March 9, 1922
M U S I C ,-1 L C Oll RI ER
26
and one that was entertained and very much interested with her singing. Miss Bennett has a beautiful quality of voice and she shows considerable talent and musicianship. Her French and Italian diction were excellent for so young and inexperienced a singer. It was the consensus of opinion, after the concert, that Miss Bennett had all the qualities that lead to great things, and with care there is no reason why she should not take her place in the foremost rank of concert singers.
The one criticism apparent was the lack of variety in her program. She began with an aria from “Alessandro Nell hide,” Puccini. There is not much about this old selection to be recommended, nor did it give Miss Bennett an opportunity to display her voice. This was followed by French and Italian groups, and the last group was made up of five numbers by American composers. The French group was perhaps the most varied, and certainly she sang the numbers charmingly.
MARCH 4
London String Quartet
Beethoven, Dohnanyi and Frank Bridge were the composers represented on the program of the London String Quartet at its concert at Aeolian Hall, March 4. Owing either to the storm or to the stupidity and lack of a cultivated musical taste of New York, there was a rather small audience to enjoy this highly artistic offering. It seems a pity that so splendid an occasion should have been honored by so few people. Surely, there could hardly be better quartet playing than that which is done by the Londoners. It is quiet, reserved, dignified—it is always in perfect intonation, it faithfully reproduces the intentions of the composers—■and, above all, there is a real warmth and sonority of tone that is tremendously appealing. Upon this occasion the chief interest was the “Londonderry Air” as arranged by Frank Bridge. It is the same folk song that Percy Grainger has used, and one of the most beautiful of all folk songs.
MARCH 5
New York Symphony Orchestra: Alexander Siloti, Soloist
Walter Damrosch was greeted with sincere applause on March 5 in Aeolian Hall, the occasion being the fourteenth Sunday afternoon subscription concert of the Symphony Society of New York.
The program opened with Dvorak’s symphony, “From the New World,” which Mr. Damrosch presented with authority. The other orchestral number was Debussy’s “Iberia.”
The outstanding feature of the concert was the production of the Brandenburg concerto in D major, No. 5, arranged by Alexander Siloti for piano, flute and violin, with accompaniment of string orchestra, Mr. Siloti playing the
(Continued on page 58)
The last song................................................Rogers
Consecration ............................................. Manney
New York Symphony Orchestra: Hofmann, Soloist
Josef Hofmann gave a gloriously fine and elevating reading of Beethoven’s “Emperor” concerto at the concerts of Thursday afternoon, March 2, and Friday evening, March 3, and was treated by the audience to rhapsodic applause of the most heartfelt kind. His pianism touched the lofty heights technically and musically, and Walter Damrosch, just returned from Europe, entered into the spirit of the performance with a devotion and artistic insight that partnered Hofmann admirably and ideally.
The hearers paid a demonstrative personal tribute to Mr. Damrosch when he appeared on the stage and also after his conducting of the Beethoven “Pastoral” symphony, which is one of his best interpretations. The work was given accurately, interestingly, and not so traditionally as to sound pedantic. Mr. Damrosch looked highly pleased when his admirers showed him so plainly by their reception that while new favorites may come and are admired the old ones are not necessarily forgotten or loved the less.
New York Philharmonic Orchestra
Last Thursday evening and Friday evening the Philharmonic Society, led by Mengelberg, gave the second and third performances in the series of four hearings which the association dedicated to Mahler’s symphony, No. 3. The assisting forces again were the boys’ choir of Father Finn’s Paulist Choristers, the St. Cecilia Society (Victor Flarris, conductor) of women’s voices, and Julia Claussen, contralto. As the work is reviewed elsewhere in this issue, it suffices to say that no new impressions were gained after the initial rendering. The choruses did excellent work on Thursday and Friday and Mine. Claussen was in splendid voice and unimpeachable artistic form generally.
Svea Hanson
Another young singer made her debut last week, at Aeolian Hall—Svea Hanson, an American, of Swedish parentage. Her first group was of French songs, followed by-Swedish folk songs arranged by Gustof Hagg, an English group, and closed with a modern Scandinavian group.
Miss Hanson’s voice is mezzo soprano, of short range Her French and English diction were rather faulty, but she sings with intelligence which makes up for her vocal limitations. The Swedish folk songs were particularly enjoyable, also “A Page's Road Song,” Novello, and “Have Pity, Grief,” Treharne.
A large audience greeted the singer, and she was also the recipient of many floral contributions. Gustave Ferrari was the accompanist and assisted the singer materially.
MARCH 3
Edith Bennett
On last Friday evening at Aeolian Hall, Edith Bennett, soprano, made her New York debut before a large audience,
must feel by now that the public never will take it to their hearts with deep or lasting affection.
Lucy Gates
Lucy Gates, soprano, who has made a name for herself throughout the country in over 400 recitals, gave her first New York Aeolian Hall recital Tuesday afternoon, February 28. A good-sized house received her enthusiastically. Miss Gates sings with artistic style and intelligence, finish in phrasing and sincerity in emotional feeling. Some of her high pianissimo tones were very beautiful, this particular quality being exquisitely brought out in Saint-Saëns' “Air du Rossignol.” Harriet Ware’s “By the Fountain” so pleased the audience that it was repeated. The composer was in a box. “Vous Dansez Marquise,” delicately and gracefully sung, was also repeated, as was the nightingale song. Miss Gates’ personality and gracious manner added much to the enjoyment of her recital. It was interesting to note on her program the names of the poets as well as of the musical composers of the songs. Walter Golde supplied artistic accompaniments.
Her printed program follows :
Charmant Papillon.......................  Campra	(1660-1744)
Bist du bei mir.............................Bach	(1685-1750)
Allelujah ..............................  Mozart	(1756-1791)
Mädchenlied ................... (Poem—Paul Heyse) Brahms
Das Mädchen Spricht...................(Poem—Gruppe) Brahms
AU’ mein Gedanken.......... . ....(Poem—Felix Dahn) Strauss
An einem Bache.....................(Poem—O. A. Vinje) Grieg
Was ich sah.......................(Poem—O. A. Vinje) Grieg
Ein Traum....................(Poem—F. van Bodenstedt) Grieg
You are the Evening Cloud.............Horsman (Poem—Tagore)
In the Woods.......................MacDowell (Poem—Goethe)
A Little Bird......................Crist (Poem—de la Mare)
In an Old Garden........................Ware (Poem—Ware)
(a)	Iris
(b)	By the Fountain
Under the Greenwood Tree. . .. .Buzzi-Peccia (Poem—Shakespeare)
Oh, Nuit (La fiancée D’Abydos) .......Barthe (Poem—Aden is)
Vous Dansez Marquise...........Lemaire (Poem—Eugène Bazot)
Air du Rossignol.................................Saint-Saëns
La Chanson de l’Alouette..........Lalo (Poem—V. de Laprade)
MARCH 2
Rudolf Jung
Rudolf Jung, the Swiss tenor, made his reappearance at the Town Hall in a second recital on March 2 and confirmed the excellent impression made at his debut here several weeks ago. He was enthusiastically applauded by a large audience and several encores were demanded. Marcel Van Gool furnished sympathetic support at the piano. The program follows :	*
Come again, sweet love.........................................Dowland
Drink to me only with thine eyes.....................Old English Air
My love’s an Arbutus..........................................Stanford
Cease, O my sad soul...........................................Purcell
I attempt from Love’s sickness to fly..........................Purcell
La cloche de l’Eglise............................................Doret
Les Feuilles sont mortes.........................................Doret
Nell ........................................................... Faure
Hymne au soleil................................................Georges
Narrative from Tannhäuser.......................................Wagner
Die Ziegeunerlieder ........................................... Brahms
The living God..................................................O’Hara
The Lament of Jan the Proud....................................Griffes
“A Voice of Noble Quality.”
—H. E. Krehbiel, New York Tribune.
MARJORIE
SQUIRES
^ CONTRALTO
NEW YORK PRESS COMMENTS:
“She has a voice of true contralto quality of beauty, richness and powerful sonority, which she controls with an intelligent mastery of the technique of the art and uses with a very considerable skill and insight. Her singing was of a sort that gave great pleasure in an interesting and discriminating program.”—Richard Aldrich, New York Times.
"Has a superb equipment—a voice of noble quality, great volume, vibrant vitality, commendable equableness and ample range; breathing apparatus ample and obedient; earnestness, intelligence.”—H. E. Krehbiel, New York Tribune.
“Belongs to the little company of heroic contraltos, equipped with a voice of noble proportions and a temperament which is sensitive to the
qualities of songs of widely varied moods.”—New York Herald.
“To a large dramatic voice with ringing, trumpeting high notes, Miss Squires adds interpretive ability.”—Netv York Telegram.
“The feature and surprise—they come so seldom—of Saturday’s recitals was that of Marjorie Squires, a young American, who sang in Town Hall in the afternoon. A charming programme, charmingly sung, in a voice far above the usual run of newcomers, both in the material and finish, made listening a pleasure.”—New York Sun.
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Available for Oratorios and Recitals
Aeolian Hall, New York
S. HUROK