MUSICAL COURIER
February 2, 1922
the mountains, over which we were then flying. It didn’t look joyous I can assure you, and the cold was almost unbearable. I didn’t know whether my nose was still on my face or not—in fact I thought not. As I was beginning to get apprehensive I thought I would look over the side to see what was seeable and I found that I was looking into what seemed an infinity of black void. Just as I decided that that particular moment was probably the last in which I would ever have another opportunity to make any kind of a decision, my pilot indicated with his head and eyes (we couldn’t hear each other speak on account of the roar of the engine) that it was useless to try to fight the elements. So exchanging nods and many gesticulations, we mutually agreed to go back to our starting place. We turned back and made Bellefonte in half an hour when it had taken us over an hour and a half to get to where we were then. The forty mile wind plus the ninety mile rate at which we were flying simply shot us along like a cannon ball despite the bumpiness of the wind due to the storm. I wasn’t disappointed when we landed, especially after hearing my pilot explain that the one thing that a plane can’t beat is an ice fog in the mountains. ‘You see,’ he said, ‘it’s this way. When you’re in a fog in the mountains, you can’t tell whether you are hitting a cloud or a mountain top until you’ve hit it and after—well, if it’s the mountain top it doesn’t matter anymore.’ Well, I saw, and I figured it
(3) At the finish. (4) An encore.
TRIP BY AEROPLANE
12
REINALD WERRENRATH TELLS OF
HIS FIRST
an ‘ad’ for a Michelin tire,” said the baritone exhibiting the photograph as proof. We wore helmets to protect our ears, but unfortunately no one warned me against the terrific roar of the engine, and consequently I was deaf for about twenty-eight hours after landing because I had. not put cotton in my ears. I had to go to a throat specialist when I got to Chicago, otherwise I never would have been able to give my Orchestra Hall recital. If I fly again, and I have every intention of so doing, I will never do it so soon before a recital. Not only do one’s ears suffer, but the helmet comes right under the muscles which affect the important throat and neck control—or I should say relaxation, needed in singing.”
“Was there any sense of fear connected with it?”
“None whatsoever—not for a single minute. In fact, to be honest, there were hours when I was bored with the calmness of things. I missed the privilege of moving about in a drawing room or walking out in the hall to stretch. After all a train, in spite of dirt and cinders, has its advantages. In a plane you just sit and look from you.
“The most thrilling part of it was the take off at the
(1) Ready to go up. (2) In the air.
VARIOUS VIEWS OF REINALD WERRENRATH AND HIS 1TLOT IN A CURTISS AEROPLANE
was just as well to make haste for a train, get to Orchestra Hall in time for my Sunday recital, which I just managed to do via Pittsburgh—and defer my next flight until the spring. That’s all, there isn’t any more.”	D.
Easthope Martin and Tom Burk Guests of Honor
At the regular luncheon of the Woman Pays Club, held at the Algonquin Hotel on January 11, the guests of honor were the distinguished English composer, Easthope Martin, and Tom Burk, tenor. Despite the fact that it was the worst day of the winter and it was almost impossible to get around, there was a large attendance to greet the two artists.
Mr. Martin played several of his compositions and Mr. Burk sang “The Minstrel,” considered by many artists and musicians the most beautiful song that Mr. Martin has written, was the feature number of the selections. Mr. Burk was in excellent voice and sang with artistry and distinction. Every one present who was familiar with Mr. Burk’s voice declared that he had never been heard to better advantage. It is understood that he has an extensive concert tour booked and Easthope Martin’s songs are to occupy considerable prominence on his programs. The two artists were so enthusiastically received that they will be guests at the club again later in the season.
Recitals at Baylor University
A faculty recital was given at the First Baptist Church by members of Baylor University, Waco, Tex., on January 9. Those appearing were Agnes Myrtle Thompson, reader; Will Payne, baritone, and Frank M. Church, organist. This was the third of a series of recitals and the fourth %n January 23, comprised numbers by Louise Thulemeyer, Gladys Houser, Clara Belle Maddox, Mary H. Heath, Sylvan Ginsberg, Willie Mae Abbott, Aurora Lee Hargrove, Fay Brannon, Mrs. S. W. Cowles, Edith Deter, and Prof. Church.
On March 6, there will be another students’ recital, while in April an all-American composer program will be given, after which, May 1, there will be still another students’ recital.
Maximilian Rose Plays in White Plains
Maximilian Rose, the Russian violinist, was the star of the people’s concert held in White Plains, N. Y., on the evening of January 18. Mr. Rose repeated the same program at his Town Hall recital in New York on January 25.
Minneola Field from where we started on Friday morning at 9.30. I had quite a thrill feeling myself lifted away from other earthly mortals.
“There is much to tell about the trip that was interesting, but I’ll confine myself to two more things: the air mail transportation record and why we didn’t get all the way to Chicago.
“As we were coming down on the United States mail field for gasoline on Saturday (the courtesy of the Government and the Curtiss landings are exchanged) we noticed the huge De H. mail plane, as it is known, coming toward the field. It certainly was the beautiful, huge, bird-like thing the novelists seem to describe so tritely,^ with the same recurrent simile. But, I assure you there’s nothing trite about the graceful way this great 400 _ horsepower Liberty motor plane swooped down to its landing. It was wonderful. Before the pilot was able to stand up and take off his flying suit, another De Haviland, which had been warming up its motor on the field for about half an hour, caught the mail bag thrown across from the first plane and glided off to Cleveland—the next stop. The De H. has a record of bringing mail from San Francisco to New York in a ‘day and night flying trip’—in a little under thirty-four hours, in fact they make the New York City-Chicago trip easily in a day. The usual method now used for air mail transportation is going by train at night and plane during the day. Eventually they expect to do it entirely by plane and within the record of less than three days from coast to coast.
“Why didn’t we reach our destination in the plane? Well, I’m coming to that. Frankly because we were in danger. You see we flew from New York City early Friday morning and expected to land in Cleveland that afternoon, where I wired my good friend James H. Rogers to meet me. We planned to leave Cleveland the next_ morning at 6 o’clock, which would have brought us to Chicago Saturday afternoon, even coming down for gas and food. The strong wind-storm which amounted to a severe gale, changed our plans within a short time after we left New York. Instead of making Cleveland the first day, we were blown so far out of our course that we were not only forced to remain in the air several hours longer than usual, but we only got as far as Bellefonte, Pa. We then decided to spend the night there and make Chicago in two hops the next day, namely to Cleveland in the morning and Chicago in the late afternoon. We started off pretty well, but soon struck a forty mile gale which we battled with for nearly an hour without making much headway. Then we began to feel snow and ice particles and discovered that we were trying to fight a severe snow storm in the clouds. Then a dark ice fog hit us and according to all reports a pleasant little thing like that is dangerous, especially in
“Well I flew nearly all the way to Chicago—and I bet I’ll get there the next time,” said Reinald Werrenrath to the semi-circle of reporters who formed around him, eager to hear the details of his initial aeroplane adventure.
“Your virgin venture so to speak?” asked one.
“My very first attempt to get a birds-eye view of the United States. It was wonderful, except for the air troubles. Climatic disturbances kept us from _ getting to Chicago in time for my recital and I had to finish the trip by train. If my schedule had permitted, I would have returned by plane. However, my pilot, Mr. Miller, has arranged for a number of flights in the late spring when my concerts are not so crowded that a few hours’ delay here and there would make a vital difference.”
“Was it as thrilling as they say?”
"Thrilling isn’t the word for it. It’s the only way to travel. I’m not joking really. Some day, and in the not distant future, I’m going to have a little Curtiss all of my own in my own back yard. No, I didn’t start in my own back yard this trip—I went to Mr. and Mrs. Minneola’s back yard, down on Long Island.	.
“We started off in an ordinary Curtiss plane, he continued. “It had a horsepower of 180 and made as high as ninety miles an hour from the force of the engine. Of course, the velocity of the wind increased that to varying degrees.”
“What sort of clothes does one wear when one does not merely have a press agent trip?” interrupted one reporter.
“Well, I wore a mammoth affair that made me look like
In1
Annual New York Recital
ELLEN RUMSEY
Contralto
Brought Forth irom the Critics :
More
Emphatic
Impression
Than
Last
Year.
Beautiful
Quality.
Talented.
Charming.
—Evening Mail
-£—
Fresh
Voice.
Variety
In
Expression.
—Times.
Progressing
In
Art.
—Brooklyn Eagle.
-ê-
—Herald.
Voice Of Rich Quality.
-World.
Sings
With
Intelligence And Feeling.
Agreeable
Impression.
Satisfactory
Shading
and
Expression.
—Tribune.
Young,
Ambitious.
Voice
Exceptionally
Lovely
In
Quality.
Remarkably
Well
Equalized.
Particularly
Warm
And
Mellow.
—American.
Charming
Voice.
Pleasing
And
Smooth
Of
Tone.
Well
Schooled.
Good
Personality.
—Evening Sun.
Management :
Music League of America, Inc. 8 East 34th St., New York, N.Y.