Classic Mode

Music Trade Review

Issue: 1899 Vol. 29 N. 6

Page 3 Text:

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
WITH MUSICAL SUPPLEMENT.
With which is incorporated THE KEYNOTE.
V O L . XXIX. No. 6.
Published Every Saturday by Edward Lyman Bill at 3 East Fourteenth Street. New York, August 5,1899.
GRAU ON ENGLISH OPERA.
IN an interesting talk recently Maurice
* Grau, the famous impresario, defined
his views on the matter of producing- grand
opera in English. "If,"hesaid, "national
opera means operas by the best composers
of whatever nationality, sung in English
by the best artists available, of whatever
nationality, then I am so heartily in favor
of it that I would want to try it in America
the next season. I would even put on
'Lohengrin' in English. But circumstances
won't permit. It's all right in theory,
but not in practice. When you come to
sift the objections to it you get down final-
ly to just one, and that is that the artists,
as a rule, don't wish to sing in English.
I dare say that if we were to ask Mme.
Nordica, an American, born in Maine, to sing
grand opera in English she would object.
So, doubtless, would all the other singers
whose native tongue is English. It doesn't
appear to be so much that English is hard
to sing as it is that it is considered beneath
an artist's dignity to sing grand opera in
English. They seem to feel that it would
be somehow a degradation."
" But why on earth should it be a degra-
dation to sing in English?" he was asked.
" I suppose it must be because, un-
happily, English is not the native language
of grand opera. Englishmen and Ameri-
cans don't write grand opera. (?) As soon as
the English-speaking race begins to pro-
duce successful grand opera then the
stigma . on the language in the minds of
singers will begin to disappear.
" A t one time I suggested that 'The
Bohemian Girl' be put on in English. The
artists didn't object to the idea violently,
but when Jean de Reszke mentioned the
mattefr to the late Sir Augustus Harris,
that man told Jean that if he heard him
sing ' The Bohemian Girl' in English he
would never speak to him again."
"But, aren't you bound by tradition to
the old operas? If even so promising
a composer as E. A. MacDowell or any
other American were to offer you a good
grand opera would you produce it?"
"Produce it? Of course we'd produce it
if it were so good that we felt confidence
in it. Aren't we even now bringing out
an opera that is practically new, De Lara's
'Messaline?' And, by the way, if it goes,
we shall bring it out in America with Calve
in the principal part which Mr. De Lara
has agreed to rewrite for her as it
originally was arranged for mezzo-soprano.
We may bring out Jules Massenet's ' Her-
odiade,' too. An American composer,
whose name you know well, asked me if I
would put on a one-act grand opera if he
wrote one for Calve. I told him, of course,
I would if it were a good one. But he
never came around with it.
"But there haven't been five suc-
cessful grand operas brought out in the
last thirty years—really no great suc-
cesses since 'Carmen.'
However, it
isn't operas that the public goes to
hear; it is the artists. Put on ' Faust'
with an inconspicuous cast and you get a
small house. Put on a poor opera—I name
no names—with a brilliant cast, and the
house is crowded. And it is the most
useful opera manager who knows what the
public wants and gives it to them, for the
public itself is the best manager of all, and
the man who sets himself up to give it
something that it doesn't want on the
ground that it ought to want it, is foolish.
"Yet if I had to-day the ambition that I
had twenty years ago I might try to put on
grand opera in English in spite of the
prejudice against it, for I have such strong
faith in it, and it seems a pity that such
powerful supporters of grand opera as
England and America should not have it
in their own language. It has been tried,
of course, without startling success, but
times change, and I firmly believe that we
are coming around to it."
*
/GEORGE HENSCHEL, the eminent
^*-* conductor, singer and accompanist,
is to make his debut in Vienna next season
as an opera composer, with a work entitled
"Nubia."
*
IR ARTHUR SULLIVAN'S musical
memoirs are being prepared by Ar-
thur Lawrence under the supervision of
the composer himself, and will be pub-
lished shortly. In addition to interesting
particulars about his own works the book
will present a general picture of the Eng-
lish musical world of to-day. Sullivan has
known all the notable figures associated
with present musical activity. Sir Arthur
has demonstrated recently that he pos-
sesses practical merits in other directions
S
$2.00 PER YEAR.
SINGLE COPIES 10 CENTS
than musical composition. He has invent-
ed a device known as the "Sullivan Safety
Shaft," an arrangement which, when at-
tached to a carriage, allows its occupants
to release the horse in case of accident.
*
I TP in Herkimer County there is a paper
^
called the Citizen, to which is "at-
tached" a society reporter who would make
his mark as musical critic for some of our
local papers. Writing of a home wedding
which occurred recently in that locality he
interjects: "Precisely at 9 o'clock, Miss
Bertha Bucklin began playing a violin solo
accompanied on the piano by the bride's
sister, Miss Irene Ford, a soft, dreamy
composition, with a delicious recurrent
theme highly suggestive of love's sweet
endearments and blessed entanglements,
and continued playing until the ceremony
was finished, ending with a long, high but
soft tone of marvelous beauty, long drawn
out as if the artist and her wonderful violin
shrank from breaking the spell of the mo-
ment."
We learn, further, that there are also
clever parsons up that section, for the
"Rev. Mr. Atwood used no book but seemed
to make up the ceremony as he went along,
a feat few parsons would dare emulate;
biit it was soon over, and Miss Ford played
in fine style the Lohengrin bridal chorus."
A man who can write in such a poetic
style would be a decided acquisition to our
metropolitan journals.
*
EPORT speaks of a contemplated ef-
fort to give festival concerts at the
Exposition in Paris, next year, with an
enormous orchestra on the model laid down
by Berlioz in his " Treatise on Modern In-
strumentation." Should the orchestra be
identical with that of Berlioz it will con-
tain 465 instruments, divided as follows:
One hundred and twenty violins, 40 violas,
45 'celli, 18 double basses (three strings),
15 other double basses (four strings), 4
octo-basses, 6 large flutes, 4 third flutes, 4
piccolos, 6 oboes, 6 corni Inglesi, 5 saxa-
phones, 16 bassoons, 15 clarinets, (various),
16 horns, 8 trumpets, 6 cornets, 12 trom-
bones, 3 ophicleides, 2 bass-tubas, 30 harps,
30 pianofortes, 1 organ, 8 pairs of kettle-
drums, 6 drums, 3 bass drums, 4 pairs of
cymbals, 6 triangles, 6 sets of bells, 12
pairs of cymbals, 2 great bells, 2 gongs, 4
pavilions Chinois.
R

Page 4 Text:

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
TELEPHONE
NUMBER.
1745.--EIQHTEENTH
STREET.
The musical supplement to The Review is
published on the first Saturday of each month.
I T is welcome news that Rafael Joseffy
*• has decided to return to the concert
platform actively again. The public ap-
petite has been unappeased since hearing
last season this great artist on his only
appearance after five years absence. Joseffy
has emerged from his seclusion one of the
world's greatest virtuosi.
As might be
expected from such a profound student he
is a master of all the intellectual and tech-
nical resources of the piano. His readings
are characterized by dignity, power and a
catholicity that demonstrates his remark-
able musicianship and his ability to get at
the heart of his art. He combines pheno-
menal technique with a poetic or spiritual
expression that is in the power only of the
few.
Commencing the early part of November
Joseffy will make a tour covering the prin-
cipal cities of the United States. He will
appear in recitals only. The programs
selected from his extensive repertoire will
be interesting as well as instructive, as he
will combine the classics with novel-
ties. He will be heard in works which
have not been played by any other pianist
before. L. M. Ruben, of the Metropolitan
Opera House, who is arranging the Joseffy
recital tour, states that Joseffy will limit
the number of his appearances to fifty, al-
though applications for Joseffy recitals al-
ready far exceed that number. He will
not travel further west than Kansas City,
and will end his tour in New York City,
the latter part of April, 1900.
The cover page of this issue contains an
excellent portrait of Joseffy, who for
twenty years has been a resident of this
country.
"THERE is "music" and "music" in
* New York these humid days of August.
In every sphere of amusement—on every
stage, on every roof, the performances are
substantially musical. There are coon
songs and coon dances, ballads of yore, and
up-to-date ditties, topical verses with catchy
refrains, instrumental selections, bur-
lesques and satires with points empha-
sized by melodious devices—it is all
music of a kind. Through it all there
run, however, a touch of levity. The art
is made to serve a lower purpose. It is
robbed of its dignity. It is made to speak
in flippant tones, in dialect and in slang.
It is forced to stimulate laughter, to appeal
to the grosser emotions—to degrade itself,
in a word—and yet its refining influences
assert themselves, and joke or gibe of
doubtful purport are made neater and bet-
ter by the association. In these dog days
there is perhaps no cause for complaint in
all this. The average human mind does
not care to be moved or affected, or even
unduly interested, when the body is not
comfortable. A superficial distraction is
sufficient.
*
C O R those who want to enjoy an evening
* of "good" music New York is not barren
this summer. For the first time in many
years a scheme to give popular summer
concerts is meeting with a fair degree of
success, enough to establish the fact that
there is a summer concert constituency in
New York, and that when all the problems
involved have been solved in a satisfactory
manner it will have prosperity.
The performances of the orchestra now
playing at the St. Nicholas Garden, under
the direction of Franz Kaltenborn, are ad-
mirable. The orchestra, composed of com-
petent musicians, is well balanced, is actu-
ated by a common spirit and plays with
evident recognition of its leader's abilities
and enthusiasm.
The programs are well selected. They
are diversified in character and are marked
by many compositions which seldom figure
at local concerts. Works by American
composers are given a good show by Mr.
Kaltenborn, an act for which he deserves
credit.
*
JUDGING from the advance announce-
^
ments, the coming season affords
promise of being a particularly brilliant
one in the musical world. Many well-
known and popular musical celebrities will
be with us. In the pianistic field, Pade-
rewski, Hambourg, Joseffy, de Pachmann
and Sieveking head the list; other instru-
mentalists and vocalists who have won
fame in Europe are also scheduled to make
their appearance. Home talent will be
strongly in evidence — perhaps more so
than in previous years. The prominent
musical caterers are displaying more en-
thusiasm than usual in bringing this fact
to notice. The public is realizing year
after year that the foreign celebrities do
not possess a monopoly of ability, and that
a little appreciation and some of its dollars
should be reserved for les Americains.
We trust the "realization" will develop
into actuality.
*
A MONG the artists already secured by
* * Maurice Grau for his coming Ameri-
can campaign are: Sopranos: Mmes.
Calve, Sembrich, Ternina, Nordica, Adams
and Susan Strong; contraltos: Mmes.
Schumann-Heink, Mantelli, Olitzka, Bau-
ermeister, Van Cauteren and Broadfoot;
tenors: Van Dyck, Saleza, Alvarez, Dip-
pel, Salignac, Bars and Vanni; baritones:
Van Rooy, Bertram, Campanari, Albers,
Scotti, Muhlmann, Dufriche, Meux and
Pini-Corsi; basses: Edouard de Reszke,
Plangon, Devries and Pringle; conductors:
Mancinelli, Hinrichs and Paur.
Although the list contains few names
absolutely new to the American public,
still, as far as New York is concerned,
Mme. Ternina will practically be a new-
comer; Mr. Alvarez has not yet been
heard in New York; Mme. Calve returns
after an absence of nearly three years, and
Sig. Scotti is an Italian baritone, who has
never sung in America. He was engaged
by Mr. Grau because of his great success
at Covent Garden in "Don Giovanni" and
"Aida." Herr Bertram is a celebrated
German baritone, who for years has been
engaged at the Royal Theatre at Munich,
and is particularly well known as a Wagner
singer.
:•
*
1\/I R. GRAU has decided to begin a pre-
*" • liminary season of grand opera on
Oct. 9 at New Haven, visiting such cities
as Hartford, Springfield, Worcester, Provi-
dence, Montreal, Toronto, Buffalo, Detroit,
Cleveland, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Louis-
ville, Cincinnati, Chicago and Boston be-
fore the regular season in New York,
which will begin Dec. 18. It will last
fifteen weeks and will consist of forty-five
evening and fifteen afternoon subscription
performances. If the conditions are favor-
able twenty special performances will also
be given in Philadelphia.
The repertoire is not yet decided upon,
but it is sure to include the best works of
our schools of music. Mr. Grau's policy is
eclectic, and operas will be given, as here-
tofore, in French, Italian and German.
A novelty that promises to be interest-
ing will be a complete cycle of Wagner's
work in chronological order, beginning
with " Rienzi " and ending with "Gotter-
dammerung." This will be followed by a
short cycle of Mozart's works, particular
attention being paid to the mise-en-scene
of "The Marriage of Figaro," "Don
Giovanni " and " The Magic Flute."
One or two novelties, as well as some
interesting revivals, will also be introduced.
*
AND so the composer of " Cavalleria"
**• has become inoculated with the
virus — Americanitus. Dispatches from
Rome say: " Mascagni's hymn in honor
of Admiral Dewey was performed at
Pesaro on Sunday for the first time be-
fore an audience of 2,000 persons. It was
greatly appreciated, and is considered one
of the finest hymns Mascagni has written."
The subject is a great one—great enough
to inspire and stimulate the talents of the
most eminent of the Admiral's countrymen
who aspire to a standing among the leading
composers. Outside of Walter Damrosch's
scholastic yet commendable effort, and
the production of tons of rubbish in song
form, we have yet to report the appearance
of a musical work in any form by an Ameri-
can that can be considered worthy of the
hero of the Battle of Manila Bay.
This country has yet to pass judgment
on Mascagni's hymn, yet worthy or un-
worthy of the subject and the writer, he
must be honored for the motives which
prompted this form of honoring the gal-
lant Admiral Dewey.
*
TN literary and musical spheres Ireland
* nowadays seems to be experiencing a
renaissance. That delusive element, the
Celtic Spirit, is the subject of much dis-
cussion, but so far it has evaded any thing
like definition.
Early Irish literature,
both in prose and verse, reveals many
phases of it, all abounding in a strange

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