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Musical Courier 1900-10-31: Vol 41 Iss 1075, 1900
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1of morning concerts. That she is a favorite not only in the Western metropolis, but in other important music centres, is shown by the excellent notices given by the newspapers. The following are fair examples of the criticisms which this delightful artist has received:
3Miss Buck possesses a beautiful mezzo-soprano voice which she has under good control. Her enunciation is exceptionally clear and she sings with a great deal of expression. Her voice has both sweetness and power. Miss Buck sang with remarkable delicacy of feeling, showing the spirit of a true artist. A notable fact which speaks well of Miss Buck's method was that her voice did not appear to be tired in spite of the continuous and severe tax put upon it.—Chicago Chronicle.
5Miss Grace Buck contributed several exquisite songs and rendered them in a manner to justify the reputation she brings from France. She is an artistic singer who makes the best of her natural endowments.—Chicago Evening Post.
7She has an admirably trained voice and a pleasing style.—Toronto Globe.
9The new singer is of commanding type of beauty and her magnificent stage presence, combined with a noble mezzo-soprano voice exquisitely trained, made her success instantaneous.—Associated Press.
11Miss Buck's voice is of charming, natural quality, and her artistic stage is that of well developed attainment, especially in the purity and refined pianissimo covered voice. The enthusiasm with which the young artist was received she richly merited.—John S. Van Cleve.
13Willard-Weakley.
15Quietly but securely working their way into public favor are the Willard-Weakley harp and song recitals. In St. Joseph, Kansas City, St. Louis, Nashville and Little Rock; in fact, wherever Mrs. Willard appeared she obtained great success. Now she has become identified with Mrs. Weakley and their recitals are very popular. They are soon to give a series in the Southern cities, under the auspices of prominent clubs.
17The following are among the press comments given to Mrs. Willard's performance:
19Madame Willard was the pupil of Mme. Josephine Chatterton, of London, in fact, her favorite pupil. Madame Chatterton became the friend as well as the tutor of the young American girl, and always believed in her eminent talent as a harpist. The chief characteristics of this lady's playing on the harp are the resonance of her tones and the delicacy and sympathy of her touch.—St. Louis Republic.
21This concert served to introduce Mme. Luada Willard, a musician of fine temperament and technic. She played the rangeful and brilliant solo with fine taste and finish, and for an encore gave one of Moszkowski's beautiful national sketches. In the contrast afforded Madame Willard showed much breadth of musical conception as well as execution.—Kansas City Times.
23The Beethoven Club crowned its season of success last night with the harp recital given by Madame Willard, recognized as one of the best of America's performers, on this sweetest of all instruments. All of the numbers were rendered with faultless skill—which showed that the tuneful soul of the fair artist was in perfect accord with her wonderful instrument, which was a miracle of tone and harmony. Madame Willard carried her hearers whither she listed. In the simple, old time melodies, Madame Willard left an impression with her audience which will never be effaced.—Memphis (Tenn.) Appeal.
25Madame Willard's first number was the "Nun's Prayer." She responded the third time to encores. She inspired her audience, and her magic touch of the strings called forth enthusiasm. Her rendition of "The Patrol," by Hasselman, with bugle calls and double unison string effect, was grand, and she played "Home, Sweet Home" with much feeling. It is evident her soul is in her music.—St. Joseph (Mo.) Gazette.
27The Philharmonic Club rooms were taxed to their limits in accommodation of yesterday morning's audience.
29In Madame Willard Nashville was introduced to one of the most distinguished harpists ever in the city. She is very handsome in appearance, and plays her difficult instrument with delightful taste. She was able to produce almost orchestral effects at times, and equally the most delightful shade of expression. The harp she uses is a beautiful instrument, with an enlarged sounding board, which gives sonority of tone as well as softening of the lighter tones.—Nashville (Tenn.) American.
31Sydney Lloyd Wrightson has issued an attractive booklet setting forth his method as a teacher and containing reproductions of press endorsements. Mr. Wrightson during his short residences in Chicago became one of the best known men in the musical profession.
33Among the sopranos who will enter more extensively into concert work this year is Ada Markland Sheffield. She possesses many charming traits of personality and accomplishment, has a beautiful voice and knows how to sing. All her appearances have brought Mrs. Sheffield favorable notice, the latest comment being as follows:
35Mrs. Ada M. Sheffield, who for the third season has been the soloist, and for two years the musical director at the Lake Chetek assembly, again proved herself a thorough artiste. Her voice and style, always good, have broadened and improved wonderfully. Her tones are pure as crystal, yet full and sympathetic in quality. Then Mrs. Sheffield is happy in possessing a very winning stage presence, which is infectious to her audiences. Mrs. Sheffield's services are in growing demand during the concert season, as well as in Chautauqua work, and she has already booked several important engagements for the coming season.—Eau Claire (Wis.) Leader. August 1, 1900.
37W. C. E. Seeboeck's extraordinary success in Nashville is still being commented on by the musical people of that city. A correspondent writes that the enthusiasm which Mr. Seeboeck excited is almost unprecedented. Never has one since Paderewski received twelve recalls.
39A newspaper notice says:
41The Philharmonic Society and its friends filled the Vendome last night to hear the initial entertainment of the winter course.
43It was truly a brilliant assemblage, quite as fine as though an evening of opera were the bill. The fashion and the culture of Nashville were gathered there, and the beautiful theatre never contained an audience better to look upon.
45Only two artists were down for recitals, and the cold letter of the program looked classical enough, to be sure, but it might readily have been an evening of frills instead of thrills, so far as the difficult numbers were apparent.
47The audience was allowed an interval of waiting for the opening piece, and it looked like, in spite of all, they were bound to lapse into apathy.
49If there was to be any fervor of rendition or reception, it was not manifest. But, look you, that is just the sort of background the thorough artist best likes.
51It was as though a master of colors stood before a blank canvas, while a multitude gazed wondering, himself conscious that presently those colors, taking sorcery from the genius of his touch, were to invest that canvas with visions of unutterable beauty.
53So must have felt the great baritone singer, Campanari, and his confrère of the piano, Seeboeck, as they waited before the grand assemblage last night.
55Almost before the audience discovered him, the unimpressive looking pianist had touched the keys for a novel selection from Stavenhagen, called Preludio.
57A prelude it was, indeed, prelude to the most dexterous, the most refined examples of touch and expression ever heard in this city.
59He caused everybody in the audience, the skilled and unskilled, to enjoy that most difficult of all instruments, the piano.
61It makes no difference though Paderewski and Rosenthal be exalted over him, nor yet any difference whether the ultra-musical shudder to hear the name Seeboeck presented along with those immortals, the fact remains that this same Seeboeck took hold of all this audience and charmed them as those superlatively superb performers could not do.
63He revealed the melody of silence in tones that fell upon the senses as gently as moonbeams on the flowers. There never was lullaby but must have been harsh beside those melodious strains, nor song of bird in wooing time quite so exquisite and felicitous.
65With each number his fingers seemed but then to have derived new skill, and when he reached his own compositions from "Music of Nature," that hearer was bare of imagination and dull of sympathy who did not follow him along the primrose path, where melody seemed entranced with beauty.
67The delicacy, the soulfulness of his playing was as notable, as the fine effect of violin sounds when a master is rapt in his supreme tones.
69How many performers ever evolved in such continuity as he did absolutely liquid, trembling, fervid ecstasy from the phlegmatic keyboard of a piano?
71Among the immediate dates arranged for Mr. Seeboeck are:
73October 24—Albion, Mich.
74Morning of October 29—Fort Dodge, Ia.
75Evening of October 29—Webster City, Ia.
76October 30—Boone, Ia.
77November 14—Beverdon, Wis.
78November 20—Harrisburg.
79November 21—Lexington.
80November 14—Chicago, with Spiering Quartet.
82A charming reception was given Wednesday evening at the studio of G. A. Grant Schaefer, who has recently published a clever collection of children's songs. Illustrations by Walter De Kalb add to the interest of the volume. The reception was given for the purpose of exhibiting the original sketches made for the book. The hosts, Mr. Grant Schaefer and Mr. De Kalb, succeeded in making the evening memorable in the matter of enjoyment, and a repetition of the exhibition is already promised.
84From Nashville comes news of the Philharmonic Society. In a program book it is stated that:
86The outlook for the season 1900-1901 of the Philharmonic Society is for the most successful in its history.
88Beginning with a membership of less than twenty, is has, within two years' time, become one of the largest and most important musical societies in the country.
90It was originally a small association for local musicians exclusively, but the merit of the musical work done in the club has drawn to it several hundred of music lovers, who constitute the associate membership.
92This season the Philharmonic is enabled to offer its members better attractions than ever before. Not only are the regular club recitals to be upon the same high musical plane, but are to be even more elaborate. Besides the solo work, there will also be much concerted music, especially for strings, for strings and piano and for strings and voice.
94The Philharmonic Orchestra will again be a feature. Of the concerted music some attractive numbers will be Chaminate's "Evening Prayer in Brittany," for soprano and contralto and chorus, and "St. John's Eve," by the same composer. Also Nevin's "Winken, Blinken and Nod," for mixed quartet—soprano, obligato and two piano accompaniment. One, and perhaps two, cantatas will also be sung.
96Joseph Vilim played the Romance and a la Zingara from Second Violin Concerto by Wieniawski recently, scoring a fine success. He was accompanied by an orchestra of twenty-six, mostly all members of the Thomas Orchestra. The concert was given by Miss Clara Cermak, pianist, who lately graduated at Prague, and who was formerly a pupil of Mrs. Murdough, of Chicago.
98Miss Edith V. Rann has resumed teaching at her studio. Miss Rann's aim has always been to build up a reliable technic, and at the same time to give equal attention to touch, phrasing and interpretation, and she hopes by her work in the future to lose none of that reputation for thoroughness and progressiveness which has brought her success during her ten years of teaching in Chicago.
100Associated with Miss Rann, as assistant, is Miss Zoe G. Tuthill, who is an excellent pianist and capable teacher.
102Special pains will be taken to awaken the musical intelligence of children, and to render their lessons enjoyable.
104The Mendelssohn Club, of Chicago, under the presidency of D. A. Clippinger, begins the season 1900-1901 under better auspices than ever. The associate membership has considerably augmented and altogether the conditions are most encouraging. The principal artists to be engaged are Mrs. Genevieve Clark Wilson, George Hamlin and Mrs. Sydney Biden.
106Helen Buckley.
108For the second time Miss Buckley gave a recital at the Wooster (Ohio) Conservatory of Music. The program,
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