Books › Musical Courier 1928-05-10: Vol 96 Iss 19, 1928 › scan 26
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Musical Courier 1928-05-10: Vol 96 Iss 19, 1928
78 lines. Read by computer on 29 September 2026, twice; the two readings disagreed in places. Printed page 27. See the scan on archive.org.
A town on its own line is one of the directory's headings. That is where the town on a maker's page comes from.
1May 10, 1928
3Philadelphia Lauds Joint Recital of Mae Mackie and David H. Miller
5Frank Oglesby Appears in Triple Capacity as Tenor, Pianist and Composer
7PHILADELPHIA, PA.—An unusual joint recital was given on May 3, by Mae Mackie, mezzo soprano of the Pennsylvania Grand Opera Company, and David H. Miller, tenor, with Mary Miller Mount as accompanist. The program opened with a group of duets, including—Laggiu nelle nebbie remote from the opera La Gioconda, Rimsky-Korsakoff's Song of India, and A Night in Venice by Lucantoni. Following these, Miss Mackie sang the difficult aria, Divination by Water from Moussorgsky's opera Kovantchina. Miss Mackie's voice is very powerful and of wide range. One could easily imagine her in the role of Martha in this opera, so recently presented in Philadelphia. As an encore, Miss Mackie graciously sang the dainty Snowdrop by Gretchaninoff.
9Mr. Miller sang a group of delightful solos, including the ever popular Caro mio ben by Giordani, Es blintz der Thau by Rubinstein, Beloved it is Morn by Aylward, and the beautiful aria, O Paradis sorti de l'onde from Meyerbeer's opera L'Africaine. Mr. Miller has a glorious tenor voice, used with an artistic musical understanding. His enunciation is fine and his personality delightful. The vociferous applause was rewarded by the Negro Spiritual, Hard Trials, so much enjoyed by everyone. one of two readings
10Mr. Miller sang a group of delightful solos, including the ever popular Caro mio ben by Giordani, Es blinkt der Thau by Rubinstein, Beloved it is Morn by Aylward, and the beautiful aria, O Paradis sorti de l'onde from Meyerbeer's opera L'Africaine. Mr. Miller has a glorious tenor voice, used with an artistic musical understanding. His enunciation is fine and his personality delightful. The vociferous applause was rewarded by the Negro Spiritual, Hard Trials, so much enjoyed by everyone. one of two readings
12Next came the duets, Lullaby and Gypsies, by Brahms, which were excellently sung. The two voices blended beautifully and their phrasing was fine. As an encore they sang the lilting Kerry Dances.
14Miss Mackie sang a group of well-contrasted songs, Break, Break, Break by Martin, Blackbird's Song by Scott, Dawn on the Desert by Ross and the Cry of Rachel by Salter. The first and the last two were especially well suited to her voice and were sung with fine dramatic feeling, and power. The House that Jack Built proved a diverting encore, after the enthusiastic applause.
16Mr. Miller's last group held Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal by Quilter, Hymn to the Night by Campbell-Tipton, Cara Mia by Horace Johnson (Mr. Johnson was in the audience and was asked by Mr. Miller to rise following the cordial reception of his composition) and the aria E Lucevan le stelle from La Tosca. As an encore Mr. Miller sang the beloved tenor aria from Pagliacci and as a result, another encore was necessary (Mistress Mine by Quilter). Mr. Miller certainly excels in his singing of the Italian arias, and makes one wish to hear him in some of these works.
18The closing duet L'abborrita rivali a me stuggia from Aida, was a triumph for both artists. Miss Mackie's fine dramatic ability was evidenced to a marked degree, as it was easy to imagine her as the regal Amneris while Mr. Miller strengthened the fine impression of his work.
20Mary Miller Mount, so well known to MUSICAL COURIER readers, did her usual excellent accompanying. She is delightful to watch, being charming personally, and absolutely free from mannerisms, which many accompanists seem to affect. One is also perfectly sure that all will go well, as long as her strong, clever fingers are piloting the soloists.
22FRANK OGLESBY IN RECITAL
24Frank Oglesby, tenor, pianist and composer, appeared in this triple capacity on April 30, when he gave a very interesting recital in the Foyer of the Academy of Music. In a program of twenty songs and numerous encores, Mr. Oglesby exhibited a voice of beautiful quality, which was well used in artistic interpretations. He played his own accompaniments most cleverly, while his own composition La Vie, was so cordially received that it had to be repeated.
26An Italian group opened the program, followed by the aria Cavatina from Romeo and Juliet. French songs, are especially suited to Mr. Oglesby's voice and style, so it is not strange that they predominated. The favorite Jardin d'amour was beautifully sung and pleased the audience greatly as did Moon Marketing by Weaver, which Mr. Oglesby obligingly repeated. Another composition of interest was Nicholas Douty's Ma Pensee est serene. The large audience was very enthusiastic throughout, necessitating encores after almost every group. There was no shadow of doubt that the recital was a huge success, both as to artistic merit on the part of the singer, and appreciation by the audience.
28M.M.C.
30A Luncheon for Scholes
32A luncheon was tendered Percy Scholes by Franklin Dunham, of the Aeolian Company, at the Columbia Club, on April 30. A number of distinguished musicians and critics were present to bid Mr. Scholes farewell and a pleasant journey after his brief visit to this country. Mr. Scholes, who is critic for the British Broadcasting Company, told something of the working of broadcasting in England, and it seems so superior to anything we have here that it makes one green with envy. Every radio receiving set owner in England is required to pay two dollars and a half a year to the British Broadcasting Company to support the broadcasting. No advertising of any kind is allowed. Programs are made more from the standpoint of what the people ought to have than what the people want to have. In other words, broadcasting in England is looked upon as educational and, according to Mr. Scholes, is proving so. Many who wrote abusive letters because of the heavy programs five years ago are now writing apologies and declaring their far greater delight in what they used to consider programs of too serious a nature.
34Mr. Scholes is also the editor of the Audio Graphic rolls being issued by the Aeolian Company, and after the luncheon several rolls were played and their utility explained.
36Park Concert Season Starts
38The first free park concert in the Greater New York season of 1928 took place in the music grove, Prospect Park, Brooklyn, on Sunday afternoon at four o'clock. Shannon's Band was heard in a program of ten numbers, which included Schubert's Rosamunde overture, the wedding scene from Lohengrin, ballet music from Carmen and a Chopin potpourri. The accommodations in Prospect Park have been enlarged so as to accommodate 8,000 people, and there is parking space for 500 automobiles. Concerts will be given every Sunday at the same hour.
40Seven Concerts in Seven Days, Dai Buell's Recent Record
42Except on the vaudeville stage, where the "two-a-day" or the "three-a-day" custom prevails, an artist is seldom called upon to give of his or her talents in such wholesale measure as Dai Buell's recent record of seven recitals in as many days. Many managers are governed in their agreements with their artists by a clause which allows a day of rest between important engagements—an indulgence which Miss Buell has never allowed herself.
44Another fact which makes this intensive week a bit of a record (and which makes the above comparison, with a ten to twenty-minute "turn" in the theater none too apt) may be found in the choice of exacting program of characteristic Symphonic Poem, Les Preludes, Liszt. Willem Willeke conducted.
46Two Witmark Choruses Featured at Music Supervisors' National Conference
48Julius P. Witmark, of the firm of M. Witmark & Sons, has just returned from Chicago where, accompanied by Mrs. Witmark, he attended the first biennial of the Music Supervisors' National Conference. This was Mr. Witmark's first trip to Chicago in a number of years and he put in as busy a two weeks there as he ever spent in his busy life. He was actively engaged in one matter or another every day from early morning until well into the early hours of the following day. His first week was spent in renewing old business acquaintances and interviewing members of the music trades there generally. Many of the people with whom he has been doing business through correspondence during a great many years he now met in person and received a truly royal welcome from each and every one. This first week, too, Mr. Witmark visited all the big picture and vaudeville houses, where he heard several of the firm's popular sellers and met many of Chicago's leading orchestra and amusement directors, among them Paul Ash, who at the Oriental, was featuring I'm Away from the World When I'm Away from You; Mark Fisher, who was doing the same with There's Always a Way to Remember. Of course, Victor Herbert's Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life, he says, he heard everywhere. Besides, he visited several of the radio stations, at all of which they broadcasted special Witmark programs. During this week "Julie" had an opportunity of seeing personally some of the fine results of the intensive work he has been doing from New York headquarters for so long and well-spent a time.
50The primary object of his visit to the Middle West just now was, however, the Music Supervisors' National Conference, which occurred during the second week of his visit.
52Mr. Witmark is more than ordinarily interested in this increasingly important work, for it is due to his untiring efforts that there exists today one of the most interesting, varied and all-embracing catalogs of music material for school use ever built up. "A World of Good Things for Schools and Colleges" is the official and descriptive title of this catalog of Witmark teaching and amusement material, now so thoroughly familiar and welcome to every music supervisor in the country. At the conference headquarters, the Hotel Stevens, M. Witmark & Sons had an unusually fine and effective exhibit, the atmosphere of which, as well as its extreme utility, was remarked by every visitor. Mr. Witmark himself was a constant attendant there, and to quote his own account: "It was very gratifying to hear the many expressions from the supervisors who visited our exhibit as to how much pleasure they got using our publications and how happy they were to see that we were in this field of endeavor."
54But the greatest thrill to the visitor was the magnificent singing of two of the Witmark firm's choral publications at two of the big functions in connection with the conference. The first was Richard Kountz' American Ode, which had been selected for this event by O. E. Robinson and Louise Hannon, co-chairman of the music committee; it closed the program presented at the first annual Chicago High Schools' Music Festival in Orchestra Hall. This was sung by 500 students, boys and girls accompanied by an orchestra of 100, conducted by Ray Staater, with Noble Cain at the organ. The second featured Witmark publication was the same composer's The Song of Man, written especially for the occasion and dedicated to the Founders of the Conference. It was sung at the Founders Breakfast by 125 supervisors, selected and directed by Dr. Will Earhart. The solo was sung by William Breach and the piano accompaniment was played by George H. Garlan, director of music in the schools of Greater New York. Incidentally, The Song of Man was selected from a number of competitive compositions by such judges as Dr. Earhart, Paul Weaver, and Frances Clark. Mr. Kountz was present at the singing of his newest choral number and received what actually amounted to an ovation.
56Mr. Witmark, back at his desk in New York, later said he believed the impressions he received from his visit more than justified the confidence with which he looks forward to a splendid revival of music business in all fields during this and the coming years. With much earnestness and conviction he said: "I would not have missed those two weeks for the world."
58A Nordica Letter
60Mme. Caroline Gardner-Bartlett, who is now residing in Sandusky, O., sends the MUSICAL COURIER the following letter which was written to her by Lillian Nordica:
62Earle's Hotel
6321 & 22, Grosvenor Street
64Grosvenor Square, W.
65London
66Tuesday Morning, June 22, 1909.
68My dear Caroline:
70We shall miss you terribly and I don't see why you cannot stay. But then, of course you know best.
72I just wanted to say to you how much I appreciate all your kindness, and to wish you all success. You must have it, for your ideas and methods are the true ones. Your teaching is greatly needed today and I rejoice that we have been together so closely these past six weeks or more. I surely have profited.
74I truly wish all the girls who are struggling with the problem of voice production could have a course with you, for as you have heard me say a hundred times, They must learn to Sing! I hope to get back in time to visit you at your farm and see and hear your pupils. I am delighted with your recital and think you should be proud and happy. You surely are well a match for yourself here as well as in America. There are so many people about. I had to write this as I know I should not get a moment to say it to you. So, Hurrah for "Vocal sound and musical pitch." Bon Voyage, and a Happy Summer. With fond love,
76Ever your friend,
77(Signed) LILLIAN NORDICA.
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