Books › Musical Courier 1926-02-04: Vol 92 Iss 5, 1926 › scan 30
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Musical Courier 1926-02-04: Vol 92 Iss 5, 1926
62 lines. Read by computer on 27 September 2026. Printed page 31. See the scan on archive.org.
1February 4, 1926
3VICTOR BEIGEL IS IN AMERICA
5As has already been announced in the MUSICAL COURIER, Victor Beigel, vocal teacher from London, is in America. He remains here during February and will teach and lecture in so far as time admits. His primary reason for coming to this country is the forthcoming debut at the Metropolitan Opera of one of his pupils, Lauritz Melchoir, who will be heard at an early date as Siegmund in Die Walküre. Mr. Melchoir was originally a baritone but has developed into a tenor. He has sung in Parsifal and Siegfried during two seasons at Bayreuth, at the Berlin Opera under Walter, and at Covent Garden.
7While here Mr. Beigel will give master lessons and lectures on singing, interpretation and teaching. He is interested in vocal work not alone from the point of view of art, but also from the standpoint of its great importance to health. He says that he has found that proper singing is one of the best of tonics. Certainly he, himself, is the picture of health. He is British, born of Austrian parents. He spent ten years of his life in America, and for the past twenty years has been located in London, where he has become known as one of the leaders of his profession.
9Among Mr. Beigel's pupils while in America was Suzanne Metcalf, now Mrs. Casals. Another one of Mr. Beigel's pupils well known was Gervase Elwes, who was killed in a railroad accident during his visit to America several years ago. One of his pupils who will be heard here in the near future is the baritone, John Goss, one of the most popular and successful of present-day English singers. Judith Litante, who made her American debut recently, is also one of Mr. Beigel's pupils.
11A representative of the MUSICAL COURIER asked Mr. Beigel about his "method." His answer was short and to the point. His method, he said, was the old Italian bel canto with necessary adjustments. He says that all his life he has instinctively placed singers in one of two classes: those who had it, and those who did not, the "it" here embracing the whole of that indescribable "something" that the great singers have while the others do not. What it is is the art of bel canto.
13As to the use of technical terms by teachers, Mr. Beigel says it should be limited to what the pupil can fully understand, but, he says, he always gives all his pupils a limited fundamental knowledge before they start to sing "because they are working with a machine of which they know nothing." He says he has no theories of his own. He sticks to nature. Nature knows best and no human can change her laws. But he starts on the principle that every pupil who comes to him knows nothing. He takes nothing for granted. He does not assume that, because they are adults, they have some knowledge of singing or of things pertaining to singing. Many of them have false ideas.
15Mr. Beigel says the trouble with singers is that they trade on their voices. Many of them think that, because they are endowed with a beautiful voice, they need little else. He has even known cases of singers appearing in opera without even having taken the trouble to learn their notes. But, says Mr. Beigel, if nature puts a Stradivarius in your throat, that does not mean that you will know how to play on it. Some glorious voices come to nothing simply because their possessors are either unwilling or unable to learn.
17Mr. Beigel tells a story of one of his pupils. This girl came to him because she had asthma. The asthma was soon cured as a result of Mr. Beigel's teaching methods, and the girl, who had a small voice, became ambitious to sing. She had character and perseverance, the will to succeed, and turned out to be a successful professional.
19As to singing in English, Mr. Beigel says England has the same problem as America. The people over there are divided just as they are here, the ratio being about 50-50, those in favor and those against. The trouble is, he says, that there is so little music literature in English. If programs were reduced to songs and operas by English composers there would be neither concerts nor opera productions to amount to anything. All sorts of efforts at translation have been made. The translations of Wagner by Jameson are splendid, but so few of the singers could articulate properly that in actual performance the only one who made the words understandable was a Dane? Why? Because people always speak and sing their own language worst. They learn other languages properly, their own they just "pick up," and always assume that they know it. Assuming that they know it, it is almost impossible to teach it to them.
21Asked as to his views on scholarships, Mr. Beigel said there were too many of them in England. He explained that "they have to be filled." Therefore examinations for them are not strict enough and indifferent talents win them, which does no good and brings discredit on the whole system. Certainly, the great talent should be educated no matter what the cost, but it is well to be sure the talent is really great before granting any scholarship.
23"The trouble is," said Mr. Beigel, "that musicians can only be examined as to musicianship. What they ought to be examined for is character. That is, naturally, impossible. One can judge that an applicant has musical ability—a good voice—but whether he has the character to make anything of it is another matter. Voice pupils, especially, never seem to realize the time it takes to learn to sing. I always place that time as from five to eight years. Even then, supposing they begin at seventeen or eighteen, they are quite young when they are ready to make their debut. I remember a conversation I had with one pupil. I asked her if she had ever heard of Lilli Lehmann. She said, oh, yes, of course she had. Well, I asked her, do you think you have more talent that she had? Of course not! Well, then, Lilli Lehmann says in her book that it takes six or eight years to learn to sing."
25Mr. Beigel is worth listening to. He is obviously a man of level head and long experience. He has been studying music since he was five years old, studying and teaching singing for thirty years or so. He knows what he is talking about and his short visit to America should be rich in fruitful results.
27PHILADELPHIA, PA.
29PHILADELPHIA, PA.—Thaddeus Rich was the conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra for the concerts of January 22 and 23, during the second week of Dr. Stokowski's absence. He opened the program with a spirited reading of Weber's overture, Euryanthe. The symphony No. 1 in C minor, by Brahms, held second place. This treasure of musical literature was excellently read and played. At the close, Dr. Rich received quite an ovation. Following the intermission, the orchestra played three studies for small orchestra, Oriento Immaginario, by Malipiero. Although modern in construction, they were decidedly oriental as to atmosphere and rhythm and were very interesting. The closing number was the Strauss tone poem, Don Juan, the performance of which maintained the high standard of the entire program. Dr. Rich has never been heard to conduct more delightfully here than at these concerts.
31The London String Quartet gave one of the finest concerts that has been presented before the Chamber Music Association this season, on January 24, in the Bellevue-Stratford. The members of the quartet are James Levey, first violin; Thomas Petre, second violin; H. Waldo Warner, viola, and C. Warwick Evans, cello. The playing of this quartet is about as near perfection as it could be in all particulars—in tone, technic, balance of parts and especially in the superb ensemble. The Kaiser quartet by Haydn was given an excellent interpretation, followed by Les Dunes, J. B. McEwen, and the scherzo from Kreisler's A minor quartet. Both were well done and the latter particularly pleasing. The climax was reached in the performance of the E minor quartet by Beethoven. In this the tonal shading was beautiful. The spirit of the composer seemed to be exactly portrayed. The audience was very appreciative of the excellent work done by this fine quartet.
33The Jacobinoff-Folgmann-Wissow Trio, composed of Sascha Jacobinoff, violin; Emil Folgmann, cello, and Josef Wissow, piano, gave the second in its series of three concerts this season, on January 25, in the Foyer of the Academy of Music. At each hearing of this trio, one is impressed by the great improvement. These three young men are earnest, thorough musicians, and as such are making rapid strides in their ensemble playing. The program for this concert included the Mozart trio, op. 15, No. 1; the Brahms trio, op. 8; and the Mendelssohn trio in C minor. Of the first the larghetto and allegretto were especially well done; while in the Brahms, the scherzo and adagio exhibited unusual grace and tone. The Mendelssohn trio also received a fine interpretation and execution. The audience was large and enthusiastic.
35Ossip Gabrilowitsch appeared in recital at the Academy of Music on January 27 in celebration of his first appearance in America. He was in excellent form and played superbly. The opening number was the long and difficult Schumann Fantasia in C major, which runs the entire gamut of technical, tonal and interpretive demands. He again proved his mastery in all three lines. A Chopin group of three preludes and the furious etude, op. 25, No. 12, followed. The clearness of his technic and delicacy of tone was further demonstrated. The Schumann sonata in G minor proved another success, as was also his final Chopin group of the A flat Ballade, Nocturne op. 27, mazurka in B minor and A flat waltz. The applause was spontaneous and prolonged, to which Mr. Gabrilowitsch responded with several encores.
37M. M. C.
39Details of Covent Garden Season
41LONDON.—Upon his return from the continent, Col. Eustace Blois, director of the London Opera Syndicate, announced some additional interesting details on the coming international opera season at Covent Garden which is to open on July 2 and run for eight weeks. As already reported in the MUSICAL COURIER, Chaliapin has been engaged and will thus be heard for the first time at Covent Garden, his former operatic appearances—twelve years ago—having been made at Drury Lane. He will sing Don Basilio in The Barber of Seville, and Mefistofele in Boito's opera, which will be revived for him. Jeritza also has been reengaged and will appear as Sieglinde, as Thais, and in the Jewels of the Madonna.
43A new acquisition is Mariano Stabile, the Scala Falstaff, who will appear in that role, also as Iago in Otello, and as Don Giovanni in Mozart's opera, a role which he sang with great success in Paris a few years ago. Bruno Walter will conduct this opera from a modern harpsichord-piano, playing the figured bass himself, as also in Figaro, another Mozart revival of the season. Walter will also conduct the German and Austrian singers of last season will be reengaged. An interesting addition to the staff is Forzano, the Scala stage manager, who is to stage Falstaff and possibly other things. The Melba farewell, announced some time ago, will take place early in the season. The retiring prima donna will sing Mimi and the balcony scene from Romeo et Juliette. The orchestra will be the same as last year and the chorus will comprise English, German and Italian singers. About twelve British singers, it is announced, will be included in the casts.
45C. S.
47Buhlig's Berlin Success
49Following the cable reports of the great success of the Berlin concert of Richard Buhlig, on January 25 last, comes the announcement that he will be presented in America next season under the management of The Concert Guild. Buhlig will have the exclusive rights to the American performances of the new Bohmke piano concerto in the performance of which Mr. Buhlig made a great success in Vienna on December 7.
51Washington Heights Musical Club Program
53The Washington Heights Musical Club gave a recital for its Junior Branch at the club rooms, 200 West 57th Street, on the afternoon of January 30. This recital seemed to be partly a demonstration of teacher-members of the club of the work of their pupils, and it speaks well for the important opportunities offered by this club that it invites its teacher-members to give publicity to their efforts in this manner. The young people who played were: William Seebert, piano; Lucy Palermo, violin, who was accompanied by Virginia Ruggiero; Anna E. Hopkins, piano; Joseph Singer, who also was accompanied by Miss Ruggiero, and Irene Griffiths, piano. The program consisted of such music as might be heard in the recitals of any concert artists. Seebert played works of Heller, Dvorak, Haydn and Chopin; Miss Palermo played a concerto by Vivaldi and an Indian lament by Dvorak, arranged by Kreisler; Miss Hopkins played pieces by Coleridge Taylor and Cyril Scott; Singer played Vieuxtemps, Bohm, Hubay and David; and finally Miss Griffiths played two pieces by Liszt. It is certainly a great privilege for these artists to appear under such favorable circumstances, and recitals of this sort are but one of the many features that give the Washington Heights Musical Club its great and growing value.
55Additional Features of International Festival
57LONDON.—In addition to the four programs selected by the international jury for the fourth festival of the I. S. C. M., exclusively reported in the MUSICAL COURIER last week, the official announcement of the festival, now to hand, shows a preliminary festival concert at which Zoltan Kodály's great Psalmus Hungaricus, hitherto heard only in Budapest, and Honegger's King David, will be given by the Mixed Choir of Zürich. This concert will be followed by an official reception at the Tonhalle. After the first International concert there will be a night celebration on the Lake of Zürich, the shores of which will be illuminated, and this will be followed by a ball. Sunday, on which there will be no concert, will see two performances of Manuel de Falla's Master Pedro's Puppet Show by the Swiss Marionette Theater and the Swiss Chamber Orchestra. The entire festival will occupy six days, from June 18 to 23 inclusive. This deviates slightly from the dates given in the MUSICAL COURIER's preliminary festival list, and readers are cautioned to take note of this. C. S.
59SELECTING THE MUSIC FOR THE PROGRAMS OF THE FOURTH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL—AND RUNNING AWAY FROM IT.
61(1) Left to right: Dr. Volkmar Andrea, president Swiss section; Karol Szymanowski (Polish), and Walter Straram (French), members of jury; Edward Dent, president I. S. C. M.; Arthur Honegger (Swiss), Arthur Bliss (Anglo-American) and Hermann Scherchen (German), members of jury. (Ernest Ansermet was prevented from attending by illness; his place being taken by Honegger). The jury sat at "Rychenberg," the home of Werner Reinhardt, at Winterthur, Switzerland. (2) The Jury of the International Society, after having committed the deed, "on the run." Left to right: Straram, Scherchen, Honegger, Bliss. (Photos taken expressly for the MUSICAL COURIER by H. W. Draber.)
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