Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
T H A T great event in the musical world,
*
the Worcester Music Festival, took
place this week. The first concert occurred
Tuesday evening.
Among the choral
works performed
were Mendelssohn's
"Elijah," "The Rose of Aventown," a
cantata for women's voices, by Mrs. H. H.
A. Beach, George W. Chad wick's "The
Lily Nymph," Grieg's " Olaf Trygrasson"
and Horatio W. Parker's " Hora Novis-
sima." The long list of soloists—vocal
and instrumental—included such eminent
artists as Miss Marie Downey, Miss Sarah
Anderson, Mr. Mackenzie Gordon, Mr. D.
Ffrangcon-Davies, Mr. Gwylin Miles, Mme.
Wagnerian and Italian opera with gratify-
ing success. After her Nice engagement
she was secured by the late Sir Augustus
Harris for grand Italian opera at Covent
Garden where she achieved such a success
that the engagement was renewed for
three years. In the interim she appeared
in Geneva and Nice where she received a
royal welcome. She made her debut in
this country in New York as " Amneris "
in Aida with the Damrosch & Ellis Co.
She made a most emphatic hit, being
enthusiastically received by press and
public. She will visit this country this
season, singing in opera, concert and
oratorio. She has twenty or
more operas in her repertoire.
Mme. Brazzi's voice is a rich
contralto with a mezzo range
combined with which is a nat-
ural histrionic talent!
V
MME. STELLA BRAZZI.
Johanna Gadski, Mr. H. Evan Williams,
Miss Adele Aus der Ohe, Mr. Dudley
Buck, Jr., Miss Gertrude May Stein and
Mr. Ovide Musin. There was a chorus of
400 voices, and the Boston Symphony Or-
chestra furnished the orchestral music.
Mr. George W. Chadwick was the con-
ductor.
*
IWIME. STELLA BRAZZI, the dis-
* * *• tinguished contralto, is an American
of French parentage, having been born in
Brattleboro, Vt.
She commenced the
study of music at seven and at a very early
age took the contralto's position in the
quartet choir of a local church. In 1888
she journeyed to Europe where she studied
four years in Leipsic, Paris and London.
She appeared in opera in some of the
French provinces in the roles of " La
Favorita," and the Queen in "Hamlet."
In the fall of '93 she made a three months
tour of England and Ireland, her real
debut taking place in Nice in November,
'94, where she met with tremendous suc-
cess as "Ortrud" in Lohengrin.
She
sang there for five months, appearing in.
HE largest library of m ; iisic
in this country is at pres-
ent to be found in the Lenox
Library branch of the New
York Public Library. It con-
tains, roughly speaking, about
seventy-five volumes, treating
on every phase of ancient and
modern music, biographies of
prominent musicians, a large
number of musical scores, some
manuscripts, and many en-
gravings and autographs —
altogether a collection in which
the musical student will find
much that will charm and in-
struct him.
The fact that New York pos-
sesses the most complete mus-
ical library in the United
vStates is a matter of pride in
itself, but it is to be feared
that many students of music
and its literature have faint
idea of the value and magni-
tude of this collection. Were it more
widely known it would undoubtedly com-
mend itself more generally to the use of
the large number of persons, old and
young, who are studying music and its
literature in our city.
The superiority of this collection is only
apparent after an exhaustive perusal of the
contents.
Of course, the Joseph W.
Drexel contribution is the largest and
most complete. His library was not only
the foundation, but is even now the larg-
est part of the collection. It embraces the
Albrecht Library, the Rimbaultcollection,
which was purchased in London, the La
Roche Library and numerous miscellane-
ous works of great value embracing some
rare tomes on early American hymnology
and church psalmody. The library has
been divided with considerable care into
half a dozen different subjects of music,
and it is a delight to the connoisseur and
to all interested in the divine art.
OIEGFRIED WAGNER'S new opera
^ will be sung- at Munich in November,
TT is a much contested subject, this of
going abroad to study music, and one
that has much of importance to be said on
both sides. We are a utilitarian people,
wanting the best to be had for our money
in every direction. We do not want to
patronize home products simply because
they are home products, says Mary Wood
Chase, but we want the best of everything
from every land and every clime. In
truth, this very competition raises our own
productions to the standards set by other
nations, and makes us a most progressive
country.
In music we are making remarkable
progress. Our teachers, united by state
and national associations, kept abreast of
the times and are constantly striving to
improve their work. On the whole, they
are far more progressive, far more wide
awake, than those of Europe. They have
no respect for tradition which resolves it-
self into slavery. They are continually
endeavoring to find better and surer means
of accomplishing the desired end, instead
of traveling in ruts worn by famous prede-
cessors. Although there be no royal road
to learning, they are earnestly trying to re-
move as many of the stumbling blocks as
possible, making short cuts here, bridging
over difficulties there, until the road be-
comes more direct and the goal less im-
possible of attainment. The goal is the
same, the experienced guide, however,
knows the best and shortest paths, is most
useful in showing how the obstacles may
be surmounted or evaded, is most careful
that no unnecessary burden shall be car-
ried. So with teachers in all countries,
the progressive ones
are continually
searching for better means to the end.
T H E opening of the American tour of
*
Lieut. Dan Godfrey's British Guards
Band, will take place at the Metropolitan
Opera House, this city, on Oct. 27th. The
band has been specially strengthened and
enlarged for this occasion and will include
several well-known soloists.
#
\ \ TM. C. CARL, who has been on a visit
"*
to Alexander Guilmant at Mendon,
France, returned to this city last week.
Mr. Carl will play at the first concert of
the Seidl Society in Brooklyn.
Many
other important engagements are already
booked.
„.
TN his new opera the "Charlatan" John
^ Philip Sousa has made a distinct ad-
vance in his career as a composer. It is
possible that in doing so he has sacrificed,
for the nonce, his material interests. The
public is apt to resent interference with its
opinions as to standards which it has
fixed. It may object to the composer's
turn from jingle to melody; it may regret
that he has abandoned in his musical
speech the use of slang and expletives, ex-
pressed by vulgar figures, by cymbal
clashes, drumbeats and trombone runs. It
may long for the noise of old—the literal-
ness of time and the finger-posts of em-
phasized accents, and it may rebuke by
abstention Sousa's legitimate and laudable
desire to add dignity to his art. But if