Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
CROCHETS AND QUAVERS.
Constantin Von Sternberg, pianist, will
make atour of the United States in October.
Ernst Van Dyke, the Belgian tenor, will
sing with the Grau Opera Co. in this city
during the season of 'g8-'99.
Alex. Guilmant, the distinguished French
organist, will commence a three months
tour of this country in November.
J. L. Molloy, who wrote "Love's Old
Sweet Song," is a barrister-at-law, settled
at Henley-on-Thames, near London.
It is announced that Antonin Dvorak,
who will shortly arrive in New York, has
selected "Uncle Tom's Cabin" as the sub-
ject of an opera.
Marie LouiseClary, the favorite American
contralto, will appear in a series of song
recitals and concerts in Canada during
October.
Ysaye will make his debut at the Phil-
harmonic Society of this city with Brahm's
Concerto. He will also play one other
piece not yet decided upon.
Last year England awarded $1,030,000
in grants for music, covering 4,250,000
pupils in elementary schools which are state
aided.
In Milan a society has been organized
with a capital of 500,000 francs to build a
new opera house to be named after Giuseppe
Verdi.
Leoncavallo's latest composition is a
canzonetta on Alfred de Musset's poem to
Nidon: "Si je vous le disais pourtant, que
je vous aime."
The Venezuelan government has just
made a grant in aid of a conservatory of
music to be established at Caracas. Our
officials at Washington should take notice.
A. H. Behrend, the English composer
who wrote " Stories, Auntie" and other
well-known ballads, lives in London. He
is a grandson of Balfe, the composer.
An orchestral symphonic poem entitled
"Life a Dream," by the American com-
poser James K. Pleasants, was recently
performed for the first time in Berlin.
Moritz Rosenthal, the great pianist, will
resume his American tour about the middle
of November. He will be heard four times
in this city, and his itinerary includes the
principal cities of the States and Canada.
The Royal Opera of Berlin employs
thirty - three solo singers. The Berlin
opera and operetta theatres together give
employment to 445 male and 383 female
singers.
Mile. Hoffman, who is described as the
Belgian pianiste, will give a series of piano
recitals in this country the coming season.
She has many novelties in her repertoire.
Miss Hoffman appeared in this city last
season with a fair degree of success.
The largest playhouses in Germany are
the Vienna Opera House, seating 4,000;
the Munich Opera, with 3,000 seats; the
new Leipsic Stadt Theatre, with 2,000; the
Frankfurt Opera House, with 1,900, and
the Berlin Opera House, with 1,550 seats.
MRS. ADA MAY BENZING.
We take pleasure in in-
troducing to our readers
through the portrait here-
with, Mrs. Ada May Ben-
zing, a contralto singer
well known and deserved-
ly popular in her native
city, Boston, and other
musical centers. A prom-
inent critic writes as fol-
lows of this artist: " A
more bountifully endowed
contralto, as regards both
volume and quality of
tone it would be difficult
to name. Her vocaliza-
tion, is charmingly sympa-
thetic, is unswervingly
loyal, even when tested
by an Aria so severe in its
demands as that by Saint
Satins. The Aria was sung
with great intelligence
and with a dramatic feel-
ing that in itself may well
be described as significant
of the artist's capacity to
attain pre-eminent rank
among the operatic con-
traltos of the day."
Mrs. Benzing will be heard to a greater
IN THE riAQAZlNE WORLD.
Two important articles in the current
issue of McClure's are "The Cleaning of a
Great City," by Col. Geo. E. Waring, Jr.,
and "Life in the Klondike Gold Fields,"
by a man who has himself had an impor-
tant share in it for years. Both articles are
illustrated with special drawings. Other
features of the number are a strong ballad
by Kipling, short stories by Robert Barr,
Wm. Allen White and others, a series of
portraits of Henry Clay and an important
paper upon ancient manuscripts by H. G.
Kenyon of the British Museum.
The September number of Current Liter-
ature furnishes its unusual feast of literary
delicacies. The editorial matter is able and
interesting, the selections well chosen and
abundant. The verse department, always
an unique feature of this excellent maga-
zine, is this month enriched by the addi-
tion of two pages of love songs from the
poems of the late Jean Ingelow. The selec-
tions from new books and the various
other topics treated, are of exceptional in-
terest.
The complete novel in the September
issue of Lippincott's is "Weeping Ferry,"
by Margaret L. Woods. It is a sincere,
simple and effective tale of English coun-
try life. Among' the many interesting
articles and poems is one by Arthur How-
ard Noll, of especial interest to musicians,
entitled "Musical Mexico," in which he
shows that the land of the Montezumas is
quite as much a musical country as any
other in the world.
The September Ladies' Home Journal in
the variety, interest and timeliness of its
articles and in the beauty of its illustra-
tion is a notable number. In special
jc-
ADA MAY BENZING.
extent than usual in concert and oratorio
work this season.
articles and general contents nothing is
lacking to make it the ideal family maga-
zine. Edward Jacobowsky, the composer
of "Erminie," has contributed to this issue
a pretty waltz for the piano entitled
"Golden Vineyard."
The Review of Reviews, always timely,
always interesting, is as usual up to the
standard for September. This magazine
is indispensable to the busy man who
wishes to have at hand a reliable authority
on the happenings of the month.
The series of special articles published
in the Illustrated American fortnightly is
proving a highly interesting feature, noted
men always writing on topics of especial
moment. The different departments of
this popular weekly seem to become, if it
is possible, more varied, attractive and
readable every succeeding issue.
Few magazines have such an enduring
hold on the affections of the reading pub-
lic as the Literary Digest of this city.
Week after week a menu is furnished of
the world's happenings which never fails
to be interesting, instructive and valuable.
©
F. E. Weatherly, who, with Clifton Bing-
ham, furnishes nearly all the song poems
for the best English composers, is a lawyer
by profession as is W. S. Gilbert the great
librettist. Mr. Weatherly is also an au-
thority on copyright matters, having re-
cently compiled a book on the subject.
Probably Mr. Weatherly's best known
poem is that of " T h e Holy City," so beau-
tifully set to music by Stephen Adams,
who is really Maybrick, the singer.
Richard Strauss will make his d6but in
London at Mr. Schultz Curtius' orchestral
concerts in the autumn.