Books › Musical Courier 1909-05-05: Vol 58 Iss 18, 1909 › scan 41
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Musical Courier 1909-05-05: Vol 58 Iss 18, 1909
26 lines. Read by computer on 26 September 2026. Printed page 42. See the scan on archive.org.
1PHILADELPHIA, Pa., May 3, 1909.
3Although the Metropolitan and Manhattan Opera forces have been scattered to the four corners of the earth for a time, there is still an occasional opportunity to hear grand opera of no mean order in this city. Beginning tonight, the Ivan Abramson Italian Opera Company will take possession of the Chestnut Street Opera House for a two weeks' engagement, presenting "Aida," "Carmen," "Lucia di Lammermoor," "Il Trovatore," "La Traviata," "Faust," "Cavalleria Rusticana" and "I Pagliacci." Those who remember the excellent work of this company when it sang at the Academy of Music and Grand Opera House will be eager to attend these performances.
5Another operatic performance that claims the intense interest and most loyal support of every music loving Philadelphian is the Philadelphia Operatic Society's spring performance at the Academy of Music, May 21. In a couple of years this organization has made a wonderful name for itself as the largest, most ambitious and most successful amateur operatic society in the country, and probably in the world. In the matter of carefully drilled fresh-voiced choruses, three hundred strong, no professional opera company can begin to compete with the society's work, while the ease, ability and stage presence of the principals, all of our own city, have been scarcely less wonderful. In fact, there is a pleasure in hearing and seeing an opera, as artistically presented by these enthusiasts, which has never been experienced when listening to the greatest professional organizations, for here all is art and enthusiasm. Every member sings for the love of singing. There is no money in the thing—simply work and hard work, with the joy of work for the only reward. At this spring performance a double bill will be presented. "Hoshi-San," a Japanese opera by Wassili Leps, who is well known as a Philadelphia musician, whose compositions have been played by the Philadelphia Orchestra with success; indeed, Mr. Leps has had the honor of conducting this orchestra on more than one occasion, and is a warm admirer and close friend of Carl Pohlig. The other opera to be heard will be the ever popular "Cavalleria Rusticana." The soloists will include Isabel Buchanan, Marie Zeckwer, F. C. Fremantel, Horace R. Hood, J. Shuttleworth, W. Garrell Rodgers, Thomas Mohr, John Lamond, Nancis France, Lola C. Parker, Rebecca Conway, George Dundas, Carl H. Robinson. Wassili Leps will conduct "Hoshi-San" and S. Behrens, local representative of the Metropolitan Opera Company, will conduct "Cavalleria."
7A concert of excellent parts and great variety took place at Witherspoon Hall Thursday evening, April 29. Those taking part were Bourke Sullivan, bass; Mary Smith, soprano; the Hahn String Quartet and Ellis Clark Hamann, pianist. The first number on the program was "Three Bohemian Folk Songs" by Suk, strange, sad, yet passionate, exquisitely played by the Hahn Quartet. This was followed by Mr. Sullivan in a group of songs which showed to advantage the charm and manly quality of his voice. Following came solos, vocal duets, and numbers for strings. Those which seemed to give the most pleasure being a concert etude by Sinigaglia and a soprano solo by Miss Smith, "Ah non Credea—Ah non Giunge" from "Sonnambula." Very beautiful also were Mr. Sullivan's singing of "Bonjour Suzon," Pessard, and Miss Smith's "A Gift from You," by D'Hardelot, with violin obligato, played by Frederick Hahn. The sympathetic accompanying of Ellis Clark Hamann added very greatly to the general excellence of the concert.
9Marie Zeckwer, who is shortly to be heard in one of the leading parts of the new opera "Hoshi-San" at the Academy of Music, with the Philadelphia Operatic Society, is now under the management of Haensel & Jones, 1 East Forty-second street, New York.
11Sunday evening, May 2, Haydn's oratorio, "The Creation," was given at the First Baptist Church. When the brown old earth is waking up to put on its covering of green and creation seems to be taking place anew, Haydn's masterpiece is indeed most appropriate and timely. At Sunday's performance the solo parts were sung by Isabel Buchanan, soprano; Nelson Chestnut, tenor, and Edwin Evans, bass.
13The Sternberg School of Music gave its nineteenth annual matinee at Witherspoon Hall Saturday, May 1. The audience filled the hall, and enthusiasm for the work of the school as a whole and of the many pupils who took part in the program, was felt to be in the very air. While the school's work for the year is by no means over, the closing date not being until June 26, it seemed as though this concert was really a climax of the season's work, and so the enthusiasm and approval of the fathers, mothers and friends seemed to say, "Well done, student, and well done, teacher. This year's work has not been in vain." On the program were part songs, choruses, piano solos, duets, quartets, and sextets, vocal solos and concerted numbers for piano and orchestra, among which were the Grieg concerto and the Schumann concerto. Other numbers of special interest were a trio for violin, piano and 'cello, a Beethoven sonata for piano, a chorus by Elgar with orchestral accompaniment and a Liszt tarantelle for piano. Those taking part were Carl Doering, Robert C. Brown, I. Cahan, Mary Warfel, Marie Sweeney, Fernando Lacombe, Miriam Baker, Bessie Wolinger, Anna MacCardle, Dorothy Chestnut, Frances Stewart, Alberta Uhle, Nettie Barron, Gertrude Traubel, Emily Cressman, Harry Day, Julio Lacombe, Dorothy Cannon, Ione Harr, Helen Patterson, Rose Levin, Ethel McCall, Rhoda Foley, Helen Schell, Harriet Renshaw, Dorothy Codling, Alice Conkling, Helen Fry, Fernando Lacombe, Jacob Goldsmith, Elizabeth Deardorff, Eleanor Coates, Frances Codling and Eleanor Smith.
15Vesta William Potts, contralto, was heard in a concert given Friday evening at the Oliver Bair Building. Miss Potts sang a number of pleasing selections. Assisting were Harold B. Stahler, baritone; Dorothy Johnstone, harpist; Bertrand Austin, cellist, and William Thunder, pianist.
17Saturday afternoon, May 1, a recital was given by pupils of the Combs Conservatory of Music in the concert hall of the conservatory. The pupils participating were Hazel Rapp, Helen Sharkey, Elsie Haines, Helen Hoopes, Sara Lemer, Ruth Row, Edna Milnes, Elizabeth Lachman and Joseph Denny. The program included two waltzes and a nocturne by Chopin, violin and piano sonata by Grieg, the Mendelssohn violin concerto, "The Awakening of Spring" by Sinding, and an impromptu mazurka by Lack.
19Perley Dunn Aldrich, coacher and instructor of professional singers, has always had a great love for the sea, which in the past has always hurried him to the shore at the first touch of warm weather. He is usually followed by a number of pupils who have the time in summer to work up concert and recital programs for the coming season. So this year Mr. Aldrich has built himself a charming home at Sunny Ventnor (Atlantic City), where he will take pupils from June until the middle of August.
21That most loyal support of the Philadelphia Orchestra, the "Women's Auxiliary," held its annual meeting at the Orpheus Club rooms Thursday, April 29. Here the members went over the details of the season just closed and could not help expressing satisfaction at the most successful season of symphonic music ever held in Philadelphia. Then the auxiliary turned its attention to the future—to the orchestra's coming season, which will be the tenth. Plans to interest the music lovers of Tioga and other suburbs and to establish sub-committees were made, and the work of these noble women, who gladly sacrifice time and money for the cause of musical art, will be carried on right through the summer and fall. Mrs. A. J. Dallas Dixon was elected president, and Mrs. Elizabeth H. Arnett secretary for the coming year.
23Ralph Kinder has resumed his Sunday evening organ recitals at Holy Trinity Church, having recovered from his illness. His program for May 1 included sonata No. 3, Guilman; "Cantique D'Amour," Lemare; grand offertoire in G, Wely; melody in F, Rubinstein.
25Aid for poor consumptives is the inspiring motive of an entertainment of unusual interest and excellence that is to be given in the Academy of Music Friday evening, May 14, and Saturday afternoon, May 15. About five hundred children's voices will be heard in a work for
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