Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
ANO
- 7
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
ern California, and she was really a streak
of sunlight; a beautiful, talented child of
ten or thereabouts. She had studied a lit-
tle with Chilo Becker, a clever, capable
teacher, but the child showed noth-
ing, absolutely nothing but a great
talent, and very much love for mu-
sic. She interested many who
of-
fered to take her out of the field of char-
latans and barn-stormers and give her
thorough instruction.
But no.
Papa
Schramm saw a way to make the child sup-
port the family, and the big strapping man
and this estimable family laid themselves
upon this little child, who wandered from
town to town giving piano recitals—no,
rather call it playing .the piano.
The child was beautiful and in-
teresting, and the newspapers were
easily ' • worked." Paloma and her paternal
manager spent the greater portion of the
time in reading the advance notices until
they actually believed that the world con-
tained no one who could teach Paloma any-
thing. Scornfully papa Schramm refused
any suggestion of teacher, and be it known
that San Francisco contains some teachers
who could stand among the jfirst in Ber-
lin. So that child with her talent
has gone to absolute ruin. There is
no more hope that she will ever
study. Study is out of her power, and
what was very cute in a girl of ten is hardly
to be tolerated in a girl of thirteen who is
very large besides. There are few con-
servatories in the East who can not show
scores of children aged ten who are so far
beyond Paloma Schramm that comparisons
are absolutely odious. It is a pity, but
this is the road upon which all child-prodi-
gies must travel, unless, indeed, their pa-
rents be blessed with rare good sense.
however, that art and artists must suf-
fer thereby, because we need art and
the right sort of people to act as interpre
ters.
r\
TEMPORA! O MORES! to what
depth is journalism sinking in the
new century when men who have reputa-
tions to sustain write in a manner that no
man would speak before a lady whom he
respects, or perhaps Runciman is not a re-
specter of women. Colloquialism is one
thing and interjections of "By Jove" and
"what the devil," etc., is vulgarity, and
whether J. F. Runciman of London or
Tom Brown of Sculldunk be the transgress-
or it would seem in place to advise a
change of feminine surroundings—women
that he can at least respect.
Jt
I T is a remarkable thing that these young
American singers who come back after
untold, or rather told, successes on the
other side, fracture contracts for such irrel-
evant causes. Miss Tracy was asked to
resign from the Metropolitan English Opera
because of her size. Now comes news
from New Orleans that Electa Gifford was
asked to resign from the French Opera be-
cause she would not mingle with the other
members of the company. This version
may be true, for, of course, we have not
heard Miss Gifford. sing, and consequently
do not know the revers du medaille.
j*
TT would be interesting to know how
many are getting their shoulders ready
to wear the mantle of dear old Verdi.
Great, indeed, will he have to be. Between
Mascagni, Leoncavallo and Puccini, they
will tear it to pieces, and each will get a
big enough piece to satisfy himself, but
the world, alas! will see the nakedness of
them all.
here and from there come reports
of this or that artist playing to shame- INTENDING visitors to Bayreuth this
fully small houses, and still come announce-
year who have not already secured
ments of new aspirants for American at- their seats will probably not go, as the
tention and dollars, both of which many of tickets for the "Nibelung's Ring" are al-
them deserve. There is no use in abusing ready sold out, though- the performances
the different cities for their apparent lack do not begin until the latter days of July.
of interest, for, after all, it is not their Those wiseacres who predicted in 1876
fault—and one thing is positively demon- that the mighty tetralogy would never be
strated. The positive demonstration is that heard of again, and that the hillside theatre
the business surrounding musical enter- would tumble into ruins, are now in the
tainments is not on the right sort of basis ranks of the false prophets.
at all. The day of the passionate press
Jt
agent is over, killed by his red-hot ardor
R. COWEN, the well-known British
and his dishonest statements, his booming
conductor and composer, seems to be
and blazing away upon the ground that something of a humorist, as well as a mu-
his attraction is the great and only; au- sician. He is reported as claiming con-
diences, or even plain people, have sideration for billiards on account of the
learned how to read these notices, as affinity it has to music—the cues for play-
also the doctored press notices repro- ers, the fiddles, the rests, and the canons,
duced here and there. It is too bad, the big scores, and the bars outside.
D
HAROLD BAUER.
A T this day there is little left to say
**• of this rare artist that has not been
said in print and in private, for his visit
has been one of the greatest value to
the music-lovers and students of Amer-
ica. Indeed we welcome and we need
such true artists, such sincere and in-
telligent interpreters,
such
benefac-
tors to the art of music as Harold
Bauer from whatever shores they come.
First, he is a rare example of sim-
plicity, devoid of all mannerism, yet
essentially individual and original. He is
at once a pedagogue of enormous height
and an artist swayed by the waves of tem-
perament. He is emotional,* but never
does this emotion interfere with rhythm or
with what he considers the composer's in-
tention.
It means something to hear his interpre-
tations, for they are not the impetuous
outbursts of fiery youth, but in the fulness
and buoyancy of young manhood, he gives
forth that which is marvelous in its author-
ity and authenticity, and one may well
take heed of what he says through his
wonderful fingers, for he is a master who
respects traditions in the classics and is
great enough to create that which may in
turn become tradition for futurity.
It would have lessened the estimate of
this artist to have spoken of his technic
first, because, indeed, it is so remarkable.
But pure, crystalline, powerful, fluent.as
it is, it does not overpower the deeper and
more soulful things in Bauer's playing,
supreme among which is the beauty and
lusciousness of his tone and the clinging,-
singing tenderness of his touch.
Not as tribute or encouragement to him,
he needs neither, but for the vast benefit
of all those interested in pianism, or in
music, no opportunity to hear Harold
Bauer play should be lost. He should re-
main with us until every city in the union
has heard him, and the oftener he is heard
the more is accomplished for music.
SPECIAL BROOKLYN INSTITUTE CONCERTS.
T H E Brooklyn Institute announces a
*
special series of concerts for Jan. 23,
Feb. 6, March 6 and April 3. At the sec-
ond concert Miss Maud Powell, violinist,
and David Bispham, baritone, will give a
recital. The third concert will be given
by Mrs. Dorothy Harvey, soprano; Mrs.
Hamlin-Ruland, contralto; McKenzie Gor-
don, tenor; Hugh E. Williams, basso, and
Miss Anna E. Otten, violinist. Mr. and
Mrs. Georg Henschel, Mrs. Elizabeth
Leonard, contralto, and Barclay Dunham,
tenor, will be heard at the last concert of
the series.
JH
INAUGURATION HUSIC.
'
\ 17HEN President McKinley is inatigu-
*
rated at Washington, March 4, a
new ode, written for the occasion by Fred-
erick R. Burton, director of the Yonkers
choral society, will be sung by a large
chorus, with orchestral accompaniment.
Mr. Burton has taken as his text "Free-
dom, Our Queen," by Oliver Wendell
Holmes.