Scan 29
Musical Courier 1902-02-26: Vol 44 Iss 1144, 1902
22 lines. Read by computer on 22 September 2026, twice; the two readings disagreed in places. Printed page 30. See the scan on archive.org.
A town on its own line is one of the directory's headings. That is where the town on a maker's page comes from.
1THE MUSICAL COURIER.
3SAN FRANCISCO
5HOTEL RALEIGH, 319 SUTTER STREET,
6SAN FRANCISCO, February 17, 1902.
8DECIDEDLY the interest of the week has been centred in the Hofmann recitals, to which the musical portion of our town has turned out in large numbers. Young Hofmann has had flatteringly large audiences to play to, and certainly nowhere could he find greater appreciation and enthusiasm. The impression everywhere is of a most charming and unaffected personality. He seems so much younger than his years, and though his very simplicity has been resented by freak lovers, to me it is his chief and strongest charm. For his playing he is just Hofmann. I cannot see that his work at all resembles anyone whom I have ever heard. He does not sacrifice sentiment to power, though he has wonderful force when he feels the interpretation requires it; but in all he does he preserves intact the sublime poetry and vital spark, if one may so call it, of the composition to which his wonderful fingers give identity. At Wednesday night's concert there was a Chopin Concerto in which Hofmann père took the second piano in fine style. It was a splendid number and wonderfully rendered. In the Liszt numbers, the "Gnomenreigen," "Liebestraum" and "Mefisto Valse," he was greatly applauded, and the "Liebestraum" was a gem of delicate and poetic conception. There was but one encore given in response to much thunderous demand, and that came at the close of the program, when he played his own sublime arrangement of Strauss' lovely "Blue Danube." It was a wonderful picture his fingers painted for our mental vision, sparkling water, sunlit waves, laughter, tears, tender reminiscence. Hofmann is a magician, and I would give a good deal at any time to see that picture drawn by his fingers again as I saw it that night. Saturday's concert gave us a wonderfully executed d'Albert arrangement of a Bach Prelude and Fugue in D major; Rondo in A moll, Mozart; "Marsch aus den Ruinen v. Athen," Beethoven; Rubinstein, over which the house exploded in a burst of enthusiasm; "Variations Sériceuses," Mendelssohn; Berceuse, more delicately handled than by most artists; Valse in A flat major and the one in E minor, Chopin; two Schubert-Liszt numbers, the "Erlkönig," a splendid thing, and "Morgenstandchen," which was so fairly enthralling, as he conceived it, there was no peace in the house till he began to play it again. Then a Rubinstein Barcarolle and a Liszt Rhapsodie to finish. But as usual the crowd was unsatisfied, and after acknowledging several times the encores showered upon him by people who, standing in the aisles on their way out, turned again to applaud, he returned and gave an exquisite reading of the ship motive and fire music from "Die Walküre" that fairly carried the audience out of themselves. There was a farewell concert at the Columbia Theatre last night attended by the Hofmann worshippers who have been his faithful attendants ever since his advent, and the program repeated many of the favorite numbers from other programs.
10To-night, Wednesday night and Saturday afternoon Nordica, "Die Walküre," and next week I shall be able to tell you all about her concert work in 'Frisco, for unless something unforeseen occurs I shall not miss a note of her wonderful voice. One almost forgets, so entirely does this wonderful woman fill the musical horizon, that Mr. Romayne Simmons is to be with her, and we are to hear his piano work for the first time. The programs as arranged offer a perfect feast of good things, and I personally expect to fairly revel in musical enjoyment till these concerts are over. You will perceive I have lost my heart to Nordica, but it is an old affair, and I am not alone in my enslavement. The diva arrived last night in her private car, and despite the storm and consequent roughness of the bay, her car was carried across and safely deposited in the yard at Third and Townsend streets, where the usual bevy of reporters awaited her arrival. But she refused to be interviewed, and had, in fact, retired before crossing, being very tired after her long journey from the North.
12The San Rafael Orchestral Society gave its second concert at the Opera House on Friday evening, January 31, with Miss Mary Carrington, of this city, as soloist. The San Rafael papers give high praise to the work performed by the young pianist on this occasion and predict many future successes for her. She is the daughter of Mme. Abbie Carrington, and her sole teacher has been Emlyn Lewys, with whom she has studied but five years to attain her present efficiency. She has assisted Mr. Lewys, who, by the way, is ex-principal of the Virgil Piano School, of London, in all of his recital-lectures lately given, and which met with such success that a repetition has been urged and is contemplated. Among other numbers played by Miss Carrington were the Etude, op. 25, No. 7, Chopin, and "Moto Perpetuo," Weber; also, "Tremolo," Gottschalk. She was recalled many times after her solos. Miss Carrington also played before the Mills Club last Tuesday with much success. The last lecture recital was given on Thursday afternoon of last week at Knabe Parlor, of Kohler & Chase, when Mr. Lewys explained the underlying principles of musical expression and illustrated them by playing a movement from a Beethoven Sonata, explaining the reasons for all the accents, cres., dim., accel., rit., &c., in accordance with fundamental principles, making a most interesting as well as instructive discourse. one of two readings
13The San Rafael Orchestral Society gave its second concert at the Opera House on Friday evening, January 31, with Miss Mary Carrington, of this city, as soloist. The San Rafael papers give high praise to the work performed by the young pianist on this occasion and predict many future successes for her. She is the daughter of Mme. Abbie Carrington, and her sole teacher has been Emlyn Lewys, with whom she has studied but five years to attain her present efficiency. She has assisted Mr. Lewys, who, by the way, is ex-principal of the Virgil Piano School, of London, in all of his recital-lectures lately given, and which met with such success that a repetition has been urged and is contemplated. Among other numbers played by Miss Carrington were the Etude, op. 25, No. 7, Chopin, and "Moto Perpetuo," Weber; also, "Tremolo," Gottschalk. She was recalled many times after her solos. Miss Carrington also played before the Mills Club last Tuesday with much success. The last lecture recital was given on Thursday afternoon of last week at Knabe Parlor, of Kohler & Chase, when Mr. Lewys explained the underlying principles of musical expression and illustrated them by playing a movement from a Beethoven Sonata, explaining the reasons for all the accents, cresc., dim., accel., rit., &c., in accordance with fundamental principles, making a most interesting as well as instructive discourse. one of two readings
15The formal opening of the new Wiley B. Allen piano warerooms occurs this week, with promenade concerts every evening in charge of the following musicians: Monday, Miss Neameta Vermont Van Pelt; Tuesday, Prof. E. S. Bonelli; Wednesday, Mrs. S. Ursumaude; Thursday, Wallace Sabin, organist of St. Luke's and the Temple Emanuel; Friday, Miss Elizabeth Westgate, pianist, of Alameda, and Alexander T. Stewart, violinist, of Oakland; Saturday, George P. Hughes. Attractive music is promised.
17Belle Clair Chamberlain is to give a piano recital on Friday evening, the 21st, at Sherman-Clay Hall, that promises to be as interesting an event as the one she gave on her return from Europe. It is not generally known among San Francisco musicians that Miss Chamberlain as a tiny girl was quite a wonder, and is only fulfilling prophecies made of her at that time. Indeed, Carreño, her last teacher, still predicts a great future for this young artist, and says she may become world famed if she pursues a career. Truly, her instruction has always been of a sort to render material aid in this direction. Lottie Alexander on her return from Stuttgart, where she had just graduated, heard of the wonderful little girl and sought her acquaintance, becoming in a short time her teacher, and continuing to give her valued instruction as long as she remained in 'Frisco. After her came Fred Zech, who gave her some valuable training; then a turn with Zeisler and later with Carreño in Berlin. She speaks of Zeisler as an exceedingly exacting taskmaster and one whose instruction was, for that very reason, invaluable, as she would tolerate no half measures and was only pleased with one's best efforts. Miss Chamberlain plays with the abandon and temperament of the real artist, and it would not be difficult to imagine her going a step higher and becoming a full fledged virtuosa.
19Mrs. M. E. Blanchard, contralto, who not so long since returned from Eastern study, and of whose opening concert I wrote you, recently delighted the Sacramento Saturday Club on one of their "artists' days" with a choice program from her extensive repertory. The Record-Union of that place says of her work: "'Hark, Hark, the Lark' was charmingly rendered by Mrs. Blanchard. In the number 'Im Herbst' the singer displayed the richness of a cultured voice and won an encore, to which she kindly responded. She was again applauded for her effort in 'Verbliches Staendchen,' a sprightly bit of lyric coquetry. The gem of the evening probably was 'Mainacht.'" Mrs. Blanchard has in preparation another recital before the close of the season in San Francisco.
21The San Francisco Symphony Society gave the second concert of the second series on Friday afternoon, Paul Steindorff directing, and although the weather was exceedingly disagreeable there was a fine audience in attendance. I cannot honestly say that the symphony work proper is yet up to the mark; it seems still just a stone's throw in advance of the understanding or experience of the director; but the concert work is in the main finely
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