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MUSICAL COURIER
NEW YORK CONCERTS
Thursday, April 20
Amy Grant, opera recital, morning............Aeolian Hall
Singers Club of New York, evening............Aeolian Hall
Germaine Schnitzer and Andre Polah, evening..Town Hall Friday, April 21
Julius Koehl, piano recital, evening.........Aeplian Hall
“Miss Bobby” Besler, song recital for children, afternoon ..........................................}.Town	Hall
Saturday, April 22
Bronislaw Huberman, violin recital, afternoon. Aeolian Hall
Olga Carrara, song recital, evening..........Town Hall
Sunday, April 23
Fritz Kreisler, violin recital, evening.....Carnegie	Hall
Young Men’s Symphony Orchestra, afternoon,
Aeolian Hall
American Guild of Banjoists, Mandolinists and Guitarists, evening...................................Town	Hall
Sunday night concert............Metropolitan	Opera	House
Monday, April 24
Michael Banner, violin recital, evening......Aeolian	Hall
Bachaus, piano recital, evening.................Town	Hall
Pavlowa,	evening...............Metropolitan	Opera	House
Tuesday, April 25
Pavlowa,	evening...............Metropolitan	Opera	House
Wednesday, April 26
Pavlowa,	evening...............Metropolitan	Opera	House
An	Unusual Production
The Neighborhood Playhouse announces that on Saturday evening, April 22, it will present a festival, based on the Walt Whitman poem. “Salut au Monde,” with music by Charles T. Griffes. This festival was in preparation two years ago, but the death of the composer, in April, 1920, made it necessary to postpone the performance until the original manuscript could be deciphered and arranged. This has been done by Edmund Rickett.
This offering is, in effect, a memorial to the memory of Griffes, who stood for the best hopes and promises of American music. The music is scored for wind, harps and piano, and will be played under the direction of George Barrere. Besides, the orchestra, there is choral singing, and five short scenes in which authentic ritual music will be chanted.
The unusual form of the production—the type of orchestra, the combination of singing, movement, choral speech, and orchestral music—gives promise of a unique and important contribution to American musical literature.
Betty Gray’s Activity
For Betty Gray, American mezzo contralto, the season 1921-22 has been the busiest of her entire professional career, and although the season is nearing its close she has bookings ahead which will still keep her before the public for some time to come. She recently appeared at five concerts in one week, scoring a success at each.
From present indications the season 1922-23 promises equal activities for Miss Gray, as numerous applications for appearances have already been made. She is one of those singers whose high art, charm and personality endear her to audiences wherever she appears.
GENIA ZIELINSKA
Polish-American Soprano (Coloratura)
Photo by Mishkin
Miss Zielinska’s delightful voice and unusual vocal ability won for her enthusiastic applause.—New York Herald.
Address: Secretary, 411 West 114th Street New York City
uardo, Helena Devonia, Lucille Banner and Salvatore Sci_-arretti, Luigi Lombardi, Antone Ingrao, Alberto Amadi, Silvio Garavelli, Vito Moscato, Espartero Palazzi, Joseph Sorgi and Pierre Remington. Max Fichandler will be the musical director.
Florenza d’Arona Dies at Seventy-two
Florenza d’Arona died recently 'in Malaga, at the age of seventy-two, after suffering from appendicitis for three days.
Mme. d’Arona was born in Massachusetts. She made her debut when five years old at the Edinburgh Opera House. A year after her debut she began piano studies with Sir Sterndale Bennett, one of the most refined and classical composers of his time. When twelve years old she sang and played piano solos at the Crystal Palace concerts with her mother, the Hon. Elizabeth de Gremeley, and Sims Reeves, the orchestral accompaniment being led by Sir Michael Costa. After an engagement with the Corri English Opera Company through Great Britain and Ireland, she was taken to Italy and placed under Francesco Lamperti, from whom her mother had received vocal instruction. She was for
THE LATE FLORENZA D’ARONA
The inscription on the photograph reads : “To my intelligent pupil, Edith Ruland, with love and esteem. Florenza d’Arona.”
eleven years a student with the world renowned masters, Francesco Lamperti, Antonio Sangiovanni (Milan, Italy), Pauline Viardot and Delle Sedia (Paris, France). She was prima donna contralto of the principal opera houses of Italy, France, England Scotland, Havana, Mexico and the United States, and later in life became one of the greatest vocal teachers in the world. Her repertory consisted of thirty-two roles and she appeared in them in all the principal cities of the United States.
After an engagement with the tenor, Brignoli, in the large American cities, Mme. d’Arona signed a ten months’ contract with the Havana and Mexican Grand Opera Company. The people of these countries being of the Latin race, express their delight very enthusiastically. Instead of the conventional bouquets, living doves were thrown upon the stage, tied with long ribbons, by which the prima donna secured them and took from their necks the valuable presents that were always attached.
The prima donna later retired and devoted her time to imparting the art which she had so thoroughly and laboriously gained, an art to which she devoted her entire life. Edith Ruland has written a book about this remarkable woman which it is said will be of great assistance to the musical world.
Mme. d’Arona is survived by her husband, Baron Carl Le Vinsen, who is now residing in Denmark.
Easton Booked for Two Spring Festivals
Florence Easton, whose latest success at the Metropolitan Opera House in a leading role was as Fiordiligi in Mozart’s "Cosi fan tutte,” will appear at two •important spring festivals—at Syracuse on May 10 and at Ann Arbor on May 20. On May 26 Miss Easton will sail for Europe and return on October 20, devoting the intervening time to concerts before rejoining the Metropolitan Opera Company on November 15. Due to the heavy demands for concerts by her, the soprano, contrary to her general custom, will only remain at the opera for half the season, leaving the company the first of February and embarking immediately upon a Pacific Coast concert tour, followed by other engagements for recitals and concerts.
Bacheller Pupil Scores Success
Lillian A. Miller, lyric soprano, scored a decided success at her recital in Masonic Temple, Yonkers, N. Y., on March 21. Having studied for several seasons with Mrs. W. .E. Bacheller (her only teacher), she revealed qualities which promise to lead her to a high position in the musical world. Her program comprised many songs and arias, the most important being “Non so piu cosa son,” from “Don Giovanni,” Mozart: an aria from “Un ballo in Maschera,” Verdi; Liszt’s “Du biest wie eine Blume” and “II Bacio,” Arditi. In addition to this she was obliged to give several encores. She was accompanied sympathetically by Robert Huntington Terry.
April 20, 1922
MADRID
(Continued from page 28)
all “literary” influences and so raised to an “independent art.” With Wagner this new wisdom teaches that music was merely “ancilla theatri” (which explains, presumably, why the “Tristan” and “Meistersinger” preludes are such “untalented” compositions). It would not be hard to write a satire on this theme.
And the Public?
However, the public, with its well known naiveté takes quite another tack, and so far I have never noticed that a Madrid audience shows any particular liking for the compositions that were so highly praised in the press. But then, what does the public understand of music? It is theirs to pay, applaud and keep quiet, according to some people at least. But I think it will be different some day. The public, which comes to listen to music for “amusement” (in a primitive or a higher sense) is finally going to .strike, if it is constantly made to listen to things that tickle its ears but say nothing to its soul. And then it will be over with the latest “ism,” as it has been with all the “isms” before.
This was clearly evident in a concert with which Maestro Arbos, the leading Spanish conductor, opened his cycle, of six concerts with the “Orquesta sinfónica.” Arbos is a chevalier of the Légion d’honneur and the husband of a French lady and can hardly be regarded as Germanophile (though a pupil of Joachim). His program consisted of three German classics—the “Hebrides” overture, the “Meistersinger” prelude and Beethoven’s second symphony— and three modern works, one Italian, one French and one Spanish.
“Sauce Without Fish.”
The style of these three pieces, by Respighi, Ravel and Turina, is so similar that it is difficult to keep their nationalities apart. It is always the same—and in the long run fatiguing—“attnospheric” music, whether it is called "Roman Fountains,” “Daphnis and Chloë” or “Fantastic Dances.” It is all color without line, or, as the culinary adept, Rossini, once expressed it, “sauce without fish.” If one compares these works, abounding as they do in excellent qualities, with an ancient piece like the “Hebrides,” one begins to see what is the matter with these twentieth century musicians who have thrown the whole nineteenth century upon the rubbish heap.
That many of these modern musicians could produce quite different stuff if they only dared compose as thev want to can be seen in certain details, such as the temperamental opening of the “Fontana del Tritone,” by Respighi (a pupil of Martucci), or the third movement of Turina’s dance suite. Turina, who like Falla hails from Andalusia, is next to the latter the best young Spanish composer, and without doubt an accomplished technician.
Three Symphonic Series.
Arbos’ concerts, by the way, which are just beginning-now that the opera season is over, are our most interesting orchestral events. There is, besides, a popular cycle of the Philharmonic Orchestra under Perez Casas in the Circus Price, and still another series under José Lassalle with a newly founded young orchestra that is still of uneven merit.
The Spanish novelties of these concerts would hardly interest the outside world. Lassalle recently gave a festival concert of Spanish music only. One heard compositions by Cales (“Impressiones sinfónicas”), E. Serrano (“Canciones del Hogar”), R. Villar (“Las Hilanderas”), Julio Gomez (suite) and I. Jimínez (“Amanecer,” symphonic prelude and intermezzo from the “Boda de Luis Alonzo”). Nearly all of these are the average, more or less modern, decently made conservatory professors’ output. The intermezzo of Jiminez alone—a really delicious composition, which was encored by the public, has the magic of Spanish-Andalusian life and is imbued with an overwhelming temperament. The rest of Lassalle’s repertory was centered on modern German music (Bruckner, Mahler, etc.) and with this he was successful on the whole. But it was a hard job for a conductor who is not ultramodern. ...	Veritas.
Kossoff’s Pupils in Recital
Herman Kossoff presented six young pianists (artist pupils) in recital on Saturday evening-, April 8, in Rumford Hall, the participants being Rose Rabinowitz, Helen Junger, Gladys Dennison, Margaret Hopekin, Harriet Sadowsky and Sylvia Love, all revealing convincing results of the excellent training and development under the personal charge of Mr. Kossoff.
Miss Rabinowitz opened the program with “Le Papillon,” Lavalee, which was followed by two Bach “Inventions” played in a dignified manner by Miss Junger. Miss Dennison came next, playing “Gavotte,” Sgambati. Miss Hope-kin was heard in the difficult toccata and fugue, Bach-Tau-sig, as well as Schumann’s “Papillon,” later giving Chopin’s B flat minor scherzo. This young pianist revealed more than the ordinary technical development as well as musician-ship, her unusually good work winning for her sincere applause and many recalls. Miss Love played with much intelligence Schumann’s “Aufschwung” and “Warum,” as well as “Praeludium,” op. 10, No. 1, by MacDowell.
Little Harriet Sadowsky, a child of only fourteen, gave an excellent account of herself playing the sonata, op. 53 (first movement), Beethoven; “Perpetual Motion,” Weber; G minor prelude, Rachmaninoff; “Etincelles,” Moszkowski, and “Marche Militaire,” Schubert-Tausig. Her work disclosed sincerity and understanding and she won the approval of the large audience, being recalled innumerable times.
Mr. Kossoff deserves a word of especial praise .for his unusually fine work so well displayed in these talented pupils.
Enter Liberty Grand Opera Company
A project is now put on foot to help the grand opera profession and at the same time to give good opera at popular prices. A company has been organized under the direction of Dillon Shallard and the season will be given at the famous Thalia Theater, 46 Bowery, New York. It will commence on Saturday, May 6, with “Aida.” The company will play every Saturday, Sunday and Monday, a matinee being given on Sundays through May, with the aim of continuing, for the summer.
The following artists have already joined the company: Jeanne Delune, Lillian Gresham, Marta Melis, Dora Ed-