21
MUSICAL COURIER
my advice?” The answer was: “I certainly did, and I thank you. I have composed a piano concerto. It is really a great work with an original idea. It starts off in a mysterious, suggestive manner. I have the kettle drums drone a sinister opening, all on the tone B for several measures, something like this: B—B—B—B—Be good enough to let me have twenty dollars, will you, Joseffy” ?
H H •i
In the coining intercollegiate glee club contest, says an exchange, the gleeing group that leaves the key probably will be penalized five measures or so for offside play. The same jesting journal inquires: “What has become of the old fashioned bartender who used to sing a mean tenor when the quartet occasion required?”
»>, »?
Emporia, Kansas, which has an anti-cigarette law, not long ago censured a “Carmen” production because the young women smoked the paper covered weed. The morning Telegraph is on hand with the advice that at future “Carmen” hearings in Emporia the girls smoke cigars or chew tobacco.
,* * .׳«
The only important musical news from New Orleans last week was that Marie Rappold ran second in the last race on Saturday and paid 8—1 for the place.
»?»?*?
George Washington, able though he was, never could have been an impresario. With his well known passion for truth telling, what, for instance, would he have done if the Farrar of his company said to him: “Why do you allow Jeritza to sing my
Some of the newspaper humorists are calling attention to the fact that many cold-afflicted persons seem to choose the theaters and opera houses as the proper places to do the most of their coughing and sneezing. We have heard them also at concerts, where we suggest they be regaled with Phlegmish airs sung by Arthur Hackett, and some Tschaicoughsky music played by Bronchial Huberman.
»? *? «?
Which was more pro-German music at the Philharmonic concert last Sunday, Haydn’s “Military” symphony or Beethoven’s “Emperor” concerto?
»? *t »?
The Tribune critic complains that the importance of opera singers is greatly magnified in the daily press at the expense of the weightier artistic matters. However, the masses are not interested in weightier artistic matters, and newspapers are made for the masses. Our nation, by and large, likes to read about persons. This is the land of individualism. The man or woman who does things is more significant than the thing that is done, etc. Hasn’t the Tribune critic grasped that great American philosophy of
Selwyn, the theatrical manager, very honestly refers to his publicity promoter as the “praise agent.” *,	*5 K
That increase of vibration at night is due to the fact that there now are two opera claques in town.
*?	*? H
Alan Dale holds forth in the Sunday American against the habit of employing a claque for theatrical productions. Why should grand opera have a monopoly on that form of nauseating idiocy?
H »? *t
In view of the preceding paragraph, this is the place and the moment to say that the New York World sent one of its best men to interview Luther Boddy (the negro who killed two New York detectives) and printed a two-column account of the talk, •i »?	»?
William J. Henderson, in the Herald of January 22, advance noticing the Chicago Opera opening here: “Of ‘Samson et Dalila’ what shall the commentators say? It has already been made known that Mr. Muratore dresses his hair entirely different from the late Mr. Caruso, and that he has learned authority for his coiffure. Also we are informed that he actually covers his eyes so that he literally cannot see in the blind scenes of Samson and that he has to be led about. This is art!”
«i *t »?
A bob-haired Samson is in the mode, at any rate, *i »? H
Willy (at the Metropolitan box office)—“Give me two tickets for ‘Snerougotcha’—I mean ‘Snetchorog’ —er, I should say, ‘Snotchagotchka’—or rather, ‘Satchoucatchkotch’—oh, hell, give me two tickets for ‘Faust.’ ״
Leonard Liebling.
NS
RIATIO
By the Editor-in-Chief
January 2 6, 1922
VA
for ministers. The law of economics suggests a regulative shift of professions—and of professors. *?*?*?
One of the most vital, piquant and thoroughly interesting opera comique scores we have encountered for many a day is Manuel Penella’s music to “The Wild Cat,” led by that composer at the current Park Theater performances. The piece sparkles with Spanish tunes and rhythms, and ranges from the lightly lyric to the deeply dramatic. There is no spoken text in “The Wild Cat” and as a result the cast requires singers expert in operatic presentation, whom the management has found in Dorothy South, Vera Ross, Sam Ash, Marion Green and W. H. Thompson. They constitute the best vocal ensemble now on the light opera stage. Penella’s orchestration is a delight in itself, and his conducting reveals all its resources. As relief from the tragic undertone that runs through “The Wild Cat,” there is Conchita Piquer’s singing of a couple of Spanish chansons, delivered in quite inimitable and irresistibly picturesque fashion. We dropped in at the theater to stay for an act or so, but, like Mme. Calvé (who sat in a box) remained for the whole entertainment.
«í «í tt
In the Atlantic Monthly, Theodore Maynard has some characteristic verses called “Jazz”:
The band began its music, and I saw A hundred people in the cabaret Stand up in couples meekly to obey The arbitrary and remorseless law Of custom. And I wondered what could draw Their weary wills to this fulfillment. Gay They were not. They embraced without dismay, Lovers who showed an awful lack of awe.
Then, as I sat and drank my wine apart,
I pondered on this new religion which Lay heavily on the faces of the rich,
Who, occupied with ritual, never smiled—
Because I heard, within my quiet heart,
Happiness laughing like a little child.
»?•?*?
From the Tribune of January 12: “With prizefight seats at their present height it looks as though we’d have to be content with going to the opera this winter. And we can say this much for the latter institution: the seats are wider.”
H K *?
The Los Angeles Record Critic gets away from the stereotyped manner of musical reviewing when he writes of two very familiar and somewhat hackneyed compositions by Tschaikowsky: “A veritable national geographic magazine is music. Rhythmic pictures of Russian steppes, Arabian deserts peopled by Bedouins and Ouled Nails, Chinese ‘prints,’ Neapolitan nights and alluring glimpses of Jurgen’s ‘garden that lies between the dawn and the sunrise’ were offered as Conductor Rothwell turned the pages of Tschaikowsky’s most quaintly colored compositions, the ‘Nutcracker’ suite and the ‘Capriccio Italien.’ ”
«? *, »?
Geraldine Farrar in leaving the Metropolitan is giving up an income of, it is said, $90,000 per annum, a deprivation which is commented upon by our newspapers at much greater length and in much larger type than the loss of the lady’s artistic services to the institution she is leaving.
»? »? *
Apropos, Lloyd George, after reading of the troubles among the singers of the Chicago Opera, made a London speech last week in which he called on all the nations to establish a new peace at Genoa. « *t n
Now that Paderewski has decided definitely to reenter the race for the Polish presidency, John McCormack’s friends fear that he may start off for Ireland to try to head the New Free State. When questioned by the Musical Courier reporter who is writing these lines, John said that his frequent singing of the ballad, “I Hear You Calling Me,” has no political significance whatever.
»?	*? *S
The most promising pianist we ever knew, promised to repay us $10 which we lent him, but he never did. The late Raphael Joseffy was another victim of the same virtuoso at borrowing. After the third successful coup, Joseffy said to the pianistic leech: “Don’t ever ask me for money again. You can play the piano and compose. Get to work and do something with your music.” Meeting the chap a few months later, Joseffy inquired: “Did you take
W. L. George, English novelist, insists that there are sixty-five different types of women. Has he included the kind that asks a harassed music editor : “How does Jeritza’s Tosca compare with Farrar’s?”
*	*, K
Apropos, we learn that, taking a leaf from Jeritza’s book, who lies on the floor while singing “Vissi d’Arte,” Martinelli intends to stand on a chair for “Celeste Aida” (to make his high C higher), Mimi will crawl under the bed for her dying aria in “Bohême,” and Matzenauer, in “Walkiire,” intends to pole vault (using her spear) from the rock as she does the “Ho jo to ho.”
»? »? »?
Monterrey, Mexico, January 5, 1922.
Dear Sir: Ever since I have read your “Variations,” I have been wanting to remonstrate in a friendly way with you ; and now that you have given to the American world this most unfair article on “Mulcting Americans,” I have at last concluded to write you a few lines and copy part of a letter received very lately from a friend in Germany, and this I hope will give you the other side of the question. It runs thus : “Christmas shopping has been disastrous to our purses—the prices are going up ! up ! up ! and still nearly all of the shops are ‘ausverkauft.’ They gave the foreigners too much at first and now that nearly everything is gone, they sell only with a ‘Meldeschein.’ It is always the way, shutting the stable door after the horse is out. O dear, when will the Germans learn not to look to the foreigners first? It is sickening.”
So much for the German side of this question, and now to another which I have at heart against you, namely our beautiful Biihnenweihfestspiel, “Parsifal,” which you seem to look upon as an opera and to which it appears you have taken a violent disliire, viz. : “Parsleyfal” and “Parsifal-derol,” “parsifollies,” etc. Permit me to ask whether you have ever heard it in Germany, or have taken the trouble to study it, for judging by most of your criticisms in the Musical Courier, I take you to be a most excellent judge of music and I wonder at your attitude toward this (to me) most sublime of all of Wagner’s works, and to which I would heartily beg of you to give another hearing, if possible, in its proper surroundings and atmosphère, in Bayreuth, where I also expect to enjoy it, for I read lately in the New York Staats Zeitung that Siegfried Wagner had been promised help to reopen his great father’s Festspielhaus in this summer of 1922. Now once more returning to your article on “Mulcting Americans,” pray do not write anything derogatory or calling forth animositiy toward your, or certainly your ancestors’ Fatherland any more ; if you cannot praise it, then say nothing at all. You will never find Americans of English, French or Italian descent running down the land of their sires. Why do Germans?
Pardon my frankness toward you; my only excuse is the great love and compassion which I have for the unmerited fate of this heroic and unhappy nation, which for more than a year after it lay down its unconquered arms, were and are still being forced by hunger into humiliating submission; all for the greater glory of “humanity.”
Let real love and charity once more enter into the hearts of all men and all nations and let each one of us do_ our part to bring it about in this new year of 1922. This is the heartfelt wish of
Yours very sincerely,
(Signed) Mrs. Carrie L. Wesxendarp.
Calle de Hidalgo 226, Monterrey, Mexico.
Simply for the sake of setting future historians right, let it be recorded that our ancestry—in spite of our lovely teutonic name—is not German, but strictly Russian and Polish. Furthermore, lest the Encyclopedia Britannica forget, we were the only American pressman to champion the unrestricted performing of German music during the war, including the works of those arch fiends in human shape, Schubert, Schumann, Wagner, Brahms, Franz and Strauss.
»?»?«?
And speaking of Schubert, that indefatigable face-to facer, Charles D. Isaacson, has formed a Schubert Memorial Committee, to arrange ways and means for arranging a Schubert Memorial Week (January 29 to February 5) in connection with the 125th birthday of the composer. Mr. Isaacson says: “We desire people to sing and play Schubert music during that week. We are asking all artists to have at least one group of Schubert music on their programs during that week. We want music dealers to play up Schubert records and rolls. Schubert, who died at thirty-one, poverty stricken, is to have the happiest birthday of all.”
»? »? »?
Again W. L. George gaily: “Men never ask women to talk about themselves.” It is clear that W. L. G. never has been a reporter sent to interview a prima donna.
»? * *
William Thorner, the wealth burdened vocal maestro, asserts that there are more singing teachers than pupils. Meanwhile one reads in the Federal Council budget that there is a pastor shortage of 35,308 in the United States, and that congregations are crying