Books › Musical Courier 1914-09-02: Vol 69 Iss 9, 1914 › scan 30
Scan 30
Musical Courier 1914-09-02: Vol 69 Iss 9, 1914
38 lines. Read by computer on 26 September 2026. Printed page 31. See the scan on archive.org.
1Sorrentino and the "Bobby."
3Umberto Sorrentino, the popular Italian-American tenor, sends the Musical Courier a snapshot of himself taken "before the war," in England, in front of the police station, opposite Covent Garden Theatre, London, to be explicit. He asked the "bobby," during a royal procession, "Which is the King?" whereupon the policeman pointed to Sorrentino himself, and said "You are the King" (of tenors, of course).
5The tenor has gone to Montecatini for a time, and expects to return to America refreshed, ready for his busy season.
7Artha Williston's Rising Success.
9Holyoke, Mass., August 29, 1914.
11Music lovers of this vicinity have been watching with the keenest interest and pride the steady rise of a young local singer, Mrs. Artha Williston, of Holyoke, who is fast winning an enviable reputation in the highest musical circles of New York and elsewhere. Many local people have seen the remarkable development of a pure, clear, sweet and very high soprano voice, from the days when, hardly more than a girl in her teens, she charmed her audiences. Whether it was the simple ballads that every one knows, or the beautiful "Elsa's Dream," that seems to fit Mrs. Williston's personality so well, or arias of a sacred nature, there was always unfailing delight and inspiration to the listener. Those who attended the concerts where she sang—too numerous to mention—at the Second Congregational Church, Holyoke, at Mt. Holyoke College, in Springfield—always came away with the same pleasure, after hearing the glorious burst of song. But this year Mrs. Williston has attained even more signal success in a wider field; she has sung at several concerts in New York this season, and at each one was received with overwhelming enthusiasm, so that this brilliant young singer is now well on her path to fame. After a recent concert at Carnegie Hall, New York, where Mrs. Williston sang with the Ellery Band, several offers were made her to sing in other cities. One, which she accepted, is the Portland Music Festival, long famous for its fine music. Such singers as Nordica, Melba and Schumann-Heink usually take part in this event. Mrs. Williston is to be the soprano soloist in October, on one of the festival nights, in the oratorio of "Elijah."
13Mrs. Williston's home has been in Holyoke, her education was received at Mt. Holyoke College, from which she graduated with B. A. degree. It was there that she specialized in languages—a valuable acquisition now in her rendering of the beautiful French, German and Italian songs that she delights her hearers with.
15Mrs. Williston's first teacher of singing was Prof. Thomas Cushman, of this city and Boston. She is at present studying with Francis Stewart, of New York, teacher of the eminent basso of the Metropolitan Opera House, the late Putnam Griswold. Mrs. Williston's concert manager, Antonia Sawyer, is also a New England woman. In the career upon which Mrs. Williston is so happily started she has the best wishes of her hosts of friends, who will follow the ascendency of her star to its rapidly rising heights of brilliancy, where her marvelous voice, of crystal-like purity, her fair type of beauty, and her sweet and gracious personality cannot fail of ultimate success.
17A particularly charming evening, when Mrs. Williston's many admirers had another opportunity of hearing her to best advantage, was just last week (Wednesday), on the occasion of Prof. W. C. Hammond's 593rd organ recital, in the Second Congregational Church, Holyoke. Mrs. Williston was accompanied by the magnificent Second Church organ and echo organ, by the piano, played by John Clark, and by cello and violin, the two last mentioned instruments ably played by the Jansers, of this city. The combination of voice and instruments was of rare beauty and grandeur. Mrs. Williston's first selection, "O Sleep, Why Dost Thou Leave Me?" of Handel's, had all the calm beauty and reflectiveness of the pure classic school, devoid of passion, but of a noble loftiness. The second, "Cara Selve," also of Handel's, sung with the soft Italian words that but bring out the musical thought the better, is an exquisite love song, exceedingly difficult to sing, with its high sustained notes, and gradual passing from one to the other of purest tones, but sung by Mrs. Williston most charmingly. Quite different was the Bizet "Agnus Dei," from an old Provençal theme, full of the warm passion and arduous temperament of the southern French. The words of the Agnus Dei," with their earnest supplication for mercy, fit well into the intensity of the musical theme. Mrs. Williston excelled no less in the "Ave Maria" of Bach-Gounod, the noblest prayer that was ever written, rising to heights of sublimity in its cry, "Mortis nostræ," and falling back to the pleading final "Amen." All hearers were thrilled by this last selection; one thought of the genius of Bach, who could conceive of such a wonderful accompaniment, and of the genius of Gounod, who conceived such a beautiful melody to fit the accompaniment, and one felt grateful that a young local singer had arisen to make these live again.
19Music of the Chinese.
21Chinese music does not entirely lack admirers among occidentals. There are, it appears, trained musicians of our own kind who seriously profess uncertainty whether the Chinese have not really advanced beyond us in music.
23One authority has pointed out that the Chinese were the first in the history of music to develop a system of octaves, a circle of fifths and various other harmonical technics, and these in the days when our ancestors had not even evolved the simplest forms of melody. While no one has, apparently, contended that we shall finally arrive at an understanding of and a liking for something that shall approach the Chinese "harmonious discords," there are not wanting those who claim to have discovered among the musicians and lovers of music a steadily increasing sensitiveness to harmonies, the existence of which was formerly unknown.—Holyoke, Mass., Telegram.
25The Magic Fire.
27Mme. Gadski was standing in the wings during "Die Walküre," waiting for her last entrance. It will be remembered that her father, Wotan, puts a spell of sleep upon her and calls on the fire god, Loki, to surround her with the protective fires.
29One of the bystanders puts a humorous question to Mme. Gadski, who was leaning on her shield: "What do you think about," said he, "as you lie there—what you are going to have for supper?"
31Mme. Gadski's face became very grave. "No," she said, "I can only think of one thing, and the thought always recurs to me. Let me tell you. I was singing this part in Baltimore some years ago. My daughter, Charlotte, was then very young, almost a baby. As I lay down and the flames began to surround me, a child's voice, agonized, bewildered, tortured, rang through the house. 'They are burning up my mother. They—' Then the child stopped suddenly, as if a hand had been clapped over its mouth. It was Lotte, who had been taken to the theatre without my knowledge."
33Mme. Gadski paused a while and then proceeded: "And to this day I never act that last scene in 'Die Walküre' without hearing Lotte's passionate outcry."—New York Telegraph.
35Sketches Made on the Spring Tour with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
37The accompanying clever cartoon shows: No. 1, Mrs. Franklyn Knight, soprano; 2, Marie Sundelius, contralto; 3, Arthur Hackett, tenor; 4, Max Zach, conductor; 5, Marion Green, basso, and 6, Hugo Ulk, concertmaster. The cartoons were drawn by Max Gottschalk, violinist.
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