Scan 33
Musical Courier 1903-02-04: Vol 46 Iss 1193, 1903
124 lines. Read by computer on 22 September 2026. Printed page 34. 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.
1CHICAGO
2FINE ARTS BUILDING.
4MUSICAL COURIER OFFICES—FINE ARTS BUILDING.
6CHICAGO, February 2, 1903.
8THE sixteenth Thomas concert attracted a large audience. Mr. Thomas knows how to make a program attractive, as the following scheme will show:
9Coronation March (new)………………………………………Saint-Saëns
10Symphony No. 2, C major, op. 61…………………………..Schumann
11Infamnatus, Stabat Mater………………………………………Dvorák
12Vorspiel, Kain (new)…………………………………………..D'Albert
13Olaf's Hochzeitsreigen (new)………………………………..Ritter
14Sea Pictures………………………………………………………Elgar
15Love Scene, Feuersnoth……………………………………….Strauss
17The Saint-Saëns march, written for the coronation of King Edward VII, proved to be a well scored disappointment. Perhaps Saint-Saëns thinks of the English as did Chopin. At any rate, the great French composer exerted himself not at all for his cousins across the water. The march theme is banal and lacking entirely in spirit. Sousa could have supplied Saint-Saëns with the necessary melodic material.
19The Schumann symphony was a notable performance. Thomas seems to have a particularly soft spot in his heart for the best of the German Romanticists. In spite of the exactness and precision of the Chicago Orchestra, it does not suffer in flexibility. The rounded outlines of the C major Symphony were marked with extreme taste and effect. Thomas understands full well the significance of a discreet rubato at times, and he uses it at just the right moments. Mention must be made of the beautiful playing of the 'cello department under the leadership of Bruno Steindel. Their splendid work was particularly evident in the Adagio.
21Mme. Kirkby Lunn sang the Dvorák excerpt. She has a voice sympathetic in the middle register, but throaty in its low parts and nasal in its high. About her singing of the Elgar pieces you read in THE MUSICAL COURIER of last week. Madame Lunn's success here was of the mild order.
23D'Albert's overture is a dramatic piece of orchestral writing, rich in color and effective in contrast and climax. It was very well received. Another novelty was the symphonic waltz by Ritter, a gifted Russian violinist and composer. A symphonic waltz is not a new form, as some local musicians argued. The "Mephisto" waltz, by Liszt, can justly be called symphonic, and then there are the waltz movements in two of Tschaikowsky's symphonies. The Ritter work is prefaced with a simple but melodious introduction. The waltz theme proper is distinguished by extreme brilliancy, and is made especially characteristic by means of decidedly fantastic instrumentation.
25The Strauss number gave the orchestra a chance to show itself from the virtuoso side. This "Feuersnoth" music plows its way at high pitch. Mr. Thomas and his men gave a performance that was eloquent. It had the true ring. When Strauss paints passion he imposes no easy task on the interpreter. Chicago seems to enjoy Strauss, for the audience remained to the end of the program and applauded mightily.
27At the seventeenth concert of the Chicago Orchestra, Mark Hambourg is to be the soloist. Hambourg will play the Tschaikowsky Concerto, B flat minor. A large audience is expected to greet the popular virtuoso.
29Tuesday evening, January 27, the Spiering Quartet gave another one of their enjoyable concerts at Music Hall, under the auspices of the Chicago Musical College. Unusual interest was created by the announcement that Kirk Towns, baritone, was to be the soloist. Mr. Towns, who was engaged by the college as vocal instructor, sang here at the opening faculty concert with the Chicago Orchestra, and made a decided hit. Everybody was anxious to see whether Mr. Towns would "make good" as professional parlance has it. Mr. Towns made very good, indeed. He did all that was expected of him and much more. He revealed phases of his vocal reserve that were not in evidence at the faculty concert. They were not needed there, for the singer sang a broad, dramatic aria with orchestra—from Massenet's "Herodiade" if I am not mistaken. At the Spiering concert more detail, more intimate qualities were required in eight songs, by Saint-Saëns, Hugo Wolff, Chadwick, Brahms and others. Mr. Towns knows well how to temper his rich vocal material to the exigencies of the hall. At the Auditorium, early in the season, the baritone's voice was marked by volume and resonance. At Music Hall there was all the refinement and all the gentler art that we expect from routine song recitists. Mr. Town's organ is smooth, rich and polished to the point of comparative perfection. His method enables him to be absolute master of every tone that he sings, and allows besides for unusually distinct enunciation and expressive delivery. His temperament is always in evidence, but never becomes obtrusive. He phrases with punctiliousness—a virtue that is conspicuous by its absence in many other singers. Mr. Towns made an instantaneous hit, and responded to many calls with several encores. Miss Emma Schenck accompanied with exceptional understanding and finish.
31The Spiering Quartet played with its accustomed accuracy, spirit and clarity. In a work by Karel Bendl (in F major) the "Spierings" could not shine, but that was not their fault. In truth the performance was much better than the piece, an opus of utmost unimportance. The Haydn Quartet in G major was happy in the extreme. Spiering brought out well its sunny characteristics. The Menuetto was a gem of grace and arch humor.
33Humperdinck's "Dornröschen" music was heard for the first time in Berlin just a fortnight ago. Thomas produced excerpts from the work here early this season. So much for the backwoods of America!
35Madame Blauvelt, the soprano, who has not been heard in Chicago for several years, will make her only appear-
37WM. H. SHERWOOD PIANIST
38ELECTA GIFFORD SOPRANO OF NEW YORK.
39MABEL GENEVA SHARP SOPRANO
40E. RUSSELL SANBORN SOLO ORGANIST
42EXCLUSIVE MANAGEMENT
43CHARLES R. BAKER,
44Fine Arts Building,
45CHICAGO.
47CARRIE BRIDEWELL OF NEW YORK.
48LEON MARX VIOLINIST
49GRACE WHISTLER CONTRALTO
50HARRY J. MISICK FELLOWS TENOR
51WILLIAM A. HOWLAND BARITONE
53Miss MARY TRACY, Regular Accompanist.
55CHICAGO ADVERTISEMENTS.
57William A. WILLETT, BARITONE.
58Exclusive management CHARLES R. BAKER.
59713 Fine Arts Building, Chicago.
61R. A. AUGUSTINE,
62Teacher of Tone Production.
63Studio: 600 Handel Hall, Chicago.
65KARLETON HACKETT,
66TEACHER OF SINGING.
67Kimball Hall, Chicago.
69MARY PECK THOMSON,
70SOPRANO,
71260 Fine Arts Building, CHICAGO.
73NINETEENTH YEAR.
741899-1900.
75MRS. REGINA WATSON'S SCHOOL
76for the
77HIGHER ART OF PIANO PLAYING.
78297 Indiana Street,
79Chicago, Ill.
81FREDERIC JOHN MAGUIRE,
82PIANIST.
83Concerts, Wagner Recitals.
84Piano instruction. Special courses in technic.
85Send for circular. 300 Kimball Hall, Chicago.
87EARL R. DRAKE,
88VIOLIN VIRTUOSO.
89TEACHER.
90Studio: 713 Kimball Hall, Chicago.
92HARRISON M. WILD
93CONCERT ORGANIST.
94Piano and Organ Instruction.
95Studio 6,
96241 Wabash Ave.,
97CHICAGO.
99HENRY WILLIS NEWTON,
100TENOR, TEACHER, CONDUCTOR.
101724 Kimball Hall, Chicago.
103JAN VAN OORDT,
104VIOLINIST.
105KIMBALL HALL,
106CHICAGO.
108CAROLYN LOUISE WILLARD
109PIANIST.
110Address: 4164 Lake Avenue, Chicago.
111CONCERTS.
112LOUIS MAGNUS,
113Young American Violinist.
114627 Fine Arts Building, Chicago.
115ALLEN SPENCER,
116PIANIST.
117Concerts, Recitals.
118Address: KIMBALL HALL, CHICAGO.
119ELIZABETH FENNO ADLER,
120SOPRANO.
121CONCERT.
122Can be engaged for Special Sunday Services.
123521 Fine Arts Building or 6328 Ellis Ave., Chicago.
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