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MUSICAL COURIER	June 29, 1922
SPLENDID WORK ACHIEVED BY CHORUS AND SOLOISTS AT CANANDAIGUA FESTIVAL
People in the larger cities are apt to get the idea that the finest work is presented only in the larger' cities, but a trip to some of the smaller towns would open their eyes as to the work of the organization in the smaller towns.
At the May Festival of the Canandaigua (N. Y.) Choral Society the choral work showed precision of attack, tonal quality and in fact, a finished performance such as it would be well for some of the larger organizations to emulate.
Jay Mark Ward is a newcomer to Canandaigua and he has taken in charge its singers, many of whom have real talent, and has now an organization that bids fair to become very well known outside of local circles. It has been said that it is a pleasure for a metropolitan artist to sing with these smaller organizations because one finds that the town, as well as the various committees, is cooperating so heartily with the director that it creates an atmosphere in which it is a joy to sing. There is also a true appreciat¡2n of artistic effects, and the people come to the concerts with an open mind and enthusiasm for the events of the visiting artist, and they are not afraid to show their enthusiasm, which one finds so often lacking in metropolitan audiences. If Mr. Ward could produce such work with a small organization, what could he do with a much larger one?
The •entire program of the festival has been reviewed in a previous issue, but special mention must be made of the oratorio “Athalie” by Mendelssohn. This is a work that is seldom performed. It calls for solos, chorus and orchestra. While there are no special solos, yet there are many beautiful phrases and choruses, and this work deserves to be performed more often. The chorus was entirely equal to the climaxes and the shading, and various effects were brought out beautifully by Mr. Ward, the director.
According to one of the local papers, the soloists came in for their share of the artistic honors. For instance, in commenting upon the work of Alice Louise Mertens, it said:	“She has a wonderful contralto voice of wide
range;” of Edith Baxter Harper, “disclosed a soprano voice of brilliancy and power;” of Gertrude Hall Masten, “too much praise cannot be given for her able accompaniments. Mrs. Masten was called upon at the last moment to do double duty owing to the illness of Bertha Wheaton MacFarlane.” The same daily in commenting upon the general impression created by the festival, said:	“Festival
patrons of years’ standing were loud in its praises, and the club is open to felicitation of the warmest kind. The chorus sang with admirable precision and attack in all selections, under the direction of Jay Mark Ward of Rochester. Members of the chorus entered into the programs with enthusiasm and their singing exceeded expectations. There was a wealth of good things on both programs.”	S. B.
Greta Masson Delights Englewood
One of Greta Masson’s final concerts of the season just closed was at Englewood, N. J., where she appeared at the Woman’s Club with Maurice Dambois, cellist.
The Bergen Evening Record in commenting upon her singing said as follows:
Miss Masson made her debut with “Pastoral,” by Veracini, and followed with “Cyphere” by Poldowski, “The Clock” by Schnwsky, and “The Norwegian Love Song” by Clough Leighter. So well were her first numbers received and in such a manner was her beautiful voice carried to the audience, that she immediately won a place in the hearts of the listeners and long was the applause that greeted her. As an encore, she gave a very beautiful rendering of the popular classic, “The Wind.”
Miss Masson’s final appearance came with the rendering of the
Dale has also had considerable success in the Gilbert and Sullivan repertory, and is widely known for his performance of Robin Hood in De Koven’s operetta of the same name.
Outside of music, Mr. Dale’s one great interest is hunting. While in the north he met with many adventures in killing seals on the ice pans off the shores of Newfoundland, and
aria “Farewell, Ye Hills,” from “Jeanne D’Arc,” by Tschaikowsky. If it can be said for a singer that possesses the artistic refinement that does Miss Masson, that she could render this in an even more artistic manner than other selections, then let it be said for her, as she completely carried away the audience, so to speak, with this wonderful selection, and the approval of her rendering was exceptionally gratifying. Her encore consisted of an equally pretty number, “The Guardian Angel.”
RAE POTTER ROBERTS, mezzo soprano of Rochester, w h o gave a ■well known group acceptably, singing with simplicity and directness that were admirable.
CONDU CTOR AND SOLOISTS OF THE MAY FESTIVAX HELD BY THE CANANDAIGUA (N. Y.) CHORAL CLUB RECENTLY WHICH PROVED AN ARTISTIC SUCCESS
Smith-Curry Photo	JAY MARK WARD.
conductor.
EDITH BAXTER HARPER, soprano soloist of New York City, who presented a most satisfying group of songs in the afternoon; the soprano role in Mendelssohn's “Athalie” requires a voice both dramatic and lyric, and Mrs. Harper was fully equal to the demands of the score.
ALICE LOUISE MERTENS,
contralto soloist of New York City, ■who sang a delightful group of songs in the afternoon, “The Spring Song of the Robin Woman,” by Cadman, being so effectively given that she had to it in the evening by rial request; her inter-tation of the contralto is in “Athalie” teas exquisite.
GEORGE DALE,
tenor, whose singing “never fails to delight his audiences.”
while making appearances in Florida he went into the depths of the Everglades on a hunting trip, the trophies of which are now on the walls of his studio. And it is an interesting place, that studio, with its photographs of game killing from all parts of the country and the hunting kits and favorite guns which adorn its walls.	M. G.
Russian Opera Co. Engaged for Mexico City
Innocenzo Silingardi has engaged the Russian Grand Opera Company of ninety persons to play a six weeks’ engagement in the Bull Arena, Mexico City, beginning August 12, and they are to sail on August 3.
George Dale Inherits His Voice
Perhaps heredity has played an important part in the place which George Dale, a young tenor, has already won for himself. For his father, Harry Dale, widely known for his connection with the famous old Bostonians, was this artist’s first teacher, and that sound and fundamental early training has permitted him to escape many of the faults usually found with so many young singers.
Mr. Dale’s voice is a true tenor of pure quality, which he handles with ease and fluency combined with ability of interpretation. His work, with its clear diction, is marked further with a patent sympathy for the ideas of the composer and a restraint which never permits him to neglect them for the exploitation of his voice. It is this quality which perhaps has had so much to do with the success he has already won.
The progress of this young artist since his first professional appearance has been steady and sure. He seems to have won a uniformity of appreciation from his audiences that has led many of his engagements to be extended beyond their original time. At the recent opening of the Sheridan Theater he was the soloist of the musical program, a choice remarkable considering the short time he had been before the public. Of another recent appearance in Halifax, the Halifax Evening Mail said:	“Mr. Dale’s voice is a real
musical treat, being robust, clear and true, and his selections most happy ones. He immediately commands the attention of his hearers, and in the interval between accents one could hear the proverbial pin drop. Seldom is a singer greeted with such an enthusiastic audience as greeted Mr. Dale.” While appearing in that city, Mr. Dale was entertained by Dr. Roberts, the provincial Minister of Health.
Among the many compositions appearing on Mr. Dale’s programs are such arias as “Che gelida manina,” from Puccini’s “La Boheme”; "Le Reve,” from Massenet’s “Ma-non,” and Handel’s “O Sleep Why Dost Thou Leave Me?” Of the popular numbers which he will program during the coming season are Del Riego’s “Thank God for a Garden,” Hamblen’s “Smile Through Your Tears,” and the same composer’s “The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise.” Mr.
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MARIE NOVELLO
WELSH PIANIST
Management: M. H. Hanson,	437 Fifth Avenue, New York
WHAT THE PRESS SAYS “A contralto of fine volume and golden quality.”—New York Times.
“Sang with glorious freedom of expression, much delicacy, exquisite tone color and great refinement.”—Toronto Daily Star.
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Management, Derrel L. Gross, Room 115, Carnegie Hall, New York