March 16, 1922 MUSICAL COURIER 20 doing them in a way that challenges comparison with any operatic tenor now singing. Our idea is that the day of the supremacy of the foreign artist in the operatic field is so nearly past that the sun is practically set already. ----<*>--- Henry Russell, erstwhile impresario of Boston, prefers warm climates in winter. This year he has turned his aristocratic shoulder on the Riviera, his haunt for some seasons, and favors Naples with his presence. ^ THE OLD MANHATTAN It is sincerely to be hoped that the sale of the Manhattan Opera House to the Scottish Rite Masons, which took place last week, will not entirely prevent the use of that famous house for opera. Happily—although nothing definite can be learned as yet—it looks as if the buyers will be willing to lease the auditorium, which is to remain unchanged. What an honorable record Oscar Hammerstein built up in the house and how much opera in America is indebted to him for the impulse that really brought it out of the old rut! French opera—except for Gounod and Bizet—was practically unknown here until Oscar started it at the Manhattan. Possibly some of the works had been seen in New Orleans, which had its own French opera, but it was he who introduced to New York “Griselidis,” “Jongleur,” “Louise,” “Pelleas,” “Samson” and “Thais,” not to mention “Salome” and “Elektra,” which were sung in French. It has continued to be the interesting “opposition” house ever since Hammerstein sold it, and the companies which have come there—Rabinoff’s Boston National company, the Chicago company— practically only a continuation of Hammerstein’s own band—and Fortune Gallo’s annual visits with his San Carlo company, have always had repertories which brought welcome relief from the rather conservative Metropolitan list and introduced new and different artists. ----<$>--- PRINCESS MARY’S WEDDING MUSIC They evidently had a tough time selecting the wedding marches for Princess Mary’s wedding ceremony in London, the usual ones being of ex-enemy manufacture. In their search they actually hit upon an English one, namely the “Bridal March” of Sir Hubert Parry, with which the service opened. For the second one, they chose the Epithalamium from Gounod’s “Romeo and Juliet,” which, while not exciting, is at any rate an Ally product. For the finish, however, they had to fall back on Mendelssohn, who was almost an Englishman, anyway. The rest of the wedding music was purely home-grown—an anthem by Nicolson, hymns by Goss, Purcell’s “Trumpet Voluntary” and—“God Save the King.” And English musicians complain that their art lacks “official” recognition! That considerable importance was attached to the musical side of the great event is apparent from the fact that the whole of the wedding music was repeated later in Westminster Abbey for the ordinary mortals who could not get inside the church at the wedding itself. Selections from the “Royal Wedding Music,” too, made up one of the programs of the Queen’s Hall Orchestra, under Sir Henry Wood. One feature was absent from this, however, namely the beautiful singing of the Westminster Abbey boys. ----<♦>--- GOOD SENSE In the issue of March 2, the Musical Courier told of the fund being raised to present Geraldine Farrar with a gold laurel wreath on the occasion of her coming final performance—for a time, at least— at the Metropolitan. The widespread interest in the project is shown by the receipt of many letters similar intone to the following: New Haven, Conn., March 5, 1922. In your last issue you published on the editorial page a letter which, you stated, had been sent out to various friends and admirers of Geraldine Farrar, asking for contributions to a fund for the purpose of presenting her with a gold laurel wreath at her last appearance. Might I ask you to let me know to what address such contributions may be sent, and also suggest that this address be made public, so that any one interested could send a contribution ? Surely there must be many people to whom these letters could not be sent who would wish to contribute if they knew where to send their checks. The Musical Courier learns, however, that Miss Farrar has sent word to those who were assembling the fund that she wants no special demonstration made over her when she leaves the house where she has been the chief attraction on the distaff side for so many years, and that she does not wish a presentation of any sort to be made to her, since she desires to have no political aspect given to her leavetaking. In this decision Miss Farrar once more shows the good sense that has always characterized her attitude toward her public. write a score! What a peculiar way to approach Puccini. (Let’s see! A year or so ago Puccini was going to write “The Son-Daughter”—was he not? Yes; he was not. Everybody seemed to know all about it—except Puccini.) And if Puccini doesn’t want to write “The Light of the World,” why Victor Herbert is going to be asked to do it. Why not ask Victor right off? -------- We are always happy when a reader who approves of something seen in the Musical Courier takes the pains to write and tell us so. It was Mrs. L. D. Nies, of Ben Avon, Pa., who had the kindness to send the following: “Please permit me to congratulate you upon the editorial in a recent number of your magazine, referring to Geraldine Farrar’s leaving opera. Would we had more magazines and newspapers with your spirit. It is indeed no one’s affair why she is going. A long time admirer of her art thanks you.” ----------- It is appropriate that William Wade Hinshaw, head of the American Society of Singers, who has done so much for the cause of opera in English, should be the first to broadcast an opera in our native tongue by means of the radio. Last (Wednesday) evening, his entire “Impresario” company went over with him to the Westinghouse station at Newark and sang the whole of the delightful Mozart work into the radiophone receiver, for the benefit of a larger audience, geographically speaking, than it ever before appealed to at one time. ----------- Our dearest enemy, the printer’s devil, got busy again, once more, not long ago, and made us call John Charles Thomas a tenor instead of a baritone. An unfortunate error, but, after all, a very unimportant one, for everybody who knows anything at all about music in America knows John Charles Thomas, and knows that he is a baritone. How could it be otherwise? He has piled success upon success, has sung to thousands upon thousands of people, in the theaters and on the concert stage all across the country, has had the leading role in so many successes, that neither his voice nor his art can be a matter of question. Julia Claussen, mezzo soprano of the Metropolitan Opera, is known as an ardent student and follower of Emerson—and in her belief the gulf between the opera and the church is not so wide as people believe. It is the aim of the singer or the actor, says Mme. Claussen, to hold and sway the audience— and of the minister to hold and sway his congregation. Each of them must be inspired, or they will not be able to carry their message to their auditors. Art and religion are pure, and if we do not feel this, we are being offered a substitute. Mme. Claussen insists that the artist and the minister are well aware of this, and that, if they are not, they are insincere representatives of their calling. A correspondent objects to a criticism in the Musical Courier of March 2 which spoke in enthusiastic terms about Josef Hofmann’s recital of February 22 but made some reservations regarding his intermittent stressing of tone and pedalling on that occasion. Our correspondent is heated needlessly for the Musical Courier yields to no one in its great admiration for Josef Hofmann whom it considers one of the prodigious pianistic figures of all time. He has passed beyond the stage and period of criticism and his fame would be secure even if twenty Musical Courier critics discovered that at this or that concert he played a few tones too forcefully for their ears or struck a wrong note or made any other slip. It is the privilege of Homer to nod once in a while and the little human frailties that beset even such phenomenally gifted artists as Hofmann, an intellectual and musical giant, are what makes them such fascinating personalities and performers to the public. -----<$>--- Watching “Manon” at the Metropolitan one evening last week:—just one of the regular repertory performances—our heart swelled with a bit of American pride. Geraldine Farrar and Mario Chamlee were carrying the performance on their shoulders, a performance that cannot be duplicated in France itself today. Miss Farrar has not the greatest voice in the world as far as vocal beauty goes, but as an instrument for expressing emotion, it is hard to recall anything more effective; and as a singing actress she is quite in a class by herself. It is difficult to believe that she really is not to sing at the Metropolitan next season. Chamlee, three years ago, was a youngster just back from the war and singing in vaudeville; now he is doing leading roles at the Metropolitan and |V\VSICAL(gVRIER Weekly Review Of TH£ World's Music Published every Thursday by the MUSICAL COURIER COMPANY, INC. ERNEST F. 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........................General Manager .......Editor-in-Chief .......Associate Editors General Representatives LEONARD LIEBLING H. O. OSGOOD WILLIAM GEPPERT FRANK PATTERSON CLARENCE LUCAS RENE DEVRIES J. ALBERT RIKER OFFICES CHICAGO HEADQUARTERS—Jeannette Cox, 820 to 830 Orchestra Building, Chicago. Telephone, Harrison 6110. BOSTON AND NEW ENGLAND—31 Symphony Chambers, 246 Huntington Ave., Boston. Telephone, Back Bay 5554. LONDON, ENG.—Cesar Saeeohinqer (in charge), Selson House, 85 Queen Victoria Street, London, E. C. Telephone 440 City. Cable address Musicrier, London. BERLIN GERMANY—Cesar Saerchinger, Passauer Strasse 11a, Berlin W. 50.’ Telephone Steinplatz 3 4 73. Cable address Musicurier, Berlin. PARIS. FRANCE—Theodore Batter. 10. Rue de l’Elysee. 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, 1883, at the Post Office at New York, N. Y., under the act of March 3, 1879. THE MUSICAL COURIER EXTRA Published every Saturday by Musical Courier Company Devoted to the interests of the Piano Trade. New York Thursday, March 16, 1922 No. 2188 “Variationettes” expected to reprint certain documents today which would show who really wrote the libretto of “Aida,” but lack of space prevents the revealment in this issue and the nations must wait until next week. ■----e---- John F. Porte, the young English musician and writer, whose book on “Edward MacDowell, His Life and Music,” is soon to appear from the press of Messrs. Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., Ltd., of London, has been invited to conduct the first performance at Hastings, England, of MacDowell’s third symphonic poem, “Lamia.” _--------- When John McCormack cannot think of anything else to do he buys two or three paintings to add to the splendid collection he already owns. His latest addition is two fine examples of the French eighteenth century artist, Boucher—“Diane et Endy-mion” and “La Musique”—purchased by Mr. McCormack from the Knoedler Galleries and formerly part of the famous Wallace collection in London. -------------------------