Music Trade Review
Issue: 1899 Vol. 28 N. 1 - Page 9
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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
TN the Grau company, now at the Metro-
politan, there are three singers who are
triumphant examples of perfect singing and
of its results—Lilli Lehmann, Marcella
Sembrieh and Jean de Reszke. At fifty,
after a career of consistent labor in the
interpretation of the great dramatic and
declamatory roles of Wagner—Brunnhilde,
Isolde and Ortrude—Mme. Lehmann's
voice, though perhaps a little less elastic
and a little, less vigorous, is still pure,
round, fresh, true, and, above all, stable.
Its condition is such that it is as much as
ever under the singer's control, responsive
to all demands of an expressive nature.
Marcella Sembrich's voice, after twenty
years of constant service in the florid ex-
ercises of colorature song, is still smooth
and fluent. The act of singing may entail
a little more effort on the part of the
singer, but the result attained is as glori-
ous as ever. The voice is as polished in
legato and as agile in staccato as when Sem-
brieh first became a famous artist.
Jean de Reszke's control of his vocal
equipment is so complete, so just and con-
siderate, is governed by such thorough
knowledge of everything that makes up
the science of singing, that it has permitted
him to become a marvellous singer, one of
the few in musical history who will live as
a master in both lyric and dramatic music.
In all these three cases it is art that is
vindicated and glorified, not voice; for,
heretical as this may sound to some, not
one of these persons has a voice of extra-
ordinary quality.
*
TN England, according to the London
Truth, a composer is much better able
to secure the suffrages of a leading vocalist
than the publisher, who can only do it as a
matter of business, whereas the composer
can very often bring social influence to
bear; and where a lady composer is con-
cerned, bright eyes and amiable manners
are frequently potent where purely busi-
ness arguments would be of no avail.
Some years ago certain eminent vocalists
tried speculations in songs, and some of
them did fairly well by the transaction.
A vocalist would, for example, purchase a
song outright from the composer, and after
singing it a few times, sell it again to a
publisher at an increased price and at a
considerable royalty. The English vocal-
ist always, or almost always, is paid a roy-
alty, for singing drawing-room songs in
public.
I T seems almost incredible to one who is
*• aware that every German city of 50,000
inhabitants has a good orchestra, to believe
that in this country there should be cities
of half a million and a million, like St.
Louis and Philadelphia, without regular
first-class orchestras, says Henry T. Finck.
Cincinnati and Pittsburg, Chicago and
Boston have what are called permanent
orchestras, and that is about all. New
York, though having no permanent orches-
tra of its own, i. e., no body of men who
rehearse daily and play only under one
conductor, hears the Boston band twenty
times this season, the Philharmonic sixteen
times, and other concerts that need not be
named—sixty in all, which is quite enough,
I am sure—more than any foreign city,
except Berlin, can show.
The Boston
Symphony Orchestra will discourse good
music in various American cities, under its
new conductor, Mr. Gericke, whose sym-
pathies are with the classics rather than
the modern. But, as Wagner said, let us
honor the great masters.
*
J\ A ME. Blanche Marchesi, who is to ap-
* " * pear in the United States early in
January, and make a tour under the
direction of Henry Wolfsohn, writes to
her manager from
London, as follows
about her appearance before the Queen—
and taking the greatest interest in every-
thing musical. Princess Beatrice accom-
panied my nine songs beautifully, and
when the little program was over, and I
asked her Majesty if she had any further
desire, she said, in the most lively and
delicious manner, 'yes, please repeat the
Madrigal by Chaminade, I like it im-
mensely.' I repeated it, and the Queen
smiled to the song the whole time. I was
so happy, because they told me that the
Queen had said in the morning, I had
done her so much good the evening before
and she liked my songs so much. I hope
my American tour will be a success."
Mme. Marchesi expects to leave Europe
the latter part of Decem-
ber and will make her
New York appearance in
Mendelssohn Hall on the
afternoon of January 25th
in a Song Recital.
*
S
IGNOR MANCINEL-
LI'S "Ero e Leandro"
is to be sung for the first
time here in the latter part
of January. The London
cast is available intact.
Albert Saleza, Pol Plan-
gon, Emma Eames and
Ernestine S c h u m a n n -
Heink are all members of
the present company and
the opera could be given
quite as it was in London.
*
A NEW chamber music
**
o r g a n i z a t i o n has
entered the local field of
music. It is called the
Mannes String Quartet
and its members
are
David Mannes, first vio-
lin ; L u d w i g Ma r u m ,
second violin; J o s e p h
Laender, viola, and Leo
Schulz, 'cello. All four
artists have high repu-
tations.
*
MME. BLANCHE MARCHESI.
"We arrived at the Earl of Carrington's,
at Abcrgeldie Castle, who kindly invited
us to stay with them. Shortly after our
arrival, came the carriage of the Queen to
fetch my husband and myself to her Ma-
jesty. ' During my concert the Queen
spoke to me several times, an4 always in
the most flattering terms. At the conclusion
of the performance, she gave me her in-
itials and crown in diamonds, to be worn
on a white ribbon as a decoration.
"The next morning we left the castle,
but on arriving at our hotel we found the
following telegram: 'Mr. York (the mana-
ger) is desired by the Queen to invite
Mme. Marchesi to come here this afternoon
to see Princess Beatrice, and to remain the
night, the Queen would like to hear Mme.
Marchesi sing again this evening. Princess
Beatrice will accompany her.'
"So I went and sang again, and the
Queen was most gracious and kind, talking
of art and artists, music and composers,
OTWITHSTANDING the fact that
the music of Mascagni's new Japan-
ese Opera " I r i s " shows greater care in
composition than any of his earlier works,
it has achieved but a moderate success.
This is due chiefly to the libretto, which is
disappointing.
*
LUNKET GREENE will arrive in this
country early in January. He will
give three song recitals at Chamber Music
Hall on the afternoons of January 6, 9
and 16.
*
ADY HALLE (Norman Neruda,) the
English violiniste, will make her New
York debut at the third concerts of the
Boston Symphony Orchestra on January
18 and 19.
N
P
L
George K. Johnston, father of R. E.
Johnston, the well-known concert mana-
ger, died at his late home, Brooklyn, on
Saturday last.
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
TN the Grau company, now at the Metro-
politan, there are three singers who are
triumphant examples of perfect singing and
of its results—Lilli Lehmann, Marcella
Sembrieh and Jean de Reszke. At fifty,
after a career of consistent labor in the
interpretation of the great dramatic and
declamatory roles of Wagner—Brunnhilde,
Isolde and Ortrude—Mme. Lehmann's
voice, though perhaps a little less elastic
and a little, less vigorous, is still pure,
round, fresh, true, and, above all, stable.
Its condition is such that it is as much as
ever under the singer's control, responsive
to all demands of an expressive nature.
Marcella Sembrich's voice, after twenty
years of constant service in the florid ex-
ercises of colorature song, is still smooth
and fluent. The act of singing may entail
a little more effort on the part of the
singer, but the result attained is as glori-
ous as ever. The voice is as polished in
legato and as agile in staccato as when Sem-
brieh first became a famous artist.
Jean de Reszke's control of his vocal
equipment is so complete, so just and con-
siderate, is governed by such thorough
knowledge of everything that makes up
the science of singing, that it has permitted
him to become a marvellous singer, one of
the few in musical history who will live as
a master in both lyric and dramatic music.
In all these three cases it is art that is
vindicated and glorified, not voice; for,
heretical as this may sound to some, not
one of these persons has a voice of extra-
ordinary quality.
*
TN England, according to the London
Truth, a composer is much better able
to secure the suffrages of a leading vocalist
than the publisher, who can only do it as a
matter of business, whereas the composer
can very often bring social influence to
bear; and where a lady composer is con-
cerned, bright eyes and amiable manners
are frequently potent where purely busi-
ness arguments would be of no avail.
Some years ago certain eminent vocalists
tried speculations in songs, and some of
them did fairly well by the transaction.
A vocalist would, for example, purchase a
song outright from the composer, and after
singing it a few times, sell it again to a
publisher at an increased price and at a
considerable royalty. The English vocal-
ist always, or almost always, is paid a roy-
alty, for singing drawing-room songs in
public.
I T seems almost incredible to one who is
*• aware that every German city of 50,000
inhabitants has a good orchestra, to believe
that in this country there should be cities
of half a million and a million, like St.
Louis and Philadelphia, without regular
first-class orchestras, says Henry T. Finck.
Cincinnati and Pittsburg, Chicago and
Boston have what are called permanent
orchestras, and that is about all. New
York, though having no permanent orches-
tra of its own, i. e., no body of men who
rehearse daily and play only under one
conductor, hears the Boston band twenty
times this season, the Philharmonic sixteen
times, and other concerts that need not be
named—sixty in all, which is quite enough,
I am sure—more than any foreign city,
except Berlin, can show.
The Boston
Symphony Orchestra will discourse good
music in various American cities, under its
new conductor, Mr. Gericke, whose sym-
pathies are with the classics rather than
the modern. But, as Wagner said, let us
honor the great masters.
*
J\ A ME. Blanche Marchesi, who is to ap-
* " * pear in the United States early in
January, and make a tour under the
direction of Henry Wolfsohn, writes to
her manager from
London, as follows
about her appearance before the Queen—
and taking the greatest interest in every-
thing musical. Princess Beatrice accom-
panied my nine songs beautifully, and
when the little program was over, and I
asked her Majesty if she had any further
desire, she said, in the most lively and
delicious manner, 'yes, please repeat the
Madrigal by Chaminade, I like it im-
mensely.' I repeated it, and the Queen
smiled to the song the whole time. I was
so happy, because they told me that the
Queen had said in the morning, I had
done her so much good the evening before
and she liked my songs so much. I hope
my American tour will be a success."
Mme. Marchesi expects to leave Europe
the latter part of Decem-
ber and will make her
New York appearance in
Mendelssohn Hall on the
afternoon of January 25th
in a Song Recital.
*
S
IGNOR MANCINEL-
LI'S "Ero e Leandro"
is to be sung for the first
time here in the latter part
of January. The London
cast is available intact.
Albert Saleza, Pol Plan-
gon, Emma Eames and
Ernestine S c h u m a n n -
Heink are all members of
the present company and
the opera could be given
quite as it was in London.
*
A NEW chamber music
**
o r g a n i z a t i o n has
entered the local field of
music. It is called the
Mannes String Quartet
and its members
are
David Mannes, first vio-
lin ; L u d w i g Ma r u m ,
second violin; J o s e p h
Laender, viola, and Leo
Schulz, 'cello. All four
artists have high repu-
tations.
*
MME. BLANCHE MARCHESI.
"We arrived at the Earl of Carrington's,
at Abcrgeldie Castle, who kindly invited
us to stay with them. Shortly after our
arrival, came the carriage of the Queen to
fetch my husband and myself to her Ma-
jesty. ' During my concert the Queen
spoke to me several times, an4 always in
the most flattering terms. At the conclusion
of the performance, she gave me her in-
itials and crown in diamonds, to be worn
on a white ribbon as a decoration.
"The next morning we left the castle,
but on arriving at our hotel we found the
following telegram: 'Mr. York (the mana-
ger) is desired by the Queen to invite
Mme. Marchesi to come here this afternoon
to see Princess Beatrice, and to remain the
night, the Queen would like to hear Mme.
Marchesi sing again this evening. Princess
Beatrice will accompany her.'
"So I went and sang again, and the
Queen was most gracious and kind, talking
of art and artists, music and composers,
OTWITHSTANDING the fact that
the music of Mascagni's new Japan-
ese Opera " I r i s " shows greater care in
composition than any of his earlier works,
it has achieved but a moderate success.
This is due chiefly to the libretto, which is
disappointing.
*
LUNKET GREENE will arrive in this
country early in January. He will
give three song recitals at Chamber Music
Hall on the afternoons of January 6, 9
and 16.
*
ADY HALLE (Norman Neruda,) the
English violiniste, will make her New
York debut at the third concerts of the
Boston Symphony Orchestra on January
18 and 19.
N
P
L
George K. Johnston, father of R. E.
Johnston, the well-known concert mana-
ger, died at his late home, Brooklyn, on
Saturday last.
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