Music Trade Review

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE TKXJSIG TRHDE
that he may make much money there, as there
are not many factories there and the bulk of
his revenues in America have been as recom-
pense for his opinions upon different objects
of art or merchandise. Who says there is
nothing in a name?
Those who are interested in folk-lore and
the songs characteristic of a race or people
will be quite fascinated with a little volume
that has just been issued by the L. Grune-
wald Co., Ltd. It deals with the Creole
songs from New Orleans in the French dia-
lect of the negroes, and it is from the pen
of Clara Gottschalk Peterson, a sister of the
composer, Louis Moreau Gottschalk, whose
early death certainly prevented the further-
ance of the most characteristic music that
has ever been part of the true American folk-
song.
It seems almost natural that Mrs. Peter-
son, now of Philadelphia, should have com-
piled and arranged from memory this little
collection, as she must be well equipped to
do it, if only through her relation with one
of the most original and fascinating talents
that it has ever been the American's priv-
ilege to claim.
The melodies are very quaint and many of
them are replete with pathos.
Emilie Frances Bauer.
JAN BLOCKX, THE FLEMISH MUSICIAN.
TAN BLOCKX, the Flemish composer,
^ who has been for several years a hero
among his own people, is soon to come be-
fore a much greater public, as his operas are
all to be translated into French. Two years
ago one of his works was accepted for per-
formance at Covent Garden, but was not
sung on account of the difficulty of obtaining
in time an adequate translation of the lib-
retto. The recent performance in French
of "The Bride of the Sea" at the Theatre de
la Monnaie in Brussels was a great success.
Blockx is the son of a carpenter of Ant-
werp. His father died while has was a boy.
For a while he worked at the same trade.
His operas are thoroughly national in char-
acter, expressive of the life and nature of the
people, founded sometimes on Flemish legend
and illustrated by the themes of folk song. All
of his operas have been sung first at Ant-
werp. He is now at work on "The Song of
Love," which is to be less peculiarly Flemish
than his preceding works.
"The Bride of the Sea" is a story of the
elementary passions of the Flemish fisher
folk. Their loves and hatreds are set forth
in the text with more vigor and directness
than finish or refinement..
The score is described as not only highly
dramatic, but beautifully melodious and col-
ored with the true suggestion of the sea and
the life of the ocean. There is also said to
be a certain note of melancholy in the music
characteristic of the loneliness of life on the
sea. The composer's methods are, of course,
Wagnerian.
Sig. Mancinelli's opera "Ero e Leandro,"
which achieved such a triumphant success
at Warsaw recently, will be revived at the
Metropolitan during the present season with
Messrs. De Marchi, De Reszke, Mmes.
Eames and Homer in the leading parts.
REVIEW
A CLEVER SOUTHERN GIRL
\ \ 7 H I L E the prodigy may excite the won-
*
derment of the unthinking, the child
who has the equipments of an adult, com-
bined with tender youth, must arouse respect
and the hope that such serious work may con-
tinue until such time as another bright light
may be added to the list, which is none too
large, of those who have made the art of
music greater and the world happier.
Little Mary Clayton Connor, who is now
in her thirteenth year, has been the subject of
haustive, while her papers on Harmony and
Modulation, Tonality and Thorough Bass,
Acoustics and Counterpoint, Canon and Fu-
gue, Rhythm and Form, Interpretation in-
cluding Touch, Technic and Embellishments,
display a mastery of each subject—which is
worked out in detail—as to excite admiration
and respect.
If nothing intervenes there is no reason
why this child should not become one of the
greatest of artists, if musical feeling and mu-
sical intelligence combined with most careful
and intelligent teach-
ing go for anything.
T h e achievements
of Mary Clayton Con-
nor, who lives away
from the advantages
of the large cities, is
a good example to
those who feel that
there is nothing to
h o p e f o r because
they do not live in the
great city. To the
contrary, d o w n in
Gainesville, Fla., this
little one has studied
and worked until she
has a c c o m p l i shed
what few pupils in <
any of the conserva-
tories of New York
can show, and it is
through such women
as Mrs. Parker that
the advantages of stu-
dy are not confined to
the city.
Mary Connor has
now the honor of be-
ing one of the most
thorough musicians in
h e r State—a f a c t
which is conceded by
those who know her
work. Among those
who are lavish in her
MAKY CLAYTON CONNOR.
praise is Father Lynch
interest and commendation before and it is who is an authority upon musical matters in
enjoyable to see that as time goes on she more Gainesville. He examined her thoroughly in
than makes good the promises of her early acoustics, history, technic and musical form,
childhood. The examinations which this and writes of her in the most enthusiastic
young girl has just passed can not be re- terms. She has also won much praise as a
garded in any other light but remarkable, pianist and promises to be heard from in the
and in this it must not be overlooked that to near future.
The success which Mary Clayton Connor
her teacher, Mrs. Ankie Green Parker, enor-
has achieved must be a satisfaction to Mrs.
mous credit is due.
To achieve such results Mrs. Parker must Ankie Green Parker, her teacher, who by the
be a woman of very wide musical education. way was the originator of this special kinder-
More than this she must be a keen student of garten system, from which so many pupils
the mental condition of children, as she has have derived such benefits, She has good rea-
evolved a science of teaching children that son to be proud of her pupils, among whom,
we might well wish were in general use. For needless to say, Mary Clayton Connor shines
Mrs. Parker has copy-
it is a clear exposition of the most intricate most effulgently.
points in music conceived in such a simple righted many works relating to her system of
teaching, which is so simple, so helpful and so
manner that any child might understand.
The examination papers of Mary Clayton successful that the wonder is it has not been
Connor, which The Review has had the plea- taken up to a much larger extent by teachers
sure of examining, range over the widest who are desirous of building up the child
ground and the deepest musician must respect mind.
a child that can make such a remarkable show-
Emilio Pizzi's one-act opera "Rosalba"
ing,
was recently produced in London in Eng-
A perusal of these papers reveal a really lish. The book is by Illica, the librettist of
wonderful mental and musical development. Mascagni's "Iris." The opera did not make
Her knowledge of musical history is most ex- a profound impression.