Music Trade Review

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THE
MUSIC TRADE
Hall; March 18, the same artist at the same place;
also March 19, March 21, Rudolph Ganz, at Men-
delssohn Hall; March 23, Manfred Malkin, at
Mendelssohn Hall. This does not include the ap-
pearances of pianists with organizations, such as
port two opera schemes. Who knows; in other Harold Bauer with the Kneisel Quartet last Tues-
words, quien sabe? Mr. Hammerstein wakes up day night, Mrs. Thomas Tapper with the Olive
to the fact that he need not take a back seat Mead Quartet, March 6; Rafael Joseffy with the
to Conried. Perhaps he arrived at that decision New York Symphony Orchestra in Brooklyn,
after the. latter's production of the "Gypsy March 1, and at Carnegie, March 4 and 6, Miss
Baron," interspersed with vaudeville, which Ruth Deyo with the New Music Society, Carnegie
Mr. Conried's admirers and friends have never Hall, March 10; Rudolph Ganz with the Kneisel
ceased regretting.
Quartet in Brooklyn, March 7, and in New York,
Mme. Gadski and many others of those who March 27. This does not form a complete list, but
have severe grievances against Conried will be it is enough to show what activity centers around
but too happy to lend themselves to anything the piano.
which may offer him annoyance, and such prom-
Raoul Pugno left for the Pacific Coast and
ises as are made by Hammerstein will be calcu- points en route on Wednesday. Every city where
lated to interest Conried's subscribers more than this great artist will be heard is to be congratu-
a little. However, to 1906-7 for the solution; lated, as such a degree of art, such maturity, such
meanwhile Conreid's houses are all but sold out intellect and such genuine dramatic, yet refined,
tc the close of the season.
emotions are not met with often in a lifetime.
Mme. Pugno and Mile. Renee left for France on
The New Music Society of America is the most Thursday, where they will be joined by the great
important innovation of the young year. The master, who will sail April 5.
time was more than ripe—it was pressing upon
EMILIE FRANCES BAUER.
us heavily, due to the efforts of a few who have
worked untiringly and through all sorts of dis-
M'DOWELL'S^UV\ERICANISJYl
couragement. But the struggle has not been in Discussed by Walter Spry and the Critic of
vain; it has served the worthy end of forcing a
The Evening Post—Interesting and Enlight-
very high standard toward which both men and
ening Contribution.
women have pushed with almost superhuman
efforts.
Walter Spry, in a recent contribution to the
The compositions of the women of this country Etude, made the statement that Edward Mac-
are significant of the serious life that they lead. Dowell "has declared that he does not care to be
That which makes of them bread-winners by the known as an American composer." The musical
side of the most difficult competitors also makes critic, of the Evening Post takes issue with the
them capable of compositions which may be accuracy of this quotation and says: "Mr. Mac-
measured by the side of their male co-laborers Dowell has never made any such declaration; he
and not in a class by themselves. We find many has always been proud of being an American,
new names, leaving out Mrs. H. H. A. Beach, proud of having been one of the first to win
Margaret Lang, and even that queen of inspira- recognition in Europe for American music.
tional music, Adele Aus der Ohe, who is now a Among his works there are more on American
resident of this country, which while meaning than on European themes. The 'Indian Suite,'
little to those who do not know, show the tremen- the 'Woodland Sketches,' the 'Sea Pieces,' the
dous forces at work to those who are familiar 'Fireside Tales,' and the 'New England Idyls,' are
with the past and with the present. Among these instances among his orchestral and pianoforte
are Gertrude Normand-Smith, whose songs are pieces. What MacDowell did object to (on prac-
worthy of comparison, not with Mrs. Beach, and tical grounds, largely) was the custom of giving
not with the average ballad writers, but with concerts of American music only. He always be-
writers of the best forms of "lieder." That lieved that both the merits and the defects of
seems extravagant? It is worth the investiga- American music would be better revealed if it
tion. Mrs. Mary Turner Salter, who made her were contrasted with European music on the
entrance with the simple but beautiful little song same programme. The past is here used in speak-
called "A Water Lily," has reached a height in ing of MacDowell's opinions. So far as his mind
her latest, "The Cry of Rachel," that is stirring is concerned, he is no longer among the living,
and dramatic to a startling degree. Mrs. Salter and his body is fast losing its strength, too. He
has a great number of songs, all of which will can no longer leave his bed, and often fails to
bear comparison with any of the modern songs recognize those about him, except, perhaps, by a
of this country. Mrs. Eleanor Everest Freer is bright glance of the eyes, which have not yet
a writer of such modern tendencies that it is quite lost that look peculiar to men of genius."
impossible not to sense her in the same class with
Richard Strauss and Hugo Wolf. Her works
AMERICANS TO VISIT BEYRETJTH.
are of extreme difficulty, and as for force, virility
A
dispatch from Beyreuth, Bavaria, February
and masculine qualities, she has outsexed most
24,
says:
"The demand by Americans for tickets
of her male companions.
To return, however, to the New Music Society, to this year's performances of Wagner's operas
the list of important works that they show is has never been approached. Frau Cosima Wag-
imposing; at the same time it is the very smallest ner says that more than 500 Americans have
estimate of the really important works that are already bought tickets for the first performance
lying useless and unused on the shelves of many of "Parsifal" next July, and that there will be
of our best composers, while they are known to more Americans than persons of any nationality,
the world by a few ballads which have "caught except Germans, at all the eight, performances
of "Parsifal." "Tannhauser" is next in favor
on." Such success is almost more painful than with music lovers from the United States. All
total oblivion. The writer remembers this as tickets for the earlier performances have been
having been the sentiment of Xaver Scharwenka, sold, and late comers can engage seats only for
who said in real anguish, "Must I always hear those as late in August. The operas will be
of myself in connection with that miserable little given on a scale of unusual magnificence this
Polish dance? Shall that Scharwenka be known year."
to everybody, while the writer of concertos and
sonatas can get nobody's ear?"
Word has been received in New York that Ben
Davies. the Welsh tenor, sailed for America
The piano recitals that are upon us for the on February 24, after finishing a tour throughout
month of March are of tremendous importance the cities of the north of England with the
and interest. They began, in fact, with two re- Queen's Hall Orchestra. He will go on tour early
citals by Heinrich Gebhart, who proved himself a in March, and before he returns to England will
valuable acquisition to the list of concert pianists. sing with the Pittsburg and Boston Orchestras
March 5, Harrietts Cady, at Mendelssohn Hall; and the New York Oratorio Society. He will go
March 7, Sigismund Stojowski at Mendelssohn as far West as Salt Lake, where he will take
Hall; March 10, Harold Bauer, also at Mendels- part in a festival of Welsh music with the Mor-
sohn Ha}]; March 11, Josef Lhevinne, at Carnegie mon Tabernacle choir,
TIMELY TALKS ON TIMELY TOPICS.
While the interest can hardly be called ended
as far as the present season is concerned, it is
certain that more is manifested in regard to the
season of 1906-07. There is no doubt that as far
as conductors are concerned, there will be a com-
plete revolution, beginning with the Boston Sym-
phony Orchestra and extendng down the line.
Mr. Gericke has announced his decision to leave
the organization, and it is said that Weingartner
is considering the post. Whether he will be the
man or not only time can tell, and there will be
several million rumors before it will be definitely
settled.
It is also believed that the New York Philhar-
monic Society will settle upon one man as per-
manent instead of pursuing the policy of engaging
"guests." If there is any sign of waning interest
in the visitors, be it understood that there have
been no such interesting figures with the Phil-
harmonic Society this season as there were the
first and second seasons when they gave us
Colonne, Kogel, Henry Wood, Safonoff, Strauss
and Weingartner. Perhaps the world does not
hold another group of men such as these, al-
though we have had Safonoff again and Wein-
gartner, but with another organization. When
Mottl was here we were prevented from hearing
him with a great orchestra, as his contracts with
the opera were such as to prevent his appearance
with the Philharmonic Society. He would be in-
teresting even though not an absolute novelty.
To return to Safonoff, however, it brings to mind
the manner in which the women interested them-
selves in the late lamented Anton Seidl, since the
feminine portion of the Philharmonic patrons
have organized themselves for the purpose of
raising a fund to make Safonoff the permanent
conductor of the Philharmonic. Would it not be a
sad awakening to find that the "permanent" con-
ductor is almost an impossibility in New York.
No mortal can remain a sensation for three
years—and no mortal not a sensation can interest
the New York public for three years.
For this reason Emil Paur, one of the greatest
figures in the world of music, failed to make
himself indispensable as conductor of the Phil-
harmonic after our public had become too well
acquainted with him as director of the Boston
Symphony. In this same way Gericke will not
have New York open to him while it is acknowl-
edged that he has no superior and few equals in
certain directions. New York has too much—
more than is good for it in many ways. The
over-condensation of music here fairly "gluts the
market," while the rest of the country does not
respond sufficiently to relieve the strain. With
these conditions as they are, New York has be-
come keyed up to the point of demanding sensa-
tions instead of solid legitimate attractions, and
the country at large, knowing and hearing what
New York applauds, must needs have the same,
no matter what they receive of the glitter and
lose of the sterling. Year after year things take
on more gigantic dimensions. That which was
regarded as dazzling last year has become com-
monplace this.
Conried is compelled to resort to aggrandizing
comic opera to change the air at the Metropolitan
so that he may find an excuse for raising the
prices for his benefit—Parsifal will no longer
serve the purpose.
Now comes Hammerstein, who built the "big-
gest theatre" in New York at the time, with the
proposition to erect a monument to himself by
a rival opera house with Jean and Edouard de
Reszke. The decision is already made concerning
the opening performance—it is to be "Salome,"
under direction of the composer, Richard Strauss,
which is an open defiance to Conried, and says in
that sort of action which makes words inaudible,
"Beat that now!" It is only reasonable to expect
it to result in a case of the survival of the fittest.
Not from the standpoint of art, but of finances,
will either win out, and perhaps really New York
and its floating population of 1,000,000 will sup.
REVIEW