Books › Musical Courier 1928-12-20: Vol 97 Iss 25, 1928 › scan 22
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Musical Courier 1928-12-20: Vol 97 Iss 25, 1928
75 lines. Read by computer on 30 September 2026. Printed page 23. See the scan on archive.org.
1December 20, 1928
3New York Concerts
4(Continued from preceding page)
5God's power; Grandma Grunts and The Sleigh were repeated. Le Miracle was sung in French, the Glee Club and the Cathedral Boys alternately singing each verse. Channing Lefebvre conducted the club with authority, and George Mead was the able accompanist.
7December 15
8Flonzaley Quartet
9Of the audience which thronged Town Hall for this Saturday afternoon recital there probably was not one hearer who failed to wish that the Flonzaley Quartet might reconsider its announced decision to disband after the end of the present season, which marks the twenty-fifth year of the professional life of the celebrated foursome.
11The players are in such fine accord and have reached such an exalted degree of musicianship, technic, and tonal quality, that one can scarcely think of the passing of the Flonzaleys from our concert life, without real regret and a sense of almost irreparable artistic loss.
13Last Saturday, the Flonzaley interpretations were of their best in Beethoven's B flat quartet, opus 18, No. 6, and Brahms' F minor quintet, opus 34, in which Harold Bauer gave a beautifully tempered, intensely felt, and musically noble account of the piano part.
15The novelty of the program was a sheaf of short pieces by Felix Bloch, Three Landscapes (North, Alpine, Tongatabou) and Night. Bloch writes with a pen practised and resourceful in construction, harmony, and coloring, but before all things, he has basic musical ideas and translates fundamentally into terms of melody or at least melodic suggestion. These short numbers pleased the audience greatly.
17Enthusiasm manifested itself fervently throughout the concert, especially after the Brahms opus.
19Juilliard Graduate School of Music
20The Juilliard Musical Foundation presented the Juilliard Graduate School String Orchestra in concert at the Engineering Auditorium last Saturday evening. Under Albert Stoessel, well known as conductor of the New York Symphony at Chautauqua during the summer and conductor of the New York Oratorio Society, the young musicians played with technical facility and dynamic variety. The program contained: Concerto Grosso in B minor, No. 11, by Handel, the soloists for which were Thomas Mancini, Harry Fagin, violinists, and John Frazer, cellist; concerto for two violins and strings, Bach, with Hine Brown and Jacques Singers as soloists; Two Elegiac Melodies, Grieg, and Eine Kleine Nacht musik, Mozart.
22December 16
23New York Chamber Music Society
24A very interesting program, of unusually diversified character, was given December 16 by the New York Chamber Music Society, a splendid ensemble, assisted by Maria Kurenko, soprano, and Adolf Schulze, French horn. Carolyn Beebe, founder of the organization, was heard at the piano in the sonata in D major, (Rieti) adding much to this atmospheric number by her ingratiating warmth of tone. The clear liquid runs of the piano ended the first movement in a moment of breathless surprise. Throughout this number Miss Beebe's artistry enabled her to color it with the same passionate wistfulness and bright humor as in the woodwind.
26The Beethoven sextet was played with noble, serene beauty, and the adagio, where the horns sing the main theme, is a movement containing speech of kingly souls. The Wolf-Ferrari number was emphatic, stirring and masterly, with clean well-knit harmonies; repetition of the haunting phrases of the adagio gives it great beauty. In a group of Schubert songs, Madame Kurenko displayed lovely quality; An die Musik was sung with deep richness, and Der Hirt auf dem Felsen was fresh, clear and soaring in the beauty of her high notes; a reception was held after the concert.
28Friends of Music
29Town Hall was crowded to the doors on Sunday afternoon, when the Society of the Friends of Music presented Haydn's Creation at its fifth concert of the season. The work, one of the loveliest among the choral literature, had not been given in New York for a number of years, and many who heard it on this occasion were charmed probably for the first time by its frank melodiousness, its freshness and its ingenious delineation of the various events described in the Biblical text. In which connection it should be mentioned that the text employed was the original German one, in place of the English translation in vogue.
31Editha Fleischer, soprano, George Meader, tenor, and Richard Mayr, bass, all of the Metropolitan Opera Company, were the soloists. The orchestra (members of the Metropolitan band) was smaller than usual, to conform with the demands of the Haydn score. Mr. Bodanzky conducted. Miss Fleischer, a singer who is equally at home in opera, oratorio and songs of small compass, gave lavishly of her vocal charms and fine musical intelligence, while Mr. Meader, who excels in works of the pure, serene classical style, was eminently satisfactory. Mr. Mayr's resonant and colorful bass voice and dignity of delivery also added much to the performance.
33Under Mr. Bodanzky's able leadership the chorus once more gave evidence of its excellent training, precision in attack, purity of intonation, voice blending and color, leaving little, if anything, to be desired. The oratorio will be repeated next Sunday at a non-subscription performance.
35Doris Niles and Ballet
36It is not surprising that such a fascinating artist as Doris Niles, her ballet and her sister, Cornelia Niles, should draw a capacity audience to the Gallo Theater for their second concert of the season. An entirely new program was presented, and, as was to be expected, it proved of great variety and contained many novelties. A feature which lent atmosphere to some of the numbers was a sextet of guitarists who had been imported from Spain. Charming, as well as authentic costumes, and excellent lighting effects added to the entertainment of the audience throughout the program.
38Doris Niles delighted in solos, in numbers with the ballet and in one dance with her sister. She appeared to be at her best in the final group, one of the numbers, La Chula (Granada Gipsy) arousing such a clamor on the part of the audience that nothing would do but to repeat it. It was danced with the characteristic grace, spirit and warmth which have made this gifted danseuse so popular.
40A small orchestra under the direction of Vladimir Brenner furnished the music for the various dances.
42Philharmonic-Symphony
43Walter Damrosch conducted the Sunday afternoon concert of the New York Philharmonic-Symphony at the Metropolitan Opera House, and the large audience acclaimed him in no uncertain terms, especially after an inspiring rendition of the Tchaikowsky Pathetic Symphony, the chief work of the day. Although the veteran leader insisted upon his men sharing the honors with him, there was no mistaking the fact that the lion's share of the applause was meant for Damrosch himself, for the vigor and enthusiasm he put into his directing and his painstaking effort to bring out every nuance of color in this monumental work were fully appreciated. The men responded to his every wish and thus made possible a most beautiful rendition.
45After the intermission came the overture to Lalo's Le Roi d'Ys, also superbly played. However, it was Guillaume Leket's Adagio for Strings, which followed, that seemed to impress the audience still more. It was with the orchestra of the Symphony Society that Damrosch made this work familiar to New York audiences, and on hearing this delightful composition again one could not but recall with deep sorrow the untimely death of so talented a composer.
47The program closed with E. F. Arbos' arrangement of Albeniz' Triana, the transcription of one of the twelve pieces for piano known as Iberia. It will be remembered that Arbos himself conducted this work for the first time from the printed score at a Symphony Society concert at Carnegie Hall last March. Spanish music it is indeed, and such music as any audience must enjoy.
49Park Central Musicale
50A touch of novelty was lent to the concert given at the Park Central in that Paula Fire, soprano and Rita Sebastian, contralto, presented several duets, beside a solo aria each. The opening duet, an arrangement of the Brahms Hungarian Dances, was well placed on the program, being melodies that almost everyone loves and knows, so that the interest of the audience was immediately stimulated. It was not long before it became obvious that both the young singers have voices of very good quality, resonant, well developed, even and of a rich and dark timbre. They were very well matched in their qualities, with no unevenness in the tone balance and a mutual understanding of ideas.
52The young ladies are also very pleasing from a personality standpoint; they have grace, poise and a sensitive regard for each other, a quality which is very essential in ensemble work. It was to be expected that they would please their audience, but they did more than that—they thoroughly entertained by their delightful singing and display of sound musicianship. The other duets were from Semiramide, Rossini; The Flight, Dvorak and the lovely duet from Madame Butterfly. Their solos were the arias from II Re Pastore, sung by Miss Fire, and Ah Mon Fils, sung by Miss Sebastian.
54Stefan Kosakevitch, baritone, assisted with two groups, well delivered.
56Miss Fire is the product of Esperanza Garrigue and Miss Sebastian of Madame Soder-Hueck.
58The People's Chorus, Ernest Schelling Soloist
59The first Christmas Song Festival of the People's Chorus of New York was held in Carnegie Hall on December 16 and won the enthusiastic applause and appreciation of the audience because of the assurance with which the program on the whole was sung and the evident understanding on the part of the chorus of the content of the music. As an evidence of his approval in the movement in which Mr. Camilleri, the conductor and founder of the chorus, is engaged, that of interesting people in all walks of life in singing, Ernest Schelling appeared as guest of honor and played a group of numbers, including some of his own compositions, in a manner befitting the great artist that he is. William C. Breed, also a guest of honor, outlined some of the activities of the chorus and paid tribute to Mr. Camilleri. At the conclusion of the program Mrs. Walter Ewing Hope and Mrs. Dunlevy Millbank gave a tea at the Plaza in honor of Mr. Schelling, Mr. Camilleri and the chorus.
61Pro Arte Quartet to Play in Chicago
62The Pro Arte Quartet has been definitely booked for two performances in Chicago with the Chamber Music Society under the direction of Mr. Voegeli, manager of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The Pro Arte will be in this country for six weeks, and most of that time is already heavily booked. During its concertizing in Europe it recently appeared in Paris, scoring its usual triumph in the French capital. It has an important tour booked in England this season after its American tour is completed, and also a tour is being arranged for the quartet in Spain.
64Pilar-Morin Artist Scores Again
65Ethel Fox, soprano of the San Carlo Opera Company and artist-pupil of Mme. Pilar-Morin, was soloist with the Brooklyn Orchestral Society, Philip James, conducting, on November 26. The Brooklyn Citizen, in commenting upon her singing, said in part: "Each of her songs was well received, particularly the difficult Since First I Met Thee, by Rubinstein, for which her voice, wide of range and rich with expression, seemed ideally suited. Her remaining four songs, rendered in as many languages, clearly demonstrated her resourcefulness and versatility." The Brooklyn Daily Eagle said she has "a delightful voice."
67Miss Fox was presented at the Englewood Woman's Club, where she made an equally favorable impression. The Press of that city said: "Miss Fox is perhaps one of the most gifted of the younger American artists before the public. Her voice shows great promise. It is sweet and true, with vibrant high tones combined with a rich mezzo-quality and unusual sympathy. Her diction is irreproachable."
69The Bergen Evening Record was of this opinion: "Miss Fox possesses a very strong voice of wonderful qualities, and in addition to this has a most charming personality and ability in dramatics."
71Miss Fox recently gave a program at Stamford, Conn., where she was very cordially received.
73ETHEL FOX,
74a rising young soprano, who has been entirely trained, vocally and dramatically, by Mme. Pilar-Morin. (Photo by Nishiyama.)
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