MUSICAL COURIER
June 1, 19 2 2
38
attention to detail, and big effect; he has never played better. Beatrice Pinkham, of Rhinebeck, N. Y., quiet, unpretentious, but with an energy all-sufficient, played Debussy’s “Arabesque” in A, Chopin’s F minor mazurka, and MacDowell’s polonaise, bringing out the playful moments in the “Arabesque,” the real humor in the mazurka, and attaining professional climax in the polonaise. Mercedes Ru-brecht, of Columbus, O., plays too seldom at these affairs; she gave great enjoyment by her poetical playing of a “Love Song” by Suk, for she has warm feeling, refinement and well developed technic. Others who appeared on the program were little Ida Rosen, violinist, and Misses Russell, Ascensio, Darvey, Travis, Gleason, and Andrea Bianchi, singers. Miss Wolverton was accompanist, as usual.
De Vore Wins Success with “The Three Elevens”
Nicholas De Vore, director of the National Academy of Music and editor-in-chief of the University Course of Music Study, has achieved a recent success as musician-in-chief and director of a musical play entitled “The Three Elevens,” given by the American Legion, Post 510, at Bayside, Long Island. An elaborate program was printed, giving an outline of the Great War, the Honor Roll of Bayside, details of the staff of the American Legion Auxiliary, etc. The object of the play was to start a fund for a Memorial Building for the Bayside Post, and the following note which appears on the program indicates in what esteem Mr. De Vore is held: “When the present project of the Bayside Post becomes an accomplished fact, we propose to dedicate space in it to the Norris Mason Drama League and the Nicholas De Vore Choral Society. _ The patient zeal of Mr. Mason and Mr. De Vore, their enthusiasm tempered by a high degree of professional skill, and their gracious sacrifice of time_and energy in arranging and producing this entertainment, have placed the post very greatly in their debt.”
“The Three Elevens” is a musical military play, with the scene laid in France, and it is notable that ■the music selected and arranged by Mr. De Vore was all of it American music. The entire work was an unqualified success— a big hit—and congratulations are in order for all those who took part in it.	p.
Marie de Kyzer to Spend Six Weeks in Oil City
Marie de Kyzer, soprano, gave a recital, April 8, at Oil City, Pa., which proved so attractive that she was asked to give a summer session in vocal music there. Accordingly she will return June 1, remaining for six weeks. She has had applications from Meadville, Titusville, Franklin and other nearby locations.
She has begun her work as solo soprano of the First Presbyterian Church of Yonkers, singing at the morning service only.
Engagements for Herma Menth
Herma Menth’s recent appearance in Ridgewood, N. J., was so successful that she already has been engaged for another recital next season. May 11 the pianist played at Wurlitzer Hall in New York and was well received. May 17 she was booked for her third recital this season at Canton, Ohio.
Harold Henry Plays in Vienna
Harold Henry, American pianist, appeared with marked success in Vienna on May 4. The audience stayed until it was put out, demanding one repetition as well as four encores. Mr. Henry was scheduled to play in Berlin soon after, from where he will go to Paris.
Capouilliez Sings “Love Sends a Little Gift of Roses”
Reed Capouilliez, bass, sang successfully Openshaw’s “Love Sends a Little Gift of Roses” at a song recital at the Shelton Methodist Episcopal Church, New York City, on May 3.
SWAY HE
WAGER
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Bach from memory, improvises five-part fugues on motives given him off-hand, and handles the greatest technical difficulties with apparent ease. Just before Mr. Shattuck left Paris, Dupre was giving a series of sonata recitals at the Trocadero, alternating with Bach and Franck, having just completed his Bach series at the Conservatoire.
Speaking of improvisation, Mr. Shattuck said he was reminded of Paula Szalit, a prodigy of a few years ago, who withdrew from public life for a time but is now making an effort to regain the lost ground. It is told of her that, on her first appearance in Berlin, Hanslick was unable to be present and requested a private hearing. It was granted, and the great critic expressed himself as amazed at her facility and musicianship, and touched upon the matter of improvisation. Miss Szalit remarked that she had some skill in that direction and improvised a long fantasy upon a motive given her by Hanslick, ending up with a double fugue.
Such things, said Mr. Shattuck, do not necessarily indicate the_ possession of the sort of artistic depth or wealth of individuality that are the prime essentials of an artistic career. They appear to be the result of a sort of separate talent that may or may not be associated with great artistry, as in the case of phenomenal sight reading and playing complicated things by ear after once hearing them.
Mr. Shattuck will not play during his present visit to America, but will return to this country in December.
F. P.
Carter’s “The White Bird” Proves Successful
Louise Hubbard, Nevada Van der Veer, Richard Crooks and Frederick Patton (comprising the quartet of the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church of New York) were the singers appearing in an invitation “rehearsal” with orchestra of twenty-eight players, at Carnegie Chamber Music Hall, May 23, in a first hearing of Ernest Carter’s one act opera (manuscript), “The White Bird.” Denton Barstow, tenor,
ERNEST CARTER,
composer. (Piech photo).
and Theodore Webb, baritone, also aided in a hunting song (men’s quartet). With such excellent singers, the music was heard to good advantage. The story is dramatically interesting, the voice parts are well written, and there was a goodly amount of high class, spontaneous music. Picturesque moments are frequent, and the general impression of the music and libretto was favorable. Brain Hooker wrote the poem, and the music was composed by Mr. Carter in 1916. An audience quite filling the hall listened to it with interest and applauded with vigor.
Sterner School Affairs
The May 18 students’ recital at the New York School of Music and Arts was, as usual, full of interest, including much music, well performed. In the audience was a well known piano manufacturer of New York, who expressed himself as “mighty well pleased” with all he heard, especially the tonal beauty^ produced on his piano by the several pianists. These included Mary Canal (Cuban girl), who had the treble part in Gottschalk’s duet, “Radieuse,” playing with clean-cut technic and musical expression. Howard Green, of Butler, Pa., a serious youth, played a serious work, nothing less than Liszt’s big second ballad, with fine poise,
ARTHUR SHATTUCK
VISITS NEW YORK
Although Just Arrived from Europe, Distinguished Pianist Will Soon Return for Tour Abroad—Will Play Here ip December—Discusses “Futurism” and Talks of Paris and Berlin
Having just arrived from Europe, Arthur Shattuck spent several days in New York recently prior to his return to France in a few weeks in order to make a tour through England, Denmark, Norway and Sweden in the autumn.
Mr. Shattuck has been spending the past year in Europe. He makes his home in Paris and when not playing wanders about, hearing what he can of the new and interesting musical offerings of the day. Futurism, he frankly confesses, is largely beyond his comprehension. It is not that he likes or dislikes it; he simply does not understand it. He explains much of it as being an expression of a diseased mind—much of it melodically banal, with fragmentary, meaningless episodes, and generally as disconnected as a dictionary.
He tells a story about one great pianist—it would perhaps be best not to mention the name—who, ten years ago, was just as unable to understand “futurism” as Mr. Shattuck now is, but who has, meantime, discovered that it is his “natural mode of expression.” Mr. Shattuck says that he was invited to the home of this artist to hear his latest composition—a lengthy work requiring more than an hour for performance. At the end of it Mr. Shattuck saw that he was supposed to congratulate the composer. Never, he says, was he in a more embarrassing situation. It goes against his grain to gush over a thing in which he can find neither beauty nor sense, and he finally had simply to confess that he was unable to understand it. It is easy to sympathize with him.
Speaking of his visit to Berlin, Mr. Shattuck says that he had the pleasure there of hearing Sigrid Onegin, and considers her one of the greatest singers of her time. She is a marvelous artist with a marvelous voice. Musical conditions and general conditions in Germany he describes as slowly recovering; but adds that the performances of Wagner are again what they were in the good old days, with Kurt, Ober, and other superlative artists singing the title roles, splendid “mise-en-scene” and a great orchestra. He points especially to the fact that there are no inequalities, the whole being a complete artistic entity.
Paris does not appear to have impressed Mr. Shattuck so favorably in a musical sense, for the Parisians are not a seriously musical people, although life there is easier than in Germany, and France is evidently recovering more rapidly from the effects of the war. It is amusing, he said, to see the endless programs of the young composers whose works are played or sung by themselves or their friends. Olenine d’Ahlheim gives song recital after song recital devoted to these moderns—the “Six” particularly—and performs wonders in the way of interpretation and feats of memory. The works, says Mr. Shattuck, of Erik Satie, Darius Milhaud, Honneger, and the rest, are most of them among the modern impossibilities alluded to above. Satie is amusing, humorous, at least in the matter of titles, but is really not nearly so wildly dissonant as most of the others.
Among the interesting musicians now in Paris is Kous-sevitzky, who is coming to be recognized as a conductor of very unusual merit. He conducts everything from a symphony by Mozart to a rhapsody by one of the “Six” with equal facility and understanding, and is unquestionably a musician of talent as well as learning. Marcel Dupre is another one of those amazing talents that seem to appear about once in a generation. He plays all the works of
Ida DAVENPORT
COLORATURA SOPRANO
“An excellent voice, particularly clear and of fine quality.”—Musical Courier (iV. Y. Recital).
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