Books › Musical Courier 1913-12-10: Vol 67 Iss 24, 1913 › scan 59
Scan 59
Musical Courier 1913-12-10: Vol 67 Iss 24, 1913
106 lines. Read by computer on 26 September 2026. Printed page 60. See the scan on archive.org.
1Not Gallant to "The Girl."
2[From the Chicago Tribune.]
3To witness again this pitiful caricature of America and Americans ("The Girl of the Golden West"), cowboys and miners of '49, miraculously endowed with a fluent command of the Italian language, with Latin exuberance of gesture and Latin readiness to sing and to weep, can only impress the American public as ridiculous. The subject is impossible of operatic treatment that shall seem convincing to us, and such treatment as Puccini has given it is not even to be commended on musical grounds. His score is not Italian and certainly it is not American. It borrows its harsh inflections from modern French music and some of its rhythms from Broadway. The whole is seasoned with a little lyric wine of cheap Italian vintage and plentifully sprinkled with melodramatic tricks equally cheap.
5However, post-mortems are unpleasant and uninteresting. "The Girl of the Golden West" is dead. It never had real life. It was stillborn. Even such rare re-creative gifts as belong to Maestro Campanini only can galvanize it into spasmodic and repulsive contortions. It remains therefore only to console with the various participants in last night's performance that such wealth of vocal and dramatic art should have been wasted on such sad stuff.
7Indian Summer Time—A Chant.
8Silvery sheen on the river,
9Low is the song of its wave,
10But I know, if I listen, listen,
11It will swell, for it clearly gave
12Its tonic note, without quiver,
13To the waiting hills afar,
14And its echoes will rise and mingle
15With the song of yon glittering star.
17Oo, oo, oo, sigh the breezes,
18Silently bearing the leaf
19To the breast of the shining river,
20Tear of the forest's grief,
21Yearly shed for the dusky maidens,
22Who once, in their youth's fair prime
23Wandered at will through the sunny glades,
24In the Indian summer time.
26'Tis the Indian summer time now.
27Listen and wait! All around
28Footsteps seem nearing the river
29Treading as on hallowed ground.
30Spirits of young braves coming
31Back, as in days of yore;
32But no war cry breaks the stillness
33On the Housatonic's shore.
35Only the falling leaves now,
36Only the lapping wave,
37Only the clasp of the phantom hands,
38As they come, brave meeting brave;
39Only the phantom knees bending,
40Kneeling in reverence low;
41Dark, phantom faces, quick turning
42Catch now the heightening glow.
44Look, there, adown the river,
45Brighter than moonlight's sheen,
46Gliding canoe, with feathering oar,
47Dimples, the shadows seem;
48"Star-glow is coming—Star-Glow!"
49Hear now, like swelling chime.
50Circling arms clasp him, Dawning Song.
51'Tis Indian summer time.
53"'Tis Indian summer time," chant
54O weaver of fancy's dream,
55Lift veil of mist from stream and star,
56Row now, weave now, dream, dream.
57—Barberry Bittersweet in Ansonia Sentinel.
59De Olloqui Plays for MacDowell Club.
60Elena de Olloqui, the Spanish pianist, gave a recital of genuine merit before the members of the MacDowell Club, New York, on Monday afternoon, December 8.
62Without mannerisms, simply and straightforward, she presented the following numbers, each of which received intelligent interpretation:
63Sonata, op. 53…………………………………………..Schytte
64Nocturne, No. 4………………………………………Schumann
65Nouvelletten, No. 7………………………………….Schumann
66Traumes Wirren………………………………………Schumann
67Etude, op. 25, No. 7………………………………..Chopin
68Etude, op. 10, No. 7………………………………..Chopin
69Nocturne, op. 45, No. 1…………………………..Chopin
70Sonata…………………………………………………….M. Ravel
71Melodie……………………………………………………Rachmaninoff
72Polichinelle……………………………………………..Rachmaninoff
73Waldersauschen………………………………………Liszt
74Consolation, No. 3…………………………………..Liszt
75Campanella……………………………………………..Liszt
77Her touch is delicate, yet firm and sure, her phrasing excellent, her interpretations poetic and graphic. Where strength is demanded she possesses it adequately—and she plays with a delightful ease.
79This pianist has played a great deal socially in the best salons of Paris, such as those of the Princess de Hohenlohe, Baronne de Charmasé and Baron de Beaumont.
81Luck and Hard Luck.
82At a congenial gathering of prominent American impresarios, Lazlo Schwartz, manager of Helen Ware, the violinist, vividly related the following experience illustrating the important part played by luck or chance in the preliminary work incident to securing engagements for big concert tours:
83"After a strenuous tour in Austria-Hungary, Helen Ware was recuperating in Amsterdam for a few weeks prior to her tour in Denmark. This gave me a little vacation. One forenoon I strolled past the Concert Gebarvide (concert building) and, curious to see the 'Little Napoleon' Mengelberg putting his orchestra through the drill of a rehearsal, I stepped into the hall where I proved to be the sole audience. The stocky little music leader of Holland worked like a fiend in shirt sleeves for an hour or longer before he noticed my presence. Then we met. He complained of the Goddess of Fortune having turned her back on him, inasmuch as Maeschert, the noted lieder singer who was engaged for the usual weekly concert was ill, which left him without a soloist. I suggested that perhaps Miss Ware would help him out of the dilemma. He was delighted at the proposal and requested that Miss Ware play one of her Hungarian numbers which have gained for her such prominence in European musical circles.
85"A rehearsal was arranged for the following afternoon. I rushed to Miss Ware in haste to give her the good news. Hubay's 'Azt Mondjak' was chosen with orchestral accompaniment. A hurried search through the music on hand proved that all the orchestrations were stored away in our trunks at the Custom House. Early the following morning I went down to the Custom House to secure the music. Imagine my surprise when I found all doors closed and with difficulty was made to understand by the watchman that this being a national holiday, the place would not be opened at all. No persuasion or explanation availed. The music stores and conservatories were searched but none could help me out. Sadly I made my way back to Herr Mengelberg and broke the disappointing news. His welcome smile vanished. Then, as if he had made his peace with Fate, and shrugging his shoulders, he remarked, 'Oh, well! It's no use! Fate has the upper hand. . . . we've lost the game!'"
87Mystery of Hebrew Music.
88[From the Los Angeles Graphic.]
89At the recital given under the Guild of Organists, at B'nai B'rith Temple, last Monday evening, the choir of the church presented ten or a dozen selections from its repertoire as examples of the modern Jewish service. The music of these was by Gounod, Sabine, Spicker, Stark and others. The music of the modern Jewish service is largely tinged by the surrounding conditions of nationality and education. The same psalms are sung in a different manner by German, Polish, Spanish or Portuguese Jews. There is much difference of opinion as to the original rendition of the Temple service and there seems to be no court of final appeal. The twenty times that Jerusalem was harried and the great catastrophe that drove a mercantile remnant of the tribes into alien lands must have destroyed all but fragments of what was a great national art.
91For fifteen hundred years there went up from the temple a musical service that was the highest expression of man of that day. What remains of it? Who can tell? There are various theories, but a positive answer cannot be given. To illustrate this, take the one word, "Selah." It was found frequently in the Psalms. What does it mean? I find seventeen different explanations, by as many different writers on Hebrew music. Prof. Dickinson says that "perhaps a few notes may survive," of the ancient service, "a splinter from a mighty edifice." The voice of tradition declares: "The intonations used in the ritual chant are survivals from the temple at Jerusalem. . . . They are certainly Oriental in character and very ancient; that they date to the time of David cannot be proved nor yet disproved." But the traditional phrases give a composer something on which to base his temple compositions, should he wish to keep a traditional atmosphere. And when such able composers as those mentioned above are used, the result is musically interesting in a double sense. On the other hand, too often, the Gentile church music has nothing of ecclesiastical dignity or solidity of phrase or structure. Much of it is written to entertain the audience and punctuate a service which otherwise might be too soporific in character.
93Dubois Tribute.
94As a tribute to the distinguished musician, Theodore Dubois, an organ recital was given at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Spokane, Wash., by Joseph D. Brodeur, assisted by the choir, Sunday afternoon, November 23.
96The program follows:
97Entrée du Cortège (from Messe de Mariage)………………..Organ
98Sub Tuum……………………………………………..Quartet
99Mrs. Charles Freese, Mrs. M. Shaughnessy, D. L. Bowers, H. E. Winder.
100Benediction Nuptiale (from Messe de Mariage)…………….Organ
101Ave Maria in G (unaccompanied)………………………..Chorus
102Panis Angelicus………………………………………Soprano solo and chorus
103Solo, Mrs. Charles Freese.
104In Paradisum…………………………………………Organ
105Toccata………………………………………………..Organ
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