Books › Musical Courier 1907-03-20: Vol 54 Iss 12, 1907 › scan 17
Scan 17
Musical Courier 1907-03-20: Vol 54 Iss 12, 1907
55 lines. Read by computer on 26 September 2026. Printed page 18. See the scan on archive.org.
1MUSIC IN MINNEAPOLIS.
2MINNEAPOLIS, Minn., March 7, 1907.
4The past week has been a quiet one, only two concerts of importance having been given.
6The Sunday Popular orchestral program was an unusually attractive one and was heard by the usual capacity house. Mr. Oberhoffer always has some numbers of particular interest to catch the ear of the Popular audience, yet these are never below the high level of the orchestral programs.
8Regrets are freely expressed that there are only two more of these concerts, and it is possible the demand may induce the management to extend the season a few weeks.
10Wagner's "Tannhäuser" march opened the program, and was followed by the overture to "Martha," three dances from German's music to "Henry VIII," the familiar "Andante and Minuetto" of Mozart, the Moszkowski "Serenade" and Liszt's "Les Préludes," with the Prelude, Siciliano and Intermezzo from "Cavalleria Rusticana," formed the remainder of the program. In the latter number J. Austin Williams sang the tenor solo behind the scenes, with fine effect.
12Carlo Fischer was the soloist. His 'cello has a particularly large tone, which fills the hall easily. His playing is always finished and his winning personality makes him a prime favorite, the public never tiring of his work and always recalling him again and again. His selections were "Widmung," by Popper; the andante from Goltermann's concerto in A, and scherzo, by Von Goens.
14On Friday evening at the Auditorium a concert was given by Beatrice Gjertsen and the Symphony Orchestra, under Emil Oberhaffer. Miss Gjertsen is a young Minneapolitan, who has been in Berlin and Dresden studying for an operatic career. Nature has been lavish with her, giving a large dramatic soprano voice, as well as fine appearance and physique. Whether she makes a success of her proposed career depends on her patience and application entirely—she has all that nature can give though she lacks a great amount of what good teachers can convey. The program was constructed on broad, artistic lines, copied after those given by great artists, ambitiously inviting comparisons which were not favorable to the singer, at her present stage of development. She sang "Ocean, Thou Mighty Monster," from Weber's "Oberon"; two groups of songs, and "Dich Theure Halle," from "Tannhäuser."
16The orchestra played the "William Tell" overture, the "Peer Gynt" suite, "Dream Visions" (by Lumbye), "Tannhäuser" march and an arrangement of Scandinavian folk-songs, effectively scored by Mr. Oberhoffer, who, by his able handling of the instrumentation, has made an interesting selection from these melancholy Lieder.
18The large audience of enthusiastic friends and the almost unlimited armfuls of rare flowers must have been very flattering to the young artist.
20Maud Ulmer Jones, Alma Johnson Porteous, Clara Williams, Frances Vincent, U. S. Kerr and the Minnesota Male Quartet have given selections with the orchestra at the concerts of the Automobile Show the past week.
22The Masonic Quartet—Messrs. Browning, Heath, Marshall and Forbes—gave a successful benefit at Masonic Temple, Tuesday evening. They were assisted by a number of prominent vocalists and W. I. Nolan, impersonator.
24HARTMANN IN PORTLAND, ORE.
25PORTLAND, Ore., March 10, 1907.
27Enthusiasm, such as Arthur Hartmann created, is rarely manifested by Portlanders. The great violinist played to a large audience, and it did not take long for musicians to discover his remarkable abilities. His playing is distinguished both for ripe musicianship and artistic temperament. Hartmann was brought to Oregon by Miss Steers and Miss Coman. This town will want to have Hartmann again, and that soon.
29Another real musical event was the Nash-Mulligan two piano recital, which took place on Saturday evening of last week.
31Jeannie Elsner, formerly a teacher at the Cincinnati College of Music, but of late years an instructor in Honolulu, has arrived in Portland and will remain here for some months to seek rest and recreation.
33W. Gifford Nash presented Erma and Russie Ewart in recital at Eiler's Hall, Saturday afternoon. Miss Erma played numbers by Schmidt, Kuhla, Gruetzmacher and Poldini. Miss Russie performed works by Schumann, Sieveking and MacDowell. The young ladies played in trios, assisted by Mr. Lind and Mr. Discoll.
35William Wallace Graham presented a few of his pupils in a violin recital Wednesday evening at the Graham studios. The players were Gertrude Estabrooke, Gladys Baker, Julia Burke, Lenore Gregory, Willie Chandler, Sue Marshall Larabie, Ada Williams and Arnold Smith.
37Miss Steers and Miss Coman announce Rosenthal in recital on March 12.
39Frances Batchelor, a pupil of Mrs. C. H. Carroll, was heard at a recital at the Heilig Theater last week. Miss Batchelor possesses unmistakable talent and showed throughout a well arranged program the excellent training under Mrs. Carroll's direction. Mrs. Carroll, by the way, contributed an admirable essay to the Sunday Oregonian, in which she made a plea for higher ideals among teachers and students of music.
41EDITH L. NILES.
43Melody and Money.
44(From the New York Sun.)
46The spectacle of our two great impresarios, Messrs Conried and Hammerstein, locked in deadly conflict over an Italian tenor, a mere song bird, as the Wagnerians would contemptuously call him, is more than interesting. It is, in fact, profoundly significant. We may pass over the question of the real merits of the case. That will be attended to in court and the sordid details will be known in due season.
48It is no secret at this time of day that the artistic temperament does not forbid the thought of thrift, or wholly exclude the idea of a very brilliant and rapacious talent in that line. Our experience of great singers, male and female both, has enabled us to believe that the most sensitive and delicately adjusted machinery of melody can pounce upon a dollar with as much accuracy and fervor as any ravening usurer ever dreamed of employing in his business. Have we not seen Lohengrin loading up with beer and "sour beef" and limburger? Have we not overheard last night's Marguerite denouncing the demerits of the sauerkraut with Frankfurter on the side? Siegfried, fresh from conquest over the papier-mâché dragoon, can bargain shrewdly enough with his weary Jehu; and Leonora, who has just caused us to shed real tears, will get into her personal and private clothes and drive a wretched innkeeper to the verge of ruin. We know all about the artistic temperament. So do the money changers—to their sorrow.
50There is nothing novel, therefore, in Signor Bonci's strike for better wages. It might have been expected. But why, in this temple of the higher musical cult, should an Italian tenor who can only sing, and who represents nothing more than the cheap, inferior platitudes of Verdi, Auber, Donizetti, and so forth, inspire a squabble between the two eminent caterers to New York's musical convictions? Can it be that New York, with all its culture, prefers the Manrico whose voice rings out from the donjon tower to the Siegfried who bawls from his boulder in the dragon's gulch? Or have we had too much of the nobler and more exhausting atmosphere of Wagner's dizzy altitudes?
52We give it up. That is to say, we transfer the conundrum to a more competent and enlightened court. Evidently New York is besieging the places where there are sweet voices and intelligible music. Our townsmen and townswomen concur in demanding the kind of song and music that they can understand—the kind that makes lumps in their more or less ignorant throats and causes shivers to run up and down their benighted backs.
54We seem to be declining on a lower scale—or are we ascending to loftier and more human levels?
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