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Musical Courier 1904-06-29: Vol 48 Iss 1266, 1904
32 lines. Read by computer on 23 September 2026. Printed page 2. 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.
1CINCINNATI.
3CINCINNATI, June 25, 1904.
5A MEMORABLE event in this year's history of the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, Miss Clara Baur directress, was marked in the graduation exercises, which took place Monday evening, June 20, in the beautiful conservatory concert hall. The invocation was offered by the Rev. George Clarke Cox, rector of Calvary Church, Clifton, who also made the scholarly address. In it he emphasized the advantages of a musical education from the aesthetic, moral and educational side, dwelling at length upon the necessity of a high conception of the nobility of the subject. The musical features were not many, but of a high order of merit. Particularly beautiful was the Grieg sonata for piano and violin, G major, op. 13, No. 2, played by Wilhelm Kraupner and Bernard Sturm. The genuine Norwegian flavor of the music was tasted throughout its interpretation, and the ensemble was artistically sustained. Wilhelm Kraupner, who is a pupil of Reisenauer, was heard in two piano solos—prelude D flat major and scherzo B flat minor of Chopin—both of which he read with a temperate rubato and delightful delicacy. The vocal honors were solely carried by Miss Annabelle Ambrose, soprano, a talented graduate and pupil of Miss Clara Baur, who sang "Hear Ye, Israel," from "Elijah," in true oratorio spirit and style and with that sympathetic feeling which belongs to its interpretation.
7There were ten graduates—four from the vocal department, four from the piano department and two from the department of elocution. Diplomas were presented to the following: Vocal department—Miss Mary Forman, Mrs. D. J. Lyons, Miss Emma Fritsche, Miss Leila Wheeler. Piano department—Miss Luella Keller, Miss Velia Marie Richard, Frederic C. Mayer, Miss Edna Witham. Department of elocution—Miss Emma Beinhart, Miss Edith Robbins.
9In the closing annual series of concerts given by the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music the students of the vocal department, under the personal direction of Miss Clara Baur, attracted attention. Miss Baur has taught many who have won distinction at home and abroad. Her old Italian method, ripened by her own experience, is still in the lead. Experience goes to prove that it educates and refines the voice without subjecting it to the possibilities of injury. At the commencement exercises Miss Annabelle Ambrose, soprano, sang the "Hear Ye, Israel" with genuine dignity. John Hoffmann has a remarkable tenor voice of sympathetic and musical quality—a voice that grows upon the listener by reason of its well sustained repose and sweetness. At one of the concerts he sang Godard's berceuse from "Jocelyn," and a group of Schumann, "Du bist wie eine Blume" and "Widmung." Miss Clara Herzog, another vocalist of considerable talent and promise, deserves especial mention. At the concerts she sang the aria, "Batti, Batti," from "Don Giovanni," and Taubert's "Bird Song." Her voice is a high soprano of admirable coloratur capacity. The vocalists of Miss Frances Moses, Miss Rose Gores and Miss Laura Anderson were also an evidence of splendid progress and conscientious work. On one of the evenings an individual recital was given by Mrs. Carolyn Rieder Bohmer, soprano, with the assistance of John F. Byrne, basso, both pupils of Miss Frances Moses.
11Douglas Boxall presented his pupils in a recital on Tuesday evening, June 21, in the conservatory concert hall. It was purely and individually a piano recital; there were no vocalists or other instrumentalists to give it relief, and it did not need any. It was an exceptionally enjoyable test of pupils' work from beginning to end. Miss Cosby Dansby played that marvelously beautiful and mysterious sonata of Beethoven, A flat major, op. 26, with an intelligence and grasp of its meaning that would hardly have been expected of a student. But Mr. Boxall is a true lover of Beethoven—one who delights to dive down deep into the mysteries and give an individual interpretation of them. Miss Dansby's technic was astonishingly clear, and it had that singing tone for which the Leschetizky method is famous. Her technical equipment had further demonstration in her reading of the "Fantaisie Hongroise" of Liszt, in which the orchestral part was played by Mr. Boxall on a second piano. The surprise was that so much unity of purpose and beautiful ensemble could have been secured between teacher and pupil. Miss Shirley Morgan looks like a strenuous example of pianistic training—one whose physique would never betray any weakness in the domain of technic. She is not only technically equipped but has evidence of temperament as well. To the latter she paid tribute in two Schumann pieces—"Warum" and "Ende vom Lied." Two selections from Brahms—intermezzo, op. 76, No. 4, and capriccio, op. 76, No. 2, complimented her talent. She also played two Chopin numbers—nocturne, C minor, op. 48, No. 1, and polonaise, C minor, op. 40, No. 2, with evidence of grace and delicacy. Not the least of Mr. Boxall's trio of pupils was Miss Virginia Reece, who played the following group; romance, op. 5, of Tchaikowsky; "Moment Musical," F minor, of Schubert, and Jensen's "Kyrpis." Miss Reece showed by her playing poetry as well as an exceptional degree of intelligence.
13Mr. Boxall, whose success was punctuated by this recital, was born in London of English parentage in 1871. He received his education at Dulwich College, music being included in the curriculum. He made public appearances as a pianist at the age of twelve. Later he became the pupil of Francesco Berger at the Guildhall School of Music, London, and upon the advice of the late Sir Joseph Barnby decided to adopt music as his profession. Subsequently Boxall came under the training of Emil Bach, the well known pupil of Liszt, who took an extraordinary interest in him. He carried off all the honors, including the Brinsmead prize for piano playing. Upon the completion of his studies at the Guildhall School he concertized in France, Belgium and England with great success. Next he enjoyed the instruction of the famous Leschetizky in Vienna, who took a great personal interest in him. After this course of studies he concertized in Berlin and other important German cities with pronounced success. He was about to enter upon a Continental concert tour when his services were secured by Miss Clara Baur as a member of the faculty of the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. Mr. Boxall's success at the conservatory has been most remarkable.
15Miss Corene Harmon gave an extraordinary piano recital on Wednesday evening, June 22, in the Cincinnati Conservatory concert hall. It was one of those recitals which leave an impression of its absolute value and beauty. Miss Harmon, while a member of the conservatory faculty, is a pupil of Frederic Shailer Evans, who has, therefore, particular reason to feel proud of her success. While technical equipment is usually not considered the highest of accomplishments even in a pianist and in these days of enormous technical demand, still Miss Harmon's technic has a peculiar, abiding fascination. In addition to its striking facility, it has the smoothness of velvet and that rich clearness which makes one feel that the piano in some respects at least may become the substitute of an orchestra. Her program embraced the following numbers: Brahms' rhapsodie, op. 79, No. 2, G minor; "Intermezzo Scherzoso," op. 21, No. 9, Von Bülow; Schumann's "Vogel als Prophet," from "Waldscenen," and "Traumessirren," from "Phantasiestücke"; Chopin's ballade, op. 47, No. 3, A flat major; Liszt's "Gondoliera," from "Venezia e Napoli," and "Campanella"; Saint-Saëns' concerto, op. 22, G minor. Miss Harmon's playing not only tested an extraordinary technic, but an extraordinary grasp of musical contents as well as poetic insight. Her reading of the concerto in which Mr. Evans took the orchestral part on a second piano was exceptionally well poised and brilliant.
17Much honor was recently conferred on Signor P. A. Tirindelli, head of the violin department of the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. At a private recital given before the King and Queen and other notables of the Court of the British Empire at Buckingham Palace, one of his charming songs, "Di Te," was sung by the famous tenor Caruso. It produced such an impression that it had to be repeated, and Mr. Tirindelli, who was in the audience, was called upon the stage, where he received an ovation.
19On July 7 Mr. Tirindelli will conduct the symphony concert at St. James' Hall. Mancinelli, the great Italian conductor, will direct part of the program.
21Mr. Tirindelli will return without fail to his duties at the Conservatory of Music by September 1.
23J. A. HOMAN.
25The Mehans Going West.
27JOHN DENNIS MEHAN and Mrs. Mehan leave for Pittsburg, Cleveland and the West this week, after a very active season. They have enrolled many professional pupils, people of high ambitions and dignified aims. If this spirit did not pervade them at the beginning of their relations with the Mehans it soon developed, for it is this, and this especially, which characterizes them in the teaching life. A lesson with Mehan is better than most sermons, for it is permeated with a high moral purpose, the mainspring is conscientious, honest endeavor by the pupil. If a student hasn't it no study with the Mehans is possible. Some singers have found that sporadic effort, brainless singing, resulted in their being dropped from the Mehan classes. An understanding of the voice, years of experience in different sections of the world and a previous preparation under the most famous masters of Europe are the basis of Mr. Mehan's teaching. When this is said there is still much left unsaid, for this man possesses a most unique personality, a gift of humor, which awakens the pupil to a new understanding of the problems of life and the way to solve them.
29Averaging 120 lessons weekly since September last, Mr. Mehan is in need of the rest which comes from change of scene.
31Dresden—June 13. "Siegfried"; June 14. "Norma"; June 15. "Daughter of the Regiment"; June 16. "Götterdämmerung"; June 17. "Merry Wives of Windsor"; June 18. "Magic Flute."
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