Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
VOL.
«®»I\LT1L""
XXXV1. No. 14.
P H i M Erery Sat. by Eivart Lyman Bill at 1 Madison Are., New Tort April 4.1903.
A FAMOUS BOSTON TEACHER.
A MONG other rare and valuable treas-
**• ures in an educational way Boston has
within its walls a vocal teacher in the person
of Mme. Etta Edwards, whose results are felt
not only in that city of culture, but through
those sections from where she has been at-
tracting pupils, and it is safe to say that this
is from all over the country. It is not sur-
prising that Mme. Edwards is a strong at-
traction to those who are hungering for the
sort of instruction that will enable them to
sing, for with exquisite voices by nature and
a strong musical sense besides, most stu-
dents never accomplish what they hope for.
Part of this is due to defective teaching,
but as much is caused by the attitude that
pupils take because they cannot see things
from the point of view of the teacher.
Perhaps as much success has come to
Mme. Edwards through her relation with
the pupil's mind as in any other way, for
her personality is one of her most power-
ful attributes. She is untiring in her ef-
forts for her pupils and she has not been un-
rewarded, for she has in her class those who
having trusted blindly and implicitly to her
have achieved what was expected of them.
Mme. Edwards' latest enterprise for her
pupils was the establishment of a school of
opera with Signor Vianesi of New York,
who visits Boston weekly. The results have
been far beyond expectation. At the first
recital the enthusiasm was intense and well
deserved. The next public manifestations
will be held shortly and it will be noted that
Mme. Edwards never relinquishes her own
hold upon the work of her pupils, but, in
addition to that of the operatic master, her
influence and control are obvious.
Mme. Edwards combines powers which
are rarely all found in one person. She is,
above all, able to place the voice correctly,
and this is the base of her success, for this
alone was her aim until she brought pupils
to such a point that she was not afraid to
let them sing. Besides this she is a thorough
musician and the interpretative side is exqui-
site to a degree which is not possible to one
who is not.
In this way she herself is able to carry her
pupils to a height far beyond the power of
those teachers who must stop when the vocal
training is at an end and the coaching must
begin. The diction, style and finish which
she is able to impart are to be seen in some
of the pupils who have studied with Mme.
Edwards for several years. Among these
are Miss Helene Wetmore, a superb dramatic
soprano with much talent for the opera, Mrs.
Louise Ainsworth-Drew, who is one of the
most charming contraltos of Boston, Miss
Edith Ellsbree, whose soprano leggiero and
dainty style have made her desirable on all
concert platforms, Mrs. Frederic Martin,
whose steady growth is noticeable at every
public appearance, and many others need
only to be heard to show that Mme. Edwards
has charge of them, and owing to the size
of her classes, they are fortunate, indeed,
who are able to enroll themselves as her pu-
pils. An excellent portrait of Mme. Ed-
wards appears on the cover page of this issue.
Jt
P1TTSBURG ORCHESTRA'S GOOD SEASON.
T"* HE Pittsburg Orchestra, under the direc-
tion of Victor Herbert, closed its
eighth .season the Qther day with a record of
thirty-six concerts given in the home series
and twenty-nine out of town. There has been
a reduction in the amount of deficit, as com-
pared with last year. In fact, such a rare
thing as a surplus may result. The course
of the management in putting a uniform low
price upon all the open matinee seats has re-
sulted, it is said, in greatly increased public
interest in the concerts. The list of compo-
sitions performed is a long and interesting
one, including many novelties.
PARRY'S NEW CANTATA.
T"" 1 HE new cantata specially written for the
Royal Choral Society of London by
Sir Hubert Parry, is scheduled for produc-
tion at the last performance of the season
at Albert Hall. The work is entitled "War
and Peace," and there are three massive
choruses including a very fine dirge. As
may be judged from the title, the work is
written around the Boer-British War. Those
who were privileged to attend rehearsals of
the work speak in the most flattering terms
of Mr. Parry's labors.
THE THIRD BIENNIAL FESTIVAL
'T'HE third biennial festival and conven-
* tion of the National Feredation of Mu-
sical Clubs will be held in Rochester on
May 19-22. There will be about 130 clubs
represented, the delegates coming from all
parts of the country, including every State
in the United States. Besides the business
meetings and discussions, there will be con-
certs on the first three days, two by repre-
sentatives of the Federated Clubs, one by
the Tuesday Musical Chorus, and one by the
American Symphony Orchestra of New York.
European critics have come to the con-
clusion that Fritz Kreisler is the first of con-
temporary interpreters of the violin music
of Bach.
SINGLE COPIES, to CENTS.
$2.00 PER YEAR.
SIX NEW WORKS IN FIVE YEARS.
RING the five years which Maurice
Grau has held sway over the Metro-
politan Opera House, the following new op-
eras were performed for the first time in
America under his direction: Mancinelli'?
"Ero e Leandro," Puccini's "Tosca," Reyer's
"Salammbo," De Lara's "Messaline," Pade-
rewski's "Manru" and Miss Smyth's "Der
Wald." The revivals were Donizetti's "Don
Pasquale" and "La Fille du Regiment,"
Verdi's "Otello" (which had not been heard
since the season of 1894-95), "Ernani" and
"Un Ballo in Maschera," "La Boheme,"
which was new to the Metropolitan, though
it had been heard previously in New York,
and Mozart's "II Flauto Magico."
Under Mr. Grau's sole management the
following singers have come to the Metro-
politan Opera House: Mmes. Sembrich,
Schuman-Heink, H o m e r , Kirkby-Lunn,
Scheff, Breval and Saville, Messrs. Alvarez,
Van Dyck, Saleza, Van Rooy, Albers, Dip-
pel, Scotti, Gilibert, Journet, Reiss, Pini-
Corsi, Bertram, Blass, De Marchi, Anthes
and Burgstaller. With the exception of Mme.
Sembrich, Mr. Dippel and Mr. de Marchi,
these artists were all new to the American
public.
IN TROUBLE AGAIN.
I T appears that the French grand opera
that has for years been one of the insti-
tutions of New Orleans has fallen into dif-
ficulties again, as it not infrequently has of
late years. The manager has abandoned ilie
enterprise before the time announced for the
close of the season, and arrangements had
to be made for paying the singers and or-
chestral players and providing for their re-
turn to France. Changing conditions of
New Orleans society, the gradual extinction
of the old French element that has supported
the only regular establishment for the per-
formance of grand opera outside of New
York, has left it without its former guaran-
tee of success. This is to be regretted as the
operatic seasons in New Orleans have been
very helpful in stimulating a greater love
for music and a greater desire to enjoy the
best.
BEN DAVIES HERE FOR A TOUR.
D E N DAVIES, a noted English vocalist,
*"^ arrived here Saturday on the "Cam-
pania." He comes to America for a six weeks'
tour. He will appear twice in Montreal,
twice in Toronto, and once in each Canadian
town in which the English Festival is held.
He will also be heard in some of the larger
cities of the United States.