Music Trade Review

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THE
D'INDY TO MASON^& HAMLIN CO.
Pays Splendid Tribute to the Marvelous Musi-
cal Qualities of This Piano.
Vincent d'Indy, the eminent French composer,
who has just visited America to conduct the Bos-
ton Symphony Orchestra, and who played while
here the pianoforte i Chamber music of his own
composition with the Kneisel Quartette and with
the Longy Club, wrote the following letter prior
to his departure, in regard to the Mason & Ham-
lin piano, which he used exclusively:
New York, Dec. 7, 1905.
Mason & Hamlin Co.:
I do not wish to leave America without telling
you how happy I have been to know and to play
your magnificent instruments. Your pianos are
quite remarkable for their expressive sonority
which has especially appealed to me and which
commends them to all those who see in music
an art addressing itself to the heart rather than
a pretext for virtuosity.
One can sing on your pianos, and it is this
which, to my mind, constitutes their chief charm.
I am constrained to tell you this in assuring you
of my high esteem.
(Signed)
VINCENT D'INDY.
A VOLUME OF EXCEEDING MERIT.
The Oliver Ditson Co., of Boston, have just is-
sued "A Guide to the Ring of the Nibelung," by
Richard Aldrich, the eminent critic. Despite the
existence of several handbooks to Wagner's great
musical trilogy, Mr. Aldrich's book will commend
itself to opera lovers as the most readable and
compact work on the subject which has yet ap-
peared. It covers the ground in the most thor-
ough manner, and the student who wishes to
make a close study of the score will find Mr.
Aldrich a helpful and trustworthy guide. The
average music lover who desires to enhance his
pleasure by a knowledge of Wagner's aims,
method of working and achievement will delight
in the author's entertaining manner of present-
ing the subject; and to the general reader the
work is of value as an entertaining sketch of a
colossal genius in relation to his greatest under-
taking. To the happy faculty of treating his sub-
ject in the most concise and lucid fashion, Mr.
Aldrich adds a charm of style, at once easy and
elegant, which holds the reader's attention from
cover to cover. His presentation of his material
is comprehensive and logically planned. The
volume is handsomely produced and is sold at
$1.25.
VOGRICH'S MUSIC HIGHLY PRAISED.
There was recently produced at Weimar Ernst
von Wildenbruch's drama, "The Songs of Euri-
pides," with music by Max Vogrich. Mr. Vogrich
is well known in New York, where he lived for
a number of years. His opera, "Buddha," was
produced in Weimar not long ago. The drama is
supposed to be enacted in the time of the Pelo-
ponnesian war. It is described as neither opera
nor "melodrama" (in the true sense of that
word); "around the spoken word is thrown the
veil of music," as Von Wildenbruch explained
it, which he regarded as a necessary result of
the lengendary character of the drama. Mr.
Vogrich's music is highly praised. The most
important feature of it is the choruses of diverse
kinds.. The keynote of the piece is given by a
melody in Doric harmonization, which is raised
at the end to a grand climax.
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
music as an art, and how it has reached its pres-
ent state. Emphasis has been laid on the work
of the men who developed music, on the influ-
ences which shaped their careers and the perma-
nent value of their contributions to music. The
volume is made more valuable by the literary ef-
forts of Professor Clark, Arthur Elson, C. G.
Hamilton, Edward B. Hill, A. L. Judson, F. S.
Law and P. W. Oren. The volume is admirably
gotten up, suitably illustrated, and is destined to
win its way into a large measure of favor.
SAVING MUSIC OF INDIANS.
Indian Schools Have Taken Up the Task With
Success.
(Special to The Review.)
Washington, D. C, Dec. 29, 1905.
Francis E. Leupp, Commissioner of Indian Af-
fairs, in his annual report says that steps have
been taken by him for the preservation through
the schools of what is best in Indian music. The
last thing that ought to be done with the youth
of any people whom the Government is trying to
indoctrinate with notions of self-respect, he de-
clares, is to teach them to be ashamed of their
ancestry. "The children should be instructed in
the music of their own race, side by side with
ours," he states. With that end in view he has
made an experimental start by the appointment
of a supervisor of native music. The idea is
spreading most favorably.
HOFMANN'S REMARKABLE MEMORY.
Josef Hofmann's remarkable memory was the
subject of the following remarks by Constantin
von Sternberg recently: "A year ago, while with
him, I wrote a prelude for the piano of about five
printed pages length. He tried it once on the
hotel piano (of mournful memory), expressed his
great liking for it, and then I laid it away until
it should have received some companion pieces
with which it could be published together. Last
winter was an unusualy busy one; concerts and
teaching left me no time for composition, and
thus I forgot all about the little prelude. This
summer it was still in the same folio and the
folio—unopened since—was in my trunk, but this
trunk was, at the time of which I speak, loitering
in some far-off freight car, between Naples and
Berlin, for you can't carry trunks in an auto.
One day, while talking of last year's happenings,
he suddenly asked me what had become of—as
he kindly put it—'that exquisite prelude.' I
confessed sadly that I could not recall a single
note of it, but he said: 'Let me see, let me see,'
went to the—alas!—equally rickety hotel piano,
and with unerring handp played the entire
prelude for me."
WELCOME FOR GEORG HENSCHEL.
Georg Henschel, the eminent conductor and
composer, who is now associated with the Insti-
tute of Musical Art in this city, recently visited
Boston and conducted a concert given by the
Boston Symphony Orchestra for the pension
fund. Mr. Henschel was for a long time conduc-
tor of this organization, and he received a most
enthusiastic welcome. He was presented by Mr.
Hess with a large wreath of orchids, the gift of
the members of the orchestra. Mr. Henschel has
sent the flowers to Scotland to be placed on his
wife's grave in Irveness. The requiem mass
composed by Mr. Henschel is to be performed
under his direction in Philadelphia on March 15
by the Gilchrist Philharmonic Choir and the
Philadelphia Orchestra.
"THE HISTORY OF MUSIC."
AMERICAN MUSICIANS WIN PRAISE.
A volume that will be found almost invaluable
for schools, clubs and private reading, is "The
History of Music," written and compiled by W. J.
Baltzell and published by Theodore Presser, of
Philadelphia, Pa. The plan of arrangement used
in this book has in view a combination of the re-
citation and lecture systems, and affords an op-
portunity for teachers to apply the best princi-
ples of both. The reader is furnished with a re-
markable amount of material on the growth of
Two American musicians appeared in one day
recently in London, Richard Buhlig, pianist, a
pupil of Leschetizky, and Karl Klein, violinist,
son of Bruno Oscar Klein, of New York. Both
were highly spoken of. In Mr. Buhlig was found
a curious mixture of excess of sentimentality and
coldness of temperament by the London Times,
but his firmness of touch and richness of tone
are praised. Of Karl Klein, the Times says:
"Mr. Klein has a fine, broad and round tone, a
splendid technique and a rare warmth of style,
and all of these, combined with his splendid free-
dom and infectious high spirits, make him an ex-
tremely interesting violinist. In fact, his manli-
ness, even in Bach's 'Air,' which so often is made
mawkish, and in the lovely 'Canzonetta,' from
Tchaikowsky's concerto, was superb, and Mr.
Klein quite carried his large audience away with
him, and made a genuinely successful first ap-
pearance here. This in itself is something of a
triumph, seeing that London has been almost
overdone with 'new' violinists these twelve
months past.' He played at a charity concert
later, introducing a piece by his father."
LECTURE ON JEWISH MUSIC.
Dr. Alois Kaiser Traced Its Evolution from
4,000 B. C.
(Special to The Review.)
Washington, D. C, Jan. 2, 1906.
Dr. Alois Kaiser, of the Oheb Shalom Congre-
gation, of Baltimore, lectured Tuesday afternoon
at the Eighth Street Temple on the evolution of
Jewish music. The lecture was under the aus-
pices of the local Junior Council of Jewish Wom-
en, of which Miss Freda Lindheimer is presi-
dent. Dr. Kaiser was introduced by Rabbi Stern.
The speaker traced the evolution of music of
the Jews from the time of 4,000 B. C. to the
present century. He said that the Jews of Bible
times had in all sixteen instruments, including
lyres, harps, pipes, flutes, drums, bagpipes and
cymbals. He interpreted the ancient and mod-
ern harmonies with vocal and instrumental se-
lections from the works of various composers of
different periods. Dr. Kaiser was assisted by
Mrs. Margaret Nolan-Martin, alto, and Dr. George
Walter at the organ.
STRAUSS NEW OPERA "SALOME."
Richard Strauss continues to build musical sky-
scrapers. His new opera, "Salome," which was
produced at Dresden a few days ago, requires an
orchestra of 120 players. Wagner's "Tristan and
Isolde" needs only ninety. Strauss was bound to
get ahead of him some way, says Henry T. Finck,
and the easiest way of doing it was to add an-
other story to the orchestra. Two rows of seats
had to be removed from the orchestra to accom-
modate the players. The house was sold out in
advance for several performances. It was at
first intended to give "The Barber of Seville" or
Strauss' own "Feuersnot" after the new opera,
but it was then decided to produce "Salome"
alone, although it lasts only an hour and a half.
The libretto incorporates only about one-half of
Oscar Wilde's play.
"Salome" has caused serious unpleasantness
between the Kaiser and Strauss. Strauss, being
a royal servant in his capacity as one of the
conductors of the Berlin Opera, was informed by
the Kaiser that His Majesty thought the writing
of such an opera oh such a theme as "Salome"
was unworthy of him and not conducive to the
advancement of pure art. To this Strauss re-
plied that he was not going to take lessons on
the qualities of art from anyone, no matter how
highly placed, unless his inherent knowledge of
the subject was superior to his (Strauss's) own.
A coolness ensued, and it is said that the con-
tract with Strauss in regard to his position as
director of the Berlin Orchestra will not be re-
newed.
AR0NS0N ENGAGES OPERA SINGERS.
A dispatch from Paris says that Rudolph
Aronson has arrived in that city from Italy,
where he arranged with Leoncavallo for the
American rights of the opera, "The Young Fi-
garo," upon which he is now at work. Mr. Aron-
son also signed for next season the distinguished
Italian prima donna, Maria Colleredo, and Arthur
Shatituck, the American pianist, a pupil of
Leschetizky, who recently played with much suc-
cess at a Lamoureux concern in Paris. Mr. Aron-
son is also negotiating with Allesandro Bonci, a
tenor, who in some operas has been considered in
London, Berlin and Vienna even greater than
Caruso.