THE MUSICAL
REVIEW.
Alfred H. Pease gave a pleasant recital at Story & Camp's Warerooms,
playing Mendelssohn's "Capriccio," op. 22, and Guilmant's "Fugue,"in D
major, Chopin's F minor Concerto, assisted by Mr. Perkins, and Liszt's Pol-
onaise. This time Mr. Pease changed his mount. He formerly traveled on
a Weber, but now plays the Haines Piano. I see that there has been trouble
in Baltimore over testimonials given by the same artist to different pianos.
Artists are wrongly blamed for confining themselves to any one piano. We
are obliged to the liberality of the piano makers for the introduction of Ru-
binstein, Van Biilow, Essipoff, Joseffy and many other pianists. With the
exception of the first named, all of them proved to be a financial loss. The
public does not support such artists. Of course this testimonial business
has been carried too far, and we find now-a-days every patent resonator mu-
sic-turner, hand-guide and finger-joint softener indorsed by a long string of
musicians, all of them talented, eminent and distinguished.
" The Pirates of Penzance " is being performed at Haverly's.
Mr. Schoenfeld is trying to get up an amateur orchestra. He does not
state whether he expects to be the amateur leader.
Mr. Louis Falk, who, although not the most classical, is our most bril-
liant concert organist, gave a very successful concert at Rock Island, Janu-
ary 11th.
Mr. Clement Tetedoux gave a pupils' Recital January 13th. The fine
singing of his pupils proves him to be a valuable acquisition to our city.
E. L.
(Special Correspondence.)
CHICAGO, Jan.
24.
that there were to be any invitations sent out. So the next day he searched
the war records of the college, and finding the exact titles bestowed by
Thomas upon the college president, the " opera director" forthwith applied
them also, and with sufficient vigor to make it interesting. He even had his
resignation reduced to writing, and was waiting to waylay Col. Nichols with
it when Jinger, Doerner, and other of the chief mourners surrounded and
finally captured the infuriated Maximilian. The same evening oil from
long-necked champagne bottles was poured upon the troubled waters, and
Max remains to fight some other day.
The local papers have been printing all kinds of sensational rumors
anent the college, its president, and the forthcoming opera festival. It has
been said that Col. Nichols contemplated a change and would resign the
cares and hair-breadth escapes of the college presidency after the festival
passes off. As to the truth of this I shall be better able to determine a-
month hence. The Colonel himself refuses any light, but if the opera festival
proves a failure, the changes in the college will be so important as to even
include the energetic president; if the festival proves a fitting successor to
the May festivals of the past, there will be no such terrible tearing up as is
now talked of. The preparations for the opera festival, which begins with
"Lohengrin," on February 21, are being pushed vigorously. "Fidelio"
originally announced as one of the works to be given, has been expunged from
the programme. All of the following (or parts of them) in the scheme.
"Lohengrin," "Magic Flute,"" Mefistofele," "Lucia," " Moses in Egypt,"
"Aida," Somnambula " and "Faust."
The union of art and advertising, however necessary, sometimes leads
to difficulty. You may remember that it was one of Col. Nichols star.ling
hand-bills announcing a concert, that fired the fuse that blew up one section
of the college faculty two years ago. " Five grand pianos on the stage at
once!"—so ran the announcement, and all through it we could hear the " walk
up, walk up " of the side door! Similarly we find on the opera circulars the
following: "In order to make this festival of unequaled splendor, the great
stage of Music Hall is to be mounted with new and beautiful scenery and
inclosed with a handsome proscenium, with a magnigcent drop-curtain,
Proscenium boxes seating from ten to fifteen persons, will be erected on
either side the stage; these boxes will have openings both upon the stage
and towards the audience. [Walk up! step up!]. Six HUNDRED SEATS ARE
LOST in the seating capacity of the hall, bv reason of the increased depth of
the stage, required for the grand spectacular display of operas like " Lohen-
grin," "Mesfistofele," "Aida," and others; also for the proper accommo-
Mr. Emil Liebling gave his first concert of the present season last Tues-
day evening in Fairbank Hall. His programme was an enterprising one, as
follows: Septet, op. 74, Hummel, (for piano, viola, 'cello, bass, flute, oboe,
and horn), Emil Liebling, and Messrs. Allen, Liesegang, Kraemer, Drach,
Bareither, and Forkert. Vocal—Aria—"If with all your hearts," from
"Elijah," Mendelssohn, Mr. Chas. A. Knorr. Violin solo, "Valse Caprice,"
Wieniawski, Mr. Wm. Lewis. Piano solo, Scherzo, op. 39, Chopin, Emil
Liebling. Vocal, "Adieu," E. Liebling, Mr. Chas. A. Knorr. Octet, op. 9
(first time in Chicago), Rubinstein, (for piano, violin, viola, 'cello, bass,
flute, clarionet, and horn), Emil Liebling, and Messrs. Lewis, Allen, Liese-
gang, Kraemer, Drach, Schoeppe and Forkert. From this promising menu
two deviations were made, both of which were unavoidable. The oboe
failed to appear, and at the last minute it was necessary to assign its part
in the Hummel Septet to the clarinet, using a smaller mouth-piece. Then dation, on the main floor, of the Grand Orchestra of one hundred musicians,
Mr. Knorr became violently hoarse, and in place of him we had Mrs. which is now fully organized." But more than all, we are told in large cap-
Navette in Haydn's "Verdure Clad," and Rode's " Air and Variations." ital letters, that " the sacrifice of over four thousand seats for the seven per-
The lady is a pleasant soprano, carefully taught, and was warmly received. formances has been made by the management in the interest of art; but for
Our old friend Lewis played remarkably well in the Wieniawski "Valse purposes of seeing and hearing it enhances the value of every otJier seat in the
Caprice," and received a merited encore. And thus we come at length to house."
the business of the evening, in the concerted proceedings of the concert-
How poor and mean all this looks in the light of the art which is belit-
giver himself. Mr. Emil Liebling has been so long here, first and last, that tled by association with it. But may the festival be a success ! is the prayer
he is an " institution" in Chicago, and holds deservedly a position as high of every one who has the reputation of the Queen City as a musical center,
as the highest. For all this, I hardly think his recitals here in former years at heart. And of these devoted ones your correspondent is, of course, a small
have been so fully recognized as they deserved; especially in the way of fraction.
proper credit for the introduction of many novelties. Here, for example,
We have not had much in the line of desultory music within the past
were several pieces of Moszkowski, Scharwenka's, and Tschaikowski's, fortnight. The Strakosch-Hess opera which closed a week's work here on
played by Liebling long ago, but months and sometimes years afterwards the 2d, iilumed our musical life with ideal enjoyments. Marie Roze is
played by some new pianist and great credit assigned, because they were new
greatly admired by Cincinnatians, and Torriani made a host of friends.
here. This characteristic artistic pride and enterprise of Liebling find new Then we have had several piano recitals—a style of entertainment of which
illustration in his production of the septet and octet of the present pro- we have a surfeit this winter—and a number of " show off" concerts by the
gramme; and both of them, as you know, are works of rank. The septet pupils of energetic teachers.
went smoothly and well together. As to the contents of it, I prefer the first
Before closing I have a small budget of "personals " to unroll.
movement and the air and variations to the other two movements. The
It is announced that Miss Annie Burt Norton, our charming young
Rubinstein work is in effect a pianoforte concerto with limited accompani- soprano, has agreed to a life engagement with Mr. A. Hartdegen, the violon-
ment, and is one of the most difficult. In this work Mr. Liebling played cellist.
with great fluency and smoothness. I liked him best in the first and second
Otto Singer, the ex-friend of Theodore Thomas, declares that his old
movements, the latter, a scherzo, is one of the most original things to be chief is right in his rigid disregard of the critics. Mr. Singer says that
found, and as it seems to me one of the most successful of Rubinstein's. henceforth he, too, will cease to read the papers.
Estimated as an artist, Mr. Liebling is to be credited with great technique and
Mr. Horace Wetherell, a popular basso prof undo, and member of a pro-
unusual quickness of musical thought, and all the school of modern pianoforte minent church quartette, has recently recovered from a severe illness. He
virtuosity. If I were to go on and point out defects, it would be to say that told me confidentially that he liked the MUSICAL CRITIC, but like all the rest
I find in his public work a certain want of repose, which I cannot quite had a grievance which he proposed to put into writing and forward. I warn
cover with the mantle of bashfulness, and I think further, that he does not you beforehand that Horace wields a trenchant Faber.
give sufficient smoothness and singing quality to caniabile passages. The
Mr. Arthur Mees is not the critic of the Gazette, that post being filled
latter fault is not due to any lack of skill in touch, but rather to an inten- by an ex-Catholic priest—a peculiarly appropriate character for the " truly
tional interpretation of such passages in a way which seems to me insuffi- good " newspaper.
cient. This was especially noticeable in the slow movement of the Rubin-
In the music trade things are stirring. The latest is the addition of
stein octet, on the present occasion, where in some places the melody Rothschild & Bro. to our list of piano dealers. The Rothschilds have for
entirely failed to sustain itself in what were meant for sostenuto pas- several years carried on an extensive furniture and house-furnishing trade.
sages. All this is doubtless a difference of opinion between the concert- A member of- this firm left this week for the East to select a stock of pianos.
giver and the present writer. Over against it is to be set down the satisfac-
Mr. W. F. Sherwin has come to this city to enter the house of Church
tion we take in a local pianist, able and willing to bring out large, import- & Co. as manager of the Sunday-school book department.
MEPHISTO.
ant, and difficult works, and to play them with confidence and intelligence.
All of which is peculiarly true of your clever staff correspondent, Mr. Emil
NASHVILLE, TENN.
Liebling. The audience was large and fashionable, and very appreciative.
The space to which I have run on precludes my speaking of the other players
OPERA AND BURLESQUE.
as they deserve.
W. S. B. M.
NASHVILLE, Tenn., Jan. 14th, 1881.
CINCINNATI,
TRAKOSCH and Hess's Grand Opera Company appeared at the new
Masonic Theatre, Tuesday evening, Jan. 11th, in " Mefistofele," to a
WAR BETWEEN MARETZEK AND NICHOLS, OF THE COLLEGE OF MUSIC.—THE OPERA
FESTIVAL.—COL. NICHOLS' ADVERTISING.—MISCELLANEOUS MUSICAL EVENTS. good house. The opera was well mounted and admirably rendered, but was
—PERSONAL MENTION.—TRADE MATTERS.—BRITTING BROS. VERSUS DECKER not well liked by many of our critics. " Carmen," on Wednesday evening,
was the gem of the engagement, Marie Roze taking the character of Carmen.
BEOS.
From here the company go to Memphis, Tenn.
CINCINNATI, Jan. 17th, 1881.
r
Levitt's Grand Burlesque Opera Company open at the Grand Opera
T^HAT there's many a true word spoken in jest is a trite saying. In a House
to-night in " Carmen," concluding to-morrow night in " La Fille du
_L witty forecast of the events of the new year, your Boston representa- Tambour
Major."
A. B. L.
tive—who, by the way, is the only genuine wit we have among our musical
literati—prophesied that on "April 14 a fearful riot breaks out in the Cin-
It is rumored that Mr. Boscowitz, the accomplished pianist, will leave
cinnati Colic of Music, between Nichols and Maretzek." The best part of Chicago for Cincinnati in February.
that joke is that it is literally true, except as to date; for there has already
At a recent festival of the circumcision in Baltimore, the music at St.
been just such a riot under the classic shades of Springer's noble Music Ignatius
Church was specially noticeable. The " Incarnatus " and " Sanctus "
Hall. The fact is that Max has thought seriously lately of suspending his were brilliantly
sung by the tenor, Gussie Barley, with a chorus of thirty
harp upon the willows and following the example of Thomas, La Villa, etal. voices,
under the direction of Prof. E. G. Hurley, organist and choir master.
The trouble started when Col. Nichols invited a large number of critics
The death is announced at Mystic River, Conn., on Dec. 31, of Palmer
and prominent citizens to a rehearsal of Maretzek's opera class. The hall
was well filled, the performance was very bad, and Max himself overflowing Gallup, a remarkable scholar, mathematician, teacher, musician, and musi-
•with anger that his fiasco should have so many witnesses. He did not know cal composer of unusual talent.
S