and can discuss. They have logic, information and good temper, even if not always polished. The French get angry, make assertions without a particle of sense or reason, and contradict themselves five times in ten minutes. They insist that it is Tuesday when everybody knows that it is Wednesday. They keep up the assertion, and will not look at the almanac, but remain polite, even when they scream and are blue in the face.
19A French lady in London says that the calm of English discussion drives her wild.
21The reflection of any intelligent, unprejudiced observer is that it is a shame that two such fine neighbor nations who need so much each other should not be the best of friends. The English are perfectly willing, but the French—Oh, my!
23FANNIE EDGAR THOMAS.
25Some of Caroline Gardner Clerke's Engagements.
27Some engagements already booked for Caroline Gardner Clarke are Lowell, November 26; Newton, November 28; Worcester, December 15; Boston, December 22; Newburyport, February 12; Watertown, N. Y., January 4, and Akron, Ohio, February 21.
29Other engagements are pending, of which announcement will be made later.
31Wednesday Morning Chamber Musicale.
33At the Wednesday morning chamber musicale, to be given at Carnegie Lyceum November 29, the players will be Alexander Rihm, piano; Henry Schradieck, violin; William J. Maier, viola, and Leo Schulz, 'cello. Soloist, Townsend H. Fellows.
35M. Chas. de Beriot.
37GRADED WORKS FOR PIANO STUDENTS.
39M. DE BERIOT is one of those teachers who hold that the reading of notation is one of the first essentials of executing it.
41This does not mean simply that before playing a composition one must have learned to read it. It means that every player before being able either to enjoy his music or to do himself justice upon his instrument must have a certain degree of proficiency in reading at sight, more or less perfectly, any composition that may be set before him or her.
43If readers of books were obliged to spell every word and learn its meaning from a dictionary before gathering sense from the printed page, both information and the pleasure of getting it would be seriously restricted. Yet this is the condition of all musicians, vocal or instrumental, who are not proficient "sight" readers.
45In this particular is our country most deficient and its teachers most negligent. It is most astonishing that with all our intense research, our initiative and our educational intelligence and experience, our entire musical education should be devoid of this basic principle of power—sight reading.
47Were this a something which, like genius or art sense, must be born in one, then its absence might be excused, its negligence forgiven. But since experience and hosts of teachers and pupils have proved beyond a doubt that sight reading may be acquired by all as can the multiplication tables, then is the culpability of professors established.
49To say that all can become expert sight readers by the same effort and in the same time is another question. That is not possible; but that all may become proficient readers of musical notation as of print is unquestioned.
51France is fortunate in having solfège (or the practice of reading at sight) the fashion. In the Conservatoire it is obligatory. All teachers of any standing or reputation outside follow this leading, and musicians in all departments are sure to be readers above all things. The expertness to which this is carried by the young in the Conservatoire is incredible.
53M. de Beriot, as professor of the finishing piano classes in the Conservatoire for thirteen years, has learned to appreciate the value of this acquisition. In his numerous classes outside, largely formed of foreigners, he has had, alas! opportunity of regretting its lack. Of an analytic temperament, the composer set himself to work to unite utility with art; in other words, to write a series of studies, agreeable, musical, progressive and thorough, which should have for object the development of a sight reading capability in those whose early education in this regard had been neglected.
55The result is a collection of 162 studies or exercises for piano alone, divided into two volumes and subtitled "Application of Solfège to the Piano." It is edited by Leduc, 3 rue Grammont, Paris.
57The first volume contains eighty-six of these numbers. In glancing it through one cannot but admire the masterly resource with which difficulty is grouped, gathered from the four winds of experience as it were, and so classified for presentation that the result is simplicity itself, the development almost unconscious.
59Commencing with the key of C, acquaintance is made with all surprises of time, groupment, combination of right and left hand work, rhythms and phrasings of unexpected character, and a gentle sprinkling of accidentals. The first six are in the natural key. Then come sharps—one, two; again one, three, two; then the natural key once more, and again sharps, never more than three; then flats are introduced. With the flats come chords and modulations requiring various accidentals. After a thorough drill through five flats the pupil returns to one and two, and signs of expression grow more abundant. Da capos or returns are frequent, also arpeggios, trills, change of air in clefs, the legato touch prevailing throughout.
61It goes without saying that much of the value of this admirable collection rests with the teaching, which instills the ideas of relations and families of chords, the source and object of modulation, the significance of signature; in a word, which puts logic into the mere facts of writing.
63The above course is continued through forty-three exercises, when the first "Valse lente" appears, in B flat. This interesting little study seems easy enough to look at, but to read even quite slowly and without flaw the first time requires no small capability, and with that a careful concentration. The phrasing is quite complicated, accidentals are catchy, groupings of twos, threes, fours, with frequent rests and change of accents take place. The ordinary negligent reader would make twenty balks and other tormenting breaks and repetitions in the four simple looking lines. These, however, must be read accurately at first sight; that is, at least as to notation and time. An expert reader, of course, sees everything.
65After this little application of knowledge four sharps are taken up, then flats few and many, the complications of time and note growing all the time more difficult, till a march in C ensues. Then another of more ambitious scope, with runs, octaves and dotted notes. After more serious study a pretty barcarolle comes on in G in 12-8 time, with groupings of threes for the left hand, mixed time and held notes in the right.
67An entire page, Largo in D flat, is one of the most important pieces so far, and beside it is an Andante in F sharp, which introduces double sharps. The remaining exercises are not more difficult than these. And the first volume closes.
69For the second volume see another time.
71Von Klenner Recital.
73Several of the pupils of Mme. Evans von Klenner gave the first of the season's recitals on Wednesday afternoon in her studio in Stuyvesant street.
75The program contained many novelties, among which were two songs by the composer-pianist Bruno Oscar Klein, dedicated to Madame von Klenner and sung for the first time in public by Mrs. Emma A. Bulen.
77Madame von Klenner's work as a successful voice builder is too well known to require any extended comment. She is justly enthusiastic regarding the Garcia method, of which she is an exponent, and her pupils, one and all, give evidence of the high order of instruction received.
79At the close of the regular program several selections were given by advanced and professional pupils who were in the audience. Miss Bessie Knapp sang "Autumn and Spring," by Weil, and Miss Travers gave the grand aria from "Lucia" with her usual style and fine dramatic effect.
81In her work Madame von Klenner pays particular attention to the languages, as was noticeable in the pure diction and extreme ease with which the pupils sang in German, French and Italian.
83That they all sang without notes was another pleasing feature of the recital.
85Arthur Whiting.
87Arthur Whiting's first piano recital of the season was given at Mendelssohn Hall on Tuesday afternoon, the 28th. The second one takes place December 6, in the same hall, at 8:15.
89Mr. Whiting has just returned from a trip in the West, where he has been giving a series of lecture-recitals in Akron, Ohio; Detroit, Mich., and in Cincinnati. In the latter city he played to an invited audience of musicians and professional pianists and amateurs, who listened to a Brahms recital, which was a great success, the audience receiving it with much enthusiasm and demanding encores, which means a good deal for selections from Brahms. Mr. Whiting intends to make another trip in the spring, going as far as California, giving these lecture-recitals.
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