Books › Musical Courier 1908-04-01: Vol 56 Iss 14, 1908 › scan 31
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Musical Courier 1908-04-01: Vol 56 Iss 14, 1908
68 lines. Read by computer on 24 September 2026. Printed page 32. See the scan on archive.org.
1Tuesday evening, April 14, teems with good musical numbers, and Miss Dewing's intelligence, coupled with her fleetness and surety of technic, will insure work worth hearing. Her pieces will be these: Toccata, Schumann; prelude and fugue, F minor, Bach; rhapsody, B minor, op. 79, No. 1, Brahms; intermezzo, E flat major, op. 117, No. 1, Brahms; capriccio, B minor, op. 76, No. 2, Brahms; "La Campanella," F sharp major, Paganini-Liszt, and sonata, B minor, op. 58, Chopin.
3Jessie Davis' concert on March 26 was one of the pleasant musical events of the season. Steinert Hall held an enthusiastic and representative audience. The two assisting artists, Leon Rennay, baritone, and Henry Eichheim, violinist, were added attractions. Miss Davis' good playing is always appreciated by music lovers here. The Faure sonata, played by Miss Davis and Mr. Eichheim, in its four movements was a fine introduction to an interesting program. Mr. Rennay sang a number of songs in all moods and with excellent diction, the latter showing him as par excellence.
5Miss Davis played solos by Gluck-Brahms, Debussy and Chopin. Miss Davis showed her audience a fine appreciation of the sprightly rhythmic gavotte, of the reposeful beauty of the "Clair de Lune" and the Chopin pieces. Her clarity of tone was sure, yet there was always the elusive suggestion, which made her work attractive. The concert was much enjoyed by all present.
7Stephen Townsend's final recital for the season was given on last Wednesday evening before an audience generous in numbers and lavish in applause for his work. There were stirring songs, songs of delicate sentiment and those of human interest—all of which kept the audience intently interested. Mr. Townsend excels in the dramatic type, and yet as well in the tender, sentimental bits which he interprets in his own way. His rendering of "My Lovely Celia" was not sung in his best vein, however, nor were a couple of others, but the balance, "Songs My Mother Taught Me," "Flow Gently, Sweet Afton," "Who Knows" (Max Heinrich) and "Archibald Douglas," the latter finely dramatic, made up for the other minor defects. Why does Mr. Townsend confine himself so closely to English songs? It would be pleasant to hear him in more German, French and Italian airs. Nowadays the artist must acknowledge his versatility.
9The second Lenten recital of Wilhelm Heinrich was at the Tuileries on Wednesday morning with a large number of friends and patronesses present. Mr. Heinrich spoke of his personal acquaintance with the two composers represented on his program, Max Reger and Claude Debussy, incidentally showing how the two men differed in their compositions, and he treated the listeners also to the story of "Strampelchen," afterward singing it to the delight of all. The playing of his own accompaniments gave pleasure. The last recital to be given by this singer will have a program of songs by Benjamin Whelpley and D'Indy, with Marguerite Palmuter Forrest, of New York, assisting.
11The program of songs, old and new, by Clayton Johns, given at the hall of the Twentieth Century Club on Wednesday afternoon, was sung by Lilla Ormond, with piano solos played by Louis Bachner. Mr. Johns' songs were: "Flower of the Rue," "The Love that I Bring to Thee," "The Lady of the Lagoon," "Scythe Song," "The Moon of Roses," two negro romances—"Malindy" and "Emmeline," five children's songs—"Morning," "The First Rose of Summer," "A Fable," "Heroes" and "The Elf and the Dormouse" (the words of each by Oliver Herford); "I Little Know or Care," "The Sun Kissed the Clover," "Roses, Roses," and "Tell Me, Tell Me, Marguerite."
13Asbury Temple, Waltham, held a most interested audience on Tuesday evening. It was the occasion of Robert Jones Belue's pupils' concert, assisted by Wilson Price, pianist (member of the Faéltin Pianoforte School); William Howard, violinist; Carl Webster, cellist; Hugh Huffman, baritone, and Roy Cropper, boy soprano. There was a good program presented, closing with Raff's trio for piano, violin and cello, G major, op. 112, played by Messrs. Price, Howard and Webster. The Faëltin system, of which Mr. Belue is an excellent exponent, was well displayed in the good technic, rhythm and poetic phrasing by all who played. The program showed that much hard work had been done by Mr. Belue's pupils and was enjoyed by a large audience.
15A series of informal musicales given by the pupils of John Orth, at Steinert Hall, during the season are being enjoyed by large audiences. That of Saturday afternoon was furnished by Edgar S. Potter, Emma Leavis, Blanche Melanson and Charlotte Broughton, assisted by Miss Pierce, a very talented vocal pupil of Ivan Morowski, who sang Chadwick's "Before the Dawn" and Fisher's "Under the Rose." Mr. Orth gave dignity and interest to the program by his playing of these numbers: "Humoresque," Bird; nocturne, Chopin; "Concert Etude," Kullak; "Kreisleriana," Nos. 1 and 3; "Consolation," in E major, Liszt; polonaise, in A flat, Chopin.
17The Friday and Saturday Boston Symphony Orchestra concerts were conducted by Mr. Wendling, instead of Dr. Muck, whose right arm has been disabled for a time through neuritis. The program at both rehearsal and concert was: Symphonic poem, "Penthesilea," Wolf; concerto in E flat major, No. 1, for piano, Liszt; symphony No. 5 in E minor, Tchaikowsky. Olga Samaroff was the soloist, and, as usual, her work was distinctive for its artistic side. Madame Samaroff will not be heard here again prior to her sailing for Europe.
19Wednesday evening, April 1, Louise Daniel, of the New England Conservatory of Music, will be heard in Beethoven's sonata; the ballade in G minor; nocturne in C sharp minor; valse in D flat; scherzo, op. 20, by Chopin; Faure's nocturne, op. 33, No. 1; Davidoff-Vogrich's "At the Fountain" and Rubinstein's valse caprice. On Saturday, the 28th, several pupils of the conservatory will be heard in an interesting set of piano pieces and vocal numbers. Annie Woods McCleary, of Maine, will be heard in Liszt's concerto in A major.
21Hiram G. Tucker, for fourteen years organist at the Second Church, Copley square, has been engaged by the Unitarian Church, the Rev. Dr. Jaynes, pastor, of West Newton, Mass., as organist for the coming season. Mr. Tucker's long and faithful work at the Second Church has been most highly endorsed by both the members and musical committee of that organization.
23Bertha Wesselhoeft Swift announces a song recital for children at Chickering Hall on Saturday afternoon. She will be assisted by Alice Creech, who is a most expert story teller. Miss Swift's former successes in singing children's songs assure a big welcome for her by both old and young.
25Mme. Alexander Marius gave a recital of French songs and a talk on diction and interpretation before the Listeners' Club, of Providence, last week. Madame Marius has also been engaged in lecture work at Brown University this winter.
27The Lister Chorus, Robert N. Lister, director, will give the second concert in the People's Temple oratorio course on this Monday evening. "The Creation" will be sung, with Mrs. Lister, soprano; George J. Parker, tenor; L. P. Shawe, bass. Mr. Corney, organist, will assist.
29The Handel and Haydn Society's Easter Sunday performance, April 19, will be "Samson and Delilah." Madame de Cisneros, of the Manhattan Opera Company; George Hamlin and Emilio de Gogorza will be the soloists of the occasion.
31John Crogan Manning will sail for Paris June 2, where he will spend the summer term in study and travel.
33Felix Fox's final chamber concert, which was booked for April 6, in Steinert Hall, has been indefinitely postponed. This will be regretted by Mr. Fox's many admirers.
35April 22 is the date set for the joint recital of two interesting blind musicians—Christine la Barraque, soprano, and Frank O'Brien, pianist. The recital will take place in Steinert Hall.
37Lilla Ormond and George Copeland assisted musically at the function tendered last week the Salon Francais by a Back Bay matron. Miss Ormond took the place of Alice Huston Stevens, who was ill, and she sang several French songs.
39May 10 there will be a grand concert by the united German male choruses of Boston for the benefit of the Old People's Home. Benjamin Guckenberger will be the director.
41Carl Sobeski, who has been making a concert tour in Mexico and Texas, gave a song program in El Paso, Tex., on the evening of March 20. Mr. Sobeski was assisted by a local cellist, and was very successful.
43To the attractive West End studio quarters of John Beach a small but congenial company was bidden on Sunday afternoon to hear some music. Hazel Wood, a young contralto, sang with all of the necessary charm of personality as well as of voice which does more than mere vocalizing. She is a pupil of Laura E. Morrill, of New York, but is spending the winter in Boston. Her songs were from Hugo Wolff, Saint-Saëns and two attractive local writers, Percy Atherton and John Beach, all sung with a warm richness of tone and true interpretation such as to make her stormily encored. Mr. Beach played pieces by Brahms, a charming bit called "Moonlight," written by his friend, Arthur Farwell, and one of Scriabine's compositions, with good melodic swing, and added one of his own compositions to the pleasure of old Minneapolis friends who were present and who had not heard it at his recent recital here. A spacious fireplace with flickering flames and the serving of coffee gave added pleasure to the musical hour spent.
45The St. Botolph's eighth concert was given on Sunday afternoon in the form of a program of interesting songs sung by Earl Cartwright, baritone, with J. A. Colburn as the accompanist. Mr. Cartwright's songs comprised the German, Russian Old English and American, and gave much genuine pleasure to the guests. "Bist du bei mir," Bach; "After," Elgar; "Summer Noon," Lang; "Don Juan's Serenade," Tschaikowsky; "Die Post," Schubert; "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes," Foote; "The Lover's Pledge," Strauss; "Stille Tränen," Schumann; "The Slighted Swain," Old English; and others, made up the program.
47WYLANA BLANCHE HUDSON.
49OPERA NOTES.
51Nordica sang at a Lenten musicale in the Plaza Hotel given by Nahan Franko.
53Verdi's "Otello" and "Falstaff," together with "Tosca," "Boheme" and "Madam Butterfly" are likely to be done at the Manhattan next year.
55Campanini has eclipsed all records as a conductor of grand opera, as far as actual work is concerned. One hundred and ten operas have been given at the Manhattan Opera, fifty-seven of which were French and sixty-three Italian. All of these, with the exception of some half dozen, were presided over by Campanini, and of the twenty-three different ones that have appeared this season all were prepared by the maestro for their appearance. Five of these operas were entirely new to Campanini, but the others he had conducted before. Besides this he prepared and conducted nineteen Sunday night concerts.
57At the Conried benefit in the Metropolitan last week the receipts were declared to be $19,000. The directors presented Conried with a silver loving cup.
59Gerville-Reache, of the Manhattan Opera, was the principal singer at the entertainment given in the Hotel Astor on Thursday for the benefit of the Ecole Maternelle Francaise. She is especially interested in the charity work of this French organization in New York.
61Within the next fortnight there will be a meeting of the directors of the Metropolitan Opera and Real Estate Company, at which time appropriate resolutions, now being prepared, on the death of the late George H. Haven, president of the corporation, will be adopted. The regular meeting of the Metropolitan Opera and Real Estate Company will be held on May 12, when the annual election of directors and officers will take place. It is quite likely that Charles Lanier, the vice president, will be elected to the presidency to succeed Mr. Haven.
63At the last meeting of the Association of Theater Managers it was voted to give a dinner for Heinrich Conried after he has retired from the directorship of the Metropolitan. Daniel Frohman was appointed a committee to notify Mr. Conried, which he did in a letter a few days ago. By the advice of his physician, Mr. Conried declined the invitation, and in his letter of thanks explained that his present state of health will not permit him to subject himself to undue exertion or excitement.
65At the "Andrea Chenier" performance last Friday the event was in every way a Campanini night, as it was called on the program. Madame Campanini sang the chief female role and her husband conducted. After the second act the curtain was raised on a table covered with flowers, wreaths and presents for Campanini. Hammerstein and his conductor were called on for speeches, and the former complied. He said: "Campanini is the greatest leader in the world." Enthusiastic applause greeted the sentiment. Among the presents received by Campanini were a diamond watch fob from Zenatello, the tenor; two thermos bottles from Ancona, two diamond mounted cigar cutters from Bressler-Gianoli and her husband; a diamond pin from Zuro, the chorus master; a set of coffee cups from Mugnoz, and an array of other useful and glittering articles. Stage Manager Coini made the presentation speech.
67Hammerstein received a loving cup from his artists after the final performance of the Manhattan season's last Saturday evening.
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