Scan 35
Musical Courier 1902-03-26: Vol 44 Iss 1148, 1902
38 lines. Read by computer on 25 September 2026. Printed page 36. 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, March 17, 1902.
8ALTHOUGH we are in the midst of Lent the town has been more lively in musical matters this past week than for a long time previous. Indeed I have heard it asserted that in the East, where people are more puritanical and strict in religious observances, business in professional circles is very dull, and hence those who have musical wares to offer, or any other form of amusement for that matter, hie them to ungodly California, sure of a harvest of welcome ducats despite the season. But that is a matter that from long standing has become proverbial, and when men in high positions set the fashion what would you?
10The weather has been ideal, and yesterday was so warm open windows were a necessity for comfort, and it is said the largest crowd ever seen there gathered on Cliff House Beach. March is evidently bent on keeping up his reputation, and having come in like the "roaring lion" is going to make his exit like the docile lamb.
12To begin with the affairs in musical circles. On the evening of the 6th a testimonial concert was given to Henry Holmes, the English violinist, of whom I wrote you he was nearly at death's door with pneumonia some months ago. He has not mended as rapidly as his friends could desire, and this concert was the outcome of popular sentiment in his regard. There was arranged a fine program by the following: Stark-Jaulus Orchestra, Mesdames Paul Friedhofer, Oscar Mansfeldt, M. E. Blanchard, Nathan Landsberger, O. K. Cushing and Ernestine Goldman, and Messrs. Röller, Friedhofer, Fickenscher, Wismer, Salomon, Theo. Mansfeldt, Hugo Mansfeldt, Landsberger, Pasmore, Martinez, Dellepiane, Sabin, Maurer. I understand that the affair was every way a success.
14Monday evening, March 10, gave us the first appearance here in concert together of Mme. Abbie Carrington, prima donna soprano; Miss Mary Carrington, pianist, and Emlyn Lewys, pianist, and late principal of the Virgil Piano School, London. The program gave us some very choice numbers, and the treatment without exception was most enjoyable. One sees at once that Madame Carrington in her operatic career must have been exceedingly popular. Her voice is not alone big with splendid resonance and carrying power, but is melodious and true to pitch. Her scena and aria, "Ah perfida," Beethoven, was given in splendidly dramatic style, as well as the aria from the prison scene, "Mefistofele," of Boito. Of the lesser numbers her voice showed most sympathy in Goring Thomas' "Song of Sunshine," and an encore, "Spring Is Coming," which really brought out the qualities in her voice better than anything she sang. Mr. Lewys' playing was scholarly and finished, and Miss Mary Carrington, as yet a young girl in her teens, showed surprising temperament and technic, giving all her numbers in a style that shows undoubted talent. "Le Papillon," Lavallee, was one of her best numbers; Gottschalk's "Tremolo" also showing her technic to good advantage. She is a pupil of Mr. Lewys, and has been studying but four years. The Carrington-Lewyses have been but a short time in 'Frisco, but have made themselves very popular. The concert was a big success.
16The third concert of the twenty-fifth season of the Loring Club was given at Native Sons Hall, Tuesday evening, March 11, under the direction of David W. Loring, and although it was the date for the first of Katharine Fisk's recitals at Sherman-Clay Hall, there was a crowded house. The program was as usual well selected, the novelty on this occasion being the "Farewell of Hiawatha," with H. H. Barnhart, basso cantante, in the solos. This was the best piece of work done by the club, and Mr. Barnhart sang magnificently, his splendid management of his powerful voice, as well as his thoroughly artistic interpretation of the lines, creating great enthusiasm and winning a recall, when the number was in part repeated.
18Some of the numbers struck the ear as very ordinary material to spend so much work upon, and it is a surprising fact that, of the many things written for male voices, so few are really acceptable. Gouvy's "Awakening of Spring" was a silly composition, with unnecessary and tiresome repeats in it. Miss Grace Davis, the lady soloist of the evening, was entirely wasted in a number of so ordinary tone.
20"King Waldemar's Chase," by De Koven, went off well, but the best club number was Hatton's jolly "Tars' Song," which was given with snap and spirit. On one of the unaccompanied numbers the club deliberately dropped at least one whole tone. This was horribly evident when an encore was demanded, and the piano gave the starting chord for a repeat. There are fine voices in this club, but they are not doing as good work as they can. One gets tired speculating on reasons why. It is the oldest club in the city and very select, voices being accepted only on proof of ability, so there seems to be no good and valid reason why the work should not be well up to the mark. Miss Davis probably never sang better in her life. A "Persian Love Song," by Kroeger, was the most enjoyable of her solos, and one of her encores, whose title escapes me, having a distinct Oriental character, was a gem. Two of the club members, Dr. Smith and Ed. Boyren, took the solos in the "Serenade," by Appel. The programs were beautifully gotten up, this being one of the customs of the club, a picture of Hiawatha and Minnehaha adorning the front page, surrounded by a border of blue, the words of every number being printed in full.
22The Emma Nevada Concert Company gave a concert in Vallejo last Wednesday evening, March 12, to a full house, the concert being given in Farragut Theatre. Owing to the proximity of the Mare Island Navy Yard the audience was gay with uniforms, and many well-known officers and their wives were present. Another interesting feature of the concert was the presence of some relatives of the prima donna, who saw her on this occasion for the first time in many years, and her first music teacher, Ira Adams, of Caistogo, all of which made this particular concert of more than ordinary interest. Vallejo is known to be a very musical place, and certainly the enthusiasm displayed went far to prove it. Mr. Maquarre, the flutist, was indisposed and had not come up from San Francisco, but the rest of the program was given in the usual artistic manner and was well received. Madame Nevada sang better, if anything, than at her appearances here, and won repeated encores. She was very obliging as to encores, and at her last recall seated herself at the piano and sang the "Mocking Bird," to the great delight of her relatives, who had repeatedly expressed a desire that she would, it evidently being associated with her girlhood days.
24Leon Moreau, the young French pianist, was handicapped by having an upright piano to play on, grand pianos not having as yet become a part of Vallejo's progression, but he played well, and for one encore gave Liszt's "Liebestraum" a beautiful interpretation. Pablo Casals, as usual, carried off the house by the ears. His work is the most satisfying I have ever listened to, his intonation is like that of a human voice, and while he plays he seems lost to everything else. He is the true artist, and will receive an enthusiastic welcome whenever he comes this way. Madame Nevada's last concert is to be given at Lisser Hall of Mills College. It was at the latter place she received her education.
26The Fisk concerts have given us one of the greatest treats we have had in a long time. The singer's rarely beautiful contralto, her intensely dramatic interpretation and her charming personality make up a combination that wins her audience at once. Hers is one of the few real contraltos that give great satisfaction all through, although in the matter of her choice of selections I would rather hear her on the higher plane of music than have her descend for one moment to the frivolous class of music represented by "Butzemann" of Laubert, and things of its class that are better suited to voices of less noble timbre. Her Saint-Saëns numbers were thoroughly intelligent and artistically rendered, and her Dvorák biblical group was a sermon of intensely religious sentiment. Jensen's "Murmuring Zephyrs" was a delightful number, with an ideal piano support rendered by Fred Maurer, Madame Fisk's accompanist, who is the thorough and satisfactory artist in all he undertakes. "Si j'étais jardinier," by Chaminade, showed a versatility in combination with some Irish and old English songs hardly to be expected from a voice of such depth, but Madame Fisk seems able to rise to any situation. Her "Bendermere Stream," arranged by Scott Gatty from old Irish, was so tenderly reminiscent it brought tears to the eyes unawares and left one with a heartache. Henschel's "Ancient King" was beautifully suited to her voice, but if I had my choice of all her songs and could hear her sing but one, I should choose to hear her incomparable rendering of these words, so often essayed and so seldom well interpreted in their sublimity of sentiment:
28Oh, that we two lay sleeping
29Within our nest in the churchyard sod,
30Our limbs at rest in earth's quiet breast,
31And our souls at home with God.
33Her voice was so deep, so tender, so infinitely beautiful I could listen and never tire. There were four recitals in all, given under the direction of Bouvier and Greenbaum, who are responsible for many of the best we have enjoyed this season, and have still in store the Heinrichs in three recitals and Fannie Bloomfield-Zeisler, who will be welcomed with open arms. She is a great favorite on the Pacific Coast, and has many friends here who await her advent with impatience.
35The opening reception and promenade concert of the annual spring exhibition of the San Francisco Art Association was given at Hopkins Institute on Thursday evening, the music under the direction of Sir Henry Heyman, who is also one of the directors. There was a particularly good exhibition of the work of some of our most prominent artists, and the orchestra discoursed a program of twelve select numbers during the evening. Concerts are to be given Thursday evenings, March 20 and 27 and April 3 and 10, for which programs of select vocal and instrumental music are being arranged also under Sir Henry's direction, during which time the paintings will be on exhibition.
37To-night we have the von Meyerinck School of Music in a program of unusual excellence, which will include
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