43
MUSICAL COURIER
January 4, 1923
some of our most distinguished concert artists. The following are a few letters which have been received recently by Chappell-Harms, Inc., the publishers:
I wish to express to you my great pleasure with the song you recently sent me, The Phantom Legions. It is, as you say, hard to get a good song, “between the average song and the aria.” This Mr. Ward-Stephens has done in this instance and my congratulations are hereby extended to him—and to you for putting it forward. The recitative—short as it is—sounds a note of dramatic color which instantly draws the attention of the listener. The serious and dignified character of the music holds well to the text and is nowhere disappointing—and the ending is inspiring!
I shall take great pleasure in using and recommending it. With best wishes,
Yours cordially,
(Signed) George B. Gookins.
Los Angeles, Cal.
I received a copy of The Phantom Legions this morning and at once looked over the song carefully and feel impelled to write you at once. This ■is the kind of song we particularly need in our country now. The song with a message—for this is the psychological hour for all such. It is a song which should be sung everywhere in the U. S. A., and I hope it has the success that it so richly deserves. “Keep on the job” with all such—as our boys say.
With great appreciation for what you are both doing for American music.
Fraternally yours,
(Signed) Edna Marione Springer.
New York City.
Thanks for your song, The Phantom Legions. It is a wonder and I’m sure will be popular wherever it is sung. I will use it at my church Armistice Sunday. (First Presbyterian of Pasadena).
I spent eighteen months in the service in Flanders—from September, 1917, to March, 1919—and feel that I can sing this song with some meaning.
Respectfully,
(Signed) Raymond Harmon.
English organists and composers. These pieces show that he composes for the piano with equal facility as organ; the Serenade has true Spanish lilt, and is gracefully pleasing, if sombre at times. Noel is simple but has real individuality, picturing Christmas, with reiterated left-hand chime passage, the pedal sustained, making the overtones one associates with ringing of bells. Then it goes into church-like harmonies, and ends with more chime-effects. Rondo Scherzando is fair music, suggesting Mendelssohn in its daintiness and neat figuration. Many of these pieces are also published in Braille Type by the National Institute, so making it possible for blind pianists to learn the music at first hand.- The edition is printed clearly, with pedal and fingering marked in many cases, and two men are named on the title-pages who deserve credit for it, namely H. C. Warrilow, F.R.G.O., director of music, and Edward Watson, music publications adviser.
The house of J. Fischer & Bro. is to be thanked for making the works known in America, and if this little appreciation will add a share, it will be time well spent!
1	F. W. R.
FROM THE PUBLISHERS
I should have answered your kind favor of October 5 before this and also acknowledged the autographed copy of Mr. Ward-Stephens’ magnificent song, The Phantom Legions, for which I sincerely thank you. I consider it will become one of the greatest song successes, and as it becomes known its popularity must increase year by year.	.	. .
Kindly convey to Mr. Ward-Stephens my sincere appreciation of this most successful effort.
Again thanking you, believe me,
Cordially yours,
For the Oakland Conservatory of Music,
(Signed) Adolf Gregory, Director.
Oakland (Cal.) Conservatory of Music.
Haywood Artist Pupils Busy.
Lois Ewell, soprano, appeared in the opera Tosca, with Josiah Zuro at the piano, on November 1, at the lecture course on operas at the Stuyvesant Heights High School. Katherine Murdoch, soprano, was the soloist for the Cadle Tabernacle program on September 14 in Indianapolis, Ind. Antonio Augenti, tenor, gave a recitl at Cleveland, Ohio, on December 4 with Jean Nestoresao, violinist, and Edwin Kraft at the piano; his program included arias from Bizet’s Pécheurs de Perles and Una Furtiva Lagrima by Donizetti.
(Enoch & Sons., New York and London)
Mme. Chaminade Plays Own Compositions
Mme. Chaminade, who has not been before the public very much of recent years, came out of retirement and played recently at one of the celebrated Enoch Saturday afternoon concerts in London.	.
Musical Opinion says that her appearance “was in the nature of a triumph for Mme. Chaminade. She played her own compositions in a charmingly suave and singing style, leaving the lavender-like sentiment of her pieces to its own persuasive way instead of stressing it. (She gave us the authentic Chaminade in Automne).”
Mme. Chaminade played the following program of her own compositions, in three groups:	Consolation, op. 87;
Interlude, op. 1S2; Etude Romantique, op. 132; Etude Humoristique, op. 138; Berceuse du Petit Soldat Blesse, op. 1S6 (new) ; Fifth Gavotte, op. 162 (new); Automne, op. 35; Chanson Negre, op. 161 (new) and Third Valse Bril-lante, op. 80. She also took part with M.^ Louis Fleury in the Chaminade concertino for flute and piano, op. 107.
{Cliappell-Harms, Inc., New York)
The Phantom Legions Is a Success
Ward-Stephens and Gordon Johnston have created another splendid success on their Armistice Day song, The Phantom Legions. In view of the fact, that it has been published only a few weeks, already it has been programmed by
America by the Schola ■Cantorum, conducted by Mr. Schindler, who is omnivorous in his search for and discovery of ancient music.
Prelude in E Flat Minor and Rondo-Gavotte for Piano (Bach)
Richard Burmeister, who was one of the prominent Liszt pupils in the 80’s, later lived in America as pianist and teacher, now in Europe, issued these transcriptions of well known Bach pieces. The first is from ׳the Well Tempered Clavichord, the second from the sixth violin sonata, and both are music such as everyone studied. The gavotte has been transcribed by Pauer, but in easier technical style than this of Burmeister. Fingering, _ phrasing, pedaling and marks of expression abound in this edition, which is commended as particularly suited to modern technic and spirit.
F. W. R.
(G. Schirmer, Inc., New York)
“Love of Yesteryear”
The popularity of Oley Speaks’ songs on recital and concert programs speak for their singableness. This is another of the real Speaks type, frankly melodious, with an attractive lyric and a simple accompaniment. It is quiet in character, leading up in the third stanza to a climax forte, followed by a quiet close. Very effective’ recital number. Published in three keys.
(National Institute Edition o/ the Works oj British Blind Composers,
J. Fischer & Bro. New York, Agents, Ryalls & Jones, Ltd., London)
Twenty-four Piano Pieces
Here is something worth the attention of all pianists, of whatever grade, namely, twenty-four piano-pieces by British blind composers—Alfred J. Thompson, Sinclair Logan, Charles G. Broan, Hubert G. Oke, Llewellyn Williams,
H. V. Spanner, Horace F. Witling, Alfred Wrigley, William Wolstenholme and Frederick W. Priest. From the outset ׳they awakened the interest of the present reviewer, then claimed his admiration, and this grew into enthusiasm, with closer acquaintance with the works. The merit of the whole lot consists in their perfect naturalness and sincerity, with nothing forced or affected; ׳the blind have no time for such foolishness! Yet with all this naturalness and melodiousness, one does not tire of them, for they are fresh and spontaneous, and have that elusive something, character, which keeps sustained interest. They range from about grade ׳three to grade five (considering grade seven as most difficult), and it is very evident that all these blind composers (there are no women among them) have listened and worshipped at the feet of Bach, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Schumann, and the best of modern English composers. They do not know, nor do they need to know, the “futuristic” emanations and vaporings of Stravinsky et al. Debussy, yes; for whole-tone scales and melodies are found, but none of the horrific combinations in chords made up of all the tones of the scale, or of several half-tones chords, such as these extremists write. Having no musical ideas whatever, or barren ones at most, they nilly-willy have to cover up lack of these by manufacturing artificial tone-combinations, startling impossibilities, such as raise the resentment of hearers who consider that music should have beauty.
Five Lyric Pieces by Thompson (organist of the School for the Blind in Bristol, Eng.,) are easy pieces, somewhat in the style of the early MacDowell, the first playful, the second in chords, the third a song, the fourth a valse lente, fifth a mazurka, and every one of them pleasing. Venetian Boat Song by Logan (born 1897) is in true Italian melody style, graceful and sweet; Autumn and Winter, by Broan (organist to the City of Westminster Guardians, whatever that means), are serious pieces, the first, “the saddest season of the year,” being well pictured; the second still sadder, with murmurs of coming Spring. A Fairy Tale, Little Soldiers, Bed Time, and Sketch (the last-named suggested by the flight of an airplane) by Oke (born 1873, in London), are suggestively Mendelssohnish; the soldiers’ piece is concise, terse, snappy, much like the now celebrated March of the Wooden Soldiers from Chauve Souris. Bed Time is descriptive, beginning with the striking of eight o’clock, continuing tranquilly, sweetly. The Sketch pictures musically something the composer never saw, yet his imagination is such that he gives us a first-rate tone-picture of an airplane at the start, in flight, and alighting quietly. Zingar-esca, by Williams, is characteristic gypsy music, with snap and abandon; a sharp sign is lacking before the A, page three, third score, second measure. (The publishers will kindly note how carefully the reviewer scrutinizes every measure.) Moods of a Mind bring us Repose, Merriment, Sadness and Gladness, by Spanner (who is music librarian at the National Library for the Blind, at Westminster, Eng.). Each of these pieces is developed from a motive containing the same musical tones, given out in various combinations of rhythm and tempo, and every one of them is well constructed, like a sermon on a given text. Periods of eleven measures are found in the Repose; Merriment ׳ is clever, with bright re-statement of the theme at the close; Gladness is best of the lot, to be played with spirit, almost a scherzo in C major, some of it marked “skittishly,” with a chord toward the close which will scare or please you, as the case may be! Of Watling’s Ten Poetic Fancies, only volume I is at hand, containing the following; An Evening Landscape, The Firefly, A Lament, Rustic Revel and Harlequinade. This composer is assistant professor of organ, piano and aural culture at the Royal Normal College. Evening Landscape is a fine little piece of two pages, with Scottish tang; Firefly is even more effective, being a vivacious, light-footed sketch; Lament ■is serious music, with something definite, said in classic fashion; and Rustic Revel is most certainly Irish, with hints of a shil-la-lah, Bridget, Patrick, and a foine ould toime, wid some lovely, neighborly fightings! Harlequinade likewise is music of Tipperary Town, the little Colleen, and whisht 1 a drap or more of “the crayther.” which comes in dark-brown bottles_ in Ireland. Rustic Dance is by Watling, who is also stationed at the Royal Normal College. This is a piece of more depth than the preceding, a finely, spontaneous work. Alfred Wrigley (born at Manchester in 1886) is the composer of a Rondo alia Tarantella; no, the composer is not related to the famous family here, being an L. R. A. M., and an L. I. S. M., degrees of musical distinction in England. This is certainly quite a piece, with running passages of some difficulty, brilliant and taking. Spanish Serenade and Noel are by William Wolstenholme, a name commercially known^ as connected with cutlery; musically, the best known of blind