Books › Musical Courier 1926-04-22: Vol 92 Iss 16, 1926 › scan 43
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Musical Courier 1926-04-22: Vol 92 Iss 16, 1926
94 lines. Read by computer on 29 September 2026. Printed page 44. See the scan on archive.org.
1MUSIC ON THE PACIFIC SLOPE
3SAN FRANCISCO, CAL.
4SAN FRANCISCO, CAL.—Once again Exposition Auditorium was filled to overflowing when, on March 21, Paderewski gave an unforgettable piano recital. As this was Paderewski's only appearance in northern California, he attracted hundreds from the various cities around the bay. In an all-Chopin program Paderewski revealed the lucidity and beauty of his tone, his unerring technic and style. His performance of a long and taxing program was the perfection of virtuosity. The pianist appeared here under the Oppenheimer management.
6For the last two concerts of the present symphony season, in the Curran Theater, March 26 and 28, Alfred Hertz selected Beethoven's seventh symphony, Debussy's two nocturnes—Clouds and Festivals—and the prelude to Wagner's Die Meistersingers. Once again, Mr. Hertz was the recipient of an overwhelming ovation and the stage was laden with baskets of flowers. With his customary consideration, Mr. Hertz insisted upon the orchestra rising and sharing honors. These demonstrations of admiration which greet Mr. Hertz at both the beginning and end of each season express the musical public's appreciation for what he has contributed toward the cultural and musical development of this community. With the dynamic personality of Alfred Hertz at its helm, the orchestra plays with spontaneity and enthusiasm—not like seventy-five or eighty individual musicians but like a unit. Mr. Hertz loves his Beethoven. He seems to have this divine music deeply at heart. His interpretation of the seventh symphony was uplifting. The Debussy nocturnes are two highly descriptive little tone pictures that are deeply saturated with rare atmosphere and imaginative qualities. Alfred Hertz caught the spirit of the compositions; he conveyed the French master's ideas in tone colors of translucent delicacy and with musicianly craft and beauty. The Meistersinger prelude was played as Hertz plays all Wagnerian music with an abundance of fire and authority that produces an intensely exhilarating effect.
8Another huge audience greeted John McCormack when Frank W. Healy presented him in a second recital in the Exposition Auditorium March 28. Mr. McCormack gave a request program which was enthusiastically received and greatly increased with encores. Edwin Schneider, pianist, and Lauri Kennedy, cellist, were Mr. McCormack's assisting artists and for his singing of Cesar Franck's Panis Angelicus, Uda Waldrop, San Francisco musician, was heard at the organ.
10Splendid musical entertainment was offered in the Piano Festival, organized and managed by Alice Seckels, which took place in Exposition Auditorium on March 29 and was the means of affording twenty-four local concert pianists the opportunity of appearing, at twenty-four pianos, in an ensemble directed by Alfred Hertz. This Festival was a novelty different from anything previously staged here. Congratulations are to be extended Miss Seckels for the splendid fashion in which she handled the managerial end of this attraction. Miss Seckels conceived the idea of giving this Festival with only resident artists participating and in this way proved that we have living in our midst pianists of merit who can reveal their art in a highly commendable manner. It was her untiring efforts that stimulated the interest of music lovers in this and neighboring cities and brought to the Auditorium an audience of 7,000. The participating players were Phyllida Ashley, Lincoln Batchelder, Allan Bier, Ada Clement, Pierre Douillet, Henrik Gjerdrum, Charles Hart, Margo Hughes, George Kruger, Elsie Cook Laria, John C. Manning, Mrs. Hugo Mansfeldt, Benjamin Moore, George Stewart McManus, Joan Baldwin Donnell, Max Pons, Alma Helen Rother, Elizabeth Simpson, Douglas Bacon Soule, Noah Steinberg, Marion de Guerre Steward, Cecil Hollis Stone, Margaret Tilly and Raymond White. The twenty-four pianists cooperated in an ensemble that proved well nigh perfect. They attacked with unity and they played with rhythmic precision; their tone color was varied and their dynamics well contrasted, while their readings revealed a unanimity of musical thought. Alfred Hertz and the pianists received innumerable recalls for the presentation of a program from which they seemed to derive as much pleasure as the audience.
12When the Chamber Music Society of San Francisco gave its fifth concert of the present series, March 30, Ignaz Friedman, pianist, appeared as the guest artist. The program opened with the Boccherini quartet, A major, for strings. The society gave it a performance that was notable for its graceful phrasing, clean rhythm, purity of tone and finished detail. One of the delightful phases of the Chamber Music Society's playing is its fidelity to the composers it interprets. Mr. Friedman joined Messrs. Persinger, Ford, Firestone and Fenner in the Schumann quintet. These five artists succeeded in achieving one of the most remarkable performances of chamber music ever heard here. Their playing was distinguished by a beautifully shaded tone, technical mastery and fine musical instinct. Even though Mr. Friedman was playing in an ensemble one could sense his forceful personality and was conscious of his prodigious technic.
14Homer Henley, artist and vocal instructor, presented advanced pupils in a recital at Chickering Hall. The vocalists were ably assisted by Mrs. Arthur Franklin Williams, accompanist, and delivered a well balanced program in artistic fashion.
16Elwin A. Calberg, pianist, was the soloist at one of the recent California Theaters Sunday morning concerts. Mons. and Mme. Andre Ferrier held a pupils' recital recently. The Ferrier Singing Studios is conducted in conjunction with La Gatte Francaise Theater.
18The De Vally Institute of Opera, of which Antoine de Vally is director, and who is assisted in piano, solfege and history by Sally Osborne, gave an Hour of Music in Chickering Hall.
20Ruth Mullen, vocal pupil of Prof. Hermann Genss, was heard in recital at Scottish Rite Hall, on March 31, and created a favorable impression.
22Carl Rollandi, pianist and member of the faculty of the Arrillaga Musical College, has returned from Europe after a year in Rome where he worked at the St. Cecelia Conservatory of Music.
24The Lecture Course arranged by Pearl Hossack Whitcombe, dramatic soprano and teacher, is attracting musicians and students seeking information in music from its primitive form to modern style of composition. C. H. A.
26LOS ANGELES, CAL.
27LOS ANGELES CAL.—The Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra recently gave the second of the so-called "dime concerts" in the Stadium, Sylvain Noack wielding the baton. The attendance proves that the masses really like good music. The complete program is as follows: Solemn March to the Cathedral, from Lohengrin; two movements from Tschaikowsky's Pathetique; Hopak, Moussorgsky; introduction to Act Three of Lohengrin; Tarantella, Nicode; Peer Gynt suite No. 1, Grieg, and Rossini's overture to William Tell.
29The program of the eleventh "Pop" concert, given by the Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra at the Philharmonic Auditorium, opened with Elgar's Pomp and Circumstances, followed by Wagner's Waldweban. Fritz Gaillard, cellist, a member of the orchestra, was soloist of the day. He played the Eugene d'Albert concerto for the cello in C major. The audience received this new artist with great appreciation. Mr. Rothwell followed with the orchestra in the Carmen suite, Bizet, and closed with Wagner's Tannhäuser overture.
31The Little Symphony concert, under Adolph Tandler at the Biltmore, presented ten different composers in "five minute" selections. Tandler repeated the Roussel Feast of the Spider, and received an ovation for it. Alice Forsyth Mosher was a brilliant soloist and was warmly applauded.
33Myra Mortimer, contralto, made her first appearance in Los Angeles at the Philharmonic Auditorium in what was probably one of the best vocal programs of the year, which she delivered with a voice of power and beauty and displayed, thorough understanding of her art. Both program and artist defied criticism.
35John Powell, Virginia pianist and composer, appeared before a representative audience at the Philharmonic Auditorium in a delightful program.
37Ignaz Friedman, pianist, made his first appearance in Los Angeles completely winning his hearers with the mastery of his instrument which he displayed.
39Paderewski played two programs under the Behymer management—one Chopin and one of varied numbers. He played to two of the largest houses of the season and could have filled the house several times more, judging from the numbers that were unable to procure tickets.
41The Zoellner Quartet featured the work recently of a young Los Angeles composer, Roy Harris, playing for the first time his series of four numbers for quartet called Impressions of a Rainy Day.
43Cyrena Van Gordon, contralto of the Chicago Civic Opera Company, sang under the L. E. Behymer management at the Auditorium to a full house. She rendered beautifully a program ranging from the classical to the modern, and responded generously to encores. Alma Putnam, her accompanist, came in for a share of the honors.
45The Los Angeles Trio recently gave a concert in the Biltmore music room.
47George Gramlich, tenor, appeared as soloist with the Hollywood Community Orchestra, under the baton of Jay Plowe, flutist with the Philharmonic Orchestra, at a recent concert.
49A bursting water main on Dix Street, in Hollywood, flooded the basement of the home of Maestro Gimini, destroying many thousand dollars worth of manuscript music stored there. In many instances the manuscript destroyed was the only copy in existence, and cannot be replaced.
51The boy pupils of the Nature Music School gave an Indian program.
53The junior students of Phillip Tronitz were presented in recital.
55George Baklanoff, baritone, has been engaged for the opera season in Los Angeles.
57Charles Wakefield Cadman was guest soloist with Adolph Tandler's Little Symphony at the Biltmore Music Room, when his work, Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, was played.
59P. H. Kaufman, director of the Los Angeles branch of the Christensen School of Popular Music, has compiled a work on Bass Chord Harmony for the piano which is said to be along new lines.
61James Taber Fitzgerald, of the Fitzgerald Music Company is offering his second student's prize contest. He will present a piano to the winner.
63Josephine Heintz held her class in symphony appreciation at the Biltmore, assisted by Earl Bright, cellist.
65Grace Adele Freeby introduced Sedley Grove, Canadian tenor, at a studio recital tea recently.
67Stephen Seddon, a musician from Europe and Australia, has located in Los Angeles where he hopes to establish a large amateur symphony orchestra.
69Grace Hammond, singer and teacher, is presenting Clarence Thompson, tenor, her artist pupil at the Uptown Theater.
71Sol Cohen, violinist and composer, has had another song accepted by Oliver Ditson Company, entitled Keep Close to God.
73Bernice Van Welder Weingarten was soloist at a recent Sunday morning "Pop" concert at Loew's State Theater.
75Advanced pupils of the Olga Steeb Piano School gave a recital at the school auditorium.
77Merle Armitage and George Leslie Smith announce that Richard Hagemann will be in Los Angeles in May to conduct a masterclass.
79John Blackmore, pianist, will appear in recital in Pasadena March 28th.
81Alfred Mirovitch, pianist, will return this summer for his fourth master class.
83B. L. H.
85Waller to Conduct Lamoureux Orchestra
86Frank Waller, young American conductor, who was so successful last summer at the summer concerts of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, sailed on the Leviathan for France where he has been invited to conduct two concerts of the famous Lamoureux Orchestra, on June 5 and 13, in the Salle Gaveau, Paris.
88Mr. Waller said he was delighted at the prospect of conducting in Paris, where he has not yet appeared at the head of an orchestra. He said he had been given complete freedom in the selection of his programs and the choice of soloists, but that he had not yet decided upon anything definitely, although at least one American novelty would be performed under his baton. Mr. Waller is a great believer in American composers and their music. In Cincinnati, last summer, he conducted two entire programs of American works, including novelties by Howard Hanson and others of the younger school, as well as representative works by Hadley, Kelly, et al.
90After his Paris concerts, Mr. Waller expects to make a short pleasure tour through France, and then go to Germany and Austria, where he is already well known through his concerts with the Berlin, Munich and Vienna Philharmonic orchestras. He intimated that he might conduct again in these cities, where he is remembered as the introducer of many novelties and as a musician of splendid worth.
92Lillian Hunsicker Active
93The Chancel Choir of the Salem Reformed Church recently presented When Thou Comest from the Stabat Mater, the solo soprano part being sung by Lillian Hunsicker. According to the Allentown Morning Call, Mrs. Hunsicker's interpretation was excellent and she sang beautifully and with compelling poise. On March 19, the soprano sang at the La Forge-Berumen Noonday Musicale in Aeolian Hall, New York, and on Good Friday she was heard at a Lenten noonday musicale at the Zion Reformed Church, Allentown, historical because the Liberty Bell was hidden there during the early days of the Revolution.
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