Books › Musical Courier 1927-06-16: Vol 94 Iss 24, 1927 › scan 15
Scan 15
Musical Courier 1927-06-16: Vol 94 Iss 24, 1927
34 lines. Read by computer on 27 September 2026. Printed page 16. See the scan on archive.org.
1Zukovsky Pupil Wins Chicago Press Praise
2The recital which Eleanor Kaplan gave in Chicago at Kimball Hall, May 9, brought this gifted artist-pupil of Alexander Zukovsky unstinted praise, the critics being unanimous in their opinion as to the young violinist's merits. Speaking about her ambitious program, which included the Grieg sonata in G, the Mendelssohn concerto and two groups of numbers by German, French and Spanish composers, Herman Devries in the Chicago Evening American said: "But the Grieg is a conveyance sufficient to reveal all the violinistic qualities. Miss Kaplan has many of these, a firm, authoritative sweep of the bow-arm that inspires confidence simultaneously with the sound of her equally firm, good resonant tone. She is well trained—evidently Kaplan seems as potent a name in the music world as that of Sopkin."
3With his colleague, Glenn Dillard Gunn of the Herald and Examiner agreed that Miss Kaplan is highly talented, saying: "There seemed to be no reason why this young woman should not come forward as a full-fledged professional without the qualification implied when appearing under the patronage of her teacher."
4Miss Kaplan is one of the many well prepared violinists who have received their training at the efficient hands of Alexander Zukovsky, second concertmaster of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and have entered the professional field successfully.
6Summer Plans of New York String Quartet
7Having returned from its successful second transcontinental tour, the New York String Quartet has scattered for its annual vacation. The members will reunite to play two concerts at Columbia University the latter part of July, and then retire to their summer camp, Bayview, in Vermont on Lake Champlain, to prepare programs for the season 1927-1928.
9Leopold Mannes Returns from Italy
10Leopold D. Mannes, accompanied by Mrs. Mannes, arrived in New York on May 27 aboard the President Roosevelt after a year spent in Italy as a recipient of a Guggenheim Traveling Fellowship for Musical Composition. Mr. Mannes' Suite for two pianos and his string quartet were performed in Rome during the winter, the latter work being given also in Boston and New York by the Lenox String Quartet. A Paris performance of the young composer's Introduction and Allegro for violin and piano is announced for the fall at a concert of the Independent Society of Musicians. Mr. Mannes, who is the son of Mr. and Mrs. David Mannes, will resume his classes in general theory next season at the David Mannes Music School, and is announced as a new member of the Institute of Musical Art faculty, his subject at the Institute to be elementary composition.
12Ward-Stephens Re-engaged to Conduct Harrisburg Greater May Festival
13"The Harrisburg, Pa., Greater May Festival, with a bigger and even better chorus than this year, and adequate financial backing which will insure all such necessities as symphony orchestras, a larger auditorium and famous artists," said Stuart J. Dewey, speaking as chairman of the Music Foundation Committee at the May Festival Chorus banquet at the Harrisburg Country Club, "is the goal of the combined forces of the present chorus and the business men of Harrisburg."
14Mr. Dewey is chairman of a committee made up of representatives of the business service clubs of Harrisburg, which has been formed to put over the endowment of a musical foundation to guarantee the perpetuity of a choral organization which, by its results in the past year, puts Harrisburg in an enviable position in the country as a city of high musical endeavors. Mr. Dewey went on to tell of the development of activity for the foundation and of the continually growing realization of the value of the May Music Festival to the community and the desirability of enlarging and extending that value in every way possible.
15"The business men of Harrisburg are solidly back of you," he said to Ward-Stephens, the conductor, "and you can be assured that the money to finance the Foundation will be forthcoming and an adequately endowed Musical Foundation will be ready to handle the 1928 May Music Festival."
16Two years ago the Musical Courier stated that Harrisburg had awakened to the importance of art as a civic asset and had imported one of America's leading musicians, Ward-Stephens, to take charge of matters. It also stated that the country would watch with interest and expectancy its further development. Today, after only two years, Harrisburg is thoroughly awake to the value of music as a civic asset and its business men are enthused to the point of establishing a great Musical Foundation that will finance such a music festival as will take its place with the finest in the country. It was also stated two years ago that "there are not many musicians like Ward-Stephens with the knowledge, the skill and the enthusiasm to carry such work to a successful conclusion," and this expression is justified today when Harrisburg is backing him to the limit in his ideas of a larger festival and a Music Foundation.
17It is Ward-Stephens' idea to link up the surrounding communities to form a series of smaller choruses, under local direction, with the supervision of the central directorate, and bring them all together as one splendid big chorus for the festival week programs. Harrisburg is to be congratulated on the great strides it has made in musical work and for having the vision to select a musician and man of all-round intelligence like Ward-Stephens to direct its musical activities in this larger field of musical development.
18Many musicians might well envy the training Ward-Stephens has had. At the age of five he was playing in public, but, entirely by ear, and at the age of sixteen he was already a well known pianist. He absorbed a fine college education and then went to Europe, where for twelve years he studied with some of the greatest musicians, including Leschetizky, Rosenthal, DePachmann, Moszkowski, Dreyshock, Sauer, Breitner, Massenet, Saint-Saens, Widor and Navratil. While in Europe he Russified his name at the suggestion of Sibyl Sanderson and to this day he is known in European countries as "Stefanski." Several years ago he was accosted in front of the Plaza Theater, New York, as Stefanski by none other than Godowsky, who knew him in Europe when he was making a name for himself. Emil Sauer writes about him in his book called Meine Welt, and spoke of him as a young man of very great talents.
19He gave up a career of public performer to devote himself to conducting, composing and teaching, and is today an ardent admirer and exponent of Lilli Lehmann's methods of vocal technic. He was associated with Mme. Lehmann in Salzburg last summer and expects to sail June 25 to continue his work there. He never tires in talking about Mme. Lehmann, her wonderful ideas about building a voice and her very gracious personality. He doesn't see how any intelligent person can fail to acquire great vocal technic who faithfully practices the Lehmann ideas and exercises. He claims to have accomplished more with pupils in the last nine months than he ever did before in all his teaching experience by using Lehmann methods.
20Intelligence helps to make personality and personality goes a long way in making a strong conductor. It is this combination coupled with his storehouse of musical knowledge that makes Ward-Stephens the conductor he is. He has a beat that is quiet, forceful and teeming with rhythm. It has been said of him that rhythm is his greatest asset. He does not think sarcasm is necessary while conducting a chorus' at rehearsal, but believes courteous and kindly treatment will accomplish more.
21When asked what works he would give next year at the May festival, he replied: "I am not prepared to answer at this time, but it is reasonably sure that, owing to the very great success we had with Samson and Delilah this year and the many requests we have had to repeat it, that it will be one of the works."
22He went on to say: "I would like to give the great D minor Mass of Mozart's, but where nowadays will you find the singers who can sing it, for the kind of technic this music requires dies with Lilli Lehmann." Speaking of his chorus, he says: "You see, this Harrisburg May Festival Chorus is quite different from most festival choruses in that it is made up of more than fifty per cent professional singers and therefore we are able to get results that few choruses attain." Harry Rowe Shelley in speaking of the chorus commented: "And right here let me say that the quality of the voices, the thoroughness and precision of the singing, the style, in short all that goes with club singing, stamps this body as the best chorus that I have ever heard, leaving aside the out-and-out professional chorus."
23Ward-Stephens believes that it is only a matter of a very short time when the Harrisburg Greater May Festival will be attracting musicians and the general public from far and wide like the Cincinnati Festival.
24As a composer Ward-Stephens is too well known for any comment here, but once more it can be stated that with his gift for melody and rhythm and his fine technical equipment great things may be expected from his pen in the near future.
26Miura in Namiko San
27On Thursday evening last this reviewer heard Tamaki Miura in Namiko San at the Selwyn Theater where she played to enthusiastic audiences all week. The writer had heard the Franchetti opera previously when it was given in the vicinity of New York for the first time at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and it was greatly enjoyed.
28Mr. Franchetti has dipped his pen into the pot of melody and his score is not only charming but also exceedingly well constructed. There are several very good solos: naturally one for Mme. Miura, one for the tenor, and a delightful little duet for two minor characters of the opera, a pair of lovers. In between all the vocal solos there seemed to be periods of recitatives, which were lyrically beautiful. Mr. Franchetti has also adapted the words from a translation of a play of ancient Japan by Leo Duran and while the singer's diction was not always distinct, the text was rather singable as a whole. Namiko San was received with enthusiasm on both sides of the Brooklyn Bridge and deservedly so. Less interesting novelties have been heard at the Metropolitan.
29In the title role Tamaki Miura was excellent. She sang her music with a simplicity and vocal effectiveness that had its appeal. In exquisite Japanese costumes, which Miura always possesses and with her peculiar piquant grace and charm, she had little difficulty in winning her audience, which received her with open arms. Julian Oliver as the Monk sang commendably, revealing a light but lovely lyric tenor voice. Graham Marr was the other outstanding figure in the drama with music, making the part of the Daymio a sinister but histriomically imposing feature of the opera. At the conductor's stand—and the recipient of his share of the evening's honors—was Aldo Franchetti.
30Prior to the performance and during the opera there were ballet divertissements by Julia Hudak and Serge Sergeieff.
32People's Chorus Gives Second Free Concert
33The People's Chorus gave its second free concert in Town Hall on June 9 under the direction of L. Camilleri. The chorus was assisted by the American branch of the English Folk Dance Society, which rendered some interesting country dances. The singing was partly done by the audience alone and partly by chorus and audience together. Everybody had a good time and will meet again tonight.
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