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Musical Courier 1905-11-29: Vol 51 Iss 1340, 1905
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1briefly. It was an afternoon of enjoyment for everyone present.
3Apropos of the foregoing report and the first Chicago concert in which Mr. Lumbard sang, the student of early musical conditions in the West will find interest in the material that was being presented by all-star attractions of that time. The coloratura soprano, Signorina Teresa Parodi, and her company, had sung four concerts late in October and early November that year. The program for November 7, 1851, wherein the diva was assisted by the contralto, Amalia Patti; the pianist, Maurice Strakosch, and the English tenor, Mr. Arthurson, was advertised in the Chicago Democrat as follows:
5I. The celebrated aria, "Casta Diva," from Bellini's grand opera, "Norma."
6II. The beautiful duetto from Rossini's masterwork, "Stabat Mater."
7III. The grand "Variations di Bravoura," by Rode, composed for the violin. (This piece is the most difficult ever attempted by the human voice, and has never been sung except by Malibran and Madame Sontag.)
8IV. The brilliant "Tyrolean Cavatina" from Donizetti's opera, "Betty." (?)
9V. The famous duetto from Donizetti's last grand opera, "Maria Padilla."
11It should be observed that the tenor sang the "Cujus Animam" from the "Stabat Mater," and Strakosch was playing as piano solos his own arrangement of airs by Bellini and his "Souvenir d'Ottelo" for left hand alone, besides his own fantasia romantique, "La Sylphide," in three parts, entitled "Chant Religieux," "L'Orage" and "La Danse des Sylphides." The receipts for the last of those concerts were $560, thought then to be a very large sum for Chicago.
13Jean Gerardy and the Chicago soprano, Genevieve Clark Wilson, drew a large attendance upon their joint Sunday afternoon recital in Illinois Theatre, November 19. Mrs. Wilson started the program with the "Ave Maria" from Max Bruch's "Feurkreuz." Later she sang five manuscript songs by the Canadian composer, Jessie Johnston, and the four "Contes Mystiques," by Lecocq, Viardot, Dubois and Widor. The Chicago pianist, Marx E. Oberndorfer, was the regular accompanist of the afternoon, though Mrs. Johnston was present and played the accompaniments to her own songs. Mrs. Wilson gave a finely dramatic and eminently musicianlike rendition of the Bruch number and did whatever was possible with the manuscript songs, but one cannot claim very much interest for them. The titles are "My Heart Hath a Song," "When Spring Comes Laughing," "In Summer," "One Day" and "On the Slopes of the Dune." The inspirations are given to the voice rather than the piano, though the whole individuality of the group is so meagre as to poorly recommend them.
15Gerardy played the Saint-Saëns first concerto, a group of four pieces, and the Boellmann symphonic variations. The artist's playing of the compositions had all of the excellence which is known to comprise his style. A very direct, vigorous and musical manner which carries him brilliantly through heavy passages and a reflective, well inspired nature for the playing of the slow movements—the foregoing qualities being so pronounced as to make him a popular favorite of both the musicians and the masses. Mr. Oberndorfer played the accompaniments in a manner that properly brought out their musical character.
17Owing to a rearrangement of program, which placed the Grace Wassall's Shakesperean Cycle before the miscellaneous numbers of the Bispham-Piper-Fisk-Cole concert in Music Hall, November 19, the cycle could not be heard for review in this place, but the other numbers of the program were observed to merit and receive great applause from the audience, which practically filled the hall. Bispham sang Allitsen's "Oh, For a Burst of Song," Max Heinrich's "Who Knows?" Elgar's "Pipes of Pan" and Henry F. Guilbert's "Pirate Song." As a last encore he gave Damrosch's "Danny Deever" in the very detailed and forceful dramatic interpretation that would be always expected of him. Katherine Fisk's solo numbers were Bemberg's "Ami moi" and Nevin's "Oh, That We Two Were Maying," the last of which was much more enjoyable because it employed her low voice. Kelley Cole sang Hans Hermann's "Salome" and the fine old Scotch song, "Mary," to which he brought fine feeling, splendid humor and the best of vocal art. Mrs. Shotwell-Piper sang "Ein Traum," by Grieg, and the "Chanson de Juillet," by Godard. Her voice has warmth, and it is capable of a wide range of expression. She employed all of its possibilities in the considerable difficulties of the Godard number and found it necessary to sing again in response to the applause. Mrs. Cole, as accompanist of the afternoon, was a valued contribution to the artist forces.
19The Amateur Musical Club meeting, held in Assembly Room, Fine Arts Building, November 20, introduced a manuscript piano quartet by a young Chicago composer, A. R. Shepherd. The performers on this occasion were Hazel Everingham, piano; Charlotte Demuth-Williams, violin; Ethel Holladay, viola, and Day Williams, 'cello. The composition has three movements, marked andante, scherzo and finale. The greatest respect is due the entire work, since it has highly musical and very individual material composed for the instruments with great care throughout. The andante is in a vein of rich melody that could be termed Mendelssohonian. It starts with 'cello and piano, is soon joined by the other instruments and is worked up to immense effect. The scherzo theme does not seem so attractive at first, but on its second playing it either lies better on the instruments or the players had got better into the humor of it, for it was much improved in effect. Two other episodes in the movement are well invented. The finale is in reality a jig theme, but treated with due dignity and especially well written for the violin. A passage of good melody is introduced in contrast, and the work closes with the theme as well handled as before. The players went into the work as if they enjoyed it, and it would have been strange had they not done so. The composer had shown commendable facility in writing for all the instruments and he had evidently profited by the good advice of Mr. Weidig, of whom he has been a pupil these three or four years.
21The pianist, Alice Merrill, played Mendelssohn's "Auf Flugeln des Gesanges" and the Brahms second rhapsody. The contralto, Helene Allmendinger, and the soprano, Mrs. E. L. Billingslea, each sang a group of German songs and closed the program with a rendition of the Rubinstein duet, "Lied der Vogelien." Mrs. J. C. Hoag and Miss Everingham were the accompanists of the day.
23The joint piano recital given in Music Hall November 21 by the brothers Arthur and Eugen Thomas was creditable to the young men and a pleasure to the audience that came to hear them. The younger, Eugen, played first the Beethoven E flat sonata, op. 27, in a manner marked by fine feeling and sane interpretation, the detail permitting a very complete expression of the musical contents. His next appearance was in the playing of a Scarlatti sonata, two pieces by Henselt, the Chopin B flat major impromptu and the Sgambati toccata. These pieces gave further chance to show his careful appreciation, especially in the lighter pianistic effects. Arthur played the Liszt "Irrlichter" etude and the Rheinberger "Jagd" impromptu as a first number, the Liszt E major polonaise later, and the brothers concluded their brief program with the Chopin rondo for two pianos. Arthur displayed a highly developed finger technic, which he hurried, however, at the expense of clarity—failed, in fact, to get all of the notes played in the time allotted for them. The Chopin rondo was as enjoyable as any part of the program. The young pianists had evidently given much study to the proper presentation of the work, and the result was an interpretation that permitted a thorough understanding of it. The concert was under the management of F. Wight Neumann.
25The basso cantante, Forrest Dabney Carr, of the Bush Temple Conservatory, gave a song recital in McKinley Hall, Bush Temple, November 24. A group of eight miscellaneous songs preceded the rendition of Liza Lehmann's song cycle setting of Tennyson's "In Memoriam." Though the cycle has been published for six years, it is thought not to have been sung entire in Chicago before. The musical value of the work can be hardly overestimated, since the piano and voice are treated as equally important factors. Owing to casual unusual intervals and upward diatonic progressions the voice part may be comparatively more difficult. Mr. Carr sang with great vocal art and in an inspiration that was deeply musical. He was impressively supported in all of the accompaniments by the pianist, Edgar A. Nelson.
27The Chicago Musical College faculty concert to be played in the Auditorium, December 7, will have a number of notable features. They will be Mr. Sauret's presentation of the Ernst F sharp minor concerto for violin, Mr. Lütsch's playing of the Beethoven E flat concerto for piano, and a first rendition in America of Alexander von Fielitz's vocal scene for soprano and orchestra, "The Nun." The organist, Dr. Louis Falk, who is heard none too often, will play the Guilmant organ symphony, op. 42, and Chris Anderson will sing "Wotan's Farewell and the Magic Fire Scene," from "Die Walküre." The soprano scene will be sung by Mabel Sharp Herdien. The orchestra of seventy men under Mr. von Fielitz will begin the program by a rendition of the Vorspiel to "Die Meistersinger," and will accompany all the soloists.
29The choir of St. James Episcopal Church observed the twentieth anniversary of its founding by special musical services on the morning and afternoon of November 19. The church has been established seventy-one years, in which time it has had such organists as Dudley Buck, C. E. Reynolds, P. C. Lutkin, W. L. Tomlins and C. A. Havens, besides well known choirmasters, principal among them being, perhaps, the present organist and choirmaster emeritus, William Smedley. Clarence Dickinson is the present organist and choirmaster. Among selections in
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