MUSICAL COURIER
18
April 6, 1922
Washington Heights Musical Club a Unique Organization
The Washington Heights Musical Club is a unique and important organization. It is conducted upon a plan that differs in some particulars from any other musical club, and it is a plan that will prove of inestimable value not only to those who have the good forturne to be members, but also to musical life in America. For the plan is sure to be copied in other cities, and it attends vigorously to the exploitation of one group that has gradually been crowded almost out of sight in America—the amateur.
Since America has acquired the wealth to support the greatest musical artists in the world, and to have the finest orchestras and the finest opera in the world, the amateur has gradually been lost sight of. What he could offer seemed of so little value that it appeared hardly worth cultivating, and amateurs who were even half-way good always got the commercial bee in their bonnets and wanted to become professional or semi-professional.
No country can thrive musically without the amateur. The talking machine and the piano player musicians who grind out their music mechanically cannot ever take the place of the active amateur who plays an instrument or sings, however badly. Quality, indeed, is the whole point of the matter. Under European professional influence quality has been so exalted for commercial reasons that the point has been reached where almost nothing else counts. “If we cannot have good music we ought to have no music,” so say the purists. And the writer has often heard these purists say that for amateurs to “dare” to play the chamber music of Mozart or Beethoven or the other great classic masters was an insult to the composers.
That is absolutely wrong, and it is such people as Jane Cathcart, organizer _ of the Washington Heights Musical Club, and her associates, who will, by their example, point out the error of such ridiculous worship of technical perfection to the exclusion of all else. This club has all sorts of meetings, from regular recitals by professional members to closed meetings at which amateur members perform, often performing their own compositions, and the enjoyment and profit they get out of it cannot be measured by the excellence of their performance. Love and enjoyment of music cannot be gauged by professional adequacy.
The open meeting at the Plaza on March 21 brought forth some excellent players—some professional, some amateur—• and demonstrated the importance of the club’s activity. A “Symphonie Concertante,” by Dancla, was played by Messrs. Goldman, Egbert and Eric Freund and Robert Low-rey. Miss Barrett played an arrangement for the left hand alotio of melodies from “Lucia de Lammermoor,” Gaston Turrian offered two Kreisler selections, Miss Cathcart and Robert Lowrey played Grieg’s two-piano arrangement of Mozart’s C major sonata, Ruth Kemper and Louis Wilson gave Tartini’s G minor sonata for violin and piano, Mary Houghton Brown rendered a set of piano pieces, Cyrus Witjas played some cello solos, Miss Kemper and Miss Wilson appeared again (Saint-Saëns’ rondo capriccioso), and the program was terminated with a trio in G major by Haydn, played by Gaston Turrian, Cyrus Witjas and Robert Lowrey.
It would be manifestly unfair and in bad taste to pick out and compare the relative merits of those in the above list who are amateurs and those who are professionals. That comparison has no point. The point is that they are one and all music lovers, gotten together to have a good time and to give the club members and their friends a good time—all of which they certainly accomplished.
. And, for the rest, the reviewer must end where he began, m a paean of praise for the club and its ideals. It is doing much to bring an understanding of music to people outside of the professional ranks, and to prove that there is pleasure in individual interpretation. If we can only prove in America that it is fun to make music, and worth the effort it costs to learn how to do it, we shall have made a long step forward in our musical progress, and it is only through such organizations as the Washington Heights Musical Club that this can be accomplished.
grand opera, the choruses, even the accordion music, all this, with the colorful costumes is entirely unique.
KrieIns Conducts Plainfield Symphony Orchestra.
. At Plainfield High School Auditorium, March 20, Christiaan Kriens conducted full symphony orchestra in the third concert of the second season, Winifred A. Schenck, pianist, and Elsie Goddard, soprano, soloists. Seventy-three members, both sexes, make up this orchestra, the president being G. W. V. Moy. They performed works by Smetana, Tschaikowsky, Bizet, and Meyerbeer. Miss Schenck played Mendelssohn’s concerto in G minor and Miss Goddard sang songs by classic and modern composers. This orchestra will collaborate׳ with the Kriens Symphony Club in its annual concert at Carnegie Hall in May, when there will be over two hundred musicians on the stage. They will travel from Plainfield to Carnegie Hall by private cars and stages, and a supper will be provided in New York.
Clarinettist Foerster Robbed.
What a German paper captions “An Impudent Robbery” took place in the home of William Foerster at Wood-Ridge, N. J., a fortnight ago. The burglars made their visit while the Foersters were at neighbor Hausknecht’s, and knew exactly where to find a thousand dollars’ worth of jewels, etc. Both men have been known for many years as members rf leading symphony orchestras of New York.
Junior Department of N. F. M. G. Activities
The National Federation of Music Clubs is an important organization, and now the Junior Department of the Federation shows every promise of becoming equally important. Although but practically in its beginning, it is already alive to its responsibilities and opportunities, and every day new and interesting phases present themselves.
Addye Yeargain Hall (Mrs. William John Hall), of St. Louis, Mo., is the national chairman of the Junior Department of the N. F. M. C., and it is largely due to her enthusiastic and sincere efforts that the department has grown so rapidly. She is now in New York in the interest of the organization, having been here several months, and has made a definite start with some plans which present big
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Six More Operas for Johnson
. Edward Johnson, tenor, of the Chicago Opera Association, is including in his repertory while on tour with that organization through the West as far as the coast, six operas in which he has never before been heard in the United States, although he has achieved some of his most notable successes in them in Europe and South America These operas are:	“Aida,” “Tannhäuser,” “Romeo and
Juliet,” “Louise,” “Boheme” and “The Girl of the Golden West. Mr. Johnson appeared in “Boheme” in Baltimore on March 6 and in “Aida” in Pittsburgh on March 11. In both cities he received a tremendous ovation. “Tannhäuser” was added in Milwaukee and sung again in St. Paul on March 18. In the latter city Mr. Johnson had ten personal curtain calls at the close of the opera. The other four works are being sung during the company’s engagement in San Francisco which began on March 27.
possibilities. In Missouri, where Mrs. Hall is a second vice-president and chairman of Artist and Individual Membership of the Missouri F. M. C., there is a department called the Artists Bureau, maintained for the mutual benefit of the state artists and_ musical organizations that are affiliated with the Federation. This year fourteen Missouri soloists have been presented in this manner with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. Mrs. Hall aims to have this same idea earned out m the junior clubs of the National Federation.
The Norfleet Trio is being presented by Junior Music Clubs throughout the country, and is giving special children’s matinees. Louis Svecenski, formerly of the Kneisel Quartet,_ says of these young artists: “I feel that the Norfleet Trio m this direction will prove as valuable and important for chamber music as the ‘Young Peoples’ Concerts’ given by the New York Symphony Orchestra, under Walter Damrosch, have been for symphony music.”
The idea seems to be working out well and meeting with favor, so that a national artists’ bureau for juniors may answer a vital need.
Special “Aida” Performance at Metropolitan
A special performance of “Aida” with Claudia Muzio and Giuseppe De Luca in leading roles, for the benefit of the National Child Labor Organization, will be given this after-noon, April 6, at the Metropolitan Opéra House.
Haywood Artist-Pupils Fill Engagements
Thomas Fuson, tenor, will sing Stainer’s “Crucifixion” at Madison, N. J., Good Friday evening. Mr. Fuson will give a joint recital with Ethel Wright Fuson, mezzo con-tralto, for the Saturday Musical Club, on April 19, at Asheville, N. C. This is the beginning of a series of concert engagements, which these well known artists are filling on a Southern tour. Marjorie Suiter, soprano, sang at a Tea Musicale in East Orange, N. J., on March 2S.
Blind Men’s Improvement- Club Concert. Manager Walter Anderson provided the Blind Men’s Improvement Club annual concert March 25, Aeolian Hall, with excellent artists, including Jeanette Vreeland, soprano; Josie Pujol, violinist;_ Norman Joliff, baritone; John Mel-drum, pianist; Dr. William C. Carl, organist, and Ola Gul-ledge, accompanist. Dr. Carl opened the program with the allegro from Guilmant’s first organ sonata. Miss Vreeland and Mr. Meldrum (blind pianist) won encores, as did Mr. Jollif, and a full house heard the very enjoyable program.
F. de Villa Ball’s Studio Recitals.
Louis Kress, pianist, who has studied with Frances de Villa Ball for five years past, gave an invitation recital at his teacher’s commodious headquarters, March 28. He played works by Schumann, Chopin, Griffes, Ravel, Mos-kowski and Schmidt. Youthful appearing, Mr. Kress has small hands but has accomplished a good deal, playing with poise and effectiveness. It is evident that Miss Ball sets him the example of a lovely tone at the piano, for this w_as always foremost in her own playing. Manly P. Boone, tenor, assisted, singing an aria and songs by modern composers. He has a fine tenor voice. On the afternoon of the same day Miss Ball’s junior class shared a program of eleven numbers, the players in the order of their appearance being Margaret Boyce, Alice L. Stevens, Helen Robinson, Ruther-furd Roesler, Juliana Koelle, Raymond Yerks, Helen Lasner, Rosalie Tucker, Bertha Lasner, Louise Carty and Marguerite Buckholz. All these youngsters did well, and their teacher was well satisfied with their performance. Miss Ball is one of the busiest teachers in the metropolitan district, having pupils in New York and Brooklyn, and visiting Washington, D. C., regularly every week.
Krebs’ “America” Often Sung.
One notes the appearance of S. Walter Krebs’ patriotic song, America! We Live for Thee,” on many programs, both in New York and elsewhere, the latest instance being a joint recital by Baroness Leja de Torinoff, soprano, and Pauline J. de Evia, pianist, in the grand ball room, Hotel Majestic, April 18. The baroness sang this song with much expression, so that there was special interest in it. In the same group there were songs by other American composers, namely La Forge, Bliss and Speaks.
Ruby Gerard (de Laet) in Bermuda.
From Ruby Gerard, the violinist, comes a postcard, postmarked “Bermuda,” in which she says; “Am having a wonderfully successful musical season here, playing before notables from all parts of the world. Am visiting at Government House at present. Perfect weather. Came January 14, remain until May.”
Wagner Program at Brick Church, April 7.
A Wagner program will be given at the Friday Noon Hour of Music at the Brick Church, April 7, by Clarence Dickinson, with Arthur Hackett, tenor; Willem Durieux, cellist, and Esther Rhoades, harpist.
Warford Artists’ Engagements.
Ralph Tomlinson, baritone, from Claude Warford’s studio, has been engaged for appearances as follows:	April 14
Yonkers, N. Y.; April 16, Goshen, N. Y.; April 28, Raleigh¡ N. C., and May 1, Rocky Mount, N. C.
Mary Davis, mezzo contralto, was the assisting artist at William Sur’s violin recital in Yonkers on the evening of March 29, and on April 2 she sang at the Church of the Holy Communion, Orange, N. J. Other engagements for Miss Davis include: May 8, Montclair, N. J., and October 2, Amherst, Mass. June 20, this young artist will sail for Paris, where she expects to devote several months to study.
Marjorie Lauer, soprano, and Gertrude McDermitt, contralto, gave a recital at the Women’s Club, Orange, N. J., on the evening of April 5. Both singers have renewed contracts at the Trinity Congregational Church of East Orange beginning May 1.
Musical Reading at Community Church.
The Friday Night Club of the Community Church, at 34th street and Park avenue, gave a pleasing evening’s entertainment Friday, March 24. Marian Leland read Tennyson’s “Enoch Arden,” while Rev. John Haynes Holmes at the piano played the Richard Strauss music to this poem.
Hoegsbro-Christensen Recital in Florida.
Inga Hoegsbro-Christensen, the Danish-American pianist, who has spent the winter in St. Petersburg, Fla., gave a recital there March 17. The Independent said of her in part:	“A distinguished and highly appreciative audience
attended the recital. Throughout her exacting program the artist played with fine effect, giving evidence of her sound musicianship and interpreting with great understanding. She was recalled and responded with several encores.
Genuine Russian Music Heard.
Morris Gest is presenting an all-Russian program in his “Chauvre-Souris” company at the Forty-ninth Street Theater, where, from beginning to end everything is Russian. Nikita Balieff’s originality is such that he successfully dares almost anything. Elie Zlatin is conductor of the very capable or-chestra, and the songs by Glinka, the parody on Italian
GEORGE HAMLIN
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dents at Lake Placid, N.Y., in the Heart of the Adirondacks, May 15 Until October 15,1922
Announces His Annual Summer School for Teachers and Vocal Stu-
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York, until May ״Oth (Thereafter Se Hadd N Y.)	״‘	״d ״art,culars : S"»' G«״S־ Hamlin, 1070 Madison Ave, Ne!