Music Trade Review

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
52 Pages.
THE
flUSIC TRADE
$3.00 PER YEAR.
SINGLE COPIES 10 CENTS
V O L . XXXIII. N o . 1 4 . Published Every Saturday by Edward Lyman Bill at 3 East Fourteenth Street, New York, Oct. 5,1901.
THE WORCESTER MUSIC FESTIVAL
*"T H E annual music festival at Worcester,
Mass., has long since passed local or
State confines and may well be characterized
as an affair of national interest. Especial dis-
tinction was given to the festival which closed
last week through the presentation of George
W. Chadwick's new work "Judith." This
work is described as "a lyric drama,'' but
it is in the fullest sense of the word an opera,
and suffered in its presentation only .through
the lack of spectacle and action which the
imagination craved. Meanwhile, the musi-
cal sense was highly gratified, for there is
an abundance of melody in the solo parts
and much individual work in orchestration.
It may be said that "Judith" scored a de-
cided success, the chorus work especially be-
ing admirable. There are long passages a
capella in the chorus, and others that are
massive, withal simple.
Cesar Franck's oratorio "The Beatitudes,"
with which the festival opened, is now quite
familiar in this country. The presentation
was extremely good both in solo and chorus
parts. Mrs. Shanna Cumming made a most
emphatic impression and won much appre-
ciation. The other soloists, Messrs. Williams,
Bispham, Townsend, Griggs and Towne,
were" equal to their respective roles; the same
cannot be said of Mme. Poole-King.
Verdi's "Manzoni Requiem" was sung on
Wednesday night and may be characterized a
distinct triumph for all engaged in its produc-
tion. Mr. Chadwick deserves the highest
possible praise for the general work of the
chorus, while Mrs. Cumming, Mr. Van Hoose
and Dr. Carl Dufft made the presentation
one long to be remembered.
At the concert on Friday evening, Richard
Burmeister, the pianist, scored a tremendous
success. His marvellous technique and re-
markable tone made his piano a veritable
orchestra. He aroused the large audience
to a high pitch of enthusiasm, and was re-
called time and time again. It was a re-
markable demonstration.
We regret to learn that the festival, from
a financial standpoint, was not a success.
This is sincerely to be regretted, for the gen-
tleman back of the enterprise gave a great
deal of time and energy to it, with merely
the hope that public patronage would be
sufficient to cover the cost. The lack of sup-
port oftentimes given a great musical festival
like this is most disheartening. The defection
in attendance at Worcester has been attri-
buted to the non-appearance of Mme. Eames,
thus demonstrating that the "star" is still
a potent attraction, even at a festival where
such tremendous musical values abounded.
MUSIC FOR YALE'S GREAT CELEBRATION.
JV/l USIC will play quite an important part
* " • in the bi-centennial celebration at Yale
University on Oct. 20th and 23d. Elaborate
preparations are being made for two con-
certs—one a rendering of Prof. Parker's
"Hera Novissima" by the Gounod Choral
Society of New Haven, the other a concert
by the Symphony Orchestra of Boston. Nu-
merous other musical features will be inter-
spersed throughout the days of the celebra-
tion. Among the most important is the ren-
dering of the Greek ode set to music by Prof.
JAN KUBELIK, VIOLINIST,
Who^willibeJHeard HereJthisJSeason.
Parker. It is entitled a "Greek Festival
Hymn for Yale University on the 200th an-
niversary of its founding, October, 1901, by
Thomas Dwight Good ell, English Version
by Isabella G. Parker; the music composed
for male voices and orchestra by Horatio
Parker." Prof. Goodell is a graduate of
Yale in 1877, and holds a professorship of
Greek in the University.
The production of a Greek hymn is un-
usual, and will attract much attention
among classical scholars. Moreover, the set-
ting of words to appropriate orchestral mu-
sic will be regarded as an achievement on
the part of the composer, Prof. Parker. The
English version is by Mrs. Parker, his mo-
ther, who, on similar occasions, has done her
son the same service. It is handsomely got-
ten-up, the title page showing a Greek bor-
der, to correspond with the character of the
contents of the book. The chorus which will
render this festival hymn at the central com-
memorative function, Wednesday, Oct. 23d,
is now in training, and the baritone and tenor
soloists are also at work mastering the pe-
culiar text of the music. It is said that a
large number of musicians have been con-
sulted in overcoming the many difficulties
which the task presented. Even the printing
of the Greek text was made a matter of long
discussion in order to combine good taste
with classical conditions,
jc
LISZTS ADVICE TO PIANO PLAYERS.
D E I N G asked one day what one should do
*~* in order to become an efficient piano
player, Liszt replied laconically: "One must
eat and walk much."
Paradoxical as this advice may seem, there
is much truth in it, says Josef Hofmann in
an interesting article in the current issue of
the Ladies' Home Journal, for, in order to
study successfully one should enjoy perfect
physical and mental health, and this, as every
one knows, depends upon a regular mode of
life.
The chief beauty of performing on the
piano consists in unconstrained and yet cor-
rect playing. Everything should be executed
with strict adherence to the text, but with-
out apparent effort and constraint. In prac-
ticing one should proceed conscientiously,
and constantly correct one's self. But when
playing, everything should become natural
and show spontaneity and conviction. The
difficulty of doing justice to a composition
consists in properly weighing the performer's
predilection for the latter and the liberty
accorded to him in expressing his sentiment.
WHERE THROAT TONICS ARE DISPENSED.
'"THE noted baths at Salsomaggiore have
become quite popular with singers, ow-
ing to the fact that Jean de Reszke sojourns
there when he desires a throat tonic. The
place, however, was not discovered by the
great Polish tenor, as it has been famous
since Tamagno sojourned there a few years
ago. The air in the inhalation rooms is im-
pregnated with brine, ozone and iodine, which
are supposed to make a singer's throat so
strong that indispositions become impossible.
The "cure" takes about three weeks, after
which M. de Reszke and his wife visited
their Polish home.
ME. MARIAN VAN DUYN, contralto,
M
who is now under the exclusive man-
agement of Remington Squire, has been
booked for a number of important engage-
ments this season. This week she is singing
in the Canadian provinces, and she will be
heard in a number of affairs to be given by
the Brooklyn Institute during the season.