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MUSICAL COU RI EH
Marie deKyzer
Soprano
who has achieved much success with “Love Sends a Little Gift of Roses.”
\ here is no such thing as perfection, but the winner sings the nearest to perfection I have ever heard. In my forty years of experience at Eisteddfods I have never heard such contraltos. They were all beautiful, but the winner had such excellent training, told the story, and I am sorry all of you could not be as close to her as I was so that you might see her facial expressions. The high A flat was beautifully done.”
Miss Balmanno was also the alto of the successful contesting quartet.
Leginska Dangerously 111
Ethel Leginska is dangerously ill at her apartment in New York with three doctors in attendance. Her case has been diagnosed as appendicitis, but it is hoped that an operation may be avoided. It was with difficulty that the pianist finished her performance the other night at Aeolian Hall as guest artist with the New York Chamber Music Society. A doctor was in attendance back stage and Leginska collapsed on returning home after the performance. Her serious illness has made it necessary to cancel several important out-of-town engagements.
Mary Houghton Brown’s Success This Season
Mary Houghton Brown has had rather unusual success in her piano recitals this season. She attributes this to her teacher, Charles King Barry, of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, under whom she graduated in the piano course. She has studied elsewhere since leaving the conservatory, but considers Mr. Barry one of the finest piano instructors in the country.
“And his is a reputation built upon solid musician-ship. It will endure and increase in volume. Here is the Kreisler talent and Heifetz genius in large measure concentrated in one musician.”—Archie Bell, in the Cleveland News, Jan. 6th, 1922.
“We have heard in the course of our symphony concerts violinists of great and lesser degree of virtuosity, but my present impressions rank Vecsey as the high altitude of artistry and pyrotechnical, with the exception of Kreisler, and I believe I make no mistake in calling him his peer.”—Wilson G. Smith, in the Cleveland Press, Jan. 6th, 1922.
“Mr. Vecsey surmounted every technical obstacle with unfailing virtuosity. There is double stopping here to dismay all but the stout of heart, and some harmonics that are precarious enough. But most of all there lingers in the memory that gorgeous, ’cello-like G string tone.”—James H. Rogers, in Cleveland Plain Dealer, Jan. 6th, 1922.
All referring to:
FERENC
VECSEY’S
Sensational Playing of the Sibelius Concerto with the
Cleveland Symphony Orchestra
(Cond. Nikolai Sokoloff)
Baldwin Piano
Management: M. H. HANSON, 437 Fifth Avenue
giving their effective sketch, called “Trills and Frills.” Just before Christmas these talented young singers played a week’s engagement in Baltimore, Md., and scored their usual success both with their audiences and with the critics. In mentioning the McConnells’ part in the program the Baltimore Evening Sun of December 21 spoke of their act as being elegant and distinguished and one of the most charming things in vaudeville. The critic of the'Baltimore American is of the opinion that the McConnells have excellent voices and that “Trills and Frills” is an exceptional offering. Both of the girls gave the Tuberculosis Christmas Seal booth in the lobby of the Hotel Belvedere a boost on December 21 by singing a song or two for the worthy cause.
Florence Balmanno, Griffith Artist Student, Wins Eisteddfod Contest
The twelfth annual Eisteddfod was held at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia on January 2. More than a thousand members of glee clubs and choruses, soloists and
FLORENCE BALMANNO,
Yeatman-Griffith artist-student, who icon the alto prize at the twelfth annual Eisteddfod, held at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia on January 2, 1922.
artists came from many sections of the country to take part in the affair, the largest of its kind ever held in this country.
Florence Balmanno, a Brooklyn contralto,-who has been studying for the past two seasons with Yeatman Griffith, won the alto prize. Dr. Edward Broome, of Toronto, Canada, the adjudicator, in awarding the prize remarked:
January 19, 1922
Fourth La Forge-Berunien Noonday Musicale
On January 6 a very large and enthusiastic audience attended the fourth of the series of noonday musicales given monthly at Aeolian Hall, under the direction of Frank La Forge and Ernesto Berumen. A Paganini-Liszt etude, played by the Duo-Art piano reproducing the playing of Harold Bauer, was the first number on the program. Charles Carver, basso, delighted the audience with two groups of songs. He is the possessor of an abundant voice, which he employs with ease and feeling. His first group, including “Hear Me, Ye Winds and Waves,” Handel, and “O Speak Not Beloved,” Tschaikowsky, was received with much enthusiasm. His fine bass voice and excellent diction were also displayed in “Longing,” by La Forge, “Cefiro,” Mexican folk song, and “Chanson Tambourineur,” old French.
Marguerite Schuiling, mezzo soprano, with a rich clear voice, gave the aria from “Don Carlos” with dramatic interpretation. Her. voice is notable for its luscious quality and wide range.
Elsa Gillham followed with an excellent interpretation of Bemberg’s “The Death of Joan of Arc.” Mrs. Gillham has a finely schooled contralto with extensive range and she possesses much interpretative ability.
Dwight Coy, a lad of eighteen, gave a virile and brilliant interpretation of the first movement of the Grieg concerto. His playing was clear, accurate and temperamental, and a bright future is predicted for him by many who heard him on this occasion. He was accompanied at the organ by his teacher, Frank La Forge.
Mr. La Forge furnished his well known backgrounds for the entire program.
The next nooday musicale will be Friday, February 3.
Marie Novello Plays at Reception in Her Honor
On Sunday afternoon, January 8, Clara Novello Davies and Lady Auckland held a reception, in honor of Marie Novello, the attractive English pianist who recently arrived here, at the former’s handsome studios. Fully two hundred guests dropped in and stayed long enough to greet the hostesses and their guest of honor, and also to hear her play. The tea table was artistically decorated with roses, sweetpeas, and here and there pink candles flickered; but if the decorations were enjoyed, it is safe to say that the tasty refreshments seemed to be more so, for at the end of the afternoon Marie Novello was heard to whisper humorously : “And to think—they didn’t leave me one single sandwich!”
During the afternoon, Miss Novello, a most attractive young woman, rendered a program consisting of numbers by Debussy, Palmgren, Chopin and Poldini. She is an artist and should be most successful in this country, just as she has been abroad.
Among those present were: Count and Countess Dru, Prescilla Countess Annesley, Lord and Lady Auckland, Sir George Wilshere, Hon. William C. Amos, Dr. Frank Muller, George Armsby, William Faversham, J. Hevett Steel, Mrs. Dunlop Hopkins, Mrs. John A. Drake, Mrs. Charles Proctor, Alma Clayburgh, Andreas de Segurola, George Refmherr, A. Walter Kramer, H. O. Osgood, Josephine Vila, Antonia Sawyer, Ralph J. MacFadyen, Mrs. Pickernell, Emilie Frances Bauer, etc.
Marie De Kyzer a Busy Artist
Marie De Kyzer, soprano, is having her full share of concert engagements. On December 1 she sang in Ridgewood, N. J.; December 7 in Passaic High School ‘auditorium; December 9, East Orange High School auditorium, benefit of the community chorus; December 11, Brooklyn; December 15, Leonia, N. J., with the Euterpe Orchestral Society; December 16, Port Chester, N. Y., all-Scotch program ; December 23, New York concert; December 25, Bound Brook, N. J., and December 26, Pelham, N. Y. December 4 she sang at the radio station of the Westinghouse Company, Newark, N. J., to an audience of over 60,000 people, and has received letters from a large number of listeners. She started in the the new year with an appearance in New York January 1, and on January 7 gave a recital in Greensboro, N. C. January 27 she will be heard at a Burns concert in Springfield, Mass.; February 1 at the Women’s Club, East Orange, N. J. (her fourth appearance in East Orange this season, giving proof of her undeniable popularity there) ; February 6, song recital in Willimantic, Conn., and February 27, a joint recital in Stamford, Conn.
Several additional engagements have been secured, the dates to be arranged later.
Bonucci’s Spartanburg Recital Praised
That Arturo Bonucci, the Italian cellist, is successful in pleasing his audiences is attested by the following letter from the School of Music, Converse College, Spartanburg, S. C., where he played not long ago:
I am writing to tell you how much we enjoyed Mr. Bonucci’s playing and of the profound impression this truly great artist made here on the occasion of his appearance in joint recital with Salvi last Monday evening.
The concert was a great success from every point of view. Bonucci held his audience spellbound from beginning to end and scored a great success. His technic is tremendous and his tone of rare beauty and great volume. In the rendering of his own compositions, he proved himself a composer of no mean ability. He was recalled many times and had to respond with several encores after each group. In short, it was masterly, appreciative and successful.
Please convey to Mr. Bonucci my personal regards and good wishes for further success. With all good wishes I am,
Yours very truly,
(Signed) William C. Mayfarth.
Cisneros Sings at Lewisohn Home
Tuesday evening, January 10, in the ball room of the New York home of Adolph Lewisohn, Eleonora de Cisneros gave a musical program of operatic airs and Spanish, French and English songs. Two hundred people, prominent in New York and Washington, were present. It was a meeting of the Federation of Jewish Charities, presided over by ex-Governor Smith, and Mme. De Cisneros was in splendid voice; especially brilliant was the aria, “O don fatale,” from “Don Carlos.”
McConnells on Tour in “Trills and Frills”
Harriet and Marie McConnell, daughters of Mrs. E. B. McConnell, vocal teacher of New York, again are on tour