Scan 6
Musical Courier 1909-03-17: Vol 58 Iss 11, 1909
47 lines. Read by computer on 25 September 2026, twice; the two readings disagreed in places. Printed page 7. 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.
1ADDITIONAL BERLIN NEWS.
3LUITPOLD ST., 24.
4BERLIN, W., February 28, 1909.
6One of the mooted questions of the day is the year of Chopin's birth. Grove's Dictionary gives 1809 and most biographies give the same year. At present the newspapers of Europe are full of articles commenting on the 100th anniversary of the great composer's birth, and most of these writers give the year as 1809. In Chopin's certificate of birth, which was discovered in Kraukau by Ferdinand Hoesick, the Chopin biographer, we have incontrovertible documentary evidence that the great Polish creative poet of the piano was born in 1810, and not in 1809. The certificate of birth referred to, which settles the matter once for all, is an interesting document. Curiously enough, it gives three different spellings of the composer's name—Choppen, in the certificate of birth itself, Chopyn in the certificate of baptism written by the pastor and Chopin in the signature of the father. The document is written in Latin and reads as follows:
8"Annus 1810, 23. Aprili Ego, qui supra supplevi ceremonias super infantem baptisatum ex aqua bini nominis Friedericum Franciscum, natum die 22. Februarii, Magnificorum Nicolai Choppen et Justinae de Krzyzanowska Legitimorum Conjugum Patrini Magnificus Franciscus Grembecki cum Magnifica Domina Anna Skarbowna Contessa de Zelazowa Wola."
10Under this is written in the Polish language the following:
12"In the year one thousand eight hundred and ten, on the twenty-third of the month of April at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Before us, the pastor charged with the directing of the Registration of Civil Acts in the Congregation of Brochow, District of Sochaczew, in the Department of Warsaw, appeared Nikolaus Chopyn, the father, 40 years old, living in the village of Zelazowa Wola, who showed us a child of the male sex, which came into the world in his house on the twenty-second of February of the current year at 6 o'clock in the evening, born to him and his wife, Justine, née Krzyzanowska, 28 years old, which he wishes to have baptized with the two names, Frederic Franz.
14(Signed) PASTOR JAN DUCHNOWSKI
15NIKOLAY CHOPIN, Father."
17A remarkable discovery has been made in the archives of the firm of Breitkopf & Haertel. Johann Gottlieb Breitkopf, the son of the founder of the firm, collected a large number of old manuscripts during the second half of the eighteenth century, and among these have been found two hitherto utterly unknown violin concertos by Joseph Haydn. These manuscripts were purchased in 1790. In an old catalogue of the firm of Breitkopf & Haertel, dated 1790, the two concertos are mentioned, with a few notes of the principal theme of the first movement of each, and it is by means of this ancient catalogue that the identity of the two concertos has been beyond per adventure established. Strange that these works should come to light after having been forgotten for 140 years! The concertos were written for Luigi Tomasini, the concertmaster of Prince Esterhazy's orchestra. The one is in C major and the other in G major. No one, on looking them over, can for a moment doubt their authenticity, for old Grandpapa Haydn speaks out of every bar. C major is rather an unusual key for a violin concerto; Spohr chose it for one of his fifteen concertos, but generally composers for the violin have eschewed it. Of the two Haydn concertos, I prefer the one in C, although both are charming works. The opening violin solo of the first movement is of an inspiring, martial character and the passage work lies well and sounds well. The slow movement, an adagio in F, is of genuine Haydn tenderness and simplicity. Paul Klengel has written cadenzas to both movements. The finale is much weaker than the other two movements. The other concerto has been edited and provided with cadenzas by Philipp Scharwenka. It, too, is a grateful and sprightly work. These two concertos have just appeared in print and have aroused great interest among the violin playing fraternity. They are soon to be heard here in public. They were written by Haydn between 1776 and 1766. Between the years 1800 and 1809 the firm of Breitkopf & Haertel published Haydn's complete works. The original edition of his oratorio, "The Creation," was published by Haydn himself, but the plates were soon purchased by Breitkopf & Haertel and they became the real publishers of the work. These old plates were used until 1871. The same firm also published "The Seasons," paying the composer 4,500 florins for the work—an enormous price in those days (1802). Haydn himself was very much pleased with the edition of "The Seasons." As he expressed it: "Sie sey rein, elegant, deutlich, nichts sey daran gespart und das Kupfer sei 'gar e lieber Narr.' He also declares "dass ihn noch kein teutscher Buchhändler so behandelt habe." In June, 1804, Haydn said to Griesinger: "Write Haertel that he will probably get my last note." This prophecy came true. Haydn's last composition was a string quartet which was never finished. The first two movements he wrote in 1803, and he fully intended to complete the work, but after letting it rest for three years he finally gave up hope of ever writing anything more. He gave the original manuscript of this quartet to Griesinger in 1806, saying it was his last child, but still it looked very much like him. Haydn died in Vienna on May 31, 1809, in his seventy-sixth year. one of two readings
18A remarkable discovery has been made in the archives of the firm of Breitkopf & Haertel. Johann Gottlieb Breitkopf, the son of the founder of the firm, collected a large number of old manuscripts during the second half of the eighteenth century, and among these have been found two hitherto utterly unknown violin concertos by Joseph Haydn. These manuscripts were purchased in 1790. In an old catalogue of the firm of Breitkopf & Haertel, dated 1790, the two concertos are mentioned, with a few notes of the principal theme of the first movement of each, and it is by means of this ancient catalogue that the identity of the two concertos has been beyond per adventure established. Strange that these works should come to light after having been forgotten for 140 years! The concertos were written for Luigi Tomasini, the concertmaster of Prince Esterhazy's orchestra. The one is in C major and the other in G major. No one, on looking them over, can for a moment doubt their authenticity, for old Grandpapa Haydn speaks out of every bar. C major is rather an unusual key for a violin concerto; Spohr chose it for one of his fifteen concertos, but generally composers for the violin have eschewed it. Of the two Haydn concertos, I prefer the one in C, although both are charming works. The opening violin solo of the first movement is of an inspiring, martial character and the passage work lies well and sounds well. The slow movement, an adagio in F, is of genuine Haydn tenderness and simplicity. Paul Klengel has written cadenzas to both movements. The finale is much weaker than the other two movements. The other concerto has been edited and provided with cadenzas by Philipp Scharwenka. It, too, is a grateful and sprightly work. These two concertos have just appeared in print and have aroused great interest among the violin playing fraternity. They are soon to be heard here in public. They were written by Haydn between 1776 and 1766. Between the years 1800 and 1809 the firm of Breitkopf & Haertel published Haydn's complete works. The original edition of his oratorio, "The Creation," was published by Haydn himself, but the plates were soon purchased by Breitkopf & Haertel and they became the real publishers of the work. These old plates were used until 1871. The same firm also published "The Seasons," paying the composer 4,500 florins for the work—an enormous price in those days (1802). Haydn himself was very much pleased with the edition of "The Seasons." As he expressed it: "Sie sey rein, elegant, deutlich, nichts sey daran gespart und das Kupfer sei 'gar e lieber Narr.'" He also declares "dass ihn noch kein teutscher Buchhändler so behandelt habe." In June, 1804, Haydn said to Griesinger: "Write Haertel that he will probably get my last note." This prophecy came true. Haydn's last composition was a string quartet which was never finished. The first two movements he wrote in 1803, and he fully intended to complete the work, but after letting it rest for three years he finally gave up hope of ever writing anything more. He gave the original manuscript of this quartet to Griesinger in 1806, saying it was his last child, but still it looked very much like him. Haydn died in Vienna on May 31, 1809, in his seventy-sixth year. one of two readings
20Among the concerts of the week a novelty evening given by the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde at the Philharmonie on Monday, with the assistance of the Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of Oskar Fried, was one of the most important. Ludwig Metzl's symphony in C sharp minor, Volkmar Andreae's symphonic fantasy, "Schwermut-Entruckung-Vision"; Sigmund von Hausegger's "Marsch der Toten" and Oskar Fried's "Erntelied" made up the program. Metzl's new symphony shows that the young Russian composer has made great progress since his last symphonic work was heard here. His ideas are more beautiful, more original, and he has acquired greater independence of utterance; his harmonic treatment is interesting and his instrumentation is admirable. The influence of Wagner and Tchaikowsky is still felt in this symphony, but there is so much originality and so much instinct for the characteristic and the beautiful that one feels justified in predicting that Metzl will some day give the world a work of great and lasting value. The Andreae symphonic fantasy was heard at the Frankfort Music Festival in 1904; I still recall the vivid impression the work made on me at that time. There is a great deal in it that reveals the period of storm and stress—a great deal of fermentation—yet it shows that the young Swiss composer has ideas in abundance and a brilliant flight of fantasy. Hausegger's "March of the Dead," for male chorus and orchestra, is a serious short work, full of character. Fried made the greatest hit of the evening with his "Erntelied." He imitates the sweep of the windmill wings with the harsh sounding motive in fifths, which forcibly suggests the mood of the poem. The real effect of the piece is produced, however, by the tremendous climax in the last verse; Fried held his forces well in hand and worked up to this very skillfully and effectively.
22On Wednesday evening the large hall of the Philharmonic was filled with a brilliant, cosmopolitan audience, which had gathered together to greet Marcella Sembrich, the illustrious songbird, about whose farewell appearance at the Metropolitan so much has been written here of late in the daily papers. The program of the Sembrich concert, which was given with the assistance of the Philharmonic Orchestra, under the leadership of Dr. Kunwald, was of the kind in vogue a generation ago. It was the kind of program to afford the average listener far more enjoyment than the so called "eineinlich" programs so beloved of the endless lieder singers. I can see no particular virtue in singing during the entire evening Loewe or Wolf; why should not there be variety and change and contrast in the program of a song recital? The celebrated diva sang Mozart's "Il re pastore," the big "Traviata" aria; a group of lieder, and her old war-horse, Strauss' "Voices of Spring." In the Mozart number she was evidently nervous and her singing was not up to the standard one is accustomed to with her. But in the other works, quite especially in the Strauss waltz, she was superb. Her voice sounded wonderfully fresh and sweet; it still retains all the bloom of youth, and her coloratura is unexcelled. It is a well known fact that Sembrich is a splendid musician, and that she has an absolutely perfect ear, yet she occasionally deviated from the key on Wednesday evening. Her success was enormous, and at the conclusion of the program she added an aria from "Lucia" and Chopin's "Chant Polonaise," which she accompanied herself; she also sang several other encores during the evening. Her piano accompaniments were admirably played by Frank La Forge. He knew all of the songs by heart, and as he had thoroughly mastered them technically, he was free to follow the singer, which he did with remarkable fidelity. The lied as rendered by these two was a unity. Dr. Kunwald contributed to the evening's enjoyment by performing three orchestra numbers, namely, Weber's "Oberon" overture and "Invitation to the Dance," in the Berlioz orchestration, and Schubert's "Rosamund" overture. Kunwald, who recently scored a triumph in Moscow, was in fine fettle, and his renditions of these three favorite works left nothing to be desired.
24Two American girls made their debut during the week. Florence Huebner, of Seattle, appeared as soloist at the Sunday night concert of the B'uthner Orchestra under Ferdinand Neisser, playing Schytte's concerto in C sharp minor. This young lady has a very fluent, reliable tech-
26JOSEPH HAYDN.
27Sketched from life in 1799 by V. G. Kiningen.
29William C. Carl
30INSTRUCTION IN THE ART OF
31ORGAN PLAYING
32N.B. Students can register for organ lessons at the Guilman Organ School without taking other subjects. Mr. Carl personally instructs each student.
3334 WEST 12th STREET.
34NEW YORK
36DR. LUDWIG WUELLNER
37The GREAT GERMAN LIEDER SINGER, with
38COENRAAD V. BOS, Accompanist
39In America, November, 1908, to April, 1909
40FOR BOOKINGS WEST OF CHICAGO, ADDRESS
41F. WIGHT NEUMANN
42Auditorium Building, Chicago, Ill.
43SOLE MANAGEMENT
44M. H. HANSON
45CARNEGIE HALL NEW YORK
46Telephone, 6973 Columbus
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