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Musical Courier 1902-01-01: Vol 44 Iss 1136, 1902
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1vanish as if they had never existed before. I would advise you to stick to conducting. You will never make a great conductor, but you will be able to make some impression on the popular audience, and the worst that could be is, that Wagner would go around wandering in bad humor up here. In fact, I met him the other day and asked him why he looked so blue. He answered: "Why, did you not hear that Dalton Blutkopff is conducting my operas in the Metropolitan Opera House? And the public begins to dislike my music on account of it." Isn't this a little too strong for you, dear Dalton?
3Now you asked me to get you a position as conductor up here. I will answer you frankly that your application would never be accepted. We have here a lot of pretty good conductors, not as good as you of course; for instance, Seidl, Liszt, Buelow and others; but they are jealous of your success and therefore they will work against you. They are afraid that you will overshadow their reputation, you know.
5But, my dear Dalton, I will tell you what I can do for you. I can get you a position as a fire-starter at the great big stove—in the lower region. The position is an excellent one; there is always a good and appreciative audience. You will be able to get this position only on one condition—that is, you have to start the fire only with your own compositions. They will smell a trifle of routine and triviality, but they are dry enough and will make a lot of smoke. Let me hear when you are ready. Till then I remain
7Yours truly,
8JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH.
10Opera in New York.
11Calve in "Carmen."
13CALVE in "Carmen" always fills the Metropolitan Opera House. Last Monday night was no exception. This favorite singer has been suffering from bronchial trouble, and her voice was far from being in good condition. But she was in high spirits and acted with great dash and compelling power. Her singing was almost reduced to parlando. Madame Calvé looked very well. The José was Alvarez, who was seen and heard to better advantage than in Romeo. He sang and acted with great fervor, the last act being overwhelming in its intensity. Fritz Scheff was an experimental Micaela, though she sings more carefully than last season. Scotti, Gilibert, Reiss and Décéry were well cast. Flon conducted.
15Electa Gifford in Demand.—Electa Gifford is having a very busy season. She is engaged as soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Paur Symphony Orchestra and the Chicago Orchestra. In Chicago she will sing in the Beethoven program, one of a series of six historical programs Mr. Thomas is giving this year. Miss Gifford scored a great success in Carnegie Hall with the Paur Orchestra November 30. The Press thus speaks of her: "Miss Gifford displayed among her positive qualities a charming presence, a fresh, girlish voice, well trained and of good quality; neat execution, clear staccato and a good taste in shading; certain warmth of temperament. Miss Gifford is fresh from successes abroad and at home, and it seems as though her career should be bright."
17Manhattan Theatre Orchestra.—The program by the orchestra under Charles Puerner at the Manhattan Theatre last week was as follows: Overture, "The Magic Spell." Puerner; waltz, "Marianna," Waldteufel; Paraphrase, Melody in F. Rubinstein; selection, Ballet, "Excelsior," Marenco. The orchestra of sixteen players produces an agreeable effect, and is a valuable addition to this excellently appointed theatre.
19R. WATKIN MILLS
20England's Eminent Basso.
21In America, April, May, June, 1902.
22CAN BE SECURED FOR
23ORATORIO AND RECITALS.
24Under the Sole Direction of
25W. SPENCER JONES,
26BROCKVILLE, CANADA.
27CHARLES W.
28CLARK
29BARITONE.
30Under Exclusive Management
31THE HAMLIN COMPANY,
32514 Kimball Hall,
33CHICAGO, ILL.
35ESTHER PALLISER
36DRAMATIC SOPRANO,
37OF LONDON,
38IN AMERICA NOW.
39HENRY WOLFSON, Management,
40131 East 17th Street, NEW YORK.
41ETHEL L. ROBINSON,
42(LONDON CONCERT DIRECTION)
43Telegrams: 11 Wigmore St., Cavendish Square, W.,
44"Musikchor, London." LONDON, ENGLAND.
46Mme. TORPADIE-BJÖRKSTEN
47Vocal Instruction,
48839 Carnegie Hall,
49New York.
50MISS
51FEILDING
52ROSELLE,
53Mezzo-Contralto.
54ORATORIO, RECITAL and OPERA.
55ADDRESS:
56221 West 44th Street, NEW YORK.
58Mendelssohn Trio Club.
59Alexander Saslavsky, Violin. Victor Sörlin, Violoncello.
60Charles Gilbert Spross, Piano.
61Hotel Majestic, Tuesday Afternoons, Jan. 7, 28, Feb. 11, March 4, at 3 o'clock.
62Subscriptions can be made at Ditson's, 887 Broadway.
63Tickets One Dollar.
65HAMLIN'S STRAUSS RECITAL.
66New York Critical Digest.
68George Hamlin sang seventeen songs by Richard Strauss at a recital in Mendelssohn Hall yesterday afternoon. Some of Strauss' songs have been heard here—a few that won their way to the hearts of song lovers without parley, without hesitation. Mr. Hamlin made propaganda in a fine manner for many more. It was the boldest experiment ever essayed in New York by a singer of songs, and it was completely successful. All that is gracious, all that is profoundly poetic, all that is original, without excess of bizarrie in the young Munich musician's art, comes out in his songs. Mr. Hamlin won a place in artistic New York which it is much to be hoped he will be able to enjoy to his own and New York's profit hereafter. He is a whole-souled song singer, an artist of thought, feeling and taste. He sang with keen appreciation of the meaning of poetry and music.—H. E. Krehbiel, in New York Tribune, December 13, 1901.
70I fear Strauss will become a fad—the mob lets no tidbit of prominence escape its maw, but the worship will be one of hollow words, since few people can sing Strauss and fewer still understand him. Mr. Hamlin did surprisingly well with these songs. In all of the numbers he strove for the spirit of the song and resorted to no illegitimate tricks in order to get atmosphere. His mezza voce was used to lovely advantage in contrasting his climaxes, and his phrasing throughout meaningful. He is that rara avis, a musical tenor.—James G. Huneker, in MUSICAL COURIER, New York, December 18, 1901.
72In the little musical world of New York Thursday was the significant day of last week. The interest was due to the performance of music by Richard Strauss, of Munich. On Thursday afternoon George Hamlin, a tenor, of Chicago, gave a recital of songs by Strauss. It was the first recital devoted entirely to works of this composer, and that fact alone was sufficient to give it special significance. But there was something more than that. The truth is that the songs of Richard Strauss, heard on that afternoon, were masterpieces. This may be said without any reservation. These songs have never stood among the debatable compositions of that writer. Many of Strauss' songs are yet unknown to Americans, but up to the present time all that have been heard have been received with pleasure. Those which were heard for the first time on Thursday were not heard for the last time. Such songs have come to stay. Mr. Hamlin is to be thanked for having given to New York music lovers one of the most delightful afternoons in their recent experience.—W. J. Henderson, in New York Times, December 15, 1901.
74Yesterday's music was dominated by Richard Strauss. During the afternoon some wonderfully fresh, beautiful songs of his were heard at a recital given by George Hamlin. Mr. Hamlin sings artistically, and his program proves that out of the Nazarene Philistia good may come. Mr. Hamlin's mezza voce singing was of a charm. It cannot be recorded that his upper tones used in forte had a pleasing character; they were too often white and open. He resorts freely to the so-called nasal resonance. But, this said, criticism ceases, his utterances are musical, enunciation clear; his taste in phrasing excellent, his control of dynamics from medium power shading down to pianissimo unforced. The second group of nineteen and the more elegaic numbers were given with intimate feeling. Mr. Hamlin was warmly received, and will be welcome here whenever he elects to return.—James G. Huneker, in New York Sun, December 13, 1901.
76Most singers, and, of course, especially tenors, are wont to aim in their recitals above all at the one point, not to leave a single side of their talent unknown to the public. The consequence is that in song recitals we are usually treated to programs that might compete with music dictionaries in variety. Thus, George Hamlin prepared for the regular audience in Mendelssohn Hall a considerable surprise in his program for yesterday afternoon's recital. Instead of displaying himself in all possible styles and forms, this tenor had set himself the task of introducing to our public a song composer by far too little known—he had put his whole program in the service of the muse of Richard Strauss. Such an unusual and bold undertaking deserves our warmest recognition. Just for those people who "Zarathustra" and "Hero's Life" could not hear the music for the racket—poor people—it would have been very profitable to get the conviction from these seventeen songs that Mr. Hamlin sang that the much libeled Richard Strauss is full of the most delicate and beautiful music. Those present gave their desire to applaud full play, so that Mr. Hamlin may be convinced that his praiseworthy efforts have not been unsuccessful.—August Spanuth, in New York Staats-Zeitung (translated from the German).
78That there are many beautiful clearings in the howling wilderness of the new Strauss music no fair-minded person can deny. In these clearings there have grown fifty or more flowers of the species known as lieder. George Hamlin, of Chicago, assisted by Victor Harris, of New York, at the piano, sang seventeen of these lyrics yesterday afternoon at Mendelssohn Hall. Mr. Hamlin has earned the distinction of being the first to give Richard Strauss recitals, and that is something to be proud of, for it takes courage to do such a thing. He has to force his higher tones and sings without much characterization; his voice, however, improved in the course of the recital, and was at its best in the Franzian "Breit über mein Haupt," in "Hoffen und weider verzagen," and in "Heimliche Afforderung." One of the best songs he gave was "Morgen." The audience was pleased with the entertainment and bestowed plentiful applause.—Henry T. Finck, in New York Evening Post, December 13, 1901.
80George Hamlin, a lyric tenor who will bear watching in the next few years, sang seventeen songs by Richard Strauss at Mendelssohn Hall yesterday afternoon. Mr. Hamlin sings with a degree of spontaneous ease that is the rarest of tenor gifts. He sings with a modest moderation of power that is nearly always discreet. He sings with brains. Mr. Hamlin, like Mrs. Fannie Bloomfield-Zeisler, comes from Chicago, and his friends should call him here oftener.—Evening Sun, New York, December 13, 1901.
82To those who deny to Richard Strauss originality of melodic idea these songs are sufficient answer, for their equals in this respect are to be found only among the writings of the masters. Mr. Hamlin's song recital at Mendelssohn Hall was one of the most stimulating concerts of this season. These songs are veritable mood pictures of rare beauty in composition, color and atmosphere. It is such notable achievements as these songs that might be put forward plausibly as the best arguments for Richard Strauss' future. They are almost without exception the work of an inspired musician. Mr. Hamlin interpreted the songs with signal success and without infusing his own personality more than was necessary.—New York Mail and Express, December 13, 1901.
84It seems hardly credible that the same man could have written "Ein Heldenleben" and the songs that George Hamlin sang in Mendelssohn Hall yesterday afternoon. His program was devoted exclusively to songs by Richard Strauss, and it turned out to be one of the most interesting concerts we have had this year. Mr. Hamlin has been giving Strauss programs for two or three years, and may be regarded as an authority on them. He has never sung them here before, but now that he has paved the way, we may expect others to follow. In the seventeen songs that he sang there was not one which was commonplace or uninteresting. Some of them were of exceeding beauty, and all of them possessed marks of distinction. They are "art songs" in the highest sense of the word. They demand singers of intellectual and artistic breadth. Mr. Hamlin, who has a high, well controlled tenor, sang admirably.—Commercial Advertiser, New York, December 13, 1901.
86Mr. Hamlin is a delightful singer, who has quality and coloring enough to present these songs to their best advantage. He is able to range from simplicity to grandeur, from minute details to broad sweeps, and with his voice is never other than agreeable.—Musical Leader, December 19, 1901.
88INNES' BAND.—Innes and his band will start on Sunday next for a tour South.
90A RETIRED vocalist, soprano, wishes to dispose of her library, consisting of fifty piano scores of the best known operas, operettas, oratorios and song books; the whole will be sold at a very reasonable price. Address "L." care of THE MUSICAL COURIER.
92WANTED—Church organist in an attractive Southern city; excellent opportunity also exists for instrumental and vocal tuition. Address Session, First Presbyterian Church, Box 187, Columbus, Ga.
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