27
AN UNUSUAL PIANIST
FREDERIC
DIXON
An unusually interesting debut.—New York T elegram.
Unusual tone and mature technique. Authoritative and original in interpretation.—
New York Tribune.
His audience was large and enthusiastic.— New York Herald.
He proved popular with his enthusiastic audience.—New York World.
Mr. Dixon’s outstanding fault was a pronounced sentimentality.—New York American.
Mr. Dixon is never sentimental. Fine sense of the dramatic elements of music.—New
York Telegram.
MASON & HAMLIN PIANO
MANAGEMENT:
WOLFSOHN MUSICAL BUREAU
8 East 34th Street, New York City Telephone: Vanderbilt 8840
MUSICAL COURIER
“Pioneer Dance,” as played by himself and reproduced by the Duo-Art piano, was followed by a group of songs by Joseph Mathieu, tenor. Mrae. Morton Harris, soprano, assisted by Jaffrey Harris at the piano, pleased in a group which included Leighter’s “My Lover He Comes on a Skee,” Kramer’s "The Faltering Dusk,” Manney’s “Consecration” and Terry's “Answer.” Gray Roberts, tenor, was heard in a group by Russell, Wilson and Rogers, assisted by Gertrude E. Clarke at the piano. There was an “Indian Dance” by Blanche Talmud and Bertha Uhr, festival dancers of the Neighborhood Playhouse, and a modern dance by La Deaux and Macchia.
Mr. Isaacson spoke on “Face to Face with MacDowell,” and Harold Morris, pianist, concluded the program with Stoessel’s “Seguidilla” and three of his own compositions.
Hanna Van Vollenhoven Scores at MacDowell Club
At the MacDowell Club on Friday evening, May S, a splendid program was rendered in a thoroughly artistic manner by Hanna Van Vollenhoven, pianist. Her numbers were varied in style and gave her ample opportunity to display both her technical and interpretative ability. Her facile technic, however, always serves but as a vehicle for her thought. Her touch is rich and sympathetic and she plays with sincerity and rare musical feeling as though she really enjoyed it. Her interpretations are poetic and still her playing has vitality. The Rameau-Godowsky dances were given with clearness and marked rhythm. The Schumann “Papillons” was a lovely, fanciful number, and her Debussy group was admirably given. “Mémoires,” by Elsa Stiefel, was given its first performance, and of this set of pieces the nocturne was decidedly the best. A large audience applauded her. The program follows :
St. François d’Assise........................................Liszt
La prédication aux oiseau
Renaissance ......................................Ra!meau-Godowsky
Mémoires, Nocturne, Mélodie, Valse, Remembrance.......Eisa Stiefel
(First Performance)
Papillons, op. 2 .........................................Schumann
Jardins sous la Pluie......................................Debussy
Poissons d’O'r ............................................Debussy
Arabesque No. 2 ...........................................Debussy
Valse (Posthumous) .......................................  Chopin
Polonaise, op. 53 ...................................... Chopin
Emma Calve at Benefit Concert
Benefit affairs are usually not reviewed in these columns, yet the appearance of Emma Calvé at Carnegie Hall, May 4, proved too interesting to neglect. Under the auspices of the St. Johnland Auxiliary of Women, for the benefit of St. Johnland, the great artist held the attention of her large audience throughout a varied program, proving again the great power of her personality and beauty of her voice. It was called^ her farewell recital of the season, and the program consisted mostly of opera arias in which she has won world renown. She refused to abide by the printed list and announced many of her offerings from the stage. Into many of these contributions she brought a touch of dramatic action which aroused the keen delight of the audience. Among her most important selections were three Marguerite arias, the prison aria from “Mefistofele,” the Jewel Song from “Faust,” an aria from “Damnation of Faust,” the racconto from “Cavalleria Rusticana,” and her favorite Habanera from “Carmen.” There were many other numbers and numerous encores.
Dorsey Whittington Gives Program
Dorsey Whittington, a talented artist-pupil of Edwin Hughes, gave a piano recital at Rumford Hall, Saturday evening, May 6. This young artist has many fine qualities, among them a splendid technic, a singing tone and poetic imagination. The ,Bach toccata and fugue was played clearly and _ incisively. The Beethoven sonata showed refined phrasing and good style, and his shorter numbers had good coloring. The Brahms rhapsody and the Liszt number revealed a sure and thorough technic.
He played the following program:
Bach-Tausig
.....Haydn
.. Beethoven .... Brahms Schumann .. Schumann . . •Palmgren .....Liszt
Toccata and fugue, D minor.... Andante and variations, F minor,
Sonata Appassionata ............
Rhapsody, G minor ..............
Warum ..........................
Tangled Dreams .................
May Night ......................
Dance of the Gnomes ............
Amy Grant’s Engagements and May Receptions
April 13, Amy Grant entertained at her studio. The artists were Audrey Roslyn, pianist, a pupil of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Morris; Baroness de Torinoff, soprano, formerly of the Royal Opera, Petrograd, with monologue by Ann Emery and Mrs. Donald Campbell. Miss Grant will be at home Thursdays during May, from S to 7 o’clock. Her appearance in opera recitals during April included: Aeolian Hall, "Louise,” “Monna Vanna”; Woman’s Club Paterson, N. J., “Die Tote Stadt”; Summit, N. J., “Thais”; Carnegie Hall, New York, short recitations to music, and last act of “Thais.”
Sametini to Hold Kansas City Master Glass
The Horner Institute of Fine Arts of Kansas City has engaged Leon Sametini to hold a master class there for six weeks this summer. This class, however, will not interfere with Mr. Sametini’s summer master classes at the Chicago Musical College.
Boghetti Artist at Witherspoon Hall
Marian Anderson, contralto, will give a song recital at Witherspoon Hall, Philadelphia, on May 18. Miss Anderson is an artist-pupil of Giuseppe Boghetti, the vocal teacher, of New York and Philadelphia.
Jacques Gordon to Marry
Jacques Gordon, violinist, formerly of New York and now concertmaster of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is soon to marry Ruth Jacqbstein, a New York lawyer. ’
Irene Williams Sings in Buffalo
Irene Williams was heard in recital in Buffalo on May 3,
May 11, 1922
NEW YORK CONCERTS
The Kronold Memorial Concert
When the Rev. Dr. Rabbi Silverman, Charles D. Isaacson, Bendix T. Minden, F. W. Riesberg and a few others met in January on several successive Sunday afternoons and talked over preliminaries for a Hans Kronold Memorial Concert (for the benefit of the family), the last named, of the staff of the Musical Courier, was made head of a committee to secure the chairman for the affair. After due consideration he called on President Mme. Von Klen-ner, of the National Opera Club, to take over this important charge. For personal reasons Messrs. Silverman and Isaacson ceased their activities, but immediately upon taking full charge of the affair Mme. Von Klenner secured the invaluable aid of Henry Hadley, as chairman of the artists’ committee; Harry Barnhart, chairman of the committee of arrangements; John M. Fulton, treasurer. From that time on Mme. Von Klenner was the guiding spirit, her indomitable enthusiasm gaining all points.
The splendid attendance at the concert in Carnegie Hall, May 7, was proof that Hans Kronold, though dead, was not forgotten, as Mme. Von Klenner said in her inspired address. She thanked her club (the National Opera Club of America) for its practical assistance (personally she and members sold more tickets than anyone), and her speech was one of the unforgettable events of the affair. Wonder of wonders, there were no absent artists, as is usual at benefits, so the program of thirteen numbers, with its enthusiastic encores, was too long. Huntington Woodman, organist; Cantor Rosenblatt, with his high-voice effects; Maud Morgan’s ten harpists; Robert Murray, boy soprano; the Rubinstein Club, 100 singers, directed by William R. Chapman (Mr. Kronold was several times soloist with the club, and at the annual Maine concerts given by Mr. Chapman) ; Leo Schulz, and his twenty cellists, playing his own composition, “In Memory,” for cellos, double bass and tympani, as well as appearing as soloist, with an encore number; Julia Claussen, operatic prima donna; Earle Tuck-erman, baritone, and Andre Polah, violinist—all these contributed their great art in a way that money could not buy.
During the evening one noted the cello, draped with purple, with its broken string Mr. Kronold’s own instrument—this was designed by Mme. Von Klenner—and the musical and poetic climax of the affair occurred when, with darkened auditorium, a light only on the cello, the Rubinstein Club sang “The Lost Chord” as the closing number.
The present writer saw little Hans Kronold frequently as a boy, in the Leipsic Conservatory, where his sister, Selma Kronold, was a vocal student (later ■soprano at the Metropolitan Opera House) ; he was then an earnest, bright little chap, always on hand when his sister sang. Later when the entire family came to America, early ties were renewed. Professional association with him in concerts, in church, and elsewhere showed him a man of tremendous musical enthusiasm; he loved music, loved to play, was happiest in its expression, always good-humored, optimistic, and of happy disposition. He will be missed! F. W. R.
Leo Ornstein and the Ampico
Leo Ornstein and the Ampico appeared as joint actors in a film entitled “Immortalized,” given a first showing at Carnegie Hall on May 4, supported by a symphony orchestra conducted by Hugo Riesenfeld. The program opened with a concert of orchestra music—the “Sakuntala” overture, a minuet by Schubert, Grainger’s “Irish Tune” and Liszt’s “Preludes”—splendidly rendered under the direction of Dr. Riesenfeld. The film followed, and here is the story of it as near as memory serves to reproduce it:
It shows, to begin with, how great thoughts and great events have been immortalized in painting and sculpture. It then shows Ornstein at the Metropolitan Museum of Art' standing before the picture of the child Mozart playing for the court. Ornstein remarks to his sister that it is fortunate that that scene ■could be thus immortalized. Next we see Ornstein at the Ampico factory. His attention is attracted to playing in another room. He listens, then exclaims, “Ah! The great master, Godowsky.” He opens the door and passes through into—an empty room. There is nothing there but a piano. And the piano is playing the interpretation of the absent Godowsky. Ornstein is amazed. He says he would like to play the Rubinstein concerto. The next picture shows him recording this concerto, and shows, to some extent, how the recording is done. Next scene, Ornstein at home, practicing. Receives letter announcing that he is to be soloist at a concert. Goes out to drive in automobile; returning he hurts his left arm. Doctor declares he cannot play for a week or more. Concert the following evening. Decides to deceive his audience, pretending to play while the- Ampico does the playing, reproducing his recorded interpretation, which is the same thing. Next we see him in Carnegie Hall. Bodanzky is shown as conductor, so it is presumably at a concert of the National Symphony Orchestra. Ornstein sits in shadow while the rest of the hall is brilliantly lighted. He moves his right arm about as if playing. Applause. Ornstein, behind scenes, says he is ashamed to keep up the deception. He goes out on the stage, holds up his hand for silence, and tells how the Ampico played the concerto. Man in audience stands up and says, “Impossible! If it is true, repeat the work without going near the piano.” Work repeated while Ornstein stands aside. There are several interpolated scenes showing Godowsky, Rachmaninoff and others playing for the Ampico or listening to the Ampico. _
So much for the film. At the end of it the spotlight was turned on Ornstein, who was in a box. Then it was again turned on the piano (Ampico), which played a movement of Ornstein’s interpretation of the Rubinstein concerto. Spotlight again turned on Ornstein in his box. Bows. Applause. Curtain.
American Noon-Day Concert
It was American Day at Aeolian Hall on May 5. The noonday concert, given under the joint auspies of the Aeolian Company and the Evening Mail, Charles D. Isaacson, chairman, opened with the singing of “The Star Spangled Banner,” Dion W. Kennedy at the organ. John Powell’s