Music Trade Review

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THE:
"In my orchestra at home," he said, "I
have thirty-three Englishmen. The rest of
ninety-five men represent every other nation
where artists could be secured. In this way
I secure a tone color and combination of tem-
peraments which produce the results which I
desire far better than could be brought from
a body of men who were all of one nation-
ality, no matter what that might be." That
coloring meant so much to Mr. Wood, from
whom as an Englishman color might be
expected to be the weak side, is explained
twice over. His earliest studies were made
as a painter, which he would have continued
to be had he not been so forcibly drawn into
the realm of music. Another explanation of
his art in tone color is that Russian music
has been his ruling passion and his knowl-
edge of Russia and its music is probably
not surpassed by any native Russian.
. * * *
The fifth pair of Philharmonic concerts
were under direction of Victor Herbert
and served to present Alfred Reisenauer
to an American public. Mr. Herbert was
the first and only American invited to ap-
pear under these auspices, and it must be
said that after hearing his fresh, brilliant
tone and the geniality and firmness with
which he invested the orchestra under his
command, his audience must have been im-
pressed with the rare Americanism of the
man and the individuality with which he is
endowed as he passed his spirit of vigor
and dash into the men under his baton.
Reisenauer, too, fitted perfectly into the
scheme as in the Liszt concerto in A major,
there was nothing but brilliancy and verve
that was fairly infectious. Reisenauer has a
marvelous technique, but equally wonderful
is the purity and the limpidity of his tone.
He has fortissimos that are startling in
their vigor, but he has also the most delicate
whispers that the ear can conceive, but
never does he lose for an instant the purity
of his tone production. This is his most
exquisite charm, notwithstanding the
crystalline glisten of his scales, the bub-
bling effervescence of his trills and the
wonderful solidity of his climaxes. There
can be no doubt that Reisenauer is one of
the most mature and most satisfying artists
who has been heard in years. The piano
cannot be overlooked, for it was a comple-
ment in every sense of the word to the ar-
tistic entity, and the singing quality of both
artist and piano is something that will not
soon be forgotten. Reisenauer was re-
ceived with enormous enthusiasm and after
many recalls responded with Liszt's ar-
rangement of Chopin's song, "Were I a
Bird of Air," in which we gained many
glimpses of the delights in store at the
hands of this great pianist who must of
necessity make a sensational artistic success
in this country. After his part of the pro-
gramme was finished, Reisenauer did some-
thing quite unusual. He came out into
the audience to listen to the rest of the
programme which interested him much, as
it contained Mr. Herbert's symphonic
poem "Hero and Leander" which is a work
of splendid proportion and dimensions.
Mr. Herbert writes with a pen that is
dipped into authority and with ink that is
glowing with color. His success as com-
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
As to Mr. Damrosch's attempt to carry
English even into the realm of Wagnerian
opera, the good and patriotic intent deserves
commendation. In grand opera the words,
whether Italian, German, French or English,
are usually unintelligible, but even granting
this it is just as well to be unintelligible in
English as in any other tongue. Mr. Dam-
rosch is engaged in a laudable work, though
his success would be more probable if there
were a sufficient number of English-speak-
ing great singers to carry all the roles satis-
factorily.
COMPLETE LIST OF ORGANISTS
Who Will be Heard in Recital at Festival Hall
During the Exposition at St. Louis.
ALFRED REISENAUER.
poser was as great as that of conductor,
and this pair of concerts may well be com-
pared with any that has preceded them.
EMILIE FRANCES BAUER.
GRAND OPERA IN ENGLISH.
Walter Damrosch's Views in Many Ways Com-
mendable—He Should Seek to Convert the
Singers to His Way of Thinking.
On general and also on patriotic principles
there is much to be said in favor of Mr. Dam-
rosch's plea for opera sung in English. His
appeal goes to the pride of race and language,
not always dormant, but in musical matters
apparently still fast asleep.
First came the reign of the mellifluous
Italian in grand opera, and from Malibran to
Patti in her prime it held almost absolute
sway. The time is still remembered by older
opera-goers in New York when German was
regarded as too heavy and unmelodious for
operatic use. And the history of the change
from that time to the present, when Wagner
reigns supreme at the Metropolitan, may
almost be said to be the history of music in
New York.
The service that Theodore Thomas per-
formed in preparing the way for German
opera by the popularization of Wagnerian
music is perhaps the most notable achieve-
ment in the musical annals of New York and
of America. Under the baton of Dr. Dam-
rosch German opera became the fashion of
"the town," and with varying intervals or
recurrences of the Italian it has held its own
ever since.
As to English, its day, so far as the great
operas are concerned, is yet to come. As a
writer in the World says, it came into its own
in the domain of the operetta with the extra-
ordinary, almost epochal, popularity of
"Pinafore," followed by its close imitation
"The Pirates of Penzance." Messrs. Gilbert
and Sullivan may be said to have demon-
strated that English is musical and that music
has additional charms when the words are
understood.
George W. Stewart, chief of the World's
Fair bureau of music, this week announced
the complete list of organists who will be
heard at recitals in festival hall during the
Exposition. The list shows the addition of
one more name from St. Louis, that of A. J.
Epstein, organist at St. John's M. E. Church,
South, and also of Shaare Emeth Temple.
Mr. Epstein's appointment makes the third
St. Louis organist selected, the other two be-
ing Charles Galloway, official organist, and
Arthur Inghem.
The complete list shows that seventy-four
of the best organists in the United States and
France wall make music on the monster organ
in festival hall. Of these the larger number
are chosen from New York, Chicago and
Boston, the other large cities and musical cen-
ters being represented by one or two each.
Alexandre Guilmant, the great Parisian
maestro, is the only organist from France.
While the assignment of dates to the or-
ganists has not yet been made, it is known
that Guilmant will give a series of thirty-six
concerts, extending over six weeks and be-
ginning August 15. Most of the other or-
ganists will give two recitals each. Two of
those who will be heard in three recitals are
Clarence Eddy, of Chicago, and E. H. Le-
mare, of Pittsburg.
The list follows:
New York city—Gerrit Smith, H. R. Shelley, F.
J. Reisberg, C. O. S. Howe, F. J. Benedict, H. B.
Day, W. C. Carl, R. H. Woodman, J. W. Andrews,
W. C Gale, S. A. Gibson, G. Dethier, F. L. Sealy,
E. M. Bowman, S. N. Penfield, W. MacFarlane, S.
Salter.
Chicago—C. Eddy, Lewis Falk, G. M. Chadwick,
H. H.-Wild, Clarence Wickinson, W. Middleschulte,
A. Dunham.
Boston—D. E. Whiting, E. E. Truette, H. M.
Dunham, J. O'Shea, A. Raymond.
Philadelphia—R. K. Miller, H. G. Thunder.
Pittsburg—E. H. Lemare, W. K. Steiner; Balti-
more—L. Holloway; Cincinnati—A. J. Barbour, W.
S. Sterling; Minneapolis—H. H. Hunt, Miss G.
Sans Souci; Buffalo—W. J. Gomph, W. Kaffen-
berger; Cleveland—C. C. Clemens; Hartford—N.
H. Allen; New Haven—Horatio Parker; Louisville
—G. Frese; Rochester—H. D. Wilkins, Mrs. M. C.
Fisher; Detroit—M. J. Corey; Denver—H. House-
ley ; San Francisco—W. Sabin; Los Angeles—A.
Scott-Brook; Newark—Wenham Smith; Oswego—
A. Wiegand; Ann Arbor, Mich.—L. Renwick;
Bethlehem, Pa.—J. P. Wolle; Indianapolis—W. M.
Donley; New Orleans—F. Dunkley; Auburn, N. Y.
—I. V. Flagler; Charlotte, N. C—H. J. Zehm;
Kalamazoo, Mich.—F. Rogers; Arlington, N. Y.—
W. B. Ashmall; Oberlin, Ohio—G. W. Andrews;
Kansas City—F. P. Fisk, E. H. Kreiser; Spring-
field, Mass.—J. J. Bishop; Atlanta, Ga.—J. L.
Browne; Scranton, Pa.—J. A.. Pennington; Holy-
oke, Mass.—W. Hammond; Spartanburg, S. C.—
R. H. Peters; Albion, Mich.—F. C. Chace; Paris,
France—M. Alexandre Guilmant.