Scan 13
Musical Courier 1904-06-01: Vol 48 Iss 1262, 1904
48 lines. Read by computer on 23 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
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1THE MUSICAL COURIER.
3PARIS
5GRAND HOTEL,
6BOULEVARD DES CAPUCINES PARIS,
7May 19, 1904.
9THE Academy of Fine Arts has decided to admit six candidates to participate in the competition for the Prix de Rome for music.
11Among these competitors is Mlle. Hélène Fleury, the first woman admitted to compete and successfully undergo the ordeal. Mlle. Fleury is a charming musician who returned to Paris a few days ago, after submitting at Compiegne to the cloistering imposed upon all candidates for the Prix de Rome.
13At the end of the week she will return there, to remain imprisoned for a month, working at musical composition. Last year a predecessor of hers, Mlle. Toutain, competed for the prize in music, but did not approach the goal so nearly as has Mlle. Fleury, and she has now renounced her chance of carrying off the honor by getting married, celibacy being a sine qua non for all inmates, male or female, of the Villa Medici at Rome.
15This competition is held at Compiegne Palace, where there are fifteen rooms, each furnished with a piano, and well padded, to prevent sound penetrating from one into another. These rooms are set apart for the candidates selected by the preliminary examination. In addition to providing a woman to wait upon Mlle. Fleury, in lieu of the man attendant who looks after the male competitors, it was proposed to supply her meals in a room apart, but she preferred to eat with the men in the common refectory. Should Mlle. Fleury be the first to come out successfully and obtain the coveted scholarship, with a three years' residence in Rome, she will naturally have her apartments in the Villa Medici, as the men have.
17The candidate is a pupil of M. Widor, and has already had a choral symphony performed at the Conservatoire. The subject for the last eliminating examination was a four part chorus and fugue, for the composition of which a week's time was given. Mlle. Fleury and her five masculine rivals will now return to Compiegne Palace, to be shut up for a month, and each will write a cantata, with full orchestral accompaniment, on words dictated to them on entering their prison—and this will be the final competition for the Prix de Rome.
19While praising woman in music this is the place to mention the trio of Chaigneau sisters—Mlle. Thérèse, piano; Mlle. Suzanne, violin, and Mlle. Marguerite, 'cello—who are giving a series of Beethoven trios at the Schola Cantorum, assisted vocally by M. Louis Fröhlich in Beethoven numbers. The sisters play wonderfully well together.
21On Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon these young ladies also gave convincing proof of their teaching ability in an exhibition of their pupils' performances. Saturday evening was devoted entirely to chamber music, embracing works by Haydn, Handel, Mozart, Bach, Schumann and Mendelssohn—for the most part well played.
23The Sunday program was made up of soli, beginning with little things of Schumann, and advancing to Beethoven, Chopin and the Tartini "Trille du Diable." Among the participating pupils the better were naturally the professional ones—some as soloists, others as ensemble players—and deserving of mention with highest praise was Mlle. Marcelle Ackerin as violinist in a Haydn quartet, op. 67, and in the "Devil's Trill" of Tartini, and likewise as a good pianist in the A flat impromptu of Schubert. Also Miss Dorothy Swaimson, who showed much temperament in the B flat scherzo of Chopin; also Albert Le Guillard, violin and viola, and Marc Deschamps, a youthful 'cellist of fourteen years. Among successful American pupils should be mentioned Miss Frances Wilson, pianist, daughter of the well known singing actor, Francis Wilson, who played a Schumann romance with much taste; and a charming violinist, Miss Margaret Wilson, daughter of George H. Wilson, the Pittsburgh Orchestra manager, who was much applauded in the andante of Mendelssohn's concerto. The surprise of the afternoon, however, was Mlle. Corrie Psichari, the little nine year old grandchild of the great philosopher Ernest Renan, who showed exceptional talent and promise in her violin playing; another youthful, well promising player was the boy violoncellist Jean Millet, grandson of the celebrated painter of "The Angelus."
25These ladies Chaigneau are the Paris correspondents or instrumental representatives of the Whitney International School at Boston, and Mlle. Thérèse Chaigneau is the pianist chosen by Harold Bauer to replace him during his absence from Paris. This may explain the presence of the number of American pupils in the Chaigneau classes.
27Continuing with woman, Paris is shortly to celebrate the centenary of the birth of George Sand. The occasion will be honored in the capital on July 1 and at La Châtre on July 3. At the Théâtre de l'Odéon there is to be a performance of the "Démon du Foyer" and an exhibition of George Sand mementos, among which will figure notably the portrait of the authoress by Delacroix. An exceptionally strong committee has been formed with honorary and acting presidents, including nearly every name in France celebrated in literature, art or science.
29And more—Midinettes will give a monster concert and variety entertainment at the Trocadéro, under direction of the composer of "Louise," M. Gustave Charpentier, who founded the Conservatoire de Mimi Pinson, thus named after the heroine of Alfred de Musset's poem. M. Charpentier's pupils, all bonâ fide workgirls, number 800, of whom 300 will appear at this concert. Singing, elocution, dancing, harp, and organ playing, also fencing, are taught in Mimi Pinson's Conservatoire, the classes being held thrice a week. The director says his pupils work hard at the conservatory and are very good girls. He always tells them: "Now, don't lose your heads and rush on the stage. Be modest little girls, who will only appear on the boards once or twice a year to delight your parents and confound the critics who said the conservatoire would make giddy young things of you." And, strange as it may seem, not a single Midnette of Mimi Pinson's Conservatoire has yet been stagestruck, and all while learning acting, singing, dancing and fencing three times a week. (Wonder why?)
31At the Salle des Agriculteurs an enjoyable concert was given Friday evening by Miss Minnie Tracey and Francis Macmillen. The program was varied and interesting, but rather lengthy, comprising vocal selections from Gluck, Brahms, Schubert, Berlioz, Hahn, Fauré, Massenet, Liszt, Sibelius, Jensen, Tschaikowsky and Richard Strauss, while the violin numbers were taken from Bruch (concerto in G minor), Leclair, Lotti, Valentini, Vitali, Ries and Alberto Randegger. Both of these artists are American born, and attracted an immensely enthusiastic and fashionable audience to the hall.
33Miss Tracey had allotted to herself a task calling for much endurance, in which her splendid physique stood her in good stead. Her singing was at all times most intelligent and conscientious.
35There were moments, however, when a slight trace of fatigue was discernible in an occasional tone not leaping into its highest and best sounding position. A "Menuet tendre" (a little ancient chanson française) was interpreted so exquisitely by Miss Tracey that she was obliged to favor with a repetition; also "Après un Rêve," by Gabriel Fauré, and Massenet's "Les Fleurs" were charmingly given and provoked long applause. The artist was the recipient of beautiful floral offerings.
37Mr. Macmillen, a "Buckeye" boy (meaning that he was born in the State of Ohio), is a very young violinist not yet out of his teens, but he plays absolutely like a mature artist. With his interpretation of the Bruch concerto he established himself so firmly in the good graces of the audience that all his succeeding numbers were easily appreciated.
39He displayed a beautifully pure tone, good phrasing and brilliant technical equipment, together with considerable nervous force in his manner of playing.
41The group of old Italian masters afforded him a splendid opportunity of "singing" on the violin, as did also the adagio from the Ries suite in G major, while his performance of the "Saltellato," a caprice written by Alberto Randegger, showed off his virtuoso side to brilliant advantage.
43This first Paris concert of young Macmillen was certainly a splendid success—a veritable triumph.
45At the fourth and fifth Kubelik matinees given at the Châtelot Theatre the brilliant virtuoso was frantically applauded and pelted with flowers. Mme. Roger-Miclos assisted at the former performance. She played most charmingly, surprising her friends by her grace and fitness.
47Mme. Georgette Leblanc-Maeterlinck enhanced the latter, a Paganini recital, by her perfect rendition of some
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