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Musical Courier 1928-03-01: Vol 96 Iss 9, 1928
104 lines. Read by computer on 29 September 2026, twice; the two readings disagreed in places. Printed page 9. See the scan on archive.org.
1March 1, 1928
2(no line here) one of two readings
4MUSICAL COURIER one of two readings
6very far cry. Indeed, one might say that the latter was a complete repudiation of the former. It represents the final consummation of the real Schönberg style—a style that was evolved by the most potent musical intelligence of our day, as the result of a deliberate impulse to create an escape from the futility of the Wagnerian aftermath. It is probably the most satisfactory of Schönberg's works, though to many the Pierrot Lunaire, which represents a half-way house, may continue to be the most satisfying. Whether it contains sufficient creative substance to insure it immortality is for a later generation to decide. But even if it does not, it presents to the rising generation a safe and unworn vehicle for the projection of such ideas.
8The Schönberg idiom is, in fact, already a valid medium of exchange. It is as common among the moderns of today as the diatonic thorough-bass idiom was among the moderns of Haydn's day. The public of those days, no doubt, complained of the incoherence of the new compositions just as we complain about the incoherence of these Schönbergians.
10—AND BERG
12There is, for instance, Alban Berg, whose Lyric Suite was played here at the same concert (British Broadcasting Corporation) as the Schönberg quartet. It seems to draw the "last consequences" from Schönberg's conclusions and use its style as the matter of course language for a new romantic expression.
14Its six movements pretend to be jovial, amorous, mysterious, ecstatic, passionate and delirious by turns, just as the pieces of the 19th century romanticists pretended to be all these things on a nice diatonic foundation. People then thought them wild and we think Berg wild. What the people of tomorrow will say I refuse to predict. In his last movement, "Largo desolato," Berg, in the uttermost depth of his desolation, quotes Tristan. A fatal confession, whatever its significance.
16Both the Schönberg quartet and the Berg suite, incidentally, were played by the Viennese String Quartet, which seemed to extract from these works the last ounce of music that is in them. A first-class ensemble. The D minor quartet was played by the same organization in the Gerald Cooper concerts which, as usual, are supplying some of the highest grade music of the season.
18SEVENTY-THREE YEARS YOUNG
20At the preceding concert of the series we heard, besides a youthful and charming Rhapsodic Quintet (clarinet and strings) by Herbert Howells, the new concerto of Leos Janacek, on which your Berlin correspondent recently reported so favorably from that city. It made an excellent impression here, too, though its frisky youthfulness made some think a man over seventy ought to know better.
22Janacek, indeed, presents a miracle that is reminiscent of Verdi. With the experience and wisdom of the septuagenarian he combines a sympathy for the youthful caperings of the atonalists that is both charming and disarming. His Sinfonietta, played at a recent National concert of the B. B. C., here shows a rhythmic vigor and a brio as well as a brightness of color (twelve trumpets) and vividness of expression that would be astonishing at any age. It scored a rousing success under Sir Henry Wood.
24Against this "youngster," Malipiero and Bax, who had recent works on the program of the fifth Royal Philharmonic concert, appear as pessimistic old men. Bax's symphonic variations, for piano and orchestra, brilliantly played by Harriet Cohen, at least presented a certain colorful splendor and a "victorious" close, but its nostalgic reflections of Scriabin and Wagner are a heavy diet after the lean and muscular dishes of the polyphonic acrobats. Malipiero's symphonic fragments on St. Francis of Assisi, for solo voices, chorus and orchestra, is pessimistic stuff.
26The conductor of this concert, by the way, was a youngish Englishman by the name of Basil Cameron, who has made somewhat of a name for himself as conductor of the local concerts in Hastings. He used to be burdened, before the war, with the name of Hindenburg, adopted in the hope of an easier career (in England!); but who could foresee the rise of an awkward namesake in the person of the redoubtable field marshal? Basil Cameron-Hindenburg, in any case, marshalled his forces most handsomely and led them to a genuine victory.
28LONDON'S NEW PROPHET
30The most noteworthy recent visitor, besides Schönberg, has been Artur Schnabel. To say that no pianist has made a similar impression here since the palmiest days of Busoni is putting it mildly. He now has the London public, and especially the young people, at his feet, while for once the press is absolutely unanimous in its praise, not merely of his prodigious accomplishments but of the ethical bias which is the keynote of his work. Schnabel has made people here listen to the classics in a way they have not listened before; he has given them a new outlook on music. They crowd to hear him as a new prophet, because he has had the courage of lifting his recitals right out of the entertainments sphere into a region where mental and emotional cooperation are indispensable.
32Beethoven is, of course, his chief text, and each time he has some new revelation to make—not of Schnabel but of Beethoven. This time it was the D minor, op. 31, No. 2, and opus III, the Arietta of which he played with a penetration of its spiritual message that went straight to the heart. He also played the great posthumous A major sonata of Schubert, which came as a revelation of beauty and dramatic power to the majority of his hearers. In five visits to this town Schnabel has played five of these Schubert sonatas, and people are wondering when this store of unknown riches will end. Skeptics are being converted and it is not too much to say that Schubert's stock has gone up.
34His greatest success this time, however, was when he played the Mozart G minor concerto (another rarely heard work) at one of the Children's Symphony Concerts financed by Robert Mayer. There were two thousand odd children in the hall and one could have heard the proverbial pin drop. It was a perfect performance and so plastic that the "pretty" Mozart of the usual interpretation was completely forgotten. Dr. Malcolm Sargent, the able conductor of these amazingly successful concerts, rendered the orchestral part in the same spirit and the ensemble was of rare perfection.
36"CENTENARY" PERFORMANCES
38Schubert is, of course, beginning to be "celebrated" because of the centenary. Aside from Schnabel's persistent championship, which has nothing to do with anniversaries, we had two of Schubert's violin sonatas played by Daisy Kennedy and William Murdoch, who also played some smaller Schubert pieces—a performance I was unfortunately obliged to miss. Murdoch is, however, credited with having treated them "with poetical feeling and delicate touch" and to have turned the "arabesques into a delightful ripple of sound," which somewhat consoles me for my absence. . . . Again, Mme. Adila Fachiri, violinist and sister of Jelly d'Aranyi, gave us the Schubert Rondo Brillant in a recital with Friedrich Wührer, the Viennese pianist, a clear-cut reading to which style and temperament contributed in well-balanced measure. Schubert was also an important item in the programs of Elisabeth Schumann, soprano, and of Leo Slezak, tenor, both more successful with the lighter, more lyrical side of the composer's genius.
40Two other fiddlers who have reappeared, are Kubelik and Samuel Dushkin, the last of whom is to be credited with a pleasant performance of Mozart's D major concerto.
42PIANISTS
44Among the pianists of recent weeks two outstanding names were Brailowsky and Friedman, very different in some respects, but quite similar in others. Both are endowed with a prodigious technic and remarkable dynamic power. Both are apt to use both these qualities for a kind of display which at first stuns but later palls. Brailowsky, for instance, applied a scale of values that was far too ponderous for the size of his hall, and one could not help feeling that his fortissimi were not merely calculated to render the music but astonish the listener.
46The same was true of his methods of expression: he applied them so insistently that they seem to become an end in themselves—a tour de force in which every note, with any possible significance, was made to "express" something; even if essential musical features became obscured. This is the method which the public was made to revel in by Paderewski, and there is no doubt that its application spells success. Brailowsky is successful; he carries his crowd—of that there is no doubt.
48BACH AND WE MODERNS*
50At the other end of the scale we had Egon Petri, Busoni's favorite disciple, who gave a whole program of Bach and Bach-Busoni transcriptions. His performance is phenomenal, both as regards intellectual command and physical control. The Goldberg Variations, the Prelude and Triple Fugue in E flat and similar works were set before us in imposing grandeur and glistening perfection of surface. If anything, too glistening.
52Harriet Cohen, who played two Bach concertos with Sir Henry Wood's Orchestra, brings more of feminine "trality" and charm to the task, but still quite sufficient energy and brilliance. This last was especially in evidence in de Falla's Nights in the Gardens of Spain. Another young English pianist, Edward Mitchell, has embarked upon the ambitious task of playing a whole week of what he calls "twentieth century piano music," ranging from Russia to Ireland and from Finland to Spain. He seems to be thoroughly equal to his task, but he could not disguise from his hearers the terrible secret that the twentieth century is, on the whole, much more old-fashioned than the nineteenth. Mr. Mitchell's own contribution to the twentieth century, played at the last National Concert by Sir Henry Wood, was a Fantasy overture of decidedly Victorian cast.
54BEATRICE HARRISON ACCLAIMED
56The lowest level of dilettantism in composition, however, was reached in a concert of that fine cellist, Beatrice Harrison, who had for some strange reason been induced to join Mr. Manilo di Veroli in a performance of his cello and piano sonata. A rambling piece of watered-down impressionism, of which the less said the better. For the rest Miss Harrison gave an excellent account of herself in Kodály's remarkable sonata for cello solo, a Handel sonata and some lesser pieces. She had just returned from her American tour and had a deservedly enthusiastic welcome.
58A FINE SINGER
60A very fine French singer, Mme. Claire Croiza, filled out one of the Gerald Cooper programs with songs by Fauré and Debussy, which she sings with remarkable beauty of voice and an impeccable sense of style. The same singer, already a favorite here, contributed a number of songs by three of the once famous "Six" (one forgets how many there are left at the moment) to the last B. B. C. chamber concert. Of the three composers Auric seems to be the least offensive; his somewhat anemic lyricism is in the legitimate line of succession from Massenet and Fauré, and would do well not to give itself modernistic airs by juxtaposition with the infantile cacophonous attempts of Messrs. Milhaud and Poulenc. The latter's Bestiaire, despite Mme. Croiza's charming art, is a deadly bore.
62FROM U. S. A.
64America has been represented during the last fortnight by the Fisk Singers, who always draw a faithful crowd of "spiritualists"; by Florence Stage, whose pianistic stage is rather elementary; and by Agnes Enters who with her dance interpretations has been keeping critics and public guessing to some extent. She has been courageous enough to stage a one-girl show at a local theatre, and has to some extent vindicated herself by the subtlety of her art, which is pantomime of the most delicately sophisticated kind.
66"OLD VIC" RE-OPENS
68In the field of opera, while London is awaiting further announcements from Covent Garden, the "Old Vic" has re-opened after extensive building alterations with a performance of Carmen that was all to the good.
70CÉSAR SAERCHINGER.
72MUST OPERA SINGERS BE FAT?
74By John Hutchins
75Vocal Diagnostician
77You may call it obesity, excess weight, corpulence or any other name you desire, but to the tired business man the typical opera singer is certainly inclined to be—fat. Why must so many of the best singers possess a "bay-window" of pompous and elephantine proportions?
79Is it essential in order to be able to sing that one be padded at every joint and thus present the appearance of a stuffed turkey when attired in the conventional operatic tights? There are many who prefer to patronize the musical comedy and operetta because beauty of face and figure are the predominant attractions. One is willing to overlook the vocal inabilities of the prima-donna of musical comedy in contemplation of her physical comeliness.
81Without doubt if we trace the history of opera from the days of the early Italian school of florid coloratura music to the present day we discover that the opera singers of slender girth are in the minority. It has become a matter of almost tradition to think of an opera singer as being AH!—generously proportional. Of course there are some exceptions to this rule and many will disagree as to just where the line of demarkation exists between fat and thin. However, one must allow that the present day slim, athletic type of figure possessed by the hero of a college campus is surely not that of the operatic hero in the drama.
83Let us consider the question from another angle. Why is it that we seldom hear of an athlete being able to sing beautifully? Perhaps you will contend that the champion of boxing, football, tennis and such sports is not interested in the art of singing. It has been the writer's privilege to test the voices of several of the present day athletic-champions. Without exception, most of them were somewhat musical by nature but almost completely lacking in voice. Those of their number that excelled as swimmers were vocally unable to produce sufficiently resonant tones to sing well. It does not necessarily follow that every athlete is unable to sing. However, a tabulation of many cases has shown conclusively that physical exercise when practised to excess has a very drastic effect upon the singing voice. The average singer cannot habitually indulge in strenuous exercise and expect to retain a strong, resonant, healthy singing voice.
85Physiologically there is a very tangible reason why the vocal artist must not over-exercise. First of all, correct singing requires a great expenditure of nervous and muscular energy. As Dr. I. Henry Alexander of the Post-Graduate Hospital, an eminent authority upon the subject, remarked to the writer recently: "The singer's throat must be kept in a state of perfect health so that the vocal cords are ever ready for perfect adjustment." If the blood is called upon constantly to furnish an enormous amount of vitality to the muscles of the legs, arms and torso that are employed in violent physical exercise, naturally the supply for the intrinsic muscles of the throat is impoverished. It would be sufficient for ordinary speaking but not adequate for the fine approximation of the vocal cords in singing. Furthermore, during strenuous exercise the rapid passage of air through the larynx has a tendency to irritate the delicate vocal membranes and thus diminishes the efficiency of the singing apparatus. For these reasons, a singer must be very careful to take the right kind of exercise.
87Perhaps one would conclude that the vocalist should not exercise at all? Herein lies the answer to the old question "Why do singers grow fat?"
89Bodily inactivity is the best friend of fatty tissue. If singers would not over-eat so often, and would indulge in some light exercise every day, there would be very few fat artists at the Opera. Constant vocal practise and rehearsal indoors, just as any other type of work of this nature, discourages outdoor exercise. Also the deep breathing employed while singing in most cases produces a very healthy appetite. Unless this extra amount of food is burnt up by exercise it will produce fat. In other words, the daily routine of the vocal artist tends to discourage bodily exercise.
91A great danger confronts the singer, especially with overweight. Some months ago a well known and very successful opera singer suffered a nervous breakdown and complete loss of voice due to a rigorous diet and strenuous exercises used for reducing.
93The larynx and vocal cords are extremely sensitive to the physical fitness of the entire human system. Almost any ailment of the body will show a sympathetic effect upon the singer's throat.
95Beware of diets and vigorous exercises to lose weight, if you would sing well.
97Undoubtedly, generally speaking, the stout singer has vocally a most resonant voice. The majority of teachers agree that resonance is decided by the vibration of sound in certain large cavities in the bones of the head, known as sinuses. These all act as a sounding board for the voice. As a rule, vocalists that have great, ringing, sonorous voices, possess large bones. "But" you will ask "what has fat to do with resonance?" Fat is soft and of course has no value as a medium for—co-ordinate vibration.
99However, from a functional standpoint a singer must be able to relax the muscles of the throat and thorax in singing. Wherever fat is present in the tissue, muscles have not the same power of contraction. The thin person is stronger than the fat individual but muscularly is not capable of the same amount of relaxation.
101Therefore, the presence of fat assists the singer in relaxing the throat muscles and thus the tone has a free passage to the head cavities.
103In conclusion, we will agree that every singer should exercise daily but avoid athletic sports of too strenuous a nature. The present day manager will only engage an artist with a bad figure as a last resort. In other words, fat may have some functional value but it has no box office value.
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