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VOL. XLI. No. 2 2 .
Published Every Saturday by Edward Lyman BUI at i Madison Ave., New York, Dec, 2,1905.
MONSTER CONTEST IN FRANKFORT.
To be Devoted to the Folksong of Germany.
It will be remembered how displeased the Ger-
man Emperor was a year or two ago with the
kind of music usually sung by the male choruses
of his country. He commended to their attention
at that time a return to the beautiful folksongs
of the fatherland, and at his instigation a col-
lection of them has been made. In 1907 there
is to be a monster contest of these Mannerge-
sangvereine at Frankfort, where the largest con-
cert hall in the world is being built for it. A
prize will be awarded by the Kaiser. The Co-
logne Gazette now makes a sensible suggestion,
which the Kaiser will doubtless adopt if he hears
of it. It is that fifty of the best folksongs should
be printed .in a separate volume, with the under-
standing that at the contest each of the compet-
ing societies should be called upon to sing two
of its numbers to be selected by lot just before
the concert. This, it is held, would compel each
of the societies to familiarize itself with all of
the fifty songs in the volume, and much would
thus be done to improve the taste of the mem-
bers and wean them from the awful rubbish they
sing at present.
Hughes. It would be unfair to the prospective
reader to give a synopsis of the plot, but we may
say that "Zal" is a volume which should be read by
everybody, particularly those musically inclined.
GIVES UP GRAND OPERA.
Lloyd
Rand
Believes That an
Handicapped.
American
Is
Although Mr. Conried was sufficiently im-
pressed by his talent to send him abroad last sea-
son to be coached in "Parsifal," and other operas,
Lloyd Rand has left the Metropolitan Opera
House forces. He concluded that grand opera
is not a promising field for an American who
lacks a European reputation and a five years'
contract with Mr. Conried has been given up.
Mr. Rand has spent two seasons with the opera
company, understudying leading tenor roles. He
was sent to Germany with the idea that a
chance would be given to him last season to show
his ability. He studied under Felix Mottl and
Mme. von Feilitzsch, and returned to go on tour
with the company. Although he accompanied
it on its travels he did not get an opportunity to
show himself, but was on duty constantly, and
studying for anything that was thought neces-
sary.
A GREAT COMPOSER'S INSPIRATION.
"I did not wish to believe so, but I was finally
convinced that an American was nandicapped in
At last Wagner was possessed by "das furcht- grand opera merely from the fact that he was
i are Sehnen," which was essential to the com- an American," said Mr. Rand in discussing the
position of Acts II. and III. of "Tristan." On matter. "Of course, Americans do succeed here,
November 1 he even had thoughts of suicide. He but they will find a European sucess is of great
wrote the music with the gold pen presented to value and lack of it will lead to discouragement.
him by Mathilde. Tne third act was written with Mr. Conried was very kind, but one time after
as great passion as the second. Wagner, in his another circumstances arose which made it evi-
uncomfortable hotel at Lucerne, became Tristaa dent that persons from abroad were in better
tossing on his couch at Kareol. Then we find position to gain the best places.
him weeping while he composes Kurwenal's
"In reality, I was practically buried for two
words, "Auf eig'ner Weid' und Wonne," etc. On years. The only real opportunity I had was in
May 9, however, he had been sticking for a week a Sunday concert, when I sang the tenor role in
over the passage preceding "Sterbend lag ich 'Stabat Mater.' Mr. Conried did not want me
stumm im Kahn," but the provident Mathilde to take engagements in oratorio or concert, and
sent him a package of zwieback. He dipped the I might have gone on for years without ever be-
"sweet, familiar rusks" in milk and consumed coming known. So this summer I asked to be
them, and the gates of inspiration were opened released and entered the other field."
again. "God. what the proper rusk can do!" he
exclaims. Thus "Tristan" was composed.—Wag-
SINGING OF THE FUTURE.
ner's Letters to Mathilde Wesendonck.
RUPERT HUGHES" NEW NOVEL.
Rupert Hughes does not enter territory strange
to him in his new novel, "Zal; An International
Romance;" the story of a Polish pianist in New
York, which The Century Co. published Novem-
ber 11. In the intervals of his daily work Mr.
Hughes has written several books, among them
"American Composers," "Guide Book to the
World of Music," "Love Affairs of Great Musi-
cians," and "Songs by Thirty Americans." He is
?, native of Missouri, a graduate of Western Re-
serve University, and has received the degree of
Master of Arts from Yale University. Mr.
Hughes' novel is a brilliant piece of writing and
intensely interesting from cover to cover. His
hero, a young Polish pianist, is described and
pictured as he only could be by a musician like
SINGLE COPIES, 10 CENTS.
$2.00 PER YEAR.
were not satisfied with mere prettiness of voice,
but aimed at vocal consistency and the expres-
sion of thought. Singers must not be mere per-
formers on the larynx, as Berlioz describes it,
for the voice is not an instrument for sounds
only, but should convey sense by means of sound.
Mr. Davies devotes considerable space to a dis-
cussion of the question, "What is singing?" His
answers all emphasize the major premise that
singing must convey thought through words, and
hence good singing requires correct pronuncia-
tion just as much as clear tone production. It is
good to read a statement of this kind, made by
a singer who speaks from successful experience.
Mr. Davies' book is meant primarily for singers
and professionals," but it should be read with in-
terest by amateur seekers after musical knowl-
edge. It is not literary in tone, and suffers from
rambling ana discursive treatment. But the
faults are easily condoned for the good qualities.
A short preface by Sir Edward Elgar, the promi-
nent English composer, serves as an interesting
introduction.
ORCHESTRA AND ITS INSTRUMENTS
Discussed at Length and Most Interestingly by
W. J. Henderson in Philadelphia.
W. J. Henderson's lecture last week on "The
Orchestra and Its Instruments" attracted a large
audience to the Broad Street Theatre, Philadel-
phia, Pa. The speaker defined an orchestra as
"a human instrument, played upon by one man,
called the conductor." This one instrument, he
said, was made up of many independent parts,
each bearing a perfect relation to the whole. He
made an eloquent appeal to all lovers of music
to learn the capabilities of each instrument, and
to train themselves to recognize its voice in the
orchestral chorus, this being a duty not only to
themselves 1 , but to the composer and to the con-
ductor who interprets the music.
Continuing, Mr. Henderson singled out each
instrument separately, exhibiting its tonal range,
as well as explaining its mechanical possibilities,
adding frequently some comment regarding the
ideas or emotions which composers have gener-
ally considered it most adapted to express. Divid-
ing the orchestra into four choirs of strings,
woodwind, brass and instruments of concus-
sion, Mr. Henderson explained clearly and with
The art of singing is undoubtedly less under- great detail the use of individual instruments,
stood than any other branch of music, and, as singly and to others of their own class, and then
a natural corollary, charlatanism is more ram- the relative place of that class in the whole or-
pant among singers and teachers of singing than chestra.
anywhere else in the broad domain of the art. A
The twenty-six short and fragmentary excerpts
work, therefore, like "The Singing of the Fu-
from
classic and modern composers which served
ture," by Ffrangcon Davies (John Lane), which
aims to sweep away the cobwebs of ignorance, to illustrate the lecture were rendered by the
and to disseminate the knowledge that shall over- Philadelphia Orchestra.
come charlatanism, is heartily welcome. Writ-
ten by a singer whose natural gifts and single-
New York is going opera mad! It is no idle
ness of purpose have gained him recognition on boast of the management that the advance sub-
the concert stage, it is practical, suggestive and scription is the 1 iggest on record. It looks as if
well worth reading. Perhaps its chief value lies it would soon be difficult to buy a ticket for any
in the insistence of the author upon the prime single performance. Such a situation is un-
importance of truth of expression. He decries heard of in the history of opera. For the open-
the pursuit of more sensuous beauty of tone, and ing night, on Monday, of last week, tickets cost-
he points out that the bel-canto singers of for- ing $5 were sold at $10 to $15, and some instances
mer generations, with all their plasticity of tone, at twice those sums.