MUSICAL COURIER
April 13, 1922
44
American composer—American in the sense, at least, of his complete freedom from foreign influences. Mr. Mon-teux had prepared the work with great care and gave it a stirring performance. It was well received and the composer, who was in the audience, had to rise and bow his acknowledgments.
Another novelty was Cesar Franck’s “Psyche” a symphonic poem for orchestra and chorus performed for the first time in its entirety at these concerts. The piece falls into seven parts: “Psyche Asleep,” “Psyche Borne Away by the Zephyrs,” “The Garden of Eros,” “Psyche and Eros,” “The Punishment,” “Lament of Psyche” and “Apotheosis.” As musical expression it ranges from the spiritual serenity that is characteristic of Franck to the sensuous longing and passionate desire of—shall we say “Tristan” ?—only more so. The tonal quality of the chorus was generally beautiful and the choral portion well done. Laura Littlefield, the well liked soprano, added^ another to her long list of successful appearances with this orchestra through her effective singing of the solo for soprano voice.
The program opened auspiciously with a fine performance of Handel’s concerto in F major for strings and two wind choirs which gave the oboes and horns abundant opportunity to display their far-famed virtuosity.
Young People’s Concerts Draw Large Crowds.
The last pair of Young People’s Concerts by the Boston Symphony Orchestra during the current season took place Monday and Wednesday afternoons, April 3 and S, at Symphony Hall. Mr. Monteux presented the same well-varied program on both occasions, viz., Mozart’s overture to “The Marriage of Figaro,” the minuet and finale from Haydn’s symphony in D major, “In a Boat” and “Procession” from Debussy’s “Little Suite,” the Slavic theme with variations from Delibes’ “Coppeiia,” Tschaikowsky’s “Nutcracker”• suite, and the introduction to Act III from Wagner’s “Lohengrin.”
Symphony Hall was filled to capacity with school children at both concerts. Their response was immediate and enthusiastic, especially to the rhythmic measures of Tschaikowsky. This series of concerts has been strikingly successful and will doubtless become a permanent institution.
Heifetz Plays.
Sunday afternoon, April 2, in Symphony Hall, Jascha Heifetz, violinist, gave a recital to the usual throng. Mr. Heifetz revealed his technical mastery and beautiful tone in Bruch’s “Scottish Fantasia,” Bach’s “Chaconne,” Beethoven’s “Romance” in G major, dances from Brahms and Sarasate, and the twenty-fourth caprice of Paganini. The violinist’s listeners demanded and received the customary extra pieces.	J• C.
Josef Konecny Meeting with Success
On their western tour Josef Konecny and his concert company are meeting with splendid success, playing before audiences which are not only large but also very enthusiastic. The press and public alike have accorded them much praise, as the following testimonial from the Friends in Council of Canon City (Col.) and the notice from the Daily Record of that city will attest:
FRIENDS IN COUNCIL
Canon City, Colo., March 4, 1922. Dear Mr. Konecny:	,
We want to thank you for the very delightful program rendered by you and your company of artists under our auspices. It is a real pleasure to present an artists’ recital to the public, which is so entirely satisfactory in every way as the effort of your company has proven.	.	f .
The Canon City people who were privileged to attend this concert have nothing but words of praise for all three of you. The concert came up to our highest expectations, both in the individual work and the balancing of the program, which was so arranged as to be pleasing to all of the audience.
We understand that you are to appear in several more Colorado cities on this tour and we hope that you will have the large audiences everywhere that your work so richly deserves.
Most sincerely,
(Signed) Mrs. W. C. Thomas,
President.
Friday was a red letter day for the music lovers of Canon City, when Josef Konecny, Bohemian violin virtuoso, and his assistants, Esther Luella Lash, soprano, and Thelma Martin, pianist, appeared in recital at the Methodist Church. The evening program was of a high order of artistry and was enjoyed by a goodly number of delighted listeners,	but there should	not	have been	a vacant
seat in the house.	Mr. Konecny proved to	be all that	one	could
wish and fully gratified the expectations of the most exacting. His playing is marked by the deepest artistry, and his numbers Friday evening were most	pleasingly selected	and diversified.	His	interpretation of the Nardini sonata for	violin	and piano	was	most
beautiful, and his execution of Spanish and Gypsy dances was brilliant, showing clean cut technic, as did the difficult	Aires
Russes” by Wieniawski, which closed the program. His encores were “Traumerie,” “Suwanee River” and the Beethoven minuet. The students of the violin could not fail to appreciate that Bach number, gavotte, from sixth sonata, which was played without accompaniment, as is usual. The playing of the “Song Without Words, an original composition, and the encore unaccompanied, was an innovation which was most pleasing.—Canon City (Colo.) Daily Record, March 4, 1922.
Concerts for Young People at Berkeley, Cal.
The Board of Education, Berkeley, California, recognizing the importance of musical training in the education of young people and the value of hearing frequent performances of good music, has endorsed and encouraged the continuance of the Young People’s Concerts which, for the past eleven years, have meant so much for the young people of the schools of Berkeley. In former seasons these concerts have offered such artists as the late David Bispham, Evan Williams, Horace Britt, Kajetan Attl, the San Francisco Chamber Music Society, the San Francisco Wood Wind Quintet, Sousa’s Band and other artists and organizations of prominence. This season there will be four concertsthe Trio Moderne, the San Francisco Chamber Music Society, the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, and a soloist to be announced later. Tickets are only 75 cents for the series. It seems to be a worthy undertaking and should find adequate support. The organizer and director is William Edwin Chamberlain.
Walter Mills Engagements
Walter Mills will be heard April 14 at the Academy of Music, Brooklyn; Hotel McAlpin, April 18; Plainfield, N. J., April 24, in a recital given by the Women’s Union Christian College; April 31, a joint recital with Daniel Wolf, pianist, Hotel Ambassador. After these dates Mr. Mills will leave for a short tour through New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio.
BÜRGIN QUARTET STIRS ADMIRATION
IN LAST CONCERT OF BOSTON SERIES
Gives Interesting Program of Chamber Music with Heinrich Gebhard as Assisting Pianist—New Gilbert Composition Played by Symphony—Stuart Mason Conducts People’s Symphony Orchestra—Other Items
degree of virility and understanding that^ is^ altogether rare in ‘concerts by chamber music organizations. They have notably enriched the musical life of this community and it is to' be hoped that local music-lovers will support Mr. Burgin and his confreres with the generosity that they have so well merited.
Stuart Mason Conducts People’s Symphony Orchestra.
Stuart Mason, assistant conductor of the People’s Symphony Orchestra, led that organization at its concert Sunday afternoon, April 2, at the St. James Theater. The program comprised*׳ Beethoven’s tuneful second symphony of his earlier years; a well-written “Lyric Overture” by Paul White, of the Conservatory faculty; a colorful tone-poem, “The Procession of Ro-cio,” by Turina, first played here a few years ago under Mr. Longy’s enterprising direction at a concert of the MacDowell Club and Liszt’s songful Hungarian fantasy for piano and orchestra in which Mrs. Anna Stovall Lothian, also of the Conservatory faculty, gave a brilliant performance of the piano part.
Mr. Mason’s excellent qualities as composer, teacher, writer and lecturer are too well known to require extended comment here; his recent appointment to the faculty of Harvard University, as well as his work at the Conservatory and Longy School, testify to his abilities in those fields. That he is no less admirable as a conductor was effectively demonstrated by his splendid success as a conductor at the concert of last Sunday. He was warmly applauded by a keenly appreciative audience.
Boston, Mass., April 9.—The Burgin String Quartet gave the fourth and last concert of its Boston series Tuesday evening, April 4, in Steinert Hall. Assisted by Heinrich Gebhard, pianist, the Burgins played Borodin’s quartet in A major, No. 1, music of strange, haunting beauty; Grieg’s unfinished quartet in F major, characteristic and agreeable measures that do not invariably avoid the commonplace; and Franck’s eloquent quintet, which, with the altogether admirable aid of Mr. Gebhard, rivaled by few pianists as an ensemble player, brought the concert to a brilliant close. A large audience was very enthusiastic.
Individually the members of the Burgin Quartet are un-
Novel Gilbert Music
at Symphony Concerts.
THE BURGIN STRING QUARTET
Last week’s concerts of the Boston Symphony Orchestra abounded in novel music. Henry F. Gilbert’s suite, transcribed from his music to the Pilgrim Tercentenary Pageant at Plymouth last summer, was heard for the first time. It comprises an impressive “Prelude and Norse Scene,” a charming “French and Indian Pantomime,” in which Mr. Gilbert has made effective use of^ folk melodies ; a truly savage “Indian Dance,” and a closing division of tragic despair, “Pestilence.” This is music of virile, heroic grandeur, written with that economy of means and rugged honesty that stamp the compositions of this genuinely
usually able musicians, each being the. leader of his section in the Boston Symphony Orchestra (Mr. Burgin as coneertmaster, Mr. Bedetti as solo cellist Mr. Fourel as first viola, and Mr. Thillois as leader of the second violins) Moreover, all have had experience, both here and abroad, in quartet playing. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that their performance of Tuesday evening disclosed a distinctly pleasurable euphony׳, smoothness and finish. Indeed, they are already approximating that perfection _ of ensemble which comes from incessant and arduous practice. The Burgins, furthermore, add to this technical surety a
_Q__fl—ÎL

Medium Voice
£
High Voice
Low Voice
---------
w
JL

Ten as the Flower”
Adapted from the poem “THE PASSION FLOWER" Poem by Laura Blackburn Music by Frederic Knight Logan
Frederic Knight Logan, the composer of the present season’s success, “Pale Moon,” and who first distinguished himself by writing “Missouri Waltz” has again delivered us a ballad, which we say without hesitation, to be as promising a number as we have ever published. We believe it is destined for universal use and to be appropriate for all purposes.
Three Keys. Price 40c.
i*׳
I