Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
poet in question will hasten to reveal the
actual state of affairs and let us have a re-
vised version of his effort written in good,
plain, virile, and comprehensible Ameri-
can, which shall fill the crying need of the
moment, and vindicate our singers from
the charge of being voiceless when their
country most wished to hear them sound
their clearest notes. Even an Alfred Austin
would be acceptable at the moment.
*
JU\ ISS CLARA BUTT, the great English
* ' *• contralto, has come, has been heard
and has conquered. At her first New York
recital at Mendelssohn Hall on the evening
of Oct. 25th she made a sensation. She is
a woman of extraordinary presence—a
veritable amazon in stature with a big,
deep, pulsating voice that appeals and
thrills. In range it is large, in quality
rich, in power apparently unlimited.
The program at her first concert was of
such diversity and range as to test thor-
oughly the artist's power. It proved with-
out question that the art of Miss Butt is
finished. In addition to dramatic express-
iveness and a passionate fervor which found
full vent in the "Aria" from Gliick's
"Alceste," she sings with extreme taste,
intelligence and a repose and authority and
moreover distinct enunciation, that simply
captivates.
It is impossible to resist such tempera-
mental intensity, such a personality, and
one is prone to agree with W. J. Henderson
that "her voice is the grandest contralto
organ that has been heard by the present
generation of music lovers in this city."
There is such a wide scope to her art that
extended criticism would only be a eulogy
which to the reader might seem exagger-
ated and fulsome. Any one who can listen
to Clara Butt and not be magnetized by
the majestic volume of "heart" tone and
gracious personality, must be absolutely
destitute of emotion.
Miss Butt's recital closed with a very
beautiful setting of the hymn "Abide
With Me " by S. Liddle, in which she was
assisted by Isadore Luckstone at the piano
and George Maxwell at the organ. It is
a composition of great merit and was mag-
nificently sung by Miss Butt. The various
shades of expression leading up to a grand
climax of power were simply irresistible.
Miss Butt will give two more recitals at
Mendelssohn Hall on Tuesday evening
Nov. 21 and Saturday Nov. 25.
*
J EONCAVALLO has been invited by
*-* the Emperor of Germany it is said to
make a long sojourn at Potsdam and com-
pose an opera for which the Emperor him-
self has written the book.
*
IWIISS JOSEPHINE SULLIVAN, the
' ' * famous Irish harpist, who aug-
mented her reputation so signally last sea-
son, is booked for a number of important
affairs in different parts of the country
during the concert season just opened.
Miss Sullivan possesses a winsome person-
ality and furnishes, in addition to a large,
classical repertoire, a wealth of old Irish
melodies which are interpreted in the true
Well, it certainly will not be from the
stage, which used to be the model in this
matter, for the diction of the average
actor of our day is enough to make For-
rest turn over in his grave and to send a
chill down the spine of anyone who remem-
TT is announced that Pope Leo has ar- bers Murdoch. One would naturally ex-
* ranged to offer a prize to the man who pect that the singing teachers would do
most faithfully expresses in a great musi- something toward the teaching of enuncia-
cal and poetic composition the triumphs of tion. Those who try, perhaps, do not get
the century now closing. The competi- much encouragement for their pains.
tion will be open to the poets and musi- "Most of the students of singing in this
country are in
such a hurry to
get before the
public," s a y s
this critic, "that
they are unwill-
ing to devote
the time neces-
sary to perfect
themselves i n
the finer por-
tions of their
art.
'' And t h e n
they rush into
print to voice
their
griev-
ances.
They
cannot get en-
gagements be-
cause the high-
priced foreign
singers h a v e
them all. The
managers will
not listen to the
American sing-
ers, but prefer
the foreigners.
And this is very
wicked, because
these American
s i n g e r s who
cannot get work
would
gladly
sing for half the
money that is
p a i d to de
R e s z k e and
Calve.
"The geese!
If there were
any de Resz-
kes or Calves
among t h e m
they would not
have to sing
JOSEPHINE SULLIVAN.
They would be
cians of the world and no tongue and for half the money.
country will be barred. The Pope himself able to ask, nay, to command, salaries
will sit in judgment and this alone is suf- as high as those now paid to the foreign
ficient assurance that for once at least singers. If there were in this country
to-day any tenor with the appearance,
genius alone is to be rewarded.
*
the voice, the vocal skill, and the brains
T H E lack of proper enunciation on the of Jean de Reszke he would go soar-
1 dramatic, operatic and concert stage ing to the top of his profession like a
seems to be a national weakness. There balloon. No manager or combination of
are exceptions of course and it is these ex- managers would be able to stop him.
ceptions that make the j^ervertors of good None would try to do so. They would
English stand out so clearly as to compel all be bidding for his services. There
unfavorable criticism ofttimes of otherwise is no line drawn against the rise of
If you think
able productions. Speaking of this matter the American singer.
a writer in the New York Times wonders there is, ask Nordica or Eames or Bisp-
where our singers are to learn to enunciate. ham."
national spirit. It is needless to say that
Miss Sullivan's talents are widely recog-
nized by her own countrymen, while music
lovers everywhere appreciate her artistic
gifts.