NEW YORK, THURSDAY, June 8, 1922.
j\\U5ICAL(ÖURIER
VOL. LXXXIV—No. 23. Whole, No. 2200
be seen how the audiences will judge “of hand, of foot, of lip, of eye, of brow,” as Shakespeare said in his sonnet After her first recital I went into the artists’ room and told Amy Neill that she had played on a remarkably fine violin. She replied:	You are right; it is a Joseph Guarnerius.”
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THREE AMERICAN GIRLS, ROSALIE MILLER, AMY NEILL AND LUCILLE OLIVER, WIN LONDON’S FAVOR
Four Quartets of the First Rank Give Concerts—Copenhagen Quartet Includes Two Women—Moiseiwitsch and Daisy Kennedy Return Clarence Whitehill Splendid in Opera—The Vatican Choir Sings Palestrina
ANN ARBOR FESTIVAL
AGAIN NOTABLE SUCCESS
Dr. Stanley Absent First Time in Twenty-Nine Years— Stock’s “Rhapsody” Repeated—Distinguished Soloists
Ann Arbor, Mich., June 1, 1922,—Ann Arbor’s twenty-ninth annual May Festival conducted by the University Musical Society proved to be one of the most successful which has ever been given. Artistically it was practically flawless, for artists, choruses and orchestra gave of their best and each program made a profound impression upon the vast audience which, in spite of the inclement weather, packed the auditorium at each of the six concerts. The festival was unique in that it is the first time that the genial leadership of Dr. Albert A. Stanley, its founder, was not at the helm. The fact that the festival, in spite of the absence of its distinguished founder, who resigned his active duties at the end of the last academic year, was carried through so successfully under the direction of the associates with whom he surrounded himself during the past years is perhaps the greatest tribute that 03Z1 be Pa^d to this splendid man, whose whole life has been devoted to the development of all that is best in the art of music. Earl V. Moore, head of the organ and theory departments of the University School of Music, who has served for several years as assistant to Dr. Stanley in the training of Choral Union, and who, pending the selection of a permanent musical director, J* serving as acting conductor of thé Choral Union, proved himself to be a musician °f exceptional ability. The chorus which had been trained under his direction was never in finer fettle and gave an exhibition of choral singing which was remarkable from every point of view and fas. fully equal to that provided by professional organizations. The programs for j. ,,cot?ceJts were well balanced and splendidly built. They were prepared by Mr. Moore in collaboration with Frederick Stock conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, who, with his famous band of players, for eighteen consecutive years has participated in Michigan’s music classic.
In spite of the fact that the programs as finally given brought forward several artists not announced in the list of organizations published earlier in the year on account of cancellations, the list of soloists proved to be exceptionally satisfying. Mario Chamlee was a most acceptable substitute for Lucien Muratore, and Cyrena Van Gordon took the place of Mme. Matzenauer. Kiccardo Martin was scheduled to sing the very difficult tenor role in Frederick Stock’s psalmodie rhapsody at the Friday evening concert and the role of Tannhäuser on the following evening, and the Ann Arbor management was not notified of Mr. Martin’s indisposition until the day preceding the festival. On short notice William Wheeler head of the voice department of the University School of Music, consented to learn and smg the difficult role in the Stock number while Paul Althouse was engaged by long distance telephone to come on from New York to sing the role of Tannhäuser. Both c ^ artists were entitled to and received the sincere plaudits of an appreciative audience for their fine artistry.
Wednesday Evening.
The festival program opened Wednesday evening, May 17, when the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, under Frederick Stock, contributed a number of attractive selections, opening with Brahms’ Academic Festival overture ; Dohnanyi’s suite, op. 19 • Chadwick’s ballade for orchestra, “Tam o’ Shanter;” and closing with Liszt’s symphonic poem, No. 2, “Tasso• Lamento e Trionfo.” Interspersed between these numbers were three arias by Mario Chamlee, who made his Ann Arbor debut. Mr. Chamlee chose for his first number Don¡■:
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following of friends here and is always sure of a gogd audience. Both she and Marie Hall gave their recitals in Wigmore Hall. The third young lady came almost unannounced and gave two recitals in Aeolian Hall. Her name is Amy Neill and her home Chicago. Her press notices were unusually good, as they deserved to be, for she is unquestionably the most remarkable and capable woman violinist to play in London for many a day. Such clear, easy, exact, refined performances of the most exacting passages
Photo © Mishkin
FLORENCE EASTON,
(as Fiordiligi in the Metropolitan “Cosi fan tutte”). Mme. Easton is a sterling American singer who icent quietly along from, success to success until she won recognition for herself as one of the foremost artists of the day. Besides ־being a concert favorite, she sings leading roles in the Metropolitan’s most important productions. This summer she and her husband, Francis Maclennan, the operatic tenor, will appear as guests at the National Opera, Berlin, where they were formerly regular members of the company. Mme. Easton is not only a singer, but a thorough musician as well, and her absolute certainty and readiness have saved many an operatic performance in an emergency.
I have not heard at a young lady’s recital for a very long time. And very few of the male fiddlers can touch her. Of course, the ways of the public are past finding out, and it is consequently useless for me to say whether Amy Neill will be a popular heroine or not. She ought to be, if excellent violin playing is the sole requisite. It now remains to
NORTH SHORE FESTIVAL GREATER THAN EVER
London, May IS.—Rosalie Miller paid London a short visit a fortnight or so ago, sang a great variety of songs at a recital in Wigmore Hall, collected a number of very fine press notices, and departed almost immediately for Paris, where she has spent the greater part of the past year. I had the pleasure of an informal chat with her soon after her trying experience of crossing the Channel on a windy day. She does not recommend the ordeal to vocalists with an approaching recital, and she has no ambition to emulate the bassos who sing “Rocked in the Cradle of the Deep.”
Her most pleasant experience in France was a visit to Saint-Saëns, who accompanied her in several of his songs. The old composer was apparently in the best of health and overflowing with humor and good spirits, though he died suddenly but six weeks later. Strangely enough, he had never heard his song “Guitares et Mandolines” sung till Rosalie Miller sang it for him to his own accompaniment.
She also sang some of the early songs of Gabriel Pierne for the composer, and had an afternoon with Georges Hue, who played over his opera, “L’Ombre de Cathedrale,” which was about to be produced. Charles Widor was another of the eminent musicians of France to predict a brilliant future for the young American soprano.
An account of Rosalie Miller’s visit with Respighi in Rome has already appeared in these columns, and need not now be repeated. When she sang for Toscanini she offered to sing an excerpt from Puccini, but the conductor stopped her. Said he:
"If you can sing Mozart and Massenet as you have sung them I take it for granted you can sing Puccini.” That cryptic remark can be interpreted several ways. But as Rosalie Miller is to sing very soon again at a Toscanini concert, it is evident tjje conductor was satisfied with her work as an artist.
She says the best theater orchestra she ever heard, and the finest scenery she ever saw, was at a performance of “The Barber of Seville” at La Scala, Milan.
On one subject Rosalie Miller has unalterable convictions, and that is, that no American vocal student can get better training by leaving the United States. She thinks that the fine French style should only be attempted by those who have first learned how to sing. French voice production does not appeal to her in the least. She was most enthusiastic over the instantaneous success of Charles Hackett in “Rigoletto,” and she says that Blair Fairchild, another American, is having a remarkably successful season with his compositions in France, where there is not too much sympathy shown towards foreign musical artists.
Several Fine Quartets.
Lovers of chamber music have had ample cause to be grateful this spring. First came the Lener Quartet from Austria and gave a series of concerts which roused so much enthusiasm that some of the critics exclaimed: “This must be the finest quartet in existence.” Then the Flonzaleys appeared and everybody decided that, after all, there was no organization superior to the Flonzaley Quartet, which plays more smoothly and with more unanimity than any other quartet now before the public. On top of the Flonzaleys came the London String Quartet, fresh from its American successes. The English players proved their prowess by a series of concerts in which they performed the entire set of quartets by Beethoven, a worthy feat, though a little too much in the same style of a good thing for some tastes. Londoners may well be proud of their quartet party.
Denmark likewise should be pleased to learn of the instantaneous■ success in London of the Copenhagen Quartet, which awoke to find itself famous the morning after the first concert. This organization has certain characteristics in refinements of expression and tenderness which may be due to the two ladies in the party. Surely it is reasonable to believe that the feminine element in the ensemble must make an appreciable difference. I, at any rate, will certainly not miss the forthcoming second concert by the Copenhagen Quartet.
Three Women Fiddlers.
Camille W. Zeckwer, Philadelphia, Wins $1,000 Orchestral Prize—New Soloists, Luella Meluis, John Barclay, Giuseppe Danise, All Please—Children’s Chorus Numbers Fifteen Hundred
versity—a magnificent structure—where all the festivals have been held, a splendid auditorium for such events, accommodating some four thousand listeners. Located in the center of Chicago’s “North Shore,” Evanston is a most appropriate place for festival gatherings and these yearly (Continued cn page 26)
Evanston, 111., June 2, 1922.—What a happy idea it was to have yearly music festivals in Evanston—a suburb of Chicago full of cultured people who appreciate good music and who turn out en masse at each affair, expressing their delight with . genuine and exuberant enthusiasm ! Then there is the Patten Gymnasium of the Northwestern Uni-
Three young ladies have played the violin here recently and each one is an artist. One of them was the English Marie Hall, who played a number of short pieces and a work or two of moderate difficulty with that charm of manner and sweet persuasiveness which are the outstanding features of Marie Hall’s performances.
Another of the ladies was the brilliant Australian Daisy Kennedy, who has much of the grand manner and the dash of her teacher, Auer’s, best male pupils. She has a great
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