Scan 10
Musical Courier 1900-10-31: Vol 41 Iss 1075, 1900
84 lines. Read by computer on 22 September 2026. Printed page 11. See the scan on archive.org.
1Charles N. Allen, Alexander Blaess, Miss Julia King, Heinrich Schuecker, and Miss Lida Low, accompanist.
3The Orpheus Club, of Somerville, H. Carleton Slack, conductor, has an active membership of fifty male voices and a large associate membership. It is the intention of the club to give three concerts during the winter, to each of which the associate members are entitled to three tickets.
5The Adamowski Quartet will give three concerts in Boston this season. Among the new works to be given are quartets by Saint-Saëns, E. Chivala, E. Chausson and G. W. Chadwick.
7Philip Hale had the following in last Sunday's Boston Journal:
9BOSTON, October 28, 1900.
11The program of the second concert of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Mr. Gericke, conductor, was as follows:
12Overture, The Roman Carnival………………………………………Berlioz
13Recitative, Jetzt, Vitelia! and Rondo, Nie soll mit Rosen,
14from Titus………………………………………………………..Mozart
15Orchestra Suite, Esclarmonde………………………………………Massenet
16(First time at these concerts.)
17Song, Die Allmacht……………………………………………..Schubert
18(The accompaniment scored for orchestra by Louis V. Saar.)
19Symphony No. 5, in E minor………………………………………Dvorák
21The "Esclarmonde" Suite was played about eight years ago at a concert for the benefit of the Symphony Orchestra, under Mr. Nikisch, and I believe Mr. Paderewski played on that occasion. The opera from which this music in part is taken—in part, for Massenet developed certain scenes for concert use—is of an erotic-mystical nature, in which Miss Sibyl Sanderson made her début in Paris as the heroine, a female Lohengrin, who loves a knight, but insists in the most rapturous moment that he shall not see her face nor know her name, and it was said at the time of the production that the composer added two instruments to the orchestra, the Sanderson at one end of the scale and the sarussophone at the other.
23The sensuousness of certain pages of this music provoked comment even in Paris. Now sensuousness is the chief characteristic of Massenet when he is at his best. Sensuousness is his strength, or his weakness, as you may be pleased to regard it. His adoring friend, De Solonière, not only admits this; he boasts that the "parium yonique" dominates all the work of this composer, and then he dilates on this agreeable subject and uses extraordinary language, which I dare not translate from fear of the Watch and Ward Society.
25You find this sensuousness, or better, this carnal feeling permeating "Eve," "Esclarmonde," "Thais," which rank first among the pornographic works of the ingenious composer, the "passionnel," to quote again from Mr. De Solonière. But in nearly all of Massenet's compositions there is a whiff of the perfume named above.
27Of course this sensuousness is made more prominent in the operatic works through text and scenic circumstance. Take, for instance, "Hymen" in the suite. In the concert hall, with the title as a guide to the feeling and the mood, this music seems extremely passionate, yea, erotic, and it is the strongest movement of the suite. But where does this same movement come in the opera? Immediately after the fall of the curtain upon the lovers embracing underneath consenting and approving trees. (Compare with this a superb chapter in Zola's "Fault of the Abbé Modret.") Mr. Apthorp says modestly: "They disappear beneath the blossoms, while the orchestra expresses the sentiments that thrill them." In the theatre this music is unmistakable, and it is another note to Matthew Arnold's statement that France is given up to worship of the goddess Lubricity.
29The suite is interesting without the aid of any too curious gloss. The "Evocation" is a pompous thing, with volcanoes of brass and storms of pulsatile instruments, but the purely musical ideas are of little importance, and the movement might be justly called musical campaign oratory—a mighty front, sonorous speech, eagle and bugle in the same sentence. But the second movement is exquisite in harmonic, melodic orchestral thought, and most successful in the establishment of a decided mood. The last movement is made up of a "Pastorale" and "The Hunt." Of these the former is the more distinguished, and the rustic melody was played delightfully by Mr. Longy. If the "Evocation" suggested at times Meyerbeer and Wagner, rewritten for French use, and if "The Magic Isle" awakened the thought of Berlioz, there was plenty of Massenet in the suite, and the individuality of Massenet is as marked as that of Gounod.
31Mrs. Schumann-Heink sang an aria from Mozart's "Titus" and Schubert's "Die Allmacht," with the accompaniment scored for orchestra by Mr. Saar, of New York. She was heard to greater advantage in the aria than in the song. The aria itself is still fresh and calls for a display of varied emotions. The singer had an intelligent conception of the character of the music and she was often successful in exposition. At times she sang well, so far as technic was concerned, and then she would relapse into vocal Germanisms so dear to singers of her race, forcing guttural tones, sliding up in attack, &c. She spoiled Schubert's song by an extravagant use of the downward and upward portamento, so that a phrase became a slobber and a smear. For this she was rewarded with most hearty applause. Mr. Selmer played effectively the clarinet obligato to Mozart's aria.
33The concert opened with a remarkably good performance of Berlioz's brilliant overture and closed with Dvorák's Congo-Indian-New York-American Symphony, in which are some pretty tunes, gorgeous instrumentation, as well as much that is distinctly meretricious.
35The Carl Organ Concerts.
37MR. CARL will give an inaugural organ recital in Elmira, N. Y., Monday evening, November 12, and on the following evening play his third engagement in Corn ing, N. Y. On the 16th inst. Mr. Carl will appear in Morristown, N. J., taking the entire choir from the "Old First" Church to illustrate the "Development of Church Music," with the analytical notes to be delivered by the Rev. Dr. Howard Duffield.
39Then annual series of organ recitals at the "Old First" Church, New York, will begin on Tuesday afternoon, November 20, at 4 o'clock, and continue four weeks. The programs will contain several novelties, and prominent soloists will appear at each recital.
41The coming season bids fair to be one of great activity for Mr. Carl, and in addition to a large amount of concert work the Guilman Organ School claims his time and supervision. The success of the school has surpassed all expectations, and is now in active work for the season with a full complement of students.
43Gerard-Thiers Lecture Tour.
45Gérard-Thiers, the tenor, vocal teacher and lecturer, will go on a short tour next month. On November 24 he will deliver in Boston his lecture "The Technic of Musical Expression." He has dates for the same lecture to fill at Williamsport, Pa., on November 30 and December 1.
47National Conservatory of Music of America.
48(Mrs. Jeannette M. Thurber, President.)
50A SPECIAL class of operatic repertory for professionals and amateurs will begin at the above conservatory on Thursday, November 1, 1900, under the personal direction of Signor A. Vianesi, formerly conductor of the Metropolitan Opera Company, New York; Covent Garden, London; the Grand Opera in Paris, &c.
52The repertory will be taught in all its branches in English, Italian and French, and the pupils will have the opportunity of practicing their roles with complete casts, and an appropriate stage.
54For particulars apply at the office, 128 East Seventeenth street, New York, between 9 to 12 and 2 to 5 p. m., and on Thursday evening, November 1, at 7.30.
56Blanche Duffield with Sousa's Band.
58BLANCHE DUFFIELD, who again appeared as the soprano soloist with Sousa's Band at the Metropolitan Opera House last Sunday night, has been re-engaged for the coming tour. Mr. Sousa has given five concerts at this house since his return from his European triumphs, and Miss Duffield's popularity led to her being engaged three times out of this number of concerts. This young artist has a voice of rare charm and beauty and her use of it bears testimony to the most careful training. Her distinct enunciation alone is worth hearing.
60Miss Duffield began her career with this famous organization the beginning of the present year, and so great was her success on tour with the band that before the expiration of her engagement she was re-engaged for the coming transcontinental tour, beginning January, 1901, which bids fair to become the most remarkable of all the Sousa tours.
62Grace Preston.
64On Thursday, October 11, Miss Preston, the popular contralto, sang in Hartford, Conn. The audience was large, and represented the society of Hartford. The following extracts from the press are examples of the successes which she meets wherever she sings:
66Miss Preston brought all the qualities of her fine, resonant and sympathetic contralto to appreciation in Franz's "In Autumn." That was a performance that went to the heart of the audience for sentiment and vocal beauty. Her rendition of the Saint-Saëns aria descriptive of love was full of dramatic force. She is of stately appearance, and, in glittering black, well backed the impression of her song.—Hartford Daily Times.
68Miss Grace Preston, who has not been heard in Hartford for some time, gave much pleasure to her hearers. Miss Preston, who has a powerful contralto voice, sang the exceedingly dramatic aria from Saint-Saëns' "Samson and Delilah," "Amour! Viens aider." She sang in French. The effect is best when the voice is backed by the full orchestra, which this composer uses with the greatest skill. But as given last night the effect was electrical, the sweetness as well as the ferocity of the part being demonstrated with telling effect. Responding to applause, Miss Preston sang a lovely ballad, entitled "Echo," by Hawley, written for and dedicated to herself. For her second number Miss Preston gave two songs in German, "Lockung," by Dessauer, and Franz's dramatic "Im Herbst." These songs were strongly contrasting in style, and showed Miss Preston's mastery and authority in the expression of the meaning of the composers.—Hartford Daily Courant.
70Virginia Bailie.
72Miss Virginia Bailie has transferred her piano studio to No. 1202 Carnegie Hall, and is already busy with her pupils. She spent her vacation at Shelter Island.
74AMERICAN TOUR OF OSSIP GABRILOWITSCH
75The Eminent Russian Pianist,
76Beginning in November, 1900.
77For Dates and Terms address
78H. G. SNOW, 141 Fifth Avenue, NEW YORK CITY.
79Eastern Representative: L. H. MUDGETT,
80New Music Hall, Huntington Ave. BOSTON.
81Western Representative: S. KRONBERG,
82New Coates House, KANSAS CITY, MO.
83EVERETT PIANO USED.
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