Books › Musical Courier 1913-12-10: Vol 67 Iss 24, 1913 › scan 50
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Musical Courier 1913-12-10: Vol 67 Iss 24, 1913
62 lines. Read by computer on 25 September 2026. Printed page 51. See the scan on archive.org.
1Oscar Seagle Encomiums.
3Oscar Seagle, the noted baritone now touring the country, was tendered the following laudatory press reviews following a recent appearance at Cedar Rapids, Ia.:
5Oscar Seagle, the distinguished American baritone concerning whose artistic singing we have heard so much that is good, appeared before a Cedar Rapids audience for the first time last night. He is recognized as one of the best exponents of the pure bel canto singing. His voice is beautiful and the ease with which his tones are produced is admirable. The singer can produce a light tone or a big one with the same melodious quality and evenness of tone. The French songs, especially the old ones, he sings with a charm and finish that is seldom equaled, and in last night's program these songs predominated and were models of artistic singing. The German songs were all distinguished by fine musicianship and unforced melodic beauty, and the English songs were charming.
7The audience was so enthusiastic that four extra encores were demanded at the close of the program.
9The pianist was a young Frenchman, Yves Nat, who has been with Mr. Seagle for several seasons and whom he considers one of the musical geniuses of France. Mr. Seagle is the only singer he ever accompanies, for he is not an accompanist but an artist, and in the Chopin and Liszt numbers which he played last night he demonstrated this fact beyond a doubt. As a child pianist he played in all the cities of the Continent and Great Britain, and in the years he has been with Mr. Seagle the two have developed in their musical life until their work as singer and pianist is ideally complete.—Cedar Rapids Gazette, November 22, 1913.
11The second concert of the Choral Union was made notable by the appearance of Oscar Seagle, the American baritone whose reputation is being solidly established by singing of the highest type. The recital Friday evening made an impression on this community that will be used in future as a criterion to measure artistic singing by. A high baritone voice, fine in texture, rich in quality, a voice susceptible to every gradation from a mellow pianissimo to a ringing forte; a mind alive to the artistic values of song; a temperament that animates every utterance with emotional life—these things form Oscar Seagle, the singer.
13The program opened with an inimitable example of Mozart singing: "Non piu andrai" was the aria and its clean musical treatment by Mr. Seagle struck the keynote of the evening. Two charming French songs followed. The absolute ease of delivery and the delicate grace with which they were invested evoked instant applause. These were succeeded by two songs by Debussy. In this whole group of French songs the singer disclosed the most intimate knowledge of the elusive lightness that underlies so large a portion of French songs.
15It did not seem possible that a voice so full of velvet could take on such virile quality as Mr. Seagle revealed in the next group.
17Encores for both groups were required to satisfy the enthusiasm of the audience.
19Mr. Seagle reached a wonderful level of sustained singing in the "Provenzalische Lied" of Schumann, which followed Brahms' "Standchen," a polished product as sung by him. "Alte Liebe," by the same composer was big. The group was so excellent it did not seem possible to dwarf it by an encore, but such was the case. The aria from the "Roi de Lahore" was given with such convincing beauty that one was almost persuaded that Massenet is a bigger composer than Brahms or Schumann, and we confess we hold the places of these composers sacred. One wonders how this artist can keep out of opera when he delivers these arias with so much vigorous beauty, but the more finely modelled songs make us rejoice that he has chosen the concert field.
21A group of Chopin brought forward as soloist M. Nat, who had been playing most excellent accompaniments. M. Nat possesses most astounding facility, and a way of reaching his audience astonishing in one so young. One may not believe all he utters, but argument is quite out of the question, his brilliant style of sweeping over all kinds of obstacles irresistible. He begins and one does not breathe until he finishes.—Cedar Rapids Sunday Republican.
23(Advertisement.)
25Chicago Tributes to Flonzaleys.
27"One has grown to expect a great deal of this extraordinary quartet," said the Chicago Tribune in referring to the Flonzaley appearance in Chicago, November 24, "and expectations are seldom disappointed. Certainly they were not at this appearance, which left the impression of as high a degree of virtuosity as even the Flonzaleys can present." Continuing, the Chicago paper goes on as follows:
29That is the most striking feature of their work—the fact that each member of the group is a virtuoso of note, yet sufficiently self-effacing to leave the ensemble unmarred by an undue predominance of any of the desks. Such an ensemble is not built in a day. The wonder is it can be built at all.
31And there is an obvious physical feature that plays an important part in the existence of this ensemble. This is the perfect matching of instruments themselves, so perfect that in the fugue the melody is tossed from one to another of the choir with a scarcely discernible change of timbre. In the other string quartets that come to mind this is as far distant as is the peculiar excellence of the players.
33The program offered gave ample opportunity for the setting forth of three distinct schools of music. In some degree its deviser appeared to have made allowance for the expanse of the hall, and to have chosen those with sufficient melody and vigor to overcome that obstruction to the best appreciation of the chamber music's attributes. But there was a deal more than artifice to accomplish this end. There was the singular beauty of the artists, individually and in ensemble.
35"The closing number was the C major quartet of Dvorak, less familiar than several from that pen, but quite as characteristic. Like many of the Dvorak compositions, it is based on a series of related folksongs, presented in varying tempo and in varying forms of development. The closing movement, vivace, carries a particular melodious air, given in turn to each of the instruments, the others supplying a pleasing pizzicato accompaniment. (Advertisement.)
37The best sort of music is what it should be—sacred; the next best, the military, has fallen to the lot of the devil. —Coleridge: "Table Talk," July 6, 1833.
39GEORGE HAMLIN Tenor, Chicago Grand Opera Co. Personal Representative West of Chicago Management: Haensel & Jones Aeolian Hall, New York Miss Alma Voedisch, 3836 Wilton Ave., Chicago GRACE HALL MARY DENNISON (SOPRANO) (VIOLINIST) RIHEL DAFFER AND GAILEY Recitals Address: Russell Bridges Empire Life Bldg., Atlanta, Ga.
41VAN YORX THEO. Tenor Studios: 21 West 38th Street, New York 3701 Murray Hill.
43GIUSEPPE CREATORE And His Band Tour New Booking New York State, New England and Canada FROM FEBRUARY 15th TO MAY 15th, 1914 ADDRESS, 1512 TRIBUNE BUILDING CHICAGO, ILL.
45BISPHAM WHITEHILL BASS-BARITONE Formerly Metropolitan Opera Management: THE WOLFSOHN MUSICAL BUREAU 1 West 34th Street, New York
47You Should Hear LOUISE BARNOLT Prima Donna CONTRALTO OF THE MONTREAL GRAND OPERA IN CONCERT AND RECITAL. ADDRESS: 202 WEST 103rd ST., NEW YORK
49CLAUDE CORINNE
51CUNNINGHAM BARITONE Management: R. E. JOHNSTON 1461 Broadway, Cor. 41st St. New York City
53RIDER-KELSEY SOPRANO Management R. E. JOHNSTON 1461 Broadway Cor. 41st Street NEW YORK CITY
55THE WOLFSOHN MUSICAL BUREAU PRESENTS FOR THE SEASON 1913-1914 BEATRICE HARRISON 'Cellist Whose success in Europe has been phenomenal. Her American début will be with the New York Philharmonic, December 11-12th, and her New York Recital on January 8th. For Dates address THE WOLFSOHN MUSICAL BUREAU 1 West 34th Street New York City
57Dr. William C. Carl personally instructs each student at The Guilmant Organ School in the art of Organ-playing
59The course includes: the Organ, Harmony, Counterpoint, Improvisation, Orchestration, the Liturgical forms of Church Music, Hymnology, Key-board work, Musical Dictation, Boy-Choir training, Organ tuning, Students' Recitals, etc.
61Send for new Catalogue 44 WEST 12th ST., NEW YORK
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