January 2 6, 1922 MUSICAL COURIER JO THE LATE ARTHUR NIKISCH The cables on Monday brought news of the sudden and unexpected death at his home in Leipsic, Germany, of Arthur Nikisch, without doubt the foremost orchestra conductor of the day. Nikisch, who was born at Szent Miklos, Hungary, October 12, 18SS, was widely known in this country through his conductorship of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, which post he held from 1889 to 1893. He has appeared as guest conductor in all the foremost cities of Europe. Previous to the war he conducted a series each season in London. Of late years he was the regular conductor of the Leipsic Gewandhaus and Berlin Philharmonic concerts, besides occasionally directing at the Leipsic opera, where he first won fame. It was only a month or two ago that Nikisch signed a contract with the International Concert Direction, Inc., to come to this country for a tour next season. tinct raising of the standard of choir singing, not only in the Lutheran churches, but also in other churches as well. And where, one may ask, will another body of college students be found who are exercising any like or comparable influence? These young people are beginning, even before graduating from college, to be a power in the community, a power for the welfare of the State, and a power, undoubtedly, for civilization. Entirely apart from the artistic importance of their offerings, they deserve every encouragement. They are so far superior to the average college glee club, mandolin club, orchestra or band, or society giving comic opera, that no comparison is possible. And these also travel! If any criticism is due—and in our opinion it is not—surely it should be turned toward these and not toward St. Olaf’s. --------- SAYS GATTI-CASAZZA Mr. Gatti-Casazza issued a statement last week in which he said that he and Miss Farrar were on perfectly friendly terms and that he hopes she will be at the Metropolitan in the season of 1923-24; that Miss Jeritza’s contract has been renewed for four more years; that he intends to engage star artists for a part of the season only, thus bringing more variety into the performances; that the German repertory will be gradually increased; and that several new German singers have been engaged for next season—all of which is very interesting to note. Then he added: “As to American singers, after all that I have done it would seem unnecessary for me to make a further statement. However, I take pleasure in stating that I always have the best disposition toward the American elements in the organization, and am very happy every time that I can obtain a success through some American artist that I may discover,” which recalls that neat little French saying—“Qui s’accuse, s’excuse.” ------ A REMINDER Just to remind the powers that be at the Metropolitan that the Miss Bradley who sings for them is named Grace, not Alice, as they called her in the program the other night. Thus is the path of the music historian made difficult even in official documents. class at the Mozarteum every summer for a number of years past. ---------- Writing about the Clavilux light-organ concert at the Neighborhood House, our esteemed contemporary reviewer in the New York Journal said: “Those who attended saw a concert they did not hear.” We are pretty clever (don’t you know) but we never would have thought of that. Bravo, Mr. Journal Reviewer! ------- With all the praise that went to Richard Strauss for his conducting of the Philadelphia Orchestra in the concerts given at the Metropolitan Opera House here, a word of special notice should go to Leopold Stokowski for the magnificent way in which he prepared his orchestra for Strauss, who—as we are aware from personal knowledge—had practically nothing to do at rehearsals. ------- Hearing a very, very new work the other night we hit upon a great truth, viz.: it is the allegros that put the crimp in the style of the ultra-modernists. As long as the time is andante or anything slower, they can meander vaguely without bothering much about things melodic; but when it comes to a good brisk allegro they either have to write a real, recognizable tune or else write nothing. ----®----- The Metropolitan authorities will surely be glad to read of the new style of scenery provided for Wagner’s “Ring” at Munich and of the success of the—for Germany—daring break with tradition. When one thinks of the thousands of dollars spent on elaborate scenery for such works as “Marouf,” and “The Blue Bird” (even “The Polish Jew”),׳and then gazes upon the sad, sad, old-fashioned set that came back out of the storehouse for “Die Walkiire,” tears dim the eye. ----e----- Richard Strauss, so it was reported as he went home, hoped to raise and take with him a fund of $300 contributed by musicians who had played under him here to help their brother orchestra players in Central Europe. Another idea would have been for Dr. Strauss to have contributed $500 himself, out of the many thousands he took back, in the name of the Americans whose playing helped him to earn those thousands. He can afford $500 much better than most of them can afford $5 today. ------- Now they are giving Mozart operas in the famous Redoten-Saal of the ancient Hofburg at Vienna, the hall in which—unless our recollection of the great master is wrong—none other than L. Van Beethoven occasionally used to grace one of the court balls with his presence. The idea is to reproduce the opera as much in the style of Mozart’s time as possible. It is to be hoped that, to make the verisimilitude as strong as possible, Franz Schalk, who originated these performances and directs them, and his orchestra players do not object to being garbed in the bright uniforms and powdered wigs of those days. -----£־--- AN AMAZING QUESTION In a recent editorial the New York Times comments upon the New York appearance of the St. Olaf Choir, and, while conceding that “ail the Wise Ones, as well as ordinary folk numerous enough to fill the great auditorium, evidently were both charmed and impressed by what they heard,” asks whether young men and women are sent to college for any such purpose as this? Coming from the editorial page of one of New York’s leading dailies this is rather amazing. Is it really a fact that the editor of the Times is so ignorant of the advance of educational and pedagogical thought throughout the United States, and the increasing realization of the importance of musical training as a character builder, that he still holds to the antiquated conception that boys and girls go to college only to learn the three Rs and other socalled practical branches? It is required of the members of this choir that they prepare their work in advance so as to pass the mid-year examinations before starting on tour, and the intensive training that is required of them by Conductor Christiansen stabilizes their powers of concentration to such an extent that it actually improves their general standard of scholarship. It is also suggested in the Times editorial that they “may earn not a little money.” This is not the case. None of them are paid, and any money that is earned by the choir is used to establish more comprehensive music courses at St. Olaf. One result of the choir’s tour is a stimulation of musical interest throughout the country and a dis- jV\USICAL(§URIER Weekly Review OF THE Worlds Music Published every Thursday by the MUSICAL COURIER COMPANY, INC. ERNEST P. EILERT..............................................President WILLIAM GEPPERT...........................................Vice-President ALVIN L. SCHMOEGER......................................Sec. and Treas. 437 Fifth Avenue, S. E. Corner 39th Street, New York Telephone to all Departments: 4292, 4293, 4294, Murray Hill Cable address: Pegujar, New York Member of Merchants’ Association of New York, The Fifth Avenue Association of New York, Music Industries Chamber of Commerce. The New York Rotary Club. ALVIN L. SCHMOEGER H. O. OSGOOD ^ WILLIAM GEPPERT l !'־RANK PATTERSON f CLARENCE LUCAS ) RENE DEVRIES 1 J. ALBERT RIKER f OFFICES ^ , _ ״. CHICAGO HEADQUARTERS—Jeannette Cox, 820 to 830 Orchestra Building, Chicago. Telephone, Harrison 6110. „ . BOSTON AND NEW ENGLAND—Jack Cole3, 31 Symphony Chambers, 246 Huntington Ave., Boston. Telephone, Back Bay 5554 LONDON, ENG.—Cesar Saerchinger (in charge), Selson House, 8o Queen Victoria Street, London, E. C. Telephone 4 40 City. Cable address Musicrier, L?ndon. BERLIN, GERMANY—Cesar Saerchinger, Passauer Strasse 11a, Berlin \\. 50. Telephone Steinplatz 3473. Cable address Musicurier, Berlin. pAHIK IKAM'S—Thhudiikk Baitbk. 1« tin* d« i Ltysee. MILAN, ITALY—Arturo Scaramella, via Leopardi 7. For the names and addresses of other offices, correspondents and representatives apply at the main office. SUBSCRIPTIONS: Domestic, Five Dollars; Canadian, Six Dollars. Foreign, Six Dollars and Twenty-five Cents. Single Copies, Fifteen Cents at Newsstands. Back Numbers, Twenty-five Cents. American News Company, New York, General Distributing Agents. Western News Company, Chicago, Western Distributing Agents. New England News Co., Eastern Distributing Agents. Australasian News Co., Ltd., Agents for Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Tasmania. Agents for New Zealand, New Zealand News Co., Ltd., Wellington. The MUSICAL COURIER is for sale at the principal newsstands and music stores in the United States and in the leading music houses, hotels and kiosques in Europe. Copy for advertising in the MUSICAL COURIER should be in the hands of the Advertising Department before four o’clock on the Friday previous to the date of publication. Entered as Second Class Matter, January 8, 18 83, at the Post Office at New York, N. Y., under the act of March 3, 18 79. ־ THE MUSICAL COURIER EXTRA Published every Saturday by Musical Courier Company Devoted to the interests of the Piano Trade. New York Thursday, January 26, 1922 No. 2181 Some bright German composer has written a prelude for celesta solo. Tinkle, tinkle, little Star! ------<$>---- Darius Milhaud, the modernist, cacaphonist, and one of the “six,” now reduced to five, has had an opera accepted for performance by the Opera Comique. What horrors will he here unfold? ------$------ French musicians are gravely discussing, in the columns of the Courrier Musical, the true relative minor. Is it on the second or third or sixth of the scale?—And France was the birthplace of Debussy! ---------- Music is evidently going up in the social scale. One set of tickets which came to us last week was marked “evening dress,” and another “strictly evening dress.” By the way, what kind of evening dress is that? -----<$־---- In the catalogue of the Oscar Hammerstein private estate—furniture, works of art, etc.—■which is being auctioned off, the list includes “private collections of orchestrations and scores of every known grand opera.” Quite an order, that! ------<8>---- Well, it looks as if the Metropolitan will travel the well beaten path down to Atlanta again this spring, beginning April 24, notwithstanding the tax of $2,500 per performance put upon “grand opry” by the intelligent and progressive legislature of the State of Georgia. ---------- The Australian Musical News is quite welcome to reproduce any uncopyrighted pictures which it sees in the Musical Courier. Perhaps it would not be too much to expect, however, that the Australian Musical News should give the Musical Courier proper credit in so doing. The picture of Caruso and his wife which it reproduced in November was taken specially for this paper by Earle Lewis of the Metropolitan Opera. ---------- It is sad news that the venerable music school of Salzburg, the socalled Mozarteum, finds itself faced with the necessity of closing at the end of the present term owing to its inability to pay teachers’ salaries and other current expenses. It is an illuminating comment on values in Austria, for the school has not suffered from lack of patronage since it has 900 students enrolled at the present time. They cannot afford, however, to pay fees sufficiently high to come anywhere near supporting the staff necessary to teach them. Lilli Lehmann has had a master