MUSICAL COURIER
January 12, 1922
LAMBERT MURPHY
| AGAIN CRITICS ARE OF ONE OPINION—EMPHATIC IN PRAISE 1	This Season’s Annual New York Recital
Lambert Murphy, tenor, was formerly of the Metropolitan Opera Company, but in recent seasons has confined himself entirely to the concert field. He was heard for the first time this winter in a recital yesterday afternoon in Town Hall. His program was arranged on unusual lines, a group of songs by Schubert, Schumann, and Brahms standing at the head of the list. French songs followed, and after them came miscellaneous groups. Mr. Murphy gives an interesting song recital. Intelligence and artistic vision carry this singer far. Fetis many years ago complained that when he descanted on the skill with which the famous French tenor, Garat, prepared the plan of an air, his friends did not seem to know what he was talking about. But in these days, music lovers would be more puzzled by a recital singer who exhibited no clear design in his interpretations. Mr. Murphy’s singing displays clarity of design always. In communicating his design to the hearer, this singer makes admirable use of the tone color at his command, of dynamics, accent, rhythm and pronunciation. His texts are always intelligible. How far such a singer could go in dramatic delineation was shown yesterday most conclusively in Fourdrain’s “Aux portes de Seville,” in which he effectively sounded the note of tragedy.
־ —W. J. Henderson in The New York Herald, December 13, 1921.
Mr. Max Smith’s interesting criticism, published in the New York American, December 13, 1921, while thoroughly appreciated by Mr. Murphy is omitted because of the comparison it makes to another artist.
The tenor, Lambert Murphy, well known to New Yorkers for his part in various forms of music, gave his first recital of the season yesterday afternoon. Excellent singing—a free and pleasing voice, produced with ease and art—is always to be expected of Mr. Murphy. Neither did he disappoint his yesterday’s audience in this respect, nor in the taste and pleasure of his programme. Beginning with Schubert, Schumann and Brahms, Mr. Murphy went on to the modern French, wherein his style, gentlemanly and most correctly lyric, was at its best. In the English group at the last, H. O. Osgood’s “On Eribeg Island” was given with the fine degree of intelligence and lyricism it deserved, and Winter Watt’s “Wings of Night” has never had a clearer reading by any tenor here.
—The Listener in The Sun, December 13, 1921.
Lambert Murphy offered his first song recital of the season, beginning with a group of German Lieder, and singing others in French, Italian, and English. Mr. Murphy’s fine tenor voice and expert vocalism are no strangers to New York audiences, and yesterday afternoon found him in excellent form. The best of his foreign language groups was the French. His even tone and oversmooth interpretations sound at their best in songs of the French school. He was admirable in the Fourdrain number.
—Deems Taylor in The World, December 13, 1921.
Lambert Murphy, remembered with pleasure in the opera, the oratorio, and many song recitals, was heard by a large audience. He sang familiar and less familiar songs by Schubert, Schumann, and Brahms; a group of French songs, other German songs, and a group of English songs. Mr. Murphy’s graceful tenor voice has much charm; he sings well, and enunciates with unusual clearness and intelligibility. He sings with real musical feeling, with intelligence, with a right understanding of phrasing. In French, his pronunciation is not so good as his enunciation, and needs a little amending. The sustained and introspective song of Faure, “Le Secret,” he sang with a fine delivery of its legato phrases. He sang the German Lieder with grace and sincerity.
—Richard Aldrich in The New York Times, December !3, 1921.
Lambert Murphy made a brave beginning yesterday afternoon by singing his group of Schubert, Schumann, and Brahms, first. His tenor voice has warmth which never flickers into an emotional throb. Perhaps that is because he uses his mind when he sings, and it is a reasoning one. Besides, he knows the value of good phrasing. “The Secret,” by Faure; “At the Gates of Seville,” by Fourdrain, and several new English songs, including H. O. Osgood’s delightful “On Eribeg Island” won the most immediate response. His audience was more than friendly, demanding encores which Mr. Murphy obligingly gave.
—Katherine Spaeth in The Evening Mail, December 13, 1921.
Lambert Murphy gave his .annual song recital yesterday. He has an agreeable voice, and he is skilled above the average in the art of song-interpretation. He sang a program of wide variety, containing German, French, and English numbers.
—Evening Telegram, December 13, 1921.
Lambert Murphy gave his annual recital before a large audience, singing German numbers by Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, and Dvorak, French by Faure, Fourdrain, Paulin and Polowski, and many songs in English, in which his tenor voice was smooth and pleasing, winning warm applause and encores.
—New York Tribune, December 13, 1921.
SEASON 1922-1923 NOW BOOKING
VICTOR RECORDS
Management: WOLFSOHN MUSICAL BUREAU, 8 East 34th Street, New York
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