Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRSDE REVIEW
Mulberry Bend Park (Wednesdays) —
Opening concert June 4; Thomas P. Ward's
Band first seven; Kochdorf's last six.
Washington Square Park (Mondays) —
Opening concert June 2; 12 concerts to be
given by Bent's Old Guard Band.
Seward Park (Fridays)—Opening con-
cert June 5 ; Morris Gottlieb's Band; 6 con-
certs.
East River Park (Thursdays)—Opening
concert June 5 ; Maurice F. Smith's Band; 14
concerts.
Battery Park (Fridays)—Opening concert
June 6; Sixty-ninth Regiment Band; 14 con-
certs.
Corlear's Hook Park (Mondays)—'Open-
ing concert June 2; Philip Wagner's Band;
13 concerts.
Morningside Park (Saturday and Sunday
afternoons only)—Opening concert June 7;
Eighth Regiment first half; Squadron A's
Band last half; 10 concerts.
Hudson Park (Thursdays)—Opening con-
cert not decided on; Thomas P. Ward's
Band ; 6 concerts.
Hamilton Fish Park (Thursdays)—Open-
ing concert June 5 ; Edward Hess's Band first
half; Antonio Pinto's Band last half; 12 con-
certs to be given.
J»
OPERA SEASON IN LONDON.
T OHENGRIN made the opening at Co-
*-' vent Garden a notable one for Nordica,
who made her re-appearance as Elsa. The
role of Lohengrin was sustained by Herr
Pennarini of Vienna and Hamburg, who ap-
peared in London for the first time. Van
Rooy assumed the part of Telramund, and at
the following performance Olive Fremstadt
made a successful debut as Ortrud.
This young American proved her versatility
by singing the part of Carmen with great
success a week later. Suzanne Adams played
Michaela with Saleza and Plangon in the
other roles.
Tannhauser served to introduce Herr
Kraemer-Helm of Mayence in the title-role,
and Fraulein Katz, who is Frau Lohse, the
wife of Otto Lohse, who was better known
as the husband of Klafsky, whose death re-
moved one of the greatest Wagnerian singers
01 the day.
Faust was produced with Suzanne Adams
as Marguerite. Rigoletto was notable with
Melba, and the debut of Signor Caruso, the
principal Italian debutant of the season.
Other unfamiliar names are those of Frau-
lein Donges of Munich and Leipsic, Mme.
Metzger, M. Renaud. Among those known
to America are Mmes. Sobrino, Scheff,
Messrs. Plancon, Van Dyck, Blass and Van
Rooy. Bispham will be there later, as will
several others of our favorites.
Mme. Blanche Marehesi, who met with in-
different success on the concert- platform in
America, is said to have been successful in her
operatic debut, which occurred last month at
the Brixton Theatre. She appeared as San-
tuzza and was strongly dramatic, which would
help to cover her vocal shortcomings.
The Manners-Moody Opera Company is
announced to open at Covent Garden Au-
gust 25.
TO ORGANIZE CHORUS.
the rudiments of music, to meet weekly at
some suitable location, and to charge the
usual nominal fee to each member which is
required by other choruses in this city. The
committee on music is composed of Helen
O'Donnell, Mary A. McCrystal and Denis
Dunne, and all interested in this undertaking
are requested to communicate with them at
the society's headquarters, 47 West Forty-
second street, this city, at an early date.
&
HEGNER IN LONDON.
ANTON HEGNER, the 'cellist, so well
known in this city, will give some con-
certs in London under Vert's management.
He will not confirm the rumor that he has
been commanded to play for the Queen, but
there is reason to believe that it is true. One
of the first encouragements in his career was
a command to play before her father, the
King of Denmark.
Jt
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AN AMERICAN OPERA.
MANAGER GRAU has decided to pro-
* " * duce a grand opera written by Ameri-
cans at the Metropolitan Opera House next
season. The work in question is based upon
Rostand's "Cyrano de Bergerac." The li-
bretto is by William J. Henderson and the
score is by Walter Damrosch. The story of
the play is closely followed in the book. In
writing the music the composer has had in
view David Bispham for the title role and
Marcella Sembrich for Roxane.
BETTER CHURCH MUSIC NEEDED.
A N earnest appeal was made recently be-
*~* fore the Methodist ministers meeting
for better music in the churches by Prof.
Harlan J. Cozine, chorister of Grace Meth-
odist Church, Chicago. In the course of his
address, which was illustrated by selections
given by the choir of Grace Church, he stated
that much of the music in the Sunday school
was not equal to the music of the church
hymnal, because of the evil tendencies of
publishers, whose one desire was to get new
music before the public.
"These publishers are unscrupulous about
the matter," declared Prof. Cozine, "and as a
result we have music in the Sunday school
which is sung to-day and forgotten to-mor-
row. It would be a great blessing if we could
have the children of the Sunday school sing
the church hymns. It is a positive sin to
hear some of the great songs of this church
'arranged' to some secular air. I hope to see
the day when musicians will be selected for
the churches with the same carefulness that
now characterizes the selection of ministers."
Instead of criticising the publishers Prof.
Cozine might have credited them with a de-
sire to improve the church hymns, many of
which, as now used, belong to an age long
since passed. Many of the old hymns are in-
spiring. They will ever live, but the greater
majority are not suggestive of religious
thoughts to either children or adults.
&
FESTIVAL NOVELTIES.
HP HE orchestral work which Sir A. C. Mac-
T" 1 HE Gaelic Society of this city is en-
kenzie has in hand for the Norwich
deavoring to organize a chorus to be (Eng.) Festival in October next is entitled
composed of at least one hundred voices for "London Day by Day," and includes four
the purposes of taking up the study of the movements. Of these sections the first has
national music of Ireland. It is intended to its poetic centre at the Westminster clock
engage the best available teacher; to have the tower, and suggests a panoramic view from
chorus "begin at the beginning-," that is with the lofty elevation «f Big Ben. Another
7
movement derives its inspiration from Hamp-
stead Heath, and there is a slow movement
the basis of which has not yet been de-
termined.
Another new orchestral work, marked for
production at the Lincoln Festival, in June,
is a Suite in five movements composed by the
conductor, Dr. G. I. Bennett.
Believers in musical festivals as a means
of increasing the popular taste for music
and elevating it will not find ground for
encouragement in the growing practice of
performing operas in oratorio form. At sev-
eral of the festivals here this year operas
sung in this way were the most important part
of the program.
At one of them the hackneyed "Faust" was
sung in concert form, and at another "A'ida"
was given. Even such a pretentious affair
as the Cincinnati Festival devoted one concert
to Gliick's "Orfeo."
That was done in the first instance to afford
the opportunity for Mme. Schumann-Heink
to sing "Che faro serza" and the other num-
bers that fall to Orfeo. So for the sake of
approximating remotely to an operatic per-
formance, the chorus studied the Gliick worK
for two years, ignoring the many choral
works that were so much more worth its
while.
And the chances are that if the Maurice
Grau Opera Company had gone to Cincin-
nati and sung the opera the house would have
been two-thirds empty. Even an excellent
performance of "Tannhauser" there last win-
ter c.-:?w a miserable house. But when it
comes '.o doing something of its own these
musical cities always attempt the operatic.
FOR THE PEOPLE'S SYMPHONY CONCERTS.
T"* HE Executive Committee of the People's
Symphony Concerts has issued an ap-
peal for subscriptions to a fund to continue
the concerts and increase their number next
season. The committee says that a plan will
soon be put in operation "to establish the Peo-
ple's Symphony Concerts on a solid and dig-
nified foundation through the incorporation
at Albany of a society to carry out more
effectually the purposes contemplated in these
concerts, and now well known to the public
of this city, who have seen the enterprise
grow from weak beginnings to the strength
of undisputed success." Subscriptions will be
received and information vouchsafed regard-
ing the movement by Hon. John G. Carlisle,
treasurer, 30 Wall street, this city.
FOR NEXT SEASON.
ANY engagements have been made for
the American concert season of 1903.
Henry Wolfsohn, who is now in London, has
arranged with, among others, Anton Van
Rooy, now at Covent Garden; the English
contralto, Mme. Kirkby Lunn, also at same
place; Maud MacCarthy, the Irish violinist;
Elsa Berger, the 'cellist, and Josef Hofmann,
the pianist, who will go on a short tour
Jan. i.
VOCAL MUSIC IN THE PARKS.
The United Singers of Brooklyn will give
a number of concerts in the parks of that
Borough during the summer, the expenses of
which will be defrayed by the Park Depart-
ment. Each society will select its own songs
a* well as the exact bodies that will partici-
pate.
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