Classic Mode

Music Trade Review

Issue: 1898 Vol. 26 N. 14

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
EUGENE SIBLEY WHEELER.
"PLAYING WITH EXPRESSION."
everything according to cast-iron rules, he will
A gentleman who has an intelligent interest tell you that temperament is of no consequence
in music has propounded to me a question whatever.
which has caused some astonishment in my
"It's all a trick," he will say. "Listen."
mind. He asks me what is meant by " play- And in a moment he will recite you a few
ing with expression." He adds that many of lines of pathetic poetry in a heart-breaking
his friends seem to think that it is something voice, and when you begin to look sad he will
that is done on the spur of the moment. A laugh at you. And you will go away con-
performer who has a powerful musical tem- vinced that it is purely a matter of business
perament sits down at the piano and begins and it is unnecessary for an actor to have any
to play. The music takes possession of his feeling at all. But the Coquelins and the
soul and fans into a flame that slumbering Bernhardts and the Modjeskas will not tell
spark of "temperament." This blazing tem- you anything of that kind. They will tell you
perament now fires the whole performance, that the actor cannot simulate any emotion
and the player, letting his fingers go as tem- which he is incapable of feeling. He cannot
perament drives them, overwhelms the audi- pretend that which he does not know; other-
ence with his glorious expression. That, my wise he would create, not interpret.
correspondent tells me, is what, to his great
He must be able to understand the emo-
surprise, he found that most of his friends, tions of every scene in his part before he can
music lovers like himself, think about the convey them to the audience. In a measure
matter. He finds that he cannot agree with the true actor does feel the emotion of the
this view. He desires to know whether he is scene, but the method by which he conveys
not right in believing that expression must be that emotion is the result of study.
the result of study, of preparation, of thought,
The method of expression as practiced by
not of the mere spontaneous promptings of the actor is also that of the musician. It is
temperament.
easiest to perceive the resemblance when the
My correspondent has simply propounded case is that of a singer, for here the musician
for fresh discussion a very old question, and uses all the apparatus of the actor, except
one which affects every branch of interpreta- speech, for which he substitutes song. Has
tive art. Expression is not the sole property any one ever heard M. Jean de Reszke sing
of the musician. It belongs just as much to "Salut demeure" in different ways on differ-
ent nights? That is only a single number,
the actor, the elocutionist, or the public
you may say. Has any one ever known him
reader. The whole matter of study versus to present a Faust different from that which
spontaneity has been discussed thoroughly by is familiar to us? If not, why not? M. Jean
the actors, and artists like Coquelin, Bern- de Reszke has a powerful temperament. Why
EUGENE SIBLEY WHEELER.
hardt and Irving have given their views. The does it not make him play Faust with a
chestral Concerto in C minor has received the question was whether the actor ought to pre- different expression sometimes? Because the
pare beforehand his actions, looks, gestures, conception of Faust which the great tenor
commendation of the highest authorities.
His oratorio, "The Resurrection," is, how- and intonations, or "™~™""—"~™"~~^™~—
ever, the work that has brought him promi- trust to the inspira-
nently into public notice. This has been tion of the moment.
ALL ROADS ARE ALIKE TO A M O N A R C H .
produced in various cities, notably at That was one phase
Perfection is the result of our long
the recent Tennessee Centennial celebra- of the matter. An-
experience.
tion at Nashville, under the baton of other question then
Frank Van Der Stucken, with the Cincinnati arose. Should the
orchestra and Nashville Choral Society of 350 actor actually feel
voices. It was received with the greatest en- the emotions of the
thusiasm, and the young composer was called scene, or coldly sim-
before the audience time and time again. ulate them by care-
The maturity and completeness of the work fully prepared sym-
In o t h e r
was so extraordinary that the Associated bols ?
words,
could
he act
Press devoted considerable space to the work
with
expression
if
and its author, thus making him known
he was not carried
throughout the musical world.
Mr. Wheeler is at present at work, we un- away by his tem-
derstand, on a grand opera entitled "The perament d u r i n g
Star Spangled Banner." It is in three acts the performance,
and is nearing completion. The production but engaged in do-
of such a work in view of the wave of patriot- ing everything with
ism abroad is timely, and Mr. Wheeler's pure i n t e l l e c t u a l
work will be awaited with interest. Friends method?
who have examined portions of the score
Now if you ask
already finished are of the opinion that "The the actor about this
Star Spangled Banner" will create quite a he will answer ac-
furore.
are the product of mechanical ingenuity.
cording to.his kind.
©
If he is in the habit
H. E. Krehbiel delivered a lecture last of trusting to the
Saturday on "Folk-Song in America" at inspiration of the
Sherry's in aid of the Children's Charitable
moment, he will tell
Send for 1898 Catalogue.
Union. He discussed the characteristics of
you
that the purely
Agents wanted in open territory.
the folk-songs which have grown up in
America. They were illustrated, by songs of intellectual method
MONARCH CYCLE MFC. CO.,
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Lillian Russell, Tom Cooper, Lee Richardson end Walter Jones.
Among the rising young American musi-
cians of our time Eugene Sibley Wheeler,
whose counterfeit presentment we present
herewith, is highly spoken of by critics and
musicians. Although but in his twenty-
second year he has accomplished much in the
field of composition, and displayed musical
genius that may be termed remarkable. He
has written numerous sacred anthems, vocal
solos and organ selections which are used in
many of the leading churches, and his Or-
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Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
presents to us is the result of thought and
study, not of spontaneous impulse. Some-
times M. de Reszke plays Faust with more
intensity than at others. That is one effect
of temperament, which, being an emotional
thing, may be strengthened or weakened by
physical conditions. But the conception of
the part and the methods of expressing that
conception are always the same. If they
were not, there would be no conception, and
hence no art.
All these considerations apply to the per-
formance of a piano sonata or a violin con-
certo. The first thing that the performer
must do is to form his conception of the
work as a whole. He must do this with his
intellect, for the act of conception is an intel-
lectual, not an emotional, act. He must
form a conception even of the emotional con-
tent of the composition. Having the con-
ception of the whole, the interpretative artist
must next proceed to study out the details of
the composition and how they are to be
treated in performance. All this is the labor
of the intellect. The emotions may influence
the intellect by their sympathetic grasp of the
feeling of certain passages, but it is the rea-
son which must dictate the methods by
which that feeling is to be revealed to the
hearer.
The pianist, for instance, uses certain tone
colors, certain touch, certain accentuations
to make a passage have a particular effect
upon an audience. That effect ought to be
the effect aimed at by the composer, and this
the player can discover only by a careful
study, not only of the passage itself, but of
• its place in the general plan of the work.
Such a study ought to lead him to feel the
passage, and his aim then becomes the revela-
tion of the feeling of that passage to the
hearer. If he does reveal it, he plays with
expression.
The conductor of an orchestra is an inter-
pretative artist. He is absolutely useless
without temperament. Yet his principal work
is intellectual. It is in the nature of prepara-
tory study. He must acquaint himself thor-
oughly with the score of the work which he
is to conduct. He must form a.conceptiQn
of it. Wagner in his " A r t of Conducting''
says: " T h e whole duty of a conductor is
comprised in the ability always to indicate the
right tempo. His choice of tempi will show
whether he understands the piece or not.
With good players the true tempo induces
correct phrasing and expression, and con-
versely, with a conductor, the idea of appro-
priate phrasing and expression will induce
the conception of the true tempo." If Wag-
ner is right, the conductor who went upon the
stage trusting to his temperament to guide
his beat, would play an allegro at the speed
of an adagio, if he happened to be in an
apathetic mood, and at the speed of a presto
if he had just had a quarrel with his wife.
The whole truth of the matter appears to
be this, that the temperament must oper-
ate in conjunction with the intellect in the
preliminary work to the extent of supplying
the element of sympathetic feeling, and in the
actual business of performance to the extent
of infusing life into it.
W. J. Henderson.
MISS GRACE GOLDEN.
The bright particular star of the Castle
Square Opera Co., which has achieved such a
phenomenal success since its opening at the
American Theatre, this city, is Miss Grace
Golden. During the past few weeks she has
appeared in such operas as " I I Trovatore,"
" Mignon," " Martha," " Cavalleria Rusti-
cana," " Maritana," whose melodies have
been voiced by some of the greatest singers
of the century, and in each and all of them
she has displayed the most remarkable versa-
tility, both in dramatic and vocal fields. In
the title role of " M a r t h a " she was most
the best we have heard in New York for
many years. It is not composed of "dum-
mies," but good singers, while the orchestra
is entirely adequate.
The portrait which we take pleasure in pre-
senting herewith is one of the latest and best
of Miss Golden, whose high talents give her
to-day a prominent place among American ar-
tists.
We confess to a hearty sympathy with the
efforts of the managers of the Castle Square
Opera Co. to give American artists and Eng-
lish opera a prominence in this, the second
city of the world, and we are pleased to note
that their commendable efforts are meeting
with unprecedented success.
©
An important international orchestral com-
petition is to be held at Turin in July next,
in which France, Germany, Austria-Hungary,
and Belgium are to be strongly represented,
and in which a hundred Italian bands will also
take part. Verdi has consented to preside
over the jury, among the members of which
are Boito, Leoncavallo, Mascagni, Massenet,
and Saint-Saens.
0
Richard Burmeister's piano recital at Men-
delssohn Hall, March 15th, was a great suc-
cess.
Grand, Square and Upright
PIANOFORTES
. These instruments have been before the pub-
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alone have attained an
Unpurchased Pre-Emfnence,
MISS GRACE GOLDEN.
artistic. In " M i g n o n " she found a part
admirably adapted to her well trained voice
and dramatic capabilities. As Santuzza in
the "Cavalleria" she won a veritable tri-
umph. She sang the trying role with great
dramatic force and histrionic ability, and
many pretentious prima donnas could have
gained some points by studying her excellent
and remarkable voice production. In Wal-
lace's melodious opera "Maritana" last
week she achieved further and still greater
triumphs.
Miss Golden has endeared herself to the
patrons of the American Theatre by her
charming, wholesome personality, and earn-
est and thorough methods.
Her versatility
has not made her superficial; on the contrary,
in every opera in which she has appeared her
interpretations have been distinguished by a
conscientious effort to give the role its true
meaning, and as the composer meant it.
Before and behind the footlights Miss
Golden is esteemed and respected. She
typifies in many ways the policy which has
characterized the management of the Castle
Square Opera Co. since its inception, that is,
thoroughness. Miss Golden and the mem-
bers of the Castle Square Opera Co. seem to
have been determined from the start to make
the representations of the different operas
compare very favorably with those given by
more ambitious organizations and they have
succeeded. Meanwhile the chorus is one of
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