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Musical Courier 1902-03-05: Vol 44 Iss 1145, 1902
14 lines. Read by computer on 21 September 2026. Printed page 7. See the scan on archive.org.
1THE MUSICAL YEAR 1901.
2IV.
3I AM perhaps not wrong in assuming that this activity in the concert hall may be referred to the direct and indirect influence of various artistic tournées; tours of orchestras, of choral societies, of conductors, as though mankind was on pilgrimage. I will mention only the most prominent. There are the tours of the Meiningen Court Cappella, the Leipsic Winderstein Orchestra (to the New World), the Munich Kaim Orchestra (on the Rhine and in Holland), the Lubeck Symphony Orchestra (Denmark and Scandinavia), the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (to Lisbon and Madrid), the Paris Colonne Orchestra (Berlin, Leipsic, Vienna, &c.), Johann Strauss, Jr. (Germany and France), the Berlin Chamber Music Society (Upper Italy), the American Sousa, &c. Of singing societies the Cologne Male Singing Society was heard in Munich and Vienna; the Hamburg Teachers' Singing Society in Leipsic, Berlin and Dresden, and the Finland Singing Society, "Suomen Laulu," in Berlin. The Katowitz Song Union (mixed chorus) had the courage to venture to Berlin—and with success! Of our traveling conductors the most conspicuous figure was Felix Weingartner; also Richard Strauss and Dr. Muck (Paris Vaudeville Theatre) were in demand. Max Fiedler, from Hamburg, ventured as far as St. Petersburg, and Franz Fischer, of Munich, gave proof of his art in Barcelona. Dr. Ernst Kunwald appeared as a novus homo, and introduced Humperdinck's "Hänsel und Gretel" at the Royal Theatre, Madrid.
5One of the most remarkable features is the entente cordiale which of late years has arisen between the French and German conductors. The French have perceived that they are the losers by holding aloof, and after Maurel and Sibyl Sanderson had found their way beyond the Rhine (excellent pianists like Risler, Diemer and Pugno had set a good example), the violinists, too, found their way to the German concert halls—to their good fortune. Jacques Thibaud thus stepped at once into the first rank of our virtuosi.
7As regards the rest, our virtuosity, instrumental and vocal, gains more in breadth than in depth. We have especially in the instrumental field a long series of excellent artists, but very few who by means of their individuality had such an influence on the general public as grand art ought to have. I mention as most adapted to charm the public, on the instrumental side—place aux dames—Madames Carreño (her daughter Teresita won her spurs outside of Germany), Clotilde Kleeberg, Marie Panthes, and Roger-Miclos; and of men, d'Albert, Ansorge, L. Borwick, L. Breitner, Busoni, Consolo, L. Diemer, F. Dreyschock, O. Gabrilowitsch, L. Godowsky, Mark Hambourg, Otto Hegner, Josef Hofmann, F. Lamond (Koczalski kept himself in the background in 1901), W. Lutschg, Vianna da Motte, O. Neitzel, de Pachmann, Paderewski (who is, as usual, sulky with Berlin, or is he afraid of it?), M. Pauer, R. Pugno, Reisenauer, E. Risler, Rosenthal, W. Sapelnikoff, E. Sauer, X. Scharwenka, Otto Voss, &c. The great number of French piano virtuosi is noticeable.
9The most satisfactory prospect is in the violin field, all the more so as the female sex here labor sincerely and earnestly to succeed by art, and not as in older times by mere personality. Among the lady violinists must be mentioned Rose Hochmann, Leonora Jackson, Sophie Jaffe, Wilma Norman Neruda, Irma Sanger Sethe, Marie Soldat-Roeger and Gabriele Wietrowitz. We were abundantly blessed with distinguished violin virtuosi. Now we reach a point where the embarras de richesse begins, and there is little room for individual mention. Let us mention Auer, Argienicz, Tor, Aulin, Barcewitz, F. Berber, Brodsky, Burmester, Halir, Heermann, Herwegh, Hess, Hilf, G. Holländer, Hubay, Joachim (who, it is said, will soon retire from public life), Krasselt, Kreisler, Kubelik, Maier, H. Marteau, Ondricek, Petri, Hubermann, Petschnikoff, Sarasate, Sauret, Schneiter, Serato, Schorg, Thibaud, C. Thomson, Witek, Ysaye, Zajic.
11The violoncello was represented by Hugo Becker, Dechert, Espenhada, J. Gérardy, H. Grunfeld, Hausmann, Hecking, Kiefer, Klengel, Krosselt, Schlemuller, Wihan and Wille. Besides the piano, violin and 'cello, another instrument appeared as solo in German concert halls, the harp, represented by the Berlin virtuosi Holy, Posse and Poenitz. With especial gratification must be mentioned the growth of chamber music, especially in quartet and trio; we may indeed almost fear that the public has had too much of it.
13We have in Germany of quartet societies that go on tour the quartets of Joachim, Rosé (Vienna), Hoffmann (the Bohemian), Halir, Holländer, Marteau,
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