Music Trade Review
Issue: 1899 Vol. 28 N. 9 - Page 5
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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
and deserves the warmest praise for its
helpful encouragement to the art.
Nowadays all is hysterical adulation of
operatic artists. To hear prominent in-
dividualities taking part in the opera, to see
them, above all to be near them, seems to
be the acme of bliss, of unspeakable
rapture, to thousands of people who are,
in general, quite sane. The opera is a
secondary consideration. All this hero and
heroine worship is demoralizing to music
generally. The personal element thrusts
itself between the music-lover and the ob-
ject of his affection. No one thinks
seriously about the creative worker. The
composer is relegated to a secondary posi-
tion. He is merely a provider for the
singers. If it be true that history repeats
itself, we might look for a return of the
unhappy time when the composers had to
obey the dictates of the singers, and write
operas to suit the whims of the lords and
ladies of the realm of warbling.
Furthermore, the discouragement of con-
certs has the effect of deterring young
composers from attempting anything. It
is useless for Americans to think of com-
posing symphonies when the concert con-
ductors dare not risk the experiment of
producing them, but must cling to the
strongest works in the extant repertoire.
As for songs, why write songs when no
one goes to hear any singers except those
of the opera, who always make their selec-
tions from their stock in trade? And it is
quite unlikely that any American would
think of writing an opera when even the
foreign masters, whose works are pro-
duced in Italy, France and Germany, can-
not get a hearing in New York. No one
will go to listen to a new opera in the Met-
ropolitan. One section of the public clam-
ors ceaselessly for "Faust," "Romeo et Ju-
liette," "Lohengrin," and "Les Hugue-
nots." Another cries out for "Tristan
und Isolde" and "Der Ring des Nibelun-
gen." What hope would there be for a
young composer?
*
THERESA CARRENO will be the soloist
* at the final concerts of the Boston
Symphony Orchestra on March 22dand 23d.
*
\ / I C T O R MAUREL, who is known to be
" a profound thinker on any subject to
which he devotes himself, whether it be
stage management or a song recital, is
about to embark on a work which will
probably do more than anything else to
prove his power of research, says the Sun
that shines for all. He believes that the
time has come for some discussion of the
relation between the American climate
and the throats of foreign singers. M.
Maurel has had such a cold during the
greater part of the past month that he had
to postpone his recitals to later dates and
of course could not appear in opera. The
spread of colds in the company has led to
considerable discussion of the subject, and
M. Maurel astonished a group the other
day with this question: "If such a thing
as the stone obelisk imported to this coun-
try could not stand the weather, how could
the delicate vocal chords of a singer be ex-
pected to do so? " Everybody gave it up playing. In a word it reflects the musical
on the spot, but the inquiry suggested to feelings of the gifted leader as a great
M. Maurel a question of interest to not organ.would a master player.
only the public, but the singers as well.
Sig. Sorrentino and the Banda Rossa are
The famous baritone is therefore at work under the management of Leigh Lynch
on the development of his theories on the and Channing Ellery, two men amply
effects of the American climate, beginning equipped to bring the merits of this or-
with the obelisk as the basis of his investi- ganization properly to the attention of the
gations. It is not expected that the result musical public of this country.
of his deliberations will be made known
*
this year, although they will certainly reach TJAYDN'S oratorio, "The Creation,"
the public ultimately. M. Maurel has be- * * was originally produced on March
gun with the obelisk and has so far reached 19th, 1799. The centennial of that oc-
only the second chapter of his work, which casion will be celebrated this year in a per-
is to deal with Mile. Bauermeister.
formance of the work by the Liederkranz
of this city on Sunday,
March 19th, at Carnegie
Hall. Members of the Phil-
harmonic Orchestra w i l l
assist.
The centenary will also
be honored in London at
the Crystal Palace on March
18th, with a chorus of 3000
voices.
Haydn, who was a mod-
est man, would have been
pleased to think that his
"Creation" was destined to
live a century. When he
launched it he apologized
for it in this language:
"As for myself, now an
old man, I only wish and
hope that the critics may
not handle my 'Creation'
with too great severity, and
be too hard on it. They
may possibly find the musi-
cal orthography faulty in
various passages, and per-
haps other t h i n g s also,
which I have for so many
years been accustomed to
consider as minor points;
but the genuine connoisseur
will see the real cause as
readily as I do, and willing-
ly cast aside such stum-
bling-blocks. This, how-
ever, is entirely inter nos,
EUGENIO SORRENTINO.
or I might be accused of
conceit
and
arrogance,
from which, how-
of, the overwhelming artistic suc-
ever,
my
heavenly
Father
has preserved
cesses of the season is being achieved
by the Banda Rossa which is at present me all my life long."
*
making a tour of the United States under
the capable directorship of Eugenio Sor- '"THERE will probably be another series
rentino. In every place visited it has
* of performances devoted to the trilogy
deservedly won the highest praise from without cuts at the Metropolitan during
leading critics. While this band is com- the present month. These will be given
posed unquestionably of very clever men, in the afternoons, and the size of the
its success is due especially to the genius audiences at the last cycle would seem to
of Sig. Sorrentino, who is one of the indicate that another can be safely under-
ablest leaders before the public to-day. taken with profit.
The eight perform-
He is a thorough musician, magnetic and ances are said to have added nearly $70,-
convincing in personality; he not only im- 000 to the receipts of the season. There is
presses the men who are swayed by his already a feeling that the season for the
baton, but the public on the other side of immediate future will probably be less
the footlights.
profitable than it has been, chiefly owing
The striking qualities of the Banda to the advent of Lent, and the fact that
Rossa, as admitted by the majority of the changes in cast which usually attract
critics, are the remarkable precision of the the public have been almost exhausted.
players, its eloquence of expression, the The resources of the company are so great,
quality and refinement of tone, the warmth however, and the taste of the public for
of sentiment, and the splendid ensemble the opera so strong that the triumphant
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
and deserves the warmest praise for its
helpful encouragement to the art.
Nowadays all is hysterical adulation of
operatic artists. To hear prominent in-
dividualities taking part in the opera, to see
them, above all to be near them, seems to
be the acme of bliss, of unspeakable
rapture, to thousands of people who are,
in general, quite sane. The opera is a
secondary consideration. All this hero and
heroine worship is demoralizing to music
generally. The personal element thrusts
itself between the music-lover and the ob-
ject of his affection. No one thinks
seriously about the creative worker. The
composer is relegated to a secondary posi-
tion. He is merely a provider for the
singers. If it be true that history repeats
itself, we might look for a return of the
unhappy time when the composers had to
obey the dictates of the singers, and write
operas to suit the whims of the lords and
ladies of the realm of warbling.
Furthermore, the discouragement of con-
certs has the effect of deterring young
composers from attempting anything. It
is useless for Americans to think of com-
posing symphonies when the concert con-
ductors dare not risk the experiment of
producing them, but must cling to the
strongest works in the extant repertoire.
As for songs, why write songs when no
one goes to hear any singers except those
of the opera, who always make their selec-
tions from their stock in trade? And it is
quite unlikely that any American would
think of writing an opera when even the
foreign masters, whose works are pro-
duced in Italy, France and Germany, can-
not get a hearing in New York. No one
will go to listen to a new opera in the Met-
ropolitan. One section of the public clam-
ors ceaselessly for "Faust," "Romeo et Ju-
liette," "Lohengrin," and "Les Hugue-
nots." Another cries out for "Tristan
und Isolde" and "Der Ring des Nibelun-
gen." What hope would there be for a
young composer?
*
THERESA CARRENO will be the soloist
* at the final concerts of the Boston
Symphony Orchestra on March 22dand 23d.
*
\ / I C T O R MAUREL, who is known to be
" a profound thinker on any subject to
which he devotes himself, whether it be
stage management or a song recital, is
about to embark on a work which will
probably do more than anything else to
prove his power of research, says the Sun
that shines for all. He believes that the
time has come for some discussion of the
relation between the American climate
and the throats of foreign singers. M.
Maurel has had such a cold during the
greater part of the past month that he had
to postpone his recitals to later dates and
of course could not appear in opera. The
spread of colds in the company has led to
considerable discussion of the subject, and
M. Maurel astonished a group the other
day with this question: "If such a thing
as the stone obelisk imported to this coun-
try could not stand the weather, how could
the delicate vocal chords of a singer be ex-
pected to do so? " Everybody gave it up playing. In a word it reflects the musical
on the spot, but the inquiry suggested to feelings of the gifted leader as a great
M. Maurel a question of interest to not organ.would a master player.
only the public, but the singers as well.
Sig. Sorrentino and the Banda Rossa are
The famous baritone is therefore at work under the management of Leigh Lynch
on the development of his theories on the and Channing Ellery, two men amply
effects of the American climate, beginning equipped to bring the merits of this or-
with the obelisk as the basis of his investi- ganization properly to the attention of the
gations. It is not expected that the result musical public of this country.
of his deliberations will be made known
*
this year, although they will certainly reach TJAYDN'S oratorio, "The Creation,"
the public ultimately. M. Maurel has be- * * was originally produced on March
gun with the obelisk and has so far reached 19th, 1799. The centennial of that oc-
only the second chapter of his work, which casion will be celebrated this year in a per-
is to deal with Mile. Bauermeister.
formance of the work by the Liederkranz
of this city on Sunday,
March 19th, at Carnegie
Hall. Members of the Phil-
harmonic Orchestra w i l l
assist.
The centenary will also
be honored in London at
the Crystal Palace on March
18th, with a chorus of 3000
voices.
Haydn, who was a mod-
est man, would have been
pleased to think that his
"Creation" was destined to
live a century. When he
launched it he apologized
for it in this language:
"As for myself, now an
old man, I only wish and
hope that the critics may
not handle my 'Creation'
with too great severity, and
be too hard on it. They
may possibly find the musi-
cal orthography faulty in
various passages, and per-
haps other t h i n g s also,
which I have for so many
years been accustomed to
consider as minor points;
but the genuine connoisseur
will see the real cause as
readily as I do, and willing-
ly cast aside such stum-
bling-blocks. This, how-
ever, is entirely inter nos,
EUGENIO SORRENTINO.
or I might be accused of
conceit
and
arrogance,
from which, how-
of, the overwhelming artistic suc-
ever,
my
heavenly
Father
has preserved
cesses of the season is being achieved
by the Banda Rossa which is at present me all my life long."
*
making a tour of the United States under
the capable directorship of Eugenio Sor- '"THERE will probably be another series
rentino. In every place visited it has
* of performances devoted to the trilogy
deservedly won the highest praise from without cuts at the Metropolitan during
leading critics. While this band is com- the present month. These will be given
posed unquestionably of very clever men, in the afternoons, and the size of the
its success is due especially to the genius audiences at the last cycle would seem to
of Sig. Sorrentino, who is one of the indicate that another can be safely under-
ablest leaders before the public to-day. taken with profit.
The eight perform-
He is a thorough musician, magnetic and ances are said to have added nearly $70,-
convincing in personality; he not only im- 000 to the receipts of the season. There is
presses the men who are swayed by his already a feeling that the season for the
baton, but the public on the other side of immediate future will probably be less
the footlights.
profitable than it has been, chiefly owing
The striking qualities of the Banda to the advent of Lent, and the fact that
Rossa, as admitted by the majority of the changes in cast which usually attract
critics, are the remarkable precision of the the public have been almost exhausted.
players, its eloquence of expression, the The resources of the company are so great,
quality and refinement of tone, the warmth however, and the taste of the public for
of sentiment, and the splendid ensemble the opera so strong that the triumphant
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