Music Trade Review
Issue: 1880 Vol. 3 N. 10 - Page 11
SUPPLEMENT.
December 20th, 1880.
On last Saturday night a concert was given by pupils of the Philadelphia
Musical Academy. All the selections were so judiciously chosen as to speak
volumes for tho institution and its tutors, whose names I gave you in my
last letter. The "infant class " rendered dear old Haydn's " Children's Sym-
phony," and how odd it sounded to read on the programme, "Trumpet,
Miss E. Batty; Drum, Miss Murdoch; Cymbals, Miss Hutchinson," and so
on. Among the violins was Master Hening, the young son of the great vio-
loncelloist, Budolph Hening.
Some highly important local musical events are in preparation. On next
Saturday night the Mendelssohn Club is to give its first concert this season.
On the 30th inst. the West Philadelphia Choral Society will give the choruses
of the "Messiah." The Cecilian Chorus will give •'Elijah" in January.
On January 10th, Col. Mapleson will open a season of grand Italian Opera at
the Academy of Music here. Mr. John F. Himmelsbach, who was the origi-
nal founder of the Philadelphia Musical Academy already alluded to, and
who disposed of it to Mr. R. Zeckwer prior to a visit to Leipzig of two years
or more, is back again and announces a list of chamber concerts with the
choicest kind of programmes. Mr. Himmelsbach is a good pianoforte player,
and with such artists to aid him as Jiennig, Grauer, and Guhlmann, among
instrumentalists and singers like Gastel, Gilchrist, and Heinrich, he will
give beautiful concerts without the shadow of a doubt.
HOWE.
way battery, then one from the Weber, at regular intervals. This piano
war is, however, more serious than the chronic wars that occur. After re-
flection, it will be seen that the Steinway agent flatly accuses the Weber
letter as a forgery; Now, the late A. Weber, Sr., is charged thereby with
having utilized this forgery in his catalogues, and after his death this is con-
tinued by the junior Weber. This is the gravamen of the charge. The
Weber agent says he has the evidences of the reliability of the Weber letter.
If it is genuine, the facts must soon be produced, otherwise the musical
public here will get tired of the conflict and the production of the necessary
proof will lose its weight. Mr. and Mrs. King must be heard from, unless
Weber has indubitable evidence without them. The situation is undoubt-
edly interesting.
This morning two cards are printed simultaneously. I append them—
the first from the Weber, the second from the Steinway agent.
' ' MME. JULIA BIVE-KING AND THE WEBEK PIANO.
PHILADELPHIA, July 27, 1876.
me to congratulate you on your having the
finest Grand Piano I ever placed my fingers on. I allude to the one at the
Centennial. I must acknowledge I was astonished and delighted. I am posi-
tive, if the Centennial jurors have done their duly honestly, victory has
perched upon your banner.
Very sincerely yours,
DEAR MR. WEBER:—Allow
JULIA RIVE.
BALTIMORE.
Affidavits and charges of fraud are flying about so thickly that it would
CONCERTS—THE FIGHT BETWEEN THE WEBEK AND THE STEINWAY AGENTS.
not surprise the public to see a statement or affidavit that the WEBER PIANO
BALTIMORE, Dec. 12, 1880.
is worthless; that only lunatics, idiots, and invalid artists jjurchase or use it;
there is no such thing as the WEBER PIANO; that there never has been
E have had quite a lively time here since my last letter, concert and trade that
such a thing as the WEBER PIANO, and that there never will be such a thing
nutters both considered. The Wilhelmj-Sternberg concert is the first as
the WEBER PIANO.
to chronicle. It was fairly attended, and although on the part of Wilhelmj,
The more than 17,000 well-satisfied purchasers of the WEBER PIANO (a
a repetition of his former repetitions, quite an artistic success. Wilhelmj
will have to enlarge his repertoire, if he wants a Baltimore audience to listen to number, by the way, that is steadily growing at the rate of 75 per week), will
him again ; Sternberg proves himself an artist. Rive-King-Donaldi-Rum- forthwith commence to distrust the evidence of their senses, to doubt the
mel, gave two concerts, matinee and night, Dec. 4th. Matinee very light, fact of their own existence, and to hold that the entire universe is a myth,
but night well attended. The concerts made great impressions as being always excepting the only two real, indisputable and indestructible entities
fizzles of the first order. That is to say, many of the artists are aitists of a, —the Steinway piano and the Baltimore agent thereof.
high order, but on account of illness and internal dissensions, the program-
PRODUCE THE PROOF!
mes had to be changed, and the night performance was characterized by
The
promised
forthcoming
proof that Julia Rive-King's letter to Albert
three seperate announcements by the manager.
of New York, supposed and claimed to have been written four and
The Rive-King Company was very satisfactory but did not receive the Weber,
years ago, if genuine, will be watched for with great interest by the
credit due it, as the audience could not distinguish which artists belonged a-half
public. It will be particularly gratifying to the agent of the " Steinway " if
to that organization or the other.
matter will take a wider range," as has been intimated. In the mean-
Mme. Rive-King was, of course, the prominent artist, and her splendid '' this the
fact that she, like other great pianists, £>refers and uses the STKIN-
performance of the Liszt "Tarantella," of Venezia E Napoli, was caculated time
WAY PIANOS exclusively is, of course, definitely settled by the letter written
to impress any audience. Her performance that night established her repu- and
published last week, which we reproduce below. Mrs. King but re-
tation in this community as a pianist of a high order ; the comments since echoes
the universal sentiment that the ' Steinway' is the finest Piano iu
the concert being very frequent. With that exception, and probably Levy's, the world.
all the other members of the company, seemed to have fared very badly.
BALTIMORE, December I, 1880.
Whether this is due to the extraordinary confusion during the performances
caused by the absence of Sig. Belari and Miss Roderick, the illness of the Mr. OttoSutro:
"DEAR SIR:—It gives me pleasure to state that since I have used the
Signora Bellini and the change of the printed programme, or the mediocrity
Steinway Piano in public I have them in my home for my own practice ex-
of many of the singers, is difficult to say.
It must be admitted that Rummel created a better impression than on clusively. For my own concert tours and recitals I invariably use the
his first appearance here with Emma Thursby. He seems to have adopted Steinway.
JULIA RIVE-KING."
the Josefly legato, and this surely . adds to a pianists accomplishments.
Richter and Lichtenbei'g both did well, yet did not create any impression.
Both firms occupy respectable jjositions in the community, and the xil-
The consolidated combination was not a success, and separated here, timate result of the controvers}' is anxiously awaited.
the Rive-King Company going West, while the Donaldi-Rummel, not follow-
I must not forget to add that a call has been made for the formation of
ing Greely's advice, went East. What points they will first appear at seemed to an Oratorio Society, the meeting to take place the coming week.
be dubious when they were about to disappear from here. In some other
KLASSICK KUSS.
part of the MUSICAL CRITIC your readers will probably hear more about the
subject.
CHICAGO.
Wednesday, Dec. 8th., the Prume Lavalle Concert took place before an
CLUB.—THE TOWEE OF BABEL.—THE STRAKOSCH-HESS OPERA
audience of about 65 to 70. The concert announced for the following night THE APOLLO
TROUPE.—THE BOSTON IDEAL OPERA COMPANY.—MUSICAL NEWS.
was " indefinitely postponed." Concerts were suffering from the odium of
CHICAGO, December 13th.
the prior events aud the first to suffer was Prume's Concert.
EARS ago when Mr. S. G. Pratt returned from Europe, the idea oc-
The original " Pirates of Penzance " Company, played at the Holliday
curred to him to found a society, which should foster and develop that
Street Theatre to only meagre houses. It seems to be a routine performance
and lacks with one or two exceptions the requirements even of music of that class of vocal choral music, usually designated as " mtennerchor " music.
If I remember right, Mr. Geo. P. Upton, of the Tribune, was the first Presi-
order.
Local events were as usual largely attended. The Haydn Musical Asso- dent, and Mr. Chas. C. Curtiss, of the Root
scription. One of our daily paj^ers stated on the following morning (in at once ingratiated itself very much in the good graces of our best society
course of one of its ridiculous so-called criticisms), that the leader of this and musical people. But although the name has been retained, and " what's
association preferred to hear the concerts of the Haydn to those given by the in a name'?" the society has changed its character, aim and organization en-
orchestras in the largest European cities, among other places London, Ber- tirely. Mr. Pratt resigned after having served as conductor one year, and
lin, etc.
; cities he had just returned from. We hope the reporter of the Mr. Adolf Dohn took the stick (or baton) to thorn.
ne\wi 1% aper misunderstood the leader of the Haydn. Although de gustibus
Mr. Dohn brought to his new work a good many qualities, which his
7ion disfji'-tfindttm. He may prefer the Haydn concerts; he may even have
predecessor had lacked, but the right man for the right place was not found
his special reasons for preferring them ; but he must not expect reliable and until Mr. Tomlins was engaged for the society, and whatever success the
thorough musicians to respect his opinion in the future if he said what this Apollo Club has had musically, and their work has been a most important
newspaper stated. Every musician must know that a comparison between fa tor in our musical history, is due to his marked ability. At first the
an amateur association with occasional rehearsals, and an established orches- chorus consisted entirely of gentlemen (as became a male chorus), the only
tra of professional players is out of question. Now in a certain society com- ladies present being in the audience, and the associate membership was ai-
prising a large and respected number of the best families of our city, the ways large enough to fill our most commodious halls. The idea of having
opinions of the leader of the Haydn are venerated. Think of the harm that the audience seated at tables, and having a dance after the concert, was
has been done by this announcement! No retraction or denial took place abandoned very soon, and rightly so. When such a mixture of incongruous
and that opinion remains valid with these good people, while in reality it is amusements are offered simultaneously, as eating, dancing, and singing, the
an absolute ridiculous and ludicrous statement.
music will hardly have a fair chance. Aud during the first few seasons the
We notice an announcement that the Rossini Society will produce Han- society became an exponent of the most perfect and delightful four-part
music, confining itself exclusively to male voices. Outside attractions were
del's " Samson " this season.
Trade is quite excited over a piano war in the newspapers—the Stein- procured in the shape of individual stars, both vocal and instrumental.
way agent versus the Weber agent—all about Mad. Rive-King's preferences. Among the many who appeared, I will only mention such names as Cary,
Mad. King's letter to Weber, dated July 27, 187(3, is called bogus by the Thursby, Beebe, Mehlig, Mills, Rive-King.
But, tempora mutantur, so did the club. Mr. Tomlins added a ladies'
Steinway agent, and he publishes an affidavit, in which he swears that both
Mi', and Mrs. King told him it was not genuine. The Weber agent, on the chorus; from that moment the identity of the Apollo Club was lost, and
other hand, states that it is, and that he has the necessary evidence to prove the purpose for which it was started abandoned. The public, by this change,
were at the same time gainers and losers. Losing the opportunity of hear-
it to be genuine.
The Steinway agent publishes a card from Mrs. King, which is dated at ing some of the finest male four-part singing ever done in this country, and
the time she was last here, in which she states that she prefers the Steinway, gaining by the more extended scope, which the programmes of the society
very soon presented after the complete re-organization of the club into a
and so the boom keeps booming.
The cards alternate in the morninj papers—first a shot from the Stein- chorus of mixed voices. A great success was scored a few years ago, when
W
Y
December 20th, 1880.
On last Saturday night a concert was given by pupils of the Philadelphia
Musical Academy. All the selections were so judiciously chosen as to speak
volumes for tho institution and its tutors, whose names I gave you in my
last letter. The "infant class " rendered dear old Haydn's " Children's Sym-
phony," and how odd it sounded to read on the programme, "Trumpet,
Miss E. Batty; Drum, Miss Murdoch; Cymbals, Miss Hutchinson," and so
on. Among the violins was Master Hening, the young son of the great vio-
loncelloist, Budolph Hening.
Some highly important local musical events are in preparation. On next
Saturday night the Mendelssohn Club is to give its first concert this season.
On the 30th inst. the West Philadelphia Choral Society will give the choruses
of the "Messiah." The Cecilian Chorus will give •'Elijah" in January.
On January 10th, Col. Mapleson will open a season of grand Italian Opera at
the Academy of Music here. Mr. John F. Himmelsbach, who was the origi-
nal founder of the Philadelphia Musical Academy already alluded to, and
who disposed of it to Mr. R. Zeckwer prior to a visit to Leipzig of two years
or more, is back again and announces a list of chamber concerts with the
choicest kind of programmes. Mr. Himmelsbach is a good pianoforte player,
and with such artists to aid him as Jiennig, Grauer, and Guhlmann, among
instrumentalists and singers like Gastel, Gilchrist, and Heinrich, he will
give beautiful concerts without the shadow of a doubt.
HOWE.
way battery, then one from the Weber, at regular intervals. This piano
war is, however, more serious than the chronic wars that occur. After re-
flection, it will be seen that the Steinway agent flatly accuses the Weber
letter as a forgery; Now, the late A. Weber, Sr., is charged thereby with
having utilized this forgery in his catalogues, and after his death this is con-
tinued by the junior Weber. This is the gravamen of the charge. The
Weber agent says he has the evidences of the reliability of the Weber letter.
If it is genuine, the facts must soon be produced, otherwise the musical
public here will get tired of the conflict and the production of the necessary
proof will lose its weight. Mr. and Mrs. King must be heard from, unless
Weber has indubitable evidence without them. The situation is undoubt-
edly interesting.
This morning two cards are printed simultaneously. I append them—
the first from the Weber, the second from the Steinway agent.
' ' MME. JULIA BIVE-KING AND THE WEBEK PIANO.
PHILADELPHIA, July 27, 1876.
me to congratulate you on your having the
finest Grand Piano I ever placed my fingers on. I allude to the one at the
Centennial. I must acknowledge I was astonished and delighted. I am posi-
tive, if the Centennial jurors have done their duly honestly, victory has
perched upon your banner.
Very sincerely yours,
DEAR MR. WEBER:—Allow
JULIA RIVE.
BALTIMORE.
Affidavits and charges of fraud are flying about so thickly that it would
CONCERTS—THE FIGHT BETWEEN THE WEBEK AND THE STEINWAY AGENTS.
not surprise the public to see a statement or affidavit that the WEBER PIANO
BALTIMORE, Dec. 12, 1880.
is worthless; that only lunatics, idiots, and invalid artists jjurchase or use it;
there is no such thing as the WEBER PIANO; that there never has been
E have had quite a lively time here since my last letter, concert and trade that
such a thing as the WEBER PIANO, and that there never will be such a thing
nutters both considered. The Wilhelmj-Sternberg concert is the first as
the WEBER PIANO.
to chronicle. It was fairly attended, and although on the part of Wilhelmj,
The more than 17,000 well-satisfied purchasers of the WEBER PIANO (a
a repetition of his former repetitions, quite an artistic success. Wilhelmj
will have to enlarge his repertoire, if he wants a Baltimore audience to listen to number, by the way, that is steadily growing at the rate of 75 per week), will
him again ; Sternberg proves himself an artist. Rive-King-Donaldi-Rum- forthwith commence to distrust the evidence of their senses, to doubt the
mel, gave two concerts, matinee and night, Dec. 4th. Matinee very light, fact of their own existence, and to hold that the entire universe is a myth,
but night well attended. The concerts made great impressions as being always excepting the only two real, indisputable and indestructible entities
fizzles of the first order. That is to say, many of the artists are aitists of a, —the Steinway piano and the Baltimore agent thereof.
high order, but on account of illness and internal dissensions, the program-
PRODUCE THE PROOF!
mes had to be changed, and the night performance was characterized by
The
promised
forthcoming
proof that Julia Rive-King's letter to Albert
three seperate announcements by the manager.
of New York, supposed and claimed to have been written four and
The Rive-King Company was very satisfactory but did not receive the Weber,
years ago, if genuine, will be watched for with great interest by the
credit due it, as the audience could not distinguish which artists belonged a-half
public. It will be particularly gratifying to the agent of the " Steinway " if
to that organization or the other.
matter will take a wider range," as has been intimated. In the mean-
Mme. Rive-King was, of course, the prominent artist, and her splendid '' this the
fact that she, like other great pianists, £>refers and uses the STKIN-
performance of the Liszt "Tarantella," of Venezia E Napoli, was caculated time
WAY PIANOS exclusively is, of course, definitely settled by the letter written
to impress any audience. Her performance that night established her repu- and
published last week, which we reproduce below. Mrs. King but re-
tation in this community as a pianist of a high order ; the comments since echoes
the universal sentiment that the ' Steinway' is the finest Piano iu
the concert being very frequent. With that exception, and probably Levy's, the world.
all the other members of the company, seemed to have fared very badly.
BALTIMORE, December I, 1880.
Whether this is due to the extraordinary confusion during the performances
caused by the absence of Sig. Belari and Miss Roderick, the illness of the Mr. OttoSutro:
"DEAR SIR:—It gives me pleasure to state that since I have used the
Signora Bellini and the change of the printed programme, or the mediocrity
Steinway Piano in public I have them in my home for my own practice ex-
of many of the singers, is difficult to say.
It must be admitted that Rummel created a better impression than on clusively. For my own concert tours and recitals I invariably use the
his first appearance here with Emma Thursby. He seems to have adopted Steinway.
JULIA RIVE-KING."
the Josefly legato, and this surely . adds to a pianists accomplishments.
Richter and Lichtenbei'g both did well, yet did not create any impression.
Both firms occupy respectable jjositions in the community, and the xil-
The consolidated combination was not a success, and separated here, timate result of the controvers}' is anxiously awaited.
the Rive-King Company going West, while the Donaldi-Rummel, not follow-
I must not forget to add that a call has been made for the formation of
ing Greely's advice, went East. What points they will first appear at seemed to an Oratorio Society, the meeting to take place the coming week.
be dubious when they were about to disappear from here. In some other
KLASSICK KUSS.
part of the MUSICAL CRITIC your readers will probably hear more about the
subject.
CHICAGO.
Wednesday, Dec. 8th., the Prume Lavalle Concert took place before an
CLUB.—THE TOWEE OF BABEL.—THE STRAKOSCH-HESS OPERA
audience of about 65 to 70. The concert announced for the following night THE APOLLO
TROUPE.—THE BOSTON IDEAL OPERA COMPANY.—MUSICAL NEWS.
was " indefinitely postponed." Concerts were suffering from the odium of
CHICAGO, December 13th.
the prior events aud the first to suffer was Prume's Concert.
EARS ago when Mr. S. G. Pratt returned from Europe, the idea oc-
The original " Pirates of Penzance " Company, played at the Holliday
curred to him to found a society, which should foster and develop that
Street Theatre to only meagre houses. It seems to be a routine performance
and lacks with one or two exceptions the requirements even of music of that class of vocal choral music, usually designated as " mtennerchor " music.
If I remember right, Mr. Geo. P. Upton, of the Tribune, was the first Presi-
order.
Local events were as usual largely attended. The Haydn Musical Asso- dent, and Mr. Chas. C. Curtiss, of the Root
scription. One of our daily paj^ers stated on the following morning (in at once ingratiated itself very much in the good graces of our best society
course of one of its ridiculous so-called criticisms), that the leader of this and musical people. But although the name has been retained, and " what's
association preferred to hear the concerts of the Haydn to those given by the in a name'?" the society has changed its character, aim and organization en-
orchestras in the largest European cities, among other places London, Ber- tirely. Mr. Pratt resigned after having served as conductor one year, and
lin, etc.
; cities he had just returned from. We hope the reporter of the Mr. Adolf Dohn took the stick (or baton) to thorn.
ne\wi 1% aper misunderstood the leader of the Haydn. Although de gustibus
Mr. Dohn brought to his new work a good many qualities, which his
7ion disfji'-tfindttm. He may prefer the Haydn concerts; he may even have
predecessor had lacked, but the right man for the right place was not found
his special reasons for preferring them ; but he must not expect reliable and until Mr. Tomlins was engaged for the society, and whatever success the
thorough musicians to respect his opinion in the future if he said what this Apollo Club has had musically, and their work has been a most important
newspaper stated. Every musician must know that a comparison between fa tor in our musical history, is due to his marked ability. At first the
an amateur association with occasional rehearsals, and an established orches- chorus consisted entirely of gentlemen (as became a male chorus), the only
tra of professional players is out of question. Now in a certain society com- ladies present being in the audience, and the associate membership was ai-
prising a large and respected number of the best families of our city, the ways large enough to fill our most commodious halls. The idea of having
opinions of the leader of the Haydn are venerated. Think of the harm that the audience seated at tables, and having a dance after the concert, was
has been done by this announcement! No retraction or denial took place abandoned very soon, and rightly so. When such a mixture of incongruous
and that opinion remains valid with these good people, while in reality it is amusements are offered simultaneously, as eating, dancing, and singing, the
an absolute ridiculous and ludicrous statement.
music will hardly have a fair chance. Aud during the first few seasons the
We notice an announcement that the Rossini Society will produce Han- society became an exponent of the most perfect and delightful four-part
music, confining itself exclusively to male voices. Outside attractions were
del's " Samson " this season.
Trade is quite excited over a piano war in the newspapers—the Stein- procured in the shape of individual stars, both vocal and instrumental.
way agent versus the Weber agent—all about Mad. Rive-King's preferences. Among the many who appeared, I will only mention such names as Cary,
Mad. King's letter to Weber, dated July 27, 187(3, is called bogus by the Thursby, Beebe, Mehlig, Mills, Rive-King.
But, tempora mutantur, so did the club. Mr. Tomlins added a ladies'
Steinway agent, and he publishes an affidavit, in which he swears that both
Mi', and Mrs. King told him it was not genuine. The Weber agent, on the chorus; from that moment the identity of the Apollo Club was lost, and
other hand, states that it is, and that he has the necessary evidence to prove the purpose for which it was started abandoned. The public, by this change,
were at the same time gainers and losers. Losing the opportunity of hear-
it to be genuine.
The Steinway agent publishes a card from Mrs. King, which is dated at ing some of the finest male four-part singing ever done in this country, and
the time she was last here, in which she states that she prefers the Steinway, gaining by the more extended scope, which the programmes of the society
very soon presented after the complete re-organization of the club into a
and so the boom keeps booming.
The cards alternate in the morninj papers—first a shot from the Stein- chorus of mixed voices. A great success was scored a few years ago, when
W
Y
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).