Scan 7
Musical Courier 1900-04-11: Vol 40 Iss 1046, 1900
75 lines. Read by computer on 21 September 2026. Printed page 8. See the scan on archive.org.
1Zeisler's Silver Jubilee.
3MUSICAL Chicago continues to talk about the Bloomfield-Zeisler jubilee recital which was reported at some length in THE MUSICAL COURIER last week. That the leading musicians of Chicago and the leaders in the world of society, would attend the recital and assist in making it a most brilliant success was gratifying. Following are some interesting criticisms from the leading Chicago papers:
5Lamartine has said, "Music is the literature of the heart; it begins where speech ends." It sounds every emotion in the experience of human nature, expresses every feeling known to man with a power possessed by no other art. But with all its adaptability as a medium of expression, being "dependent upon variations of pitch and accent to convey its meaning," it is undoubtedly too vague, too indefinite to be universally understood in its intellectual form. There are many chances of the interpreter failing to catch the composer's meaning, and how many more are there of his failing to convey this meaning to others?
7One does not always get a true conception of the thought of a writer who conveys his ideas in our own every-day language. Is it not possible to misunderstand the letter of an intimate friend whose ways of thinking are well known to us? So it need not be a matter of wonder if it is difficult to comprehend the thought of a stranger who has perhaps lived in another age, whose surroundings, education and mode of thought are unfamiliar to us, who presents his ideas through so intangible a medium as musical sounds.
9Woman, with her sympathetic nature, her quick intellect and keen powers of intuition, has shown herself to be peculiarly adapted to search out the hidden thoughts of the great composers, and to convey them to her hearers untouched by her own personality.
11Of the many women famous as interpreters of piano music Clara Schumann, Teresa Carreño, Sophie Menter, Annette Essipoff and Fannie Bloomfield-Zeisler have attained the greatest prominence.
13Of the four great pianists of the present day the European critics of authority name Fannie Bloomfield-Zeisler as the greatest, not only in the poetry of conception and technical finish, but in intellect and real musicianship. She is a player of intense dramatic power, and has often been compared with Sarah Bernhardt for her climaxes, which "are won through impulse and a self-forgetfulness which is complete." With her dramatic power she unites remarkable intellect, deep poetic feeling and a sympathetic quality which alone would make her eminent. It is a rare gift to be able to make a Chopin Nocturne so spiritual that there seems to be something sacred about it, and this gift belongs to Madame Zeisler.—Rose Case Haywood in Times-Herald, March 25, 1900.
15Mrs. Fannie Bloomfield-Zeisler's recital in Central Music Hall Saturday evening, on the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of her first public appearance as a pianist, proved to be quite a brilliant an event as had been expected. The audience was large and included many of the best known musicians in Chicago, among them Carl Wolfsohn, who was Mrs. Zeisler's earliest instructor. The pianist was greeted with enthusiasm and the evening terminated in an ovation, the pianist being recalled again and again and compelled to add encore after encore. That Mrs. Zeisler's ripened talent, now at the end of a quarter of a century of devoted effort in her art, deserves this generous recognition, need hardly be said. With high natural gifts at the outset, she has succeeded in this period in placing herself among the most enjoyable and thoroughly equipped pianists now before the public. In Saturday evening's program, which was sufficiently trying, including Schumann's "Etudes Symphoniques," the Schubert-Liszt "Hark, Hark, the Lark," and "The Erl King," she triumphed by sheer excellence of legitimate piano playing. The performance was in fact worthy of the occasion, which signalizes appropriately both the eminent position taken by Mrs. Zeisler in her field of art and the local public's appreciation of her work.—Chicago Record, March 26, 1900.
17Twenty-five years ago Fannie Bloomfield-Zeisler, then a little girl of ten, made her first appearance as a pianist on the concert stage in this city. Last night she celebrated the quarter-centennial anniversary of that event with a jubilee concert at Central Music Hall, this time, however, not as a little girl of wonderful promise, who was listened to with curiosity, but as the greatest of women piano players, her laurels all won and her fame world wide.
19She played last evening that same Andante in F major, by Beethoven, which she gave under the auspices of the Chicago Beethoven Society on her first appearance, but to it she added a varied program of works requiring for their expression the greatest virtuosity. She was listened to by a large audience, numbering not only many prominent society people, but nearly all of the leading musicians of the city. There were present, for instance, Carl Wolfsohn, who gave her her earliest instruction; Clarence Eddy, who traveled 200 miles to join with his presence in the celebration, and Henry Greenbaum, her earliest patron in her musical career. To witness her triumph there had come also her relatives and those of her husband from New York and other cities, including among them her brother, the famous philologist, Prof. Maurice Bloomfield, of Johns Hopkins University.
21Mrs. Zeisler's work was received with much applause and many expressions of enthusiasm. After the first numbers Schumann's "Etudes Symphoniques," she was recalled half a dozen times, and was presented with bouquets of roses, and after she had played Liszt's piano setting of Schubert's song, "The Erl King," she was not permitted to withdraw from the stage until she had rendered an encore, for which she chose a military march by the same composer.
23Chicago has been Mrs. Zeisler's home ever since she was two years old. From 1882 to 1883 she studied in Vienna, and since then she has had ever-increasing fame for her splendid interpretations of the greatest music of all composers. Her triumphs have been repeated in Europe as well as in America. The celebration was arranged by F. Wight Neumann.—Times-Herald, March 25, 1900.
25Mme. Fannie Bloomfield-Zeisler celebrated with a piano recital last night at Central Music Hall the completion of a quarter of a century of public life as a concert pianist. The exact twenty-fifth anniversary of her début was February 26. She was greeted by a good-sized audience, which gathered both to congratulate the artist and be entertained with what it was known beforehand would be a fine illustration of pianistic art.
27Twenty-five years is a long time and a matter to be reflected on with seriousness. If at the conclusion of such a period one finds oneself worse off or even no better off than at its beginning there is just cause for regret and discouragement. But if twenty-five years have served but as a means for steady and sure artistic growth and ripening, as in the case of this gifted woman, their flight is not to be deplored. Especially is this true with Mme. Bloomfield-Zeisler, who finds herself still less than thirty-four years old. Since her initial appearance, when less than ten years of age, she has accomplished wonderful things, winning renown for herself throughout the musical world with her extraordinarily beautiful playing.
29The local profession was largely represented in the audience last night, among those present being Carl Wolfsohn, who was one of Mme. Bloomfield-Zeisler's first teachers. When she advanced to the piano to begin her program the audience broke into loud applause, which was so prolonged that she was obliged to bow her acknowledgments before she could enter on her task.
31Throughout the evening the audience evinced the keenest enjoyment, vociferously applauding every number, calling the player back time and again during the intermissions, and demanding encore after encore, until the program was extended by nearly half its length. This adulation, it may be unhesitatingly said, was well deserved.
33Of all the throngs of piano players one hears nowadays, Mme. Bloomfield-Zeisler remains, after all, one of the most thoroughly satisfactory. No affectation nor sentimental nonsense comes to notice in her performances, which are uniformly characterized by straightforward and legitimate virtuosity. Her technic is exceptional, even in these days of phenomenal dexterity; her tone is unusually plastic and beautiful, and her musical perception is thoroughly sound. And beneath the grasp of real artistic genius all of these fundamental qualities are combined in interpretations which seem to reveal the composer's own meanings and purposes, rather than in an exploitation of the player's individuality.
35It is hardly necessary to particularize as to the program presented last evening. All of the numbers were played with the singular combination of dash and poesy which one expects from Mme. Bloomfield-Zeisler, and her performance, as a whole, left little to be desired. The Schubert-Liszt "Hark, Hark, the Lark," and the G flat Etude of Chopin had to be repeated on the spot; and following the "Erl King" the applause was so boisterous and protracted that, after returning several times to bow to the audience, the player at last found it imperative to meet the general demand for an encore, playing the Schubert-Tausig "Marche Militaire" in brilliant fashion. The program finally concluded amid another demonstration, which at last resulted in a final encore.—Tribune, March 25, 1900.
37Ovide Musin.
39On Wednesday last the hall of the Grande Harmonie was crowded, as the Association Artistique gave its first orchestral concert. The program was most attractive, and the affiliation of M. Ovide Musin, the celebrated Liege master, and successor of Cesar Thomson at the Liege Conservatory, increased remarkably the interest of the evening.
41M. Ovide Musin is an admirable artist, and Brussels now counts within her walls the three masters who are the glory of the Belgian violin school.
43There was no lack of ovations for the celebrated violinist after his masterly execution of the "Concerte Russe" of Lalo, given for the first time in Brussels.
45Mme. Ovide Musin sang with distinction the "Queen's Air" from "The Enchanted Flute."—Le Reforme, Brussels, March 24.
47A sensational concert was given last Friday by the Royal Society of Harmony. The famous Liege school of violin was represented by the class of Ovide Musin, whom we know to be a violinist of the highest value. We can affirm to-day that in him the professor equals the virtuoso. What ensemble, what justness, what precision in the different numbers executed in unison by all the class. It was so homogeneous that, closing the eyes, one could have thought that all these sonatas were drawn from one formidable instrument. The studies executed in the first part of the concert demonstrated that all the pupils already possess a sure and developed mechanism, and that they know how to make use, with ease, of the bow in all its resources. The pieces were executed with a feeling and style which do honor to the artistic education given by their devoted teacher. The concert was a great success for the master, the pupils and the Royal Conservatory of Liege.
49The concerts of the Artistic Association were resumed this week at the Grande Harmony. M. Ovide Musin, professor of violin at the Liege Conservatory, formed the principal attraction of the concert. An artist of talent, possessing a beautiful tone and a sober technic, he displayed easily the virtuosity and the distinction of his playing in the "Concert Russe" of Lalo, a picturesque work given for the first time at Brussels.—Le Guide Musical, Brussels, March 25.
51Artist and Contract.
53THE French violinist, Henri Marteau, was, during his last sojourn in Montreal, the recipient of a writ of summons, enjoining him, in the name of the Queen, to appear before the Superior Court of Canada to answer the demand of George I. Sheppard, manager, and Edward G. O'Connor, journalist, who claimed from him the sum of $608.10.
55Messrs. Sheppard and O'Connor were, in November, 1898, doing business together under the name of "The Dominion Entertainment Bureau." Around that date they entered into a contract with Henry Wolfsohn, of New York, who engaged himself to secure the artistic services of Marteau for two concerts, to be given at Montreal on the 6th and 7th of March, 1899, and one at Ottawa on the 8th. The violinist failed to show up; hence the action. The amount claimed represents the cost of trips to New York and Ottawa, rental price of concert halls, and loss of profits.
57Marteau gallantly faced the music, and asked, through his attorneys, that the action be returned in court at once. He was then examined as a witness, both on behalf of the plaintiffs and on his own behalf, and pleaded to the action, stating that he was no party to the contract entered into between the plaintiffs and Wolfsohn, and does not know the terms thereof. It appears by the defence that Marteau, in 1899, leased his services to Wolfsohn for the giving of a certain number of concerts in America; but in the February of that year he became so ill, after a long and arduous season in Russia, that his medical adviser strictly forbade him to cross the ocean, and that as a consequence he had to cancel his contract with Wolfsohn. By this arrangement he was to be paid a fixed amount to represent the fee payable in respect of each performance. Mr. Marteau furthermore relies upon a clause of the contract between the plaintiffs and Wolfsohn which stipulates that in case of unavoidable accidents the agreement would not be binding upon the parties.
59The case is in progress, and will be watched with interest by the admirers of the violinist. Mr. Percy W. P. Sharp, of Hall, Cross, Brown, Sharp & Cook, represents the Dominion Entertainment Bureau, while Mr. Percy Ryan, of the law firm of McGibbon, Casgrain, Ryan, Mitchell & Surveyer, is acting for the violinist.
61THE HENRY WOLFSOHN MUSICAL BUREAU,
62131 East Seventeenth Street.
63CONCERT DIRECTION. HIGH CLASS ARTISTS
64Office Hours from 2 to 6 P. M.
65NEW YORK. April 6, 1900.
67Musical Courier, New York City:
68In reply to yours of the 15th inst., please find inclosure. I never engaged Marteau, but acted as his agent, for which he was to pay me a commission. As his agent I made the Montreal engagement, with a number of others in the United States, but Marteau was prevented from crossing the ocean on account of sickness, and I was compelled to cancel all engagements.
70I wish to call your attention to a clause in all of my contracts which reads as follows: "It is also agreed that if on account of sickness, accident or unavoidable circumstances said—name of artist to be put in here—fails to appear, this contract shall be null and void, and no charge for damages shall be made by either party to this contract."
71Signed………………………………….
72Signed………………………………….
73Very truly, HENRY WOLFSOHN.
74R. S. Copley.
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.