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MUSICAL COURIER
Rosa Ponselle Recaptures Boston
The capacity of Symphony Hall in Boston was taxed to its utmost on Palm Sunday night when Rosa Ponselle, dramatic soprano of the Metropolitan Opera Company, made her third Boston appearance in a recital under the local direction of Fred Mclsaac. The press of Boston appears to be unanimous in its favorable comment, practically all the critics agreeing that Miss Ponselle’s glorious voice is improving with the experience which her successive seasons at the Metropolitan and upon the concert platform are giving her, stressing particularly the fact that she is refining her style and has acquired a new range of characterizing color.
A feature of the recital was the fact that in one group she was accompanied, not by Stuart Ross, who is her regular accompanist this season, but by the Ampico, which was referred to by the Post as Miss Ponselle’s “dangerous rival,” this paper going on to remark that “when she would begin each one of them she nodded gaily to the instrument and forthwith it did its appointed task, as the saying'goes, with neatness and despatch.”
Miss Ponselle appeared in the grand ball room of the Waldorf-Astoria on Saturday afternoon, April 15, at the Rubinstein Club's recital, and again on Tuesday evening, April 18, at the Metropolitan Opera House in conjunction with the Mendelssohn and University Glee Clubs, under the auspices of the Vassar College Salary Endowment Fund.
which point she will proceed to Birmingham to join the Scotti Company for its spring tour through the South. Miss Gentle is already scheduled for fifteen performances in the four weeks of this tour.
Immediately upon her return from the Scotti Opera tour she is scheduled for Ravinia Park, where she will add several new roles to augment her already great popularity.
Many Musical Notables at Sammis-MacDermid Musicale
The fortnightly musicale at the home of Sibyl Sammis and James G. MacDermid, in New York, took on the character of a professional matinee on Sunday, April 9, when the following musical notables were among the guests: Patricia Abernathy, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Althouse, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Bomelli, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Cooper, Mr. and Mrs. H. H. Dietrich, Dorothy Duckwitz, Clara Gray,
Tittmann a Myron Whitney Pupil
There are other artists before the public who fill more engagements than Charles Trowbridge Tittmann, basso, who for seven years past has studied with his friend and mentor, Myron W. Whitney, Jr., vocal teacher of Washington and New York; however, few artists fill their engagements with greater success than he, and his success is all the more remarkable when one bears in mind that with him singing is only an avocation, for he is a professional lawyer, who has by reason of his business connections never been able to devote his entire time to music. His success he attributes entirely to Mr. Whitney, who has handed down to him the traditions of his father, Myron Whitney, the celebrated basso.
For the fourth time in the last five years Mr. Tittmann sang with the New York Oratorio Society, Thursday evening, April 13. when Bach’s “St. Matthew’s Passion” was presented. He was to have sung with the society last year, but a business trip to Europe made this impossible. For a number of years he has sung at the Bach Festival under the direction of Dr. J. Fred Wolle, and will appear again this season. He has won renown as a singer of Bach, and in his own opinion it is largely due to the fact that he has coached all of his Bach music with Mr. Whitney. He has appeared at leading music festivals, including Cincinnati, Spartanburg, Cornell, Worcester, etc. This spring he has filled a number of recital engagements, among them being a sixth appearance at the Ohio University.
Of his appearance at Huntington, W. Va., the Examiner of March 17 said: “Mr. Tittmann’s voice and personality completely won his audience. Seldom has Huntington heard a more delightful singer.”
AUSTRALIA-NEW ZEALAND-HONOLULU
INTERNATIONAL TOURS, Ltd.
Capitalization $125,000 Head Office: Sydney, Australia
Organized solely for the purpose of bringing artists of international reputation to Australasia.
-American
Representative
E. Behymer, Los Angeles■
Frederic Shipman, Managing Director 15 Castlereagh St., Sydney, Australia.
SIBYL SAMMIS-MacDERMID,
Mr. and Mrs. Adolph Close, Charles Gabriel, Jr., Sue Harvard, Nellie and Sara Kouns, A. Walter Kramer, Mr. and Mrs. Theo Karle, Augusta Close Leeds, Elizabeth Lennox, Florence Otis, Idelle Patterson, A. Russ Patterson, Mr. and Mrs. William Stickles, Archibald Sessions, Winifred P. Tryon, Claude Warford, and others.
Mrs. MacDermid sang arias from “Tannhäuser” and “Thais,” some small French songs, and a group of songs by A. Walter Kramer, accompanied by the composer—“Nocturne,” “Swans,” “The Great Awakening” and “The Last Hour.” The program is usually shared with an instrumentalist, and upon this occasion Harriet Porter Dietrich was heard in a group of piano numbers.	__________
SEASON 1922-1923
Dates Now Booking
HAENSEL & JONES Aeolian Hall, New York
Malkin
(Mrs. George McManus)
SOPRANO
30 Central Park South New York City
Florence McMANUS
SOPRANO
Direction: J. H. FITZPATRICK, Wind• or-Clifton Hotel, Chicago, 111.
ERNEST BLOCH, Musical Director 3146 EUCLID AVE., CLEVELAND, OHIO Mrs. Franklyn B. Sanders, Executive Director
'VIRGINIA. GILL Lyric Soprano
“A Voice ol Distinctive Charm”;	Now Booking lor Season 1921-1822
CONCERT-ORATORIO-OPERA
Address: 1014 Division Street	Camden, New Jersey
FAUSTO CAVALLINI
Leading Tenor with Scotti Grand Opera Company
Address: care ALFREDO MARTINO, 329 West 85th Street	New York
Author of the book “The Mechanism of the Human Voice.” Former teacher of ROSA PONSELLE. Teacher of FAUSTO CAVALLINI, leading tenor with Scotti Grand Opera Co.; IRENE WELSH, leading soprano with the Italian Lyric Federation.
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329 West 85th Street New York
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April 27, 19 22
PITTSBURGH GETS A TASTE
OF CHICAGO GRAND OPERA
Sousa’s Band Gives Two Stirring Concerts—Carnegie Tech Opera Produced—Olive Nevin and Harold Milligan in Song Recital
Pittsburgh, Pa., March 30.—The Chicago Opera Association takes first place in the line of musical entertainment of the past month. “The Love of the Three Kings,” “Faust,” “Salome” and “Aida” were gratefully received. The Strauss opera drew an audience beyond the capacity of the Syria Mosque and Mary Garden was applauded with unbounded enthusiasm. Edith Mason as Marguerite made a fine impression, and the trio—Baklanoff, Johnston and Lazzari—with Muratore in the lead of the stars, was unusually impressive.
Sousa’s Band Gives Two Stirring Concerts.
John Philip Sousa played two stirring concerts Saturday, March 25. At the matinee the school children came with their parents, who, a decade and two ago, had cheered the “March King” when he used to play in the great exposition each autumn. The audience remained deaf to the few classics on the program, but showed worthy appreciation of the old favorites, “El Capitan” and “Stars and Stripes Forever.”
Carnegie Tech Opera Produced.
At Carnegie Tech the first opera written by a student of that school was produced March 24. The libretto was taken from “The Violin Maker of Cremona,” by François Coppee. Around this charming story Matthew Frey has written a simple yet colorful score of considerable originality. The young composer also conducted the performance, which was artistically mounted and sung by other fellow workers in the music and drama department.
Olive Nevin and Harold Milligan in Song Recital.
Pittsburghers were at last privileged to hear the historic song recital of Olive Nevin and her talented partner, Harold Milligan, the American composer. The recital, “Three Centuries of American Song,” was given in costume, and Mr. Milligan’s brief lectures were instructive and delivered in a dear and intelligent manner.
A revival of chamber music has entered the ranks of Pittsburgh music lovers, and as a result several delightful musicales were heard during the past weeks. Margaret Horne, Mrs. Lawrence Litchfield and Victor Saudek are the chief organizers in these activities. For the benefit of the Schenley organ fund an unusual performance was given in the home of Mrs. Talor Allderdice, the program comprising a flute trio of Bach, the horn trio of Brahms, and a group of wisely chosen songs sung by Alan Davis, baritone, a new member of our music colony.
The second concert of the Mendelssohn Choir, under the direction of Earnest Lunt, brought a revival of Gounod’s “Redemption,” which suffered considerably in contrast to that composer’s “Faust,” sung the same week. J. F. L.
Tulsa Club Does Interesting Things
Among the Oklahoma organizations which are doing interesting things in a musical way, special mention should be made of the Hyechka Club of Tulsa, which was organized in October, 1904. The word Hyechka is a Greek Indian generic word for music.
Each year since 1907 the club has held a music festival, and the list of artists who have appeared includes such well known names as Schumann Heink, Florence Hinkle, Christine Miller, Arthur Middleton, John Finnegan, Evan Williams, Richard Czerwonky, Cornelius Van Vliet, Louise Homer, Leonore Allen, Albert Lindquest, Gustav Holm-quist, Galli-Curci, Antonio Scotti, Florence Easton, Francesca Peralta, Jeanne Gordon, Francis Maclennan, Orville Harrold, Charles Gallagher, Marie Sundelius, Mario Cham-lee, Mario Laurenti, Giovanni Martino, and this year, Titta Ruffo. There has also appeared at these festivals the New York Symphony Orchestra (Walter Damrosch, conductor)., the Victor Herbert Orchestra (with Mr. Herbert himself (conducting), the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra (Emil Oberhoffer, conductor) and La Scala Orchestra (Arturo Toscanini at the desk).
During these •years the club has also presented in recital many well known artists, among whom are John McCormack, Fritz Kreisler, Galli-Curci, Louise Homer, Alberto Salvi, Moissaye Boguslawski, Oscar Seagle, Mischa Levitzki, Georgette La Motte, etc. In addition there are interesting club meetings, at which members present the program and discuss topics of musical interest.
The officers for this season are: President, Mrs. Fred Severs Clinton; first vice-president, Mrs. Ned C. Rigsbee; second vice-president, Mrs. Charles E. Bush; recording secretary, Mrs W. B. Hudson; corresponding secretary, Mrs. G. Garabedian; treasurer. Mrs. John D. Freeman; reporter, Mrs. John Murray Ward.
Myra Hess Hates to Leave America
It has been said that many of the great pianists who come to this country to reap laurels and American dollars are usually happy when the time comes to return to their own country. But not so with Myra Hess, who has only been here about three months and already loves America so much that she was very sorry when she bought her return passage to England the other day.
When, with her manager, Annie Friedberg, she came out of the British Consulate at the Custom House, she looked down on crowded Broadway and the side streets and exclaimed with a sigh: “You know I cannot feel joyful when I think I have to go away so soon. Of course I shall be happy to see my mother and my dear friends again, but were it not for the• important English festival concerts, I would stay here. My thoughts are not now with my going awav, but I am already figuring how many months it will be until I see this country again and the many charming-people who have been so kind to me.
Gentle Fills Opera and Concert Dates
When the Scotti Opera Company leaves New York with ]jag and baggage it will be minus its leading dramatic soprano, Alice Gentle. Miss Gentle is booked for a series of concerts beginning with festival appearances with the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra in Toronto and terminating with a recital at the festival held in Pittsburgh, Kan., from