May 25, 19 22
Musical courier
50
The musical illustrations have been written to give the average organist with a fair amount of harmonic knowledge and rather more than a fair amount of musical intelligence, an idea of what is expected of him. These are “first lessons.”
They are, indeed, the “first lessons,” but very stimulating in themselves and bound to lead any intelligent organist to a further development by himself of what is really a most fascinating art, an essential part of organ playing.
(Harold Flammer, Inc., New York)
“RITA”
This Spanish ballad by Isabelle Underhill, has all the “Spanish” elements that have been popular with composers large or small for the last half a century. If unoriginal, it is at least tuneful and singable.
(John Church Company, New York and Cincinnati)
“THE ROAD TO ARCADY”
This ballad, by 1William G. Hammond, is the work of a musician with an attractive gift of melody, feeling for piquant harmonies and the ability to make the rhythmic line something out of the ordinary. A thoroughly effective song.
“MARY DARLIN’ O’ MINE”
A simple little song by Jessie Mae Jewitt, with an attractive and catchy refrain. A good encore number or may be used to advantage to lighten up a final group.
“I NEED YOUR LOVE AND YOU”
A straightforward song in ballad style by Jessie Mae Jewitt. The singer will take the alternate reading at the very end unless he is capable of more acrobatics than the average voice will stand for.
“DAWN LIGHT AND BIRD SONG”
Oley Speaks, a favorite song writer, has been supplied with a thoroughly attractive lyric by Brian Hooker and has set it to effective, singable music. The song has a big-climax and cannot fail to make a decided “hit” with any audience if well sung.
(M. Witmark & Sons, New York)
“PERHAPS”
H. E. Van Surdam has written a pleasant and simple tune which makes few demands upon the singer and sets forth without pretense the verses of the lyric writer, Loren Palmer, the sentiment of which is delightful.
“LOVE SHADOWS”
Arthur A. Penn knows the ballad formula backward and forward. In “Love Shadows” he has once more written an attractive, singable tune that seems bound to win popular favor. The composer is evidently familiar with all the most popular songs of the last thirty or forty years. The ear catches reminiscences of three of them—and good ones they are—in this song.
“OTHERS”
Again Arthur A. Penn has written an earnest, straightforward sacred song, expressing fervently the sentiment of the text motto, “Help me to live for others that I may live like Thee.”
(Enoch & Sons, New York and London)
“QUAND IL PLEUT” (When It Rains)
This is a bright and attractive scherzo for piano by Leff Pouishnoff, built up on the repeated note motive which composers have selected since time immemorial to represent the patter of rain drops. Mr. Pouishnoff, scorning Chopin’s G sharp rain drop, tunes his occasionally to D sharp and occasionally to C sharp.
(Chappell-Harms, Inc., New York)
“THE LOVE STAR”
“The Love Star,” a ballad, has enough tune in it for three or four ordinary numbers, an especially attractive feature being a variant in half the refrain, which enables the tenor to show off all the highest notes he has, or may be used in connection with the regular vocal line as a counterpart for soprano or tenor, according to which voice is singing the ballad. It is by Lao Silesu.
“BUTTERFLY WINGS”
This is one of those butterfly and flower songs which have regularly recurring periods of public favor. The tune is attractive and takes more singing than the ordinary ballad. The composer insists upon putting his accent on the middle syllable of “clematis.” Perhaps it belongs there —in England. By Montague F. Phillips.
(Oliver Ditson Company, Boston and New York)
“HONEY CHILE”
A simple, straightforward little negro ballad with a distinct “heart appeal.” Charles Huerter has been a favorite song writer for many years, and this is one of his numbers which should be distinctly popular, difficult neither for voice nor piano, and published in two keys. By Charles Huerter.
(/. Fischer & Brother, New York and Birmingham, Eng.)
“A NEGRO DEATH SONG” (Chorus for Men’s Voices)
Paul Lawrence Dunbar, lamented negro poet, who died all too early, wrote the text of this seven-page octavo part-song for men. There is a separate solo tenor necessary, although a high baritone could sing it, the range being below F for the most part. It is the song of one who awaits death. There is a humming chorus accompaniment in part, and it will be very effective if rightly sung. “To the Elks’ Glee Club” (B. P. O. E. 44), Minneapolis, Minn. By Mentor Crosse.
“A NEGRO LOVE SONG” (Chorus for Men’s Voices)
This is different, bright and happy music, also with solo tenor voice, but with high G’s and F’s, and even a B flat. The verse is also by Dunbar, and both text and music are full of contrast, with humor, expressiveness, pathos, merry moments, some of it “coaxingly,” some of it even laughed, or heartily sung on the words “Ha! Ha 1” Also dedicated to the Elks’ Glee Club. By Mentor Crosse.
“TRIM SHIP” (for Men’s Voices)
A lively “Ahoy” shipmen’s song, hearty and spirited, being the twenty-seventh work of Mentor Crosse. It is almost march-like in tempo, with crisp words, emphasized, leading to a fine climax and a short and shrill “Wow” 1 with which (the second time) it closes. Dedicated to the Minneapolis Apollo Club and its skilled director, Hal. S. Woodruff.
REVIEWS AND NEW MUSIC
BOOKS
(Dodd Mead & Company, New York)
“SAINT-SAËNS”
By Arthur Hervey
The author of this book was born in Paris, of Irish parentage, in 1855, and has lived in France and England chiefly. The point of view is rather English than French. It is in no way American. He is a composer himself, has been music critic on several London papers, and has other biographies to his credit—“Alfred Bruneau,” “Franz Liszt,” “French Music in the 19th Century,” etc. He appears to have known Saint-Saëns personally very well and this fact adds to the value and importance of the story he has to tell. It lends weight to his description of the man—his great simplicity, affability and entire absence of ostentation, of his great conversational powers, the rapidity of his speech, his quickness, vivacity, the speed with which he worked, etc. The book is chiefly interesting, indeed, in those portions which deal with the artist’s personal traits—the chapters headed “The Artist,” “Literary Works,” opinions on music and musicians. The balance of the book is rather dry and monotonous tabulation.
The author is singularly ineffective in his manner of outlining facts. He makes events as simple as possible, robbing them of every vestige of romance, and it is only in the chapters above alluded to that Saint-Saëns appears to live at all.
One point that will be rather a surprise to most readers, is the magnitude of the composer’s musical output. A complete list of his works is given at the end of the book and it adds up to nearly 350 single compositions: twelve ■operas, one ballet, incidental music to seven plays, thirty-eight choral works of large size and many anthems, twenty-two orchestral works, twenty-two compositions for solo instrument and orchestra, twelve organ works, twenty-six pieces of chamber music, one piece for harp, three for military band, eighty songs, twenty piano pieces, ten piano duets, and fifty transcriptions. In addition to all this he found time and energy to publish thirteen books of essays, to hold a position as church organist, to tour the world as a solo pianist and to do some teaching. How did he do it? The only answer is that he possessed enormous facility, otherwise known as technic. He could get his music and his literary works on paper quickly, he could play without the need of practising many hours daily, he was not burdened with introspection, not hampered with any great weight of passion nor depth of feeling.
That, of course, was his strength and his weakness. Had his symphonies and his operas possessed either more greatness or more depth a greater number of them would perhaps have taken their place on the regular repertory of our orchestras and our opera companies. Nor does his biographer succeed in making out a very strong case in his favor. It is evident that he wrote a lot of highly effective music—practical music—but the best of it is light. He possessed the gift of pleasing melody and of harmonic and orchestral color, but there is very little of his music by which we are greatly moved.
And yet Saint-Saëns was a great musician and a great man—undoubtedly one of the greatest of all French composers. Mr. Hervey shows his breadth, his intellectuality, his freedom from envy and jealousy, his understanding of all good music and reverence for all great music irrespective of school or nationality. He said himself that he loved and learned from Wagner, but that that was no reason why he should not love other composers. It is a thing we might all take to heart with benefit to ourselves. F. P.
YEATMAN GRIFFITH
Teacher of FLORENCE MACBETH, Prima Donna Coloratura; LENORA SPARKES, Lyric Soprano, and other prominent Artists. Studios: 318 West 82d St., NEW YORK CITY. Tel. Schuyler 8537
sKERR
BASS BARITONE
RECITALS IN ENGLISH, FRENCH,
ITALIAN AND NORWEGIAN 561 West 143rd Street, Nevr York City. Tel. 2970 Audubon
DR. CHERUBINO RAFFAELLI
From Royal Conservatory, Florence, Italy TEACHER OE SINGING AND PIANO .
602 West 137th Street. New York City Telephone Audubon 5669
SCHILLIG
OTTILIE
Recital
Concert — Oratorio
Management: Wolfsohn Musical Burean	8 East 34th Street, New York
COLORATURA
SPERANO
Opera and Concert
ALLABACH
Personal Address : 710 Madison Ave., Toledo, O. Management: LOUIS BRAND
R
A
C
H
E
L
OPERATIC and CONCERT TENOR Graduate, Royal Conservatory of Music MILANO, ITALY 125 East 37th Street New York
GIUSEPPE BOGHETTI
Vocal Studios: 1710 Chestnnt Street Philadelphia, Pa.
Professor of Choral ^iusic, Columbia University Address 39 Claremont Ave.
Walter
Henry
William S. BRADY
TEACHER OF SINGING
Studio: 137 West 86th St., New York. Tel. Schuyler 10099
CHARLES SANFORD SKILTON
COMPOSER and ORGANIST
Lawrence, Kansas
University of Kansas
MARIE SUNDEUUS Soprano
With the Metropolitan Opera Co.
Exclusive Management:
HAENSEL & JONES,	Aeolian Hall, New York
Edwin Franko Goldman
CONDUCTOR THE GOLDMAN BAND ‘*A Symphony Orchestra in Brass’'	Colombia University Concert•
Personal address: 202 Riverside Drive, New York
MUSIC
(G. Schirmer, Inc., New York)
“BENEDIC ANIMA MEA” (for Organ)
These are three short prelude improvisations—the first rather majestic in character, the second and third distinctly luric. Useful short numbers for the church organist. By Sumner Salter.
“SPRING SONG” and “LA GONDOLE”
By Rudolf Friml
Carl Deis has made two workmanlike and not too difficult transcriptions for piano solo of these short, tuneful and attractive pieces by Rudolf Friml, originally written for violin and piano. “La Gondole” is a slow, dreamy canta-bile, while the “Spring Song” is not unrelated in genre to its famous namesake by Queen Victoria’s favorite composer.
“THY BIRTHDAY” (Song for Low Voice)
Henry Edmond Earle has set music to his own translation of the French text by George Du Maurier. Speaking of a birthday, he calls it “Natal Day.” The text and the music, a simple and unoriginal tune, sounds indeed as if it were written by some one who would refer to anyone’s birthday as his “natal day.”
“FIRST LESSONS IN EXTEMPORIZING”
Prof. Hamilton C. MacDougall, who has been at the head of the music department at Wellesley College for the last twenty years or so or more, presents in this booklet a very short, concise and practical treatise on an art that is very little known nowadays. What the author says in the preface sets forth exactly what he has undertaken— and what he has accomplished:
Experience teaches every church organist that the ability to extemporize even in modest fashion is not only a very convenient thing, but also, very often indeed, a positive necessity. Natural aptitude and intelligent practice are the foundations _ of good extemporizing as indeed they are of good organ playing. Natural aptitude alone will not enable one either to play the organ well or to extemporize on it acceptably; one must practice extemporizing regularly, day by day, over and over again, just as one practices the pieces in one’s organ repertory. Since improvization is something that forms a part of the business of every organist, the present little book is extended as a helping hand. No attempt is made to teach more than can be taught, to do more than give the player a fair start, nor to induct him into the mysteries of the whole-tone scale, the Wagnerian endless melody, or the modern dissonant style.
570 West 156th Street, New York City
Phone 8197 Audubon
? COLLEGE OF MUSIC
New Building—114-116 East 85tlt Street
Founded for the Higher Education in all branches of Music Conducted on the same plane of the European foremost conservatory. Over 40 eminent instructors.
Piano Department..........August Fraemcke, Dean
Vocal Department...............Carl Hein, Dean
Harmony, Counterpoint, Composition. .Rubin Goldmark, Dean Vocal Students have exceptionally good opportunity for Grand Opera and acting.
Terms reasonable.	Catalog on application.
GEORGE S. MADDEN
BARITONE
Master Singer Concert, Recital and Oratorio
‘־He displayed to advantage his excellent diction and artistic sensibility.” —AT. Y. American
GEORGE H. LAWSON, Manager
267 Macon St. Brooklyn, N. Y. Phone 7992-W Decatur