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May 25, 19 22
MUSICAL COURIER
Glaussen Soloist with St. Louis Symphony
On January 27, when Julia Claussen appeared in Kansas City as soloist with the St. Louis Symphony, the Times and the Journal of that city wrote as follows:
The audience heard a great singer. Julia Claussen is quite worthy to stand among those women who have made the tradition of the Wagner music-dramas. The soprano was able to bring to the concert stage much of the atmosphere of the opera. As she sang it, Senta’s ballad was an epic of sea love. Mme. Claussen made her voice like some strange instrument, a part of the orchestra, and yet lifted above it, unforced, yielding. Senta’s ballad is a test for the imagination. It is passionate and prayerful, and the picture it paints of the doomed sailor demands some of the deftest strokes in vocal literature. Although the “Love Death” carried audience and singer to greater heights of emotion, it voices a much more simple and direct sentiment. While Mmp. Claussen sang it with a great outpouring of emotion and with tremendous vocal power, her success in mastering the complexities of the ballad was a greater vocal and imaginative feat. Undoubtedly it will be longer remembered. In all she sang there was beauty of tone. Even against full orchestra in forte passages there was the sam־ warm loveliness of tone. Following Senta’s ballad she responded to five recalls^ and three after the “Love Death.” It is long since a Kansas City audience has displayed so much enthusiasm.—Kansas City Times.
The audience was the largest yet assembled for the series of night concerts and plainly relished the rich musical feast. There is little of gesture in Julia Claussen’s concert appearance, but much of voice and interpretation. In Senta’s aria from “The Flying Dutchman ’ she displayed the perfect head tone with as open delivery as she used in the mezzo soprano with which she is blessed, lhe yearning sweetness of “Traeume” gave value to the velvety quality and “Schmerzen” to the true timbre of the Claussen voice, but her greatest operatic heights were, of course, reached in the ‘Tristan and Isolde” aria.—Kansas City Journal.
Large Audience Hears Marie Morrisey
When Marie Morrisey appeared in concert recently in Wilkes-Barre, Pa, her native city, the Temple held one of the largest audiences of the season. Wesley E. Woodruff had the following to say in speaking of the contralto in his review of the event for the Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader: Wilkes-Barreans, addicted to the musical habit have not forgotten her appearance some time back, when the recital was accounted among the most delightful in our annals. Miss Morrisey is assuring to the eye as well as to the ear. She was in a queenly presence, tall and statuesque, certainly favored as to pulchritude, and adding the grace of manner and winning mobility of face. Miss Morrisey revealed her great equipment in tone and tone management in the monumental Bizet “Agnus Dei.” She remains true to our first impression of her—a warm glowing voice, ample in color, easeful in delivery and of a finesse in management that suggests what tone really ought to' mean, and all with a manner of ease and style that left the audience hungry for more She has gained since her appearance here in the subtle treatment of tone and particularly in the rare understanding of the mezzo voce—an
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critic of the Advertiser-Journal commending in part as follows :
,,	program was remarkably well balanced and brought out
the fine qualities of Mr. Swinford’s voice. The songs demonstrated the range and flexibility of the baritone’s voice in effective manner. ... The singer showed a complete understanding of the sentiments the composer wished to convey in the music. . . . Altogether, Mr. Swinford revealed a voice of rare qualities. It was at once flexible, well balanced and capable of wide range. His interpretation of everything he sang was sympathetic and intelligent.
Thomas James Kelly “Master of Conversational Education”
Referring to Thomas James Kelly’s series of Sunday afternoon “Four-o’clocks” in Cincinnati, the Cincinnati Enquirer said recently:
Nothing that society, allied with music, has contemplated this year has been accorded a higher measure of approval than the announcement in ? yesterday’s Enquirer of the proposed series of hour O Clocks which Mrs. Fenton Lawson’s committee of music !overs will present during Lent and immediately after Easter at the Cincinnati Country Club. These delightful causeries on musical topics, of timely interest, both classic and modern, have been arranged in response to a persistent demand for more “Pleasant Talks on Music by Thomas James Kelly, such as that master of conversational education has given with overwhelming success the past season at the Woman’s City Club.
Berumen Praised by Toledo Papers
Of Ernesto Berumen’s recent recital at Toledo all the papers of that city wrote enthusiastically. The Times said:
Berumen is a young man, but a man who possesses music not only m his finger tips but in his soul as well. He has a strong yet poetic touch and fluent technic. There is nothing artificial in his manner of presentation. He plays with assurance, precision and emotional skill. Boyish and temperamental, he likes variety in selections and programs, and knows how to choose them.
The Toledo Blade said:
This young Mexican has all the warmth and sensitiveness of the Latin temperament and weaves into his playing much color and beauty of tone. His recital program was evidently selected as a medium for expressing his temperament rather than for display-ing technical brilliance, and because of this choice proved most enjoyable.
Stopak Appears in Worcester
Recently Josef Stopak appeared in concert at Worcester, Mass., and won the following press encomiums from the leading papers of that city:
An enviable reputation had proceded Mr. Stopak, and his virtuosity, keen mentality, and artistic attainments proved him worthy of such praise. His program was, in a measure, technical, and such things demand the triumph of personality in their interpreter, rnu l i r‘ Stopak was able to impart in no inconsiderable degree. I he balance, detail and finish of his program was delightful.—Worcester Daily Telegram.
His mastery of the violin delighted the audience, and he proved himself a real artist.—Worcester Evening Post.
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Mr. Stopak played with spirit and excellent technic.—Worcester Evening Gazette.
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Gentle Scores Again in Concert and Opera
The versatile Alice Gentle has been winning new successes both in concert and opera as the following excerpts from the press will indicate:
Alice Gentle sang again last night, repeating her triumph of the night before. She is an artist of rich gifts, natural and cultural. Her voice is a pure soprano with just a touch of the mezzo that makes it warmer and more devotional in character than is usual in voices of such range and power. Her poise is charming. She looks as she sings and sings as she looks; always with perfect naturalness and consummate ease. Her mezzo voce effects were ethereal in their mysticism, presenting the greatest imaginable contrast to her impassioned vocalism.—Toronto Telegram.
Alice Gentle, the soloist, sang expressively in her group of songs, each of which demanded an entirely different mood. She captivated the audience from the beginning.—Toronto Mail and Empire
The Carmen excerpt was given as an encore in response to the fervid acclamations which followed her rendering of her grouo of songs.—Globe.
Alice Gentle, the chief soloist of the evening, sustained well her previous reputation here as an intense dramatic singer. She sang the air from Debussy’s “L’Enfant Prodigue” with a wonderful wealth of varied coloring and intensity of expression—as Debussy intended it to be. She did a marvelous piece of work in a song called ‘ Stars,” by Harriet Ware, and her rendering of the “Habanera encore was fine.—Daily Star.
In the title role (“Tosca”) Alice Gentle scored a splendid triumph Her portrayal revealed a careful study of the character. It was distinctly human, which accounts for the strong appeal it made to the audience. Vocally Miss Gentle rose to real heights. Her full-toned soprano rang out in all its opulence in the more impassioned moments of the opera, and was capable of “piano” effects of rare beauty when occasion required. The prayer, “Visse d’Arte,” has never been so exquisitely sung in this city for beside the deep emotion with which she invested it, she sang it with a purity of tone that was as entrancing as it was stirring.—New Orleans Item.
The Tosca of Miss Gentle is intelligently developed on the dramatic side and the fine grace of movement and mobile expression is only surpassed by the beauty and power of her fine voice.—New Orleans States.
Namara “a Delight to All”
The following excerpt from the Columbus, Miss., Spectator is only one of the many excellent criticisms received by the soprano, Marguerite Namara, on her recent tour:
On Monday night, April 10, Marguerite Namara appeared in the College Chapel m one of the most delightful Lyceums which has ever been given here. Possessing not only a beautiful face and an exquisite voice, she fascinated all with her own charm and radiant personality, for no one could resist the friendliness which she showed the audience, and the contagious enjoyment which she derived from entertaining us. Rarely do we find grace, beauty, talent and charm all in one person. Every fairy must have attended the christening of Mile. Marguerite with prize gifts!
Her voice, a clear beautiful lyric soprano, was a delight to all who heard. She sang with apparently no effort, her notes mellow and full in all ranges. Her program included a number of familiar selections, and an unfamiliar selection which was dedicated to Mile. Namara by Rudolph Ganz, director of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. This was “Memory” which she sang twice, as a special request was made for it by the audience. . . .
Mile. Namara was most generous with encores and responded again and again to the insistent college girls and faculty. She de-lighted^ us when she sat down to play her own accompaniment and fan» Annie Laurie” and “Coinin’ Through the Rye” and finally ‘ The Last Rose of Summer.” As some of her most ardent admirers still persisted she called “Mama, Mama” and insisted that Her teacher, her own Mother, come and play and sing with her. Their voices blended beautifully together and we reluctantly allowed them to go.
Mile. Namara was delightfully informal at times, and so adorably human at all time during her concert that we shall not soon forget her magnetic personality, and her exquisitely beautiful voice. We are indeed indebted to Miss Brown for securing such an attractive artist in a Lyceum and anticipate her return to the college at a future date.
Helen Buchanan-Hitner Sings “Elijah”
Helen Buchanan-Hitner’s appearance in Mendelssohn’s “Elijah” at the Grace Church, Harrisburg, Pa., was so successful that it resulted in a fine concert engagement for her. The critics had the following to say in reviewing Mrs. Hit-ner’s part in the oratorio:
Mrs. Hitner gave a charming rendition of “Hear Ye, Israel.”— Harrisburg Evening News, May 3.
Her voice is clear and brilliant and was especially gratifying to hear in the rapid-fire “Tally-Ho” by Leoni.—Harrisburg Patriot, May 4.
The stellar number for soprano in the oratorio is the aria, “Hear Ye, Israel,” and it served last evening to show the beauty and purity of the singer’s voice. Perhaps no soprano in recent years, and there have been notable soloists in Harrisburg at oratorio performances, has presented the words of Isaiah with greater satisfaction and to an audience that was so deeply moved.—Harrisburg Telegraph, May 3.
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Many Dates for Jerome Swinford
On May 8 Jerome Swinford was one of the soloists who appeared at the Newark Festival. May 10 found the baritone singing in “The Rose Maiden” in Quincy, Mass., and the following evening he appeared in the same city as soloist with orchestra. May 14 Mr. Swinford was scheduled to sing in Ridgewood, N. J. June 9 he is booked for an engagement in Passaic. Mr. Swinford is winning much praise for himself as soloist at the First Presbyterian Church, Yonkers.
His recent appearance in Auburn was a big success, the
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