MUSICAL COURIER
28
January 12, 1922
Collegiate Church at the morning and afternoon services, and in the evening she gave a harp recital with Adah Campbell Hussey at Huntington, L. I.
Owing to Miss David’s recent successes in California, many return dates have been and are being booked for her for next season.
MEMORY CONTEST FOR
THE TOPEKA SCHOOLS
Topeka, Kans., December 26, 1921.—The Topeka school children will enjoy a music memory contest in January, through the courtesy of civic organizations of the city. With the assistance of the Topeka Daily Capital, four civic clubs—the Rotary Club, the Cooperative Club, the Kiwanis Club, and the Square Circle Club—Grace V. Wilson, supervisor of music in the Topeka schools, will stage a gigantic music memory contest in the elementary schools of the city. The clubs voted twenty-five dollars each, to be used as prize money in the contest. The board of directors of the Topeka Chamber of Commerce voted twenty-five dollars as prize money. Aside from the four civic clubs and the Chamber of Commerce, the music clubs of the city will appropriate sixty dollars to add to the prize money fund. The $210 which is being raised by these methods will be distributed among twenty-one schools, in prizes of five dollars, three dollars and two dollars each, the prizes going to individual winners. The five best contestants, winners among the twenty-one schools, will take part in a giant contest to be staged at the high school auditorium or at the city auditorium. The Topeka Daily Capital will furnish prizes for the final contest. The National Education Bureau will give a large banner and a number of medals in the contest. Four dealers in phonograph records in Topeka—the E. B. Guild Music Company, the W. F. Roehr Music Company, the Emahizer-Spielman Furniture Company and Jenkins & Sons’ Music Company—have agreed to donate a total of 500 high grade phonograph records for use in the contest. It is expected that each of these dealers will arrange to have children who haye no musical instruments in their homes, come to their stores and listen to records for one hour every Saturday morning. This is to be done to stimulate interest in the contest. Each school, under the plan arranged with the music dealers, will get approximately twenty-five of the highest class records made.
Miss Wilson is arranging to have each church in the city include at least one number of the selections chosen for the contest, on its musical program each Sunday morning during the contest. The theater orchestras also have been asked to play at least one number of the music memory contest at each evening and afternoon matinee during the time of the contest. The Daily Capital, each morning during the time of the contest is proceeding, will print a picture of the composer, a story of his life, and his selections to be played in the schools that day. The contest is creating much interest in Topeka, especially in musical circles, and the fact that a number of prominent business men and leaders in their particular lines are behind the movement practically assures its success.
Miss Wilson, who is in charge of the contest, is teaching her third term in the Topeka schools. She is an untiring worker, and her interest in the work of the music memory contest is mostly responsible for the movement being started among the business men.	¿. E. H.
“When John McCormack Sings”
Every time that John McCormack starts out on a tour, he is sure to have interesting experiences. Recently he has been swinging around the Middle West, one of the places in which he appeared being Nashville. Anne Rankin, of that city, produced the following bit of excellent free verse which was published in the Nashville Tennessean of December 15 :
WHEN JOHN McCORMACK SINGS.
If you are old, your heart grows young again when John McCormack sings, and if you re young, you weave once more the magic fabric of your dreams.
Heart speaks to heart and soul to soul, when John McCormack sings, and memories come crowding—wild wood paths and fair green fields—mist and dew and shimmering sun—tender smiles and tear-wet eyes—when John McCormack sings.
Come mother loves and lover loves and love of country and of God, when John McCormack sings—the treasure trove of sailing ships—the mystery of leaf and stream—the stir of springtime for ests. Come cradle songs and litanies, prayers and sighs and sweet imaginings—youth’s magic moon that knows no wane—the battle trumpet s home-call to the fallen—heart and hope of life and death and all that lies beyond—when John McCormack sings!
Another event occurred after his concert at Chattanooga, when he was invited to go shooting on the game preserves of one of the great southern plantations. This trip was described as follows in the.Chattanooga Times:
, .,y,esterday,mor״ing the “horn of the hunter was heard on the mil, as John McCormack, Manager McSweeney, Tom W Lee « ?unnaway a?d the h°st> C. M. Preston, of Chattanooga! were ort for the day s shooting on the hunting preserves of the Lee plantation south of Chickamauga. The party had good guides and spiendid dogs, and were fully equipped for “the best sport in the world.
McCormack could hardly wait for the start to be made, and du,r,Sf tlle entIre day he was as happy as a boy out of school
-f Tere. a thousand or more—maybe a few less—of the little pickaninnies of the plantation ready to serve him at every turn and it wasn t the genius, nor yet the artist, who went hunting yesterday, said Mr. Preston to a Times reporter last evening when asked regarding the hunt. “It was just McCormack, the iolliest companion in the world. O’f course, we hunted and had a good bag of birds and not a few rabbits when we returned, but to see *111c 1j a c°mP^ete new hunter’s outfit—new even to the gun, and to hnd out how much fun he got out of it—well, it was great.
We had a man with a camera along, and we took him in every way; in the field holding birds, with the dogs, with the little urchins of the plantation, and then to cap the day, we had a regular old-fashioned dinner there in the heart of the woods, most of it cooked m barbecue style. He came back a thoroughly happy S7fte,d m °!!e S1nSe ieca."?e for,a whole day he had been per nutted to do as he pleased without thinking that he was an artist with engagements ahead.”
Mme. SCHOEN-RENÉ
will accept only a limited number of talented pupils for her MEW YORK MASTER CLASS
From October-May, 1922	Berlin, Jnne-October, 1922
Apply in writing to Secretary,
The Harding, 203 West 54th St., N. Y.
Phone: 2500 Circle
MUSIC AND PUBLIC EDUCATION
By GEORGE H. GARTLAN Director of Music in the Public Schools of New York City
MUSIC AS A SCHOOL SUBJECT
The Proper Place in the Curriculum, and an Expression of the Purpose
cuts in school textbooks. Too much time has been devoted to the stilted form of instruction and not enough to training pupils how to use the atlas and allied reference books. A comprehensive study of a school geography does not mean that the child has accomplished all we desired him to accomplish. The real knowledge of the world’s geography comes in later life through the medium of the daily newspaper, collateral reading, and travel.
The same is true of history. We seriously doubt if the attempt to teach history by assigning a certain number of pages to be studied every week has ever produced the desired result. We do not question the necessity for intensive drill on the subject of American history, particularly that part of it which lauds American ideals and heroes, but a minute study of such a transaction as the Missouri Compromise is not altogether helpful. Considerable time could be spared from these and other subjects and devoted to music and the other arts. Strange as it may seem, all conscientious parents are agreed that no child’s education is complete without some knowledge of music, hence considerable time and money are spent on music as a complement to the other side of education.
A Solution of the Problem
Every effort is being made: to make it possible for students who desire to study music' and complete their education to do so, and at the same time major in music, both in high school and in college. More attention is being paid to this in women’s colleges than in men’s universities, but time and counsel wilj correct these differences. The elementary^ school is doing all that is possible for it to do by including in the course of study voice training, chorus singing, reading of music, and music appreciation.
The high school is following a close second by continuing the study of the above points, and adding courses in theory and instrumental practice for orchestral instruments, as well as the piano. In addition, the allied subjects such as art, history, biography, etc., are bringing more real knowledge to children than the formal study of subjects soon forgotten.
Successful men never discount their early training, claiming that the first lessons gave them the power to think and act, but _ they always say that the real knowledge and culture which they possess came to them as a result of association in business and society.
For many years the majority of people believed that the teaching of school music meant only the learning of notes. The poor old subject was so harassed by stupid management and lack of development that it never had a real opportunity to develop itself, until recent psychologic research forced supervisors not only to recognize, but also actually to practice those principles of teaching which were fully established as standard.
Speaking recently with the president of one of the largest women’s colleges in the country, he expressed himself somewhat as follows: “I believe in school music—elementary, high and college—because there is no subject in the entire curriculum which so disciplines the mind, and none which works for a broader culture, particularly that part which makes it possible for the student to give knowledge to fellow students, through the enjoyment of hearing and doing good music. It is not easy to accomplish this through mathematics, history and other subjects, but it is true of music.” He then went on to explain how he was making it possible for students to major in music, and to specialize not only in vocal music, but also in the study of instrumental music, including instruments of the orchestra.
What a distinct change from the past! A generation ago the average college professor and college president would have viewed with horror any such proposition, while today many of our leading universities are working to establish schools of music which will take over the entire activities of the conservatories.
Education in Music.
_ The large cities of the United States may lead the educational world in unusual administration and development, but 'because of the abnormal conditions usually attendant, the most beneficial results are not obtained. Therefore, when it becomes a matter of devoting school time to actual study, less time is given to the cultural subjects, because of the rapidly changing and increasing alien population. Language must be taught to these children before academic and cultural subjects can be approached.
Music and Other School Subjects.
Without any undue criticism, it is generally conceded that such subjects as history and geography have not been taught as economically as they might have been. Geography is a subject which is vitalized by means of pictures, both stereopticon and moving, and not necessarily by maps and
What Music Can Do.
Therefore, it is logical to believe that if more time is given to an intelligent study of music, with a well directed effort toward correlation with other subjects, better education will result. Modern tendencies are away from technical study and toward a higher belief in the principle of broadening the lives of children by mental association, at least, with better cultural movements. If the above, suggestions are carried out in practical classroom instruction, music will find itself the great co-ordinating influence in education.
Annie Louise David Had Busy Christmas
Annie Louise David, the harpist, assisted by Adah Campbell Hussey, contralto, gave a recital at the residence of Commodore Gould, on Park avenue, New York, on December 20. On Christmas Day she played at the West End
MARCELLA CRAFT 1™״־t,¿ Th׳“
PITTSBURGH, PA.—Notices from a concert, the third in a series, under the management of James A. Bortz, Friday, November 18th.
Pittsburgh Sun, Nov. 19, 1921.—Lovely in voice, charming in manner. Voiceful and resourceful. Her articulation was admirable and her phrasing and coloring happy. In everything she touched, there was a quality of artistry.
Volksblatt—Miss Craft showed herself a master singer, who has few rivals.
Post—Marcella Craft, charming and cultured, gracious and gifted, sang a wide list of songs. She was delightful.
Pittsburgh Dispatch—Her voice is of good power, of rare evenness and flow. She is an artist of unusual personality.
BOSTON, MASS., with the St. Cecelia Society in Berlioz’ “Damnation of Faust” under Agide Jacchia, Tuesday, December 6th.
Boston Post, December 7, 1921.;—Miss Craft showed sincerity and struck the true note of naivete and of deep pathos.
Globe—Marcella Craft used a beautiful voice with imagination as well as technic. Her “King of Thule” was unusually lovely.
Boston American—The soloists gave great satisfaction. Mme. Craft sings with a good tone and with great skill.
N. B.—Miss Craft was at once re-engaged for the next St. Cecelia concert, March 30, 1922.
PHILADELPHIA, PA., with the Choral Society in their annual performance of the “Messiah,” Wednesday, December 28th, Henry Thunder Gordon, conductor.
Philadelphia Record, December 29, 1921.—Marcella Craft is the type of singer most needed for oratorio and similar work. With a voice of great natural beauty, well-trained, she unites an exceptional degree of intelligence.
Evening Public Ledger—Marcella Craft, of New York, was the soprano, and sang beautifully, both in the recitative and the arias. Her voice is clear, high and very pure in quality, besides being under perfect control, and she uses it with great spirituality, the elements required in the singing of Handel or Bach. The “big” numbers were effectively given.
Management: M. H. HANSON, 437 Fifth Avenue, New York
OPERATIC and CONCERT TENOR Graduate, Royal Conservatory of Music MILANO, ITALY 125 East 37th Street New York
GIUSEPPE BOGHETTI
Vocal Studios: 1710 Chestnut Street Philadelphia, Pa.
MARGARET
ABBOTT
Contralto In Europe 1922