Scan 5
Musical Courier 1904-05-18: Vol 48 Iss 1260, 1904
53 lines. Read by computer on 22 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1Joachim, in March, 1844, to his friend, H. Klingemann, the poet and secretary of the Hanover Legation at London. This was the first letter of introduction that Joachim presented in London. It reads:
3"DEAR FRIEND—Through these lines I make you acquainted with a boy whom I have learned to love and esteem during the three-quarters of a year that I have known him, to an extent that I can say of very few acquaintances of late. It is the thirteen year old Joseph Joachim, from Hungary. I cannot describe enough to you his really wonderful violin talent. You must hear him yourself in order to esteem him as highly as I do; you must hear him and see how he interprets everything put into notes, in order to appreciate what glorious prospects Art has through him. At the same time he is a good, brave, honest, healthy, intelligent boy. Receive him, take care of him in the great London; introduce him to those of our acquaintance who know how to appreciate such a glorious apparition, and from whom he, in turn, can profit. What you do for him you do for me. Your
4"FELIX MENDELSSOHN-BARTHOLDY."
6I wonder what Mendelssohn would say if he could look upon the scene that will be enacted at the Philharmonic concert on May 27 and see how his "Teufelsbraten," as he used to playfully call Joachim, stands in the estimation of the English public—sixty years afterward?
8This Joachim celebration will be a great event in the art world.
10An echo of the past concert season is still heard now and then. Last Monday evening the Berlin Saengerbund gave a concert in the Philharmonie under the direction of Felix Schmidt. The Saengerbund is a male chorus of 1,000 voices. It has excellent material and is well disciplined. Works by Beethoven, Bruch, Hegar, Kreutzer and others were given with fine precision and with good vocal effects. The program was varied by the piano playing of Gisela Gross, the brilliant Hungarian pianist. This young artist is full of temperament and verve; she is a good musician and has an excellent technical command of her instrument. There is a sweep to her playing that always arouses the public to demonstrative applause, and at this concert, too, she met with her usual success.
12Florence Ballara, a young Australian contralto, is destined, unless all signs fail, to have a brilliant career as an opera singer. She appeared as Azucena in Verdi's "Il Trovatore" Tuesday evening. This was at the Charlottenburger Theater, in surroundings and with an ensemble unworthy of such a gifted artist as Miss Ballara. However, she demonstrated that she is a singer to be reckoned with. She has a beautiful, pure contralto voice, which she uses with great skill and taste. She is an excellent actress and was free, natural and convincing in all her movements. She is, moreover, a personality who commands attention directly she appears on the stage. She must have had stage routine in abundance, for there was absolutely nothing, either in her singing or acting, that revealed the novice. On the contrary, her work bespoke the experienced artist, one well worthy to appear on the stage of any opera house in the world.
14It is rumored that Carl Scheidemantel, the famous baritone, will withdraw from the Dresden Opera as soon as his contract will have expired, in two years' time. He intends to found a school of opera singing in Dresden.
16The Royal Orchestra of Dresden announces four folk symphony concerts to be given during May.
18The Tonkünstler-Verein of the Saxon capital celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of its founding April 22. A big festival concert was given. Richard Strauss was elected an honorary member of the Verein.
20Yssay Barmas, the distinguished young Russian violinist, recently appeared before Carmen Sylva, the Roumanian Queen, who was so pleased that she had him come to play for her, and with her, six times on six consecutive days. She gave him three photographs of herself. The King decorated him with the Order of the Crown. Barmas has played twenty-six engagements this season in Germany, Austria and Italy with great success.
22Kurz-Stolzenberg, the heroic tenor of the Magdeburg Opera, has been engaged by Gustav Mahler for the Vienna Opera for a period of five years. This singer is a pupil of the well known Berlin singing teacher, Dr. Alfieri, who is also the teacher of Florence Ballara, Albert Reiss and other excellent opera singers on the German stage.
24The Philharmonic Orchestra is having an immense success on its Russian tour. In St. Petersburg all of the concerts were sold out, notwithstanding the depression on account of the war, and great enthusiasm prevailed.
26Angelo Patricolo, the young Italian pianist, who concertized several years in the United States, has settled in Berlin. Patricolo is a graduate of the Palermo Conservatory. He has played recently in Leipsic, Hanover, Halle and Magdeburg with good success.
28At the Scala in Milan there were 75 performances of opera the past season. "Rheingold" led with 19 performances, "Faust" had 16, "Rigoletto" 13, "Siberia," by Giordano, 9; Franchetti's "Germania" also 9, Meyerbeer's "Di- norah" 6, Massenet's "Grisélidis" 2, and Puccini's "Madame Butterfly" 1. Three ballets were given, to wit: The "Pupenfee" 20 times, "Bacchus and Gambrinus" 30 times, and "La Canzone del Filo" 15 times. There were 14 folk performances at very low prices. "Rheingold" was the greatest success of the season. With the new operas the management was unfortunate. Giordano's "Siberia" was given nine times, it is true, but it failed to interest the public. Puccini's "Madame Butterfly" was a failure.
30A young American pianist played for me recently of whom our country will some day be proud. This was Miss Myrtle Elvyn, of Chicago, a pupil of Godowsky. Miss Elvyn is one of the most gifted and most promising Americans that I have heard during the thirteen years that I have lived in Europe. She is a born piano genius, and she has had the best of instruction from the start. Her principal teacher in Chicago was Carl Wolfsohn, the excellent pedagogue, and brother of the manager Henry Wolfsohn. For the past two years Miss Elvyn has studied here with Godowsky. The great pianist has in her a worthy disciple, one who will "do him proud." Miss Elvyn, although only eighteen years old, is already one of the best pianists of her sex. Her technic is well nigh faultless. In its pearly clearness, fleetness and certainty it more than suggests the incomparable technic of her master. She has also power and produces a big singing tone. She has musical intelligence of a high order and her conception, phrasing and nuances reveal the true musician. Her touch is excellent. She infuses into her playing warmth and poetry. In short, she seems predestined for success as a concert pianist. As a girl of fifteen she played in Chicago with marked success, and the leading critics predicted a brilliant career for her. Next fall she will make her Berlin debut with the Philharmonic Orchestra, and this event is looked forward to with great interest by the American colony here. Miss Elvyn also has marked talent for composition. During the two years she has been in Berlin she has studied with Hugo Kaun, who says that she will be a second Chaminade.
32M. G. N. N. Nasos, director of the Athens Conservatory, has been decorated with the Leopold Order by the Belgian Government.
34Arthur Marzani, a native of Boston, and well known as an opera and concert tenor, who has sung in opera successfully in Italy, the United States, France and Germany, is now permanently located in Berlin as a singing teacher. He gives special attention to young singers who are preparing for the stage.
36Statistics of the opera in Germany during the last three years show that there were during this time 3,892 operatic productions on the German stage. Of these 1,916 were works by German composers and 1,976 by foreigners. Complaints are heard in the German press that the living foreign composers lead in the number of performances, and that "Cavalleria Rusticana" had 743 and "Bayaziti" 534, whereas men like Weingartner, Bungert, Reznicek and Pfitzner cannot boast of even twenty-five performances in three seasons. The reason for this is not difficult to find; it lies in the quality of the works themselves.
38The Grand Duke of Oldenburg, who is a great admirer of Willy Burmester, has the intention of founding a "Master School of Violin Playing" in Oldenburg, with the great violinist at its head. The fiddle loving Grand Duke has matured all his plans for the undertaking and has submitted them to Burmester, who now is considering the project. Burmester would of course not abandon his concert tours.
40It is rumored that José Viana da Motta, the celebrated Portuguese pianist, will tour the United States next season. If this report proves true, then America will hear some of the most refined and exquisite piano playing that the world affords. Da Motta is a great artist, and his concerts here last winter were one of the leading features of the pianistic season.
42ARTHUR M. ABELL.
44A Virgil Recital.
46C. VIRGIL GORDON'S talented pupil, Laura Race, played an interesting program before a large audience at the Metropolitan Temple on Seventh avenue, Monday evening, May 9. For one so young it was a difficult program. The D minor prelude and fugue was exceptionally well played, so also were the "Gondoliera" and the "Mazurka Brillante," by Liszt. "By Lake Geneva," a charming tone poem by Bendel, was played with the touch and tone worthy of an artist. A characteristic Russian dance, by MacDowell, was very brilliantly and effectively given.
48John Perry Horuff, baritone, proved a favorite with the audience.
50Another interesting feature was the work done by the technic class, composed of Loretta Hannan, Alberta England, Josephine Easum and Florence Hope Smith. Their ensemble was good and their movements exceedingly graceful. They played on four of Mrs. Virgil's new practice instruments, the Tekniklavier. Mrs. Virgil's remarks made an impression in favor of the modern way of mastering the difficulties of piano playing.
52The final recital in the series will be given Monday evening, May 23.
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.