12
January 4, 1923
fair showing. Composers represented were Pietro A. Yon, with his L’organo primitivo; Dethier’s Nocturne, Swinnen’s Chinoiserie, and last but not least, Dr. Alexander Russell with his Song of the Basket Weaver.
The recital in question was given by Arthur Meale at the Westminster Central Hall, London. Mr. Meale writes J. Fischer & Bro., New York, the publishers of the group: “I have played the Song of the Basket Weaver at scores of my recitals in the provinces without one exception, and I get frequent inquiries where it can be had. You will be interested to know that my mid-week recital at Westminster . is attended weekly by 2,000 to 2,500 people.”
MUSICAL COURIER
B. M. DAVISON ADDRESSES NEW ENGLAND CHAPTER, A. G. O.
Freemantel Gives Interesting Demonstration
Frederic Freemantel recently gave another one of his interesting vocal demonstrations at his New York studio on Sixty-seventh street. He had invited a few scientific people to witness the practical application of his principle, both to the tenor voice and to the baritone voice. Mr. Freemantel sang several passages from different works, explaining in detail the vocal difficulties of the composition as applied to tenors. He showed that the same principle applied to his own voice enabled	him	to	sing	tones as
low as E below low G and also a	high	E	above	high C.
‘‘But these tones,” he said, “only prove that my principle is applicable to high as well as low voices. When I myself found that this principle would allow me to sing notes in such a range I was just as much amazed as you are, but of course all these tones are not serviceable to me as a tenor." Among the men present at his demonstration was a young professional baritone, a very successful singer, yet, as he himself says, “he was always	worried	about	his high
tones. He has been so upset about	them	at	times	that the
worry has seriously impaired some of his public work. Frederic Freemantel talked quietly to this baritone (the others could not hear just what Mr. Freemantel was telling him), and within two minutes, with Mr. Freemantel at the piano, this young baritone who was afraid of his upper F and G sang a brilliant high tone, which proved to be a B flat, big, resonant and free. We asked this singer, whom we will call Mr. Baritone, what he did to produce such a tone, but he did not seem to know, and Mr. Freemantel spoke up immediately, saying, “Never mind how he did it; he did it, in spite of the fact that he said he couldn’t, and he did it at my suggestion. He does not really know what he did to do it and it is not my intention to explain anything to him at this time. He has many engagements to take care of for the rest of this season and he must go through with them as he has always done before. Then, when he can spare about thirty days, we will get right down to business and Mr. Baritone will have a glorious bunch of ringing high tones for his next season’s work. And I'll make this prediction, that when he can begin to put across the footlights such •tones as he has just sung for us his salary and fees are going to show a great advance. But he will not sing another such tone this season and it will not hurt him to wait; he’s young. He was here for me to show you and prove to you that if high tones are really in the voice I can and will have the singer sing them almost immediately. I am sure that you will agree with me that I have proved my claim this evening and there was no doubt about that high tone he sang. What did you say? Is ־he a tenor in disguise? No, not at all; he is a baritone. It is really quite foolish to suppose that because a baritone may, can, and must be able to sing an A or a B flat that he is a tenor. No, the tenor voice is a different proposition altogether, and I am having a very remarkable tenor come for some advice in a day or so. No, I must not tell you his name. I do not want to trade on any professional artist’s name and I have been asked by several to keep their visits to me confidential and that is certainly what I propose to do. Wait until the improvements in their high tones attract attention,' then it will be time enough for them, not for me, to announce where and how they have been able to make such improvement. That is quite fair too. Not for one moment would I think of Hazing forth with an announcement that the famous Mr. and Mrs. So and So were studying with me. No, that is rot my way; I have been in the singing ranks long enough to know what sensitiveness to an artist’s position may mean and I must impress it upon you that I treat all persons who come to me with their vocal troubles with the same explicit confidence that they get when they confine the'r other troubles to their private physician. All the publicity will have to come from their side, not from mine. And I am right in my premises, I am sure. Just for one moment think of the heart longing and poignant desire of the singers who must deliver the goods, when they, in their inner consciousness realize their own shortcomings more than others may notice them. Then think of the exhilarating and stimulating impetus that will be given to their work when all these disturbing worries and vocal troubles have been dissipated. And do you think that you will ever be able to restrain an artist from bubbling over with enthusiasm for the man who has led them out of the valley of the shadow of vocal death? I should say not! I’ll abide my time, letting my work with these artists bring them greater acclaim and bigger success, both vocally and financially, then you will see with what grateful hearts they will say the name ‘Free-mantel.’ Let results speak and ‘by their work ye shall know them.’ ”	.	E. K.
he sent us a sonata for the piano. W e looked it through very carefully. We played it, not comparing it with other sonatas, hut asking:	“What is there in this sonata? Is it musicianly? Well
written? Interesting? Is it music?” We thought it was and we published it. When I tell you that we have sold over 2,000 copies of that sonata for piano and that it has been played by tine artists, I think you will agree that comparison should not he made when examining American compositions. But the tendency among musicians—leaving out the organists—alwavs has been to com!>are compositions, particularly American ones, with others in the same general line. If it is a sonata, the comparison is made with another sonata; if a song, then with another song. This shouldn't be done.
Americans out of loyalty should give American compositions an honest “tryout.” But some people say we have no composers. One day there was a man in my office who was connected with one of the colleges. He found a piece lying on the piano and he started to play it. As soon as I could I went in and asked: “Well, how do you like it?”
“Oh, I don’t know; it is altogether too obvious,” he said, meaning, of course, that when you hear a piece a person can understand it ihe very first time. That is what “obvious” means. Of course, if you are all tli ? time saying that a thing doesn’t exist, after a while you believe it. There are many musicians' who don’t believe that an American composer exists. I repeat this thought because I wish to have it right in your minds.
The other night I was out to dinner at a certain house in town and there I met a young man who had just graduated from the Harvard Law School. He is very musical and at once got into a discussion with me. Well, we discussed music and I tried to tell him some things, but it was no use; I could not do it. Finally we got on the track of American composers—I suppose that it had been put into his mind by the professors or somebody else at Harvard— and he said there were no American composers.
“Do you believe that? Why aren’t there any?” I asked.
And he said: “None of the Americans have the proper idiom!”
He got that at Harvard, I suppose. Whether that had anything to do with the curriculum, I don’t know.
Try out the American composer’s music. Of course, not everyone can write for the organ; neither can every organist write for
VICTOR
GOLIBART
TENOR
His voice is trained to the last degree of art and his singing is akin to perfection.
Richmond (Va.) Times
Tonies Ptoo dispatch.
THE L. D. BOGUE CONCERT MANAGEMENT 130 West 42nd Street, New York
the !nano. I assure you that if we publishers could feel that we had behind us such an organization as the American Guild of Urganists, we should venture to print a concert overture or symphony or anything of that kind. Right now I know where there is a concert overture tn manuscript that I could publish tomorrow. I don t want it because it is expensive to do so large a work and we have not the assurance, although your organization has the name American in it, that you .will back us on a thing of that iu 1׳. . (s , verJ we 1 to believe in the best music and to play the best, but how do you know that Americans can’t produce it? You will never know unless you give Americans a chance.
The American Organ Players’ Club of Philadelphia shows us what can be done for American music. It is in touch with every publishing house m this country that publishes organ music Its secretary writes a request to put it on our mailing list for every-thing we issue for the organ. When it receives a copy, marked . to״ .of th,e1״■A'”«ican Organ Players" Club of Philadelphia." it ‘s put m a White-Smith folio. Every publishing house lias a folio j1.1.11״ ?ts name on it. Every member of the club knows that that tolio is there and he can find out the absolutely latest thing written tor the organ. There must be something in it or they would not ask us to forward music for their inspection. We have nothing like .that in Boston. I think it is a good idea, although possibly it might not work out that way here. I think you will ־find that if you co-operate with th? publishers you will get along faster in the matter of knowing what is being done in the field of American composition.
Again, speaking of American music, you may know that the director of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra resigned a short time ago. !here was no American in this country who could be-come director of the Cincinnati orchestra. They got Fritz Reiner Mr. Reiner came to this country. He did something that if he had been an American conductor he would not have done. The manager of the orchestra was directed to communicate with the leading publishing houses of this country to find out all available orchestral material. Isn’t it peculiar for a foreigner to do that? It shows a good head, and I only hope that our own Americans will look deeper into the subject.
You have no idea of the peculiar way some people look at music, particularly American music, when they go into a music store. The clerk brings out a piece and probably says: “That is a beautiful thing for die piano.	The customer says: “Oh, yes, issued bv
Smith, or so and so. I don’t think I want anything.’’ All without opening the first page! Could you find out what there was in a novel by doing that? Of course, if you don’t do that with a novel don t do it in a music store hereafter.
American Organ Music in England
It no longer proves the unusual to find just more than an occasional mention of American compositions or publications on the programs of English artists. A program recently brought to attention lists no less than four such numbers out of twelve, which to say the least is a rather
B. M. Davison addressed the members and guests of the New England Chapter, A. G. O., at the rooms of the Harvard Musical Association, on November 1. Mr. Davison is a member of the White-Smith Publishing Company of Boston, which champions the cause of the American composer, and the following address, The Organ Recital and Its Possibilities from the Standpoint of the Publisher, which is reproduced by courtesy of The Diapason of December 1, gives some interesting data:
When I was invited to appear before this organization it occurred to me immediately that I had nothing to say that would be of interest to you. Of course, I realize, having had many years’ experience in the publishing business, that the feeling regarding publishers by the profession has been of a rather peculiar nature. To illus-fTate 1 j1 ^ would saT	I have heard a professional man say:
VV hat do you think of such and such a composition?” And the other gentleman, not knowing anything about it, would say: “Well, such and such a publisher says so and so.” “Oh, well, he doesn’t count; he is a publisher.” Well, of course, that is an intimation that a publisher doesn’t know anything about music. I don’t want you to think, however, that I am going to try to instruct you in organ playing or organ recital work, for I am not going to do it
lhere are two sides to the publishing business. One, of course, must always be the commercial side; then the artistic side must have its day. Any publishing house today that doesn’t take both the artistic and commercial sides into account doesn’t stay in business long. Our firm, the White-Smith Publishing Company, is trying to raise the standards of organ music, and I think we have succeeded, because I know some of your organists are playing the music we have published.
Of course, in many of my statements I may be wrong, but I am sincere. Nothing I may say regarding organ recitals has anything to do with the organ recitals given as guild events. These events are laid out in your own way and, of course, no one has a right to criticize or say anything about them. In sp.aking of organ recitals I have in mind the general run of them.
One thing strikes publishers forcibly and it is this: On an organ recital program there should always be pieces־ with titles that interest the hearer. Scherzos, etc., are all right for you musicians who know what is meant; but take the common everyday lover of music who doesn t know anything about technic, or the technic of composition, and a fitting title gets to his emotions better. For instance, Clar-ence Eddy is an organist who tries out everything at least once, and if the one time proves successful, that piece stays on his programs indefinitely. I am going to illustrate this point by speaking
onl?i our Publications. Some six or eight months ago I sent to Mr. Eddy a copy of O’er Flowery Meads. The piece was well written, fitted	to an organ of	any size, and Mr. Eddy	tried it out.
He is playing	it today; and he is playing	it because it	is a success-
iul composition.
There . *s a strange thing in connection with organ recitals. I think it is the only recital given in the world that has absolutely no applause when it is given in a church. Because of the sanctity of the edifice applause is not deemed proper, and although I cannot see how it would injure the edifice in the least, it is not allowed. Ihink of a vocal or piano recital without applause! Why, the pianist or vocalist would be crazy before he tinished his recital! It is a difficulty that you can overcome, but it seems strange that no one shows any appreciation at all. Of course, after the recital someone comes up to the organist and tells him how he has enjoyed the evening. (I wonder, has anyone ever gone up who hasn’t enjoyed it?)	That is where	a regular	organ recital	falls down.
The organist may feel that he	is doing a	fine job, but	he does not
know how he is appealing to the people. 1 leave to you how we are going to overcome that difficulty.
Of course, organ recitalists do give wonderful programs. Some organists don’t, unfortunately, assimilate their programs as quickly as others, and it takes weeks to prepare these academic programs, and then from first number to last the program is all of a classic nature.	There is	practically	not a	selection	that appeals to	any
emotion. It is simply a beautifully constructed piece of organ work that in itself is lovely, but to the uneducated musician or person such a	program	gets to be boresome. To	illustrate: In	our
office is a young man of fine texture. He plays the piano a little and loves music.	Anything	of a	musically	refined nature	this
young man likes. I have given him one or two tickets for organ recitals. The last one he attended he sat through until the lights went out. I asked him the next day how he enjoyed it—I had enjoyed it thoroughly—and he said: “Well, there were some things I could understand, but most of them went over my head.” Now, you are	not playing to have	music	go over	people’s heads.	Of
course, if you attend an organ recital as a guild and everyone of you knows the organ from the start to the finish, you enjoy these programs; but take a person who is unmusical as tar as education is concerned, and he is simply bored. Why bore him? Why not give him something he can like? I have retired from organ playing, so I can say these things.
Did you ever see an organ recital reviewed in the newspapers, unless it was given by some man of great repute? Never. It isn’t done. Why? Simply because the organ recital is on too high a plane and you do not put any money into the newspapers’ pockets' in advertising your recital. Should you do that—that is, if it became a regular thing, whether it be just an announcement or a couple of inches in the newspapers—then you would get something in the way of a review. Not such an extended review as a pianist or vocalist, but you would get something.
How much American music is used by the whole American Guild of Organists? Some organists in the guild are boosters for American music. Others simply ignore it, and it is not done entirely by organists. It is done by vocalists and pianists. Of course, Josef Hofmann tried to be very American and, playing an entirely American program, the critics ripped him to pieces, and rightly, because no man today, if he is going to do American music any good, should say: “Now, gentlemen, this is an American program.” He lays himself open to criticism. No one who has American music right in his heart and who wants to push it to the front would ever recommend anyone’s doing a program of entirely American music. At this stage of the game it is impossible, and the person who does it is very unwise. Instead of overdoing a good thing by doing a program of all-American music, the point is, play some American music.
The American composer, some people say, doesn’t exist. If an organization like the American Guild of Organists has a majority saying that the American composer doesn’t exist, he won’t exist in so far as organists are concerned, because you won’t let him. I have also heard that there were no sonatas and no concert overtures by American composers for organists to play. I am pretty familiar with organ catalogues and I wish to assure you that I have become much more familiar with them since knowing I was to speak to you. What will you think when I tell you that there are by reputable American composers not fewer than ten sonatas for the organ, and I have not seen any of these sonatas on your programs? There are three concert overtures by good men. I do not see any of you people playing them, either. Give them one try anyway. Some people say these overtures and sonatas are not modeled after the foreign model. That is the wonderful part of it!
Let us leave organ music for a moment and consider piano music. Possibly some of you may know that the White-Smith Company were the first people to discover the Cadman compositions. Mr. Cadman has been very ambitious. He was not satisfied to write only little lyric songs. He has grown in his profession. Finally
MADAME VALERI.
“In examining a student’s voice and finding it at fault, I always 8U99e*f to him to consult There 1» no voice defect that can escape her notice and that cannot be corrected by her ability, remolo included, when bad training has not gone so far as to cause looseness in the vocal chords.”
381 WEST END AVE., Entrance on 78th St.
BONCI
Mezzo Soprano
410 Knabe Building New York
CLAIR EUGENIA SMITH