January 11, 1923
MUSICAL COURIER
THE PRESS
£reat Austrian’s plane. Paul Kochânski, the young Polish violinist, who gave a delightful concert program at the National !heater yesterday afternoon, is a virtuoso of the first rank. He had his entire audience with him every moment of the recital and there were even shouts of “bravo” toward the end of the program. His numbers were so enjoyed that not a soul in the entire audience, which filled the fine new theater to capacity, thought of leaving until at least two musical favorites had been given as encore numbers to supplement the final group listed on the program. Mr. Kochanski received a genuine ovation.—Evening Star.
OPINIONS OF
The Dayton Westminster Presbyterian Choir
M. H. Hanson has just placed another American choir on the map—the Westminster Presbyterian Choir, hailing from Dayton, Ohio, which has just completed its first concert tour. This choir, which was brought to the notice of Mr. Hanson some two years ago, and is conducted by John Finley Williamson, has made a splendid impression wherever it has been heard.
,Ahere. Is every reason for those who heard Paul Kochanski, the distinguished Polish violinist, at the National Theater yesterday on the occasion of his fifth appearance in this city, to congratulate themselves. Rarely has a more uniformly pleasing program been presented here. Mr. Kochanski, though his technical skill is great, did not select numbers that make an audience gasp with amazement that they are played at all. Instead, he chose works that almost any audience would be glad to hear.—Washington Herald.
He held the audience almost spellbound, not so much because of his technical skill, thought that is great, but because he had selected works that were delightful in themselves and played them with com summate mastery.—Washington Times.
Western Critics Laud Macbeth
What some of the papers said in cities recently visited by Florence Macbeth, soprano of the Chicago Civic Opera Company, are appended:
Barring the flawlessly pure tonal quality displayed—a thing to be remembered in itself—Miss Macbeth delighted the audience with her .e arJ• would be difficult to imagine a freer or more lovely rendition of the classic aria, Ah fors’ e lui, from Verdi’s Traviata, than she gave. She takes her vocal “hurdles” with elegance and ease. —K. W. .Borough, Los Angeles Record.
Miss Macbeth’s voice has a quality of clearness and control that has caused her to be compared most favorably with Galli-Curci.—Los Angeles Examiner.
Her greatest triumph was the aria, Ah fors’ e lui, from Traviata. Miss Macbeth s voice was superbly bell-like, smooth, velvety and well pointed, her phrasing was excellent, her artistry unquestioned.— .Florence Pierce Reed, Los Angeles Express.
Miss Macbeth’s program was arranged to display to best advantage the great flexibility of her voice, which, besides its remarkable range is so perfectly clear and true, with a flute-like quality that made her softest note audible in the remotest corner of the auditorium. Every number was a gem.—Santa Ana Daily Register.
Florence Macbeth, a Tanagra figurine, stepped onto the platform of the Baptist Church last evening, and took the hearts of seven hundred people into her tiny hands and held them during the most marvelous concert Grand Junction people have heard since Mme. Schumann Heink. In a soft, rose-velvet hoop-skirt and silver lace bodice, she bowed and curtsied, and sang encore after encore with the joyousness and graciousness of the true artist until one was ashamed to ask for more, and yet dared not miss the chance to hear the silvery bells of that voice again.—Genevieve Stone, Grand Junction (Colo.) Daily News.
Florence Macbeth has at her command all the artistry that inter-ests all discriminating music lovers in the sheer mechanics of her wonderful vocal ability; she included in her repertory some of the famous numbers that display the flexibility and technic that make her remarkable; and she also draws upon a wide range of musical literature to put on her program some of the simpler lyrics and ballads that make her singing go straight to the hearts of all who listen, whether versed in technical matters or not.—Grand Junction Daily Sentinel.
More Encomiums for Crooks
Mr. Williamson presented these fifty young Dayton women and men in a taxing program which commenced with Bach and finished with Gretchaninoff, sung a capella and entirely from memory, which called forth expressions of praise both from the press and public.
Much credit is due to Mr. Hanson for the courage and enthusiasm he has shown in the development of choral singing. He took this totally unknown American choir to Pittsburgh and to the great Syria Mosque. It was courageous, because Pittsburgh boasts of some fine choral societies, among which must be specially mentioned the Cecelia Choir, conducted by Charles N. Boyd. Among the cities visited were Cleveland, Detroit and other mid-western musical towns, all of which appreciated the work of the choir. It is therefore not to be wondered at that the Dayton citizens and press gave them a great reception on their return. The Journal of December 14 editorially wrote as follows:
A WONDERFUL CHOIR.
The Westminster Choir is a cultural asset of tremendous power and influence to the city of Dayton. At home, it is a consistent and never-flagging influence for the promotion of musical achievement. Abroad, it has spread the name and fame of Dayton as a city whose cultural development keeps pace with its commercial and industrial, which are unsurpassed in the land.
The Dayton Westminster Choir represents an ideal. It was termed two and a half years ago, as the result of several years’ work under its capable director, J. F. Williamson. The singers who compose it are so devoted to their ideal that its personnel has changed but little in that time. This fact, in connection with the constant work at rehearsals, makes the Dayton organization unique in choir fields.
Because they are so scarce, it is evident that very few organizations in the country are willing to work so hard in the single pursuit ot an ideal. The sacrifices of time and effort are tremendous. Big as the ideal may be, the work in pursuit of it is bigger. To make it the success it is today, every member had to live and work and study tirelessly over long hours, when friends and family were enjoying lighter and less taxing diversions. The choir, consequently, is a labor of love and impersonal ambition.
An assistant leader and treasurer are the only officers having any control over the affairs of the choir, and a small sum is kept on hand which comes from a contribution each week by each member. The rewards which come to members are such as come from musical triumphs, increased education in music, and the satisfaction of doing a worth-while thing on a big scale without money and without price.
. The secret of the success of the choir is in the sincere desire of its members to give joy and pleasure to others. As its director, J. F Williamson says:	“There is the joy of doing something so
much worth while that less worthy affairs seem too trivial to spend time upon. A kindly spirit of helpfulness is one of the fairest products of all the discipline and training which these choristers experience, as v/ell as the ability to sing difficult music intelligently.”
Dayton is proud of the Westminster Choir. In it she possesses something that few critics in the country have. It has few equals and no superiors. The congratulations of the entire city go out to the choir on its safe return from a long trip during which it tremendously advanced the name and prestige of the city which is proud to call it its own.
Richard Crooks, tenor, whose New York debut was made this season under the most brilliant circumstances, sang The Messiah at Port Chester, N. Y., January 4. Today, January 11, he will appear as soloist with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in Liszt’s Faust Symphony, and on January 16 in recital in Baltimore. He has been engaged by the Toronto( Canada) Orpheus Society for a concert on March 15 next; this will be the singer’s first appearance in the Dominion. Appended are more Buffalo, N. Y., press praises:
Arthur Rubinstein Praised by Chicago Press
Arthur Rubinstein, who recently appeared as soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Frederick Stock, was highly praised by the Chicago press, December 2, as the following excerpts prove:
Arthur Rubinstein, nephew of Anton Rubinstein, has developed into a sterling virtuoso, who combines great technical skill with refined musical qualities, with innate instinct for accent, with a sense for beauty in tone coloring and with a personality which at once fastens the attention of his audience upon his playing.—Maurice Rosenfeld, Chicago Daily News.
Richard Crooks proved to be a gifted young singer with a voice very sympathetic in quality, full and round for a tenor, and with a style marked by understanding and musicianly feeling. The Gounod aria from Faust, Salut Demure, Chaste et Pure, gave him a chance to do some very excellent singing. The Prize Song from !he Mastersingers he sang lustily. His other numbers were by Harry Gilbert, Rachmaninoff, and Coningsby Clarke. Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal he added as an encore, singing it with lovely ettect in the quality of his pianissimo.—Buffalo Evening Times, December 5.	’
The Buffalo Orpheus has always been noted for bringing to Buffalt tor the first time many delightful artists, and last evening it onc< more brilliantly justified its reputation in this respect in presentim tor his first appearance so splendid a singer as Richard Crooks, whe has 9J}9. .0* **Y most beautiful lyric tenor voices with great dramati( possibilities that has been heard here in years. Although onh twenty-two years old, Mr. Crooks has already attracted seriou! attention in New York and other large cities. Already he reveal! amazing musicianship and a suggestion of histrionic achievement! to come and the development of a robust quality that will entith him to a high place among leading tenors of the day. Seldom dc audiences, chorus and orchestra join in such acclaims as wen accorded the young artist.—Buffalo Courier, December 5.
Press Praise for Jerome Swinford
Jerome Swinford recently gave his third recital in Providence within a year, and his fourth appearance there will be on January 29 when he sings for the benefit of the Soldiers and Sailors’ Memorial. Following his recital of December 13 at the Women’s College in Brown University, the Providence Journal commented in part as follows:
Variety and a wide range of songs marked an unusually inter esting program. . Possessed of an exceptionally beautiful voic< and a dramatic style, Mr. Swinford won laurels on his two recita appearances here last season. In his singing yesterday he revealec
i5rl,Vrar?״r, qUa ltlCS um	that charmed his hearers at hi!
earlier appearances here. This was particularly true of the Hande ״whl,ch t״e sustained and flowing melody of the song wai delightfully brought out. The Schumann songs were sung wit! vocal artistry of a high order, while the swinging measures of the Kussian song made so deep an impression on the listeners that, by request, the baritone repeated it at the end of the afternoon. The £®״Sful Hungarian Forget Me Not was a gem of the recital and vle Negro spirituals at the end were so admirably interpreted thal Mr. Swinford was forced to add others.
There was the big sweep to the rhythm and the smashing chords that had the racial savor. It was in Mr. Rubinstein’s blood and he played the music something after the fashion Tschaikowsky had in mind. It was a brilliant performance and made an immediate hit with the public.—Karleton Hackett, Chicago Evening Post.
Yesterday’s symphony concert at Orchestra Hall gave us a great thrill for it served to reintroduce to us Arthur Rubinstein, of whose first appearance here I wrote in terms of unbridled praise. Mr. Rubinstein is worthy of the name he bears. The illustrious Anton himself could surely not surpass the talents, the accomplishments, let me say, the genius of this young giant of the keyboard. His tone and technic are a dual instrument with which he creates marvels. In cantabile nothing can excel the exquisite beauty and singing quality of his legato. When feats of virtuosity are required, Rubinstein is armed with power, stupendous assurance, authority and accuracy. Brilliance is a weak word to describe the breathtaking audacity of his technical display. In fact, when I listened to his octave flights, something gripped me at the throat—a sort of so suppressed excitement that would set a woman’s nerves a quiver, and leave no understanding listener indifferent. Rubinstein is just that—an exciting pianist and a magnificent artist. The audience, almost spellbound during his playing, recovered sufficiently to recall Mr. Rubinstein about eight times. When I left the hall, he was playing encores and I could readily believe that he is still playing them.—Herman Devries, Chicago Evening American.
Arthur Rubinstein in Tschaikowsky’s famous concerto. He sees in the work an opportunity for dashing pianism of the most breathtaking sort, and his audience, which had filled the hall to hear him yesterday, frenzied with joy at his success. His playing was plucky, fired with ambitions, giving the composer no quarter. Tremendous speed was his first thought, and tremendous power nis second. There was an encore.—Eugene Stinson, Chicago Daily Journal.
Seldom has the peace and calm of the Friday afternoon symphony concerts in the Orchestra Hall been shaken to its depths as it was yesterday, when Arthur Rubinstein, pianist, played Tschaikowsky’s chords of the concerto in B flat minor. . . . His fingers are like highly sensitized steel, swift and certain in touch but responsive to the slightest change of mood.—Chicago Journal of Commerce.
A great show this peppery little pianist made out of it, bouncing enthusiastically out of his seat every time he smashed into a big chord, setting a pace that would have run an ordinary orchestra out of breath, but only resulted in making the Chicago Symphony sit up a bit straighter, and carrying the audience along with him at the same speed—a high tension, spirited entertainment—it was enormous. Isn’t it a pity that so lofty a work should be so unappreciated?—Edward Moore, Chicago Tribune.
Mellish Charms.
Tlle following notices give some idea of the success that Mary Mellish, Metropolitan Opera soprano, achieves in her concert appearances:
«.־iSS"? cneJ’i was 8reetc׳l with tremendous applause from capacity filled house. Her voice, rich, sweet and vibrant, delight! her hearers who called her back again and again. Miss Mellish h an exceptionally wide range, and her tones in every register we
Kochanski Pleases Washington
Paul Kochanski recently played in Washington, where he scored a tremendous success, as the attached comments from leading papers there (December 2) will show:
Another applicant for the glory that is Kreisler’s has stepped forward from among the violinists of Europe and gives rare promise, if, indeed, he has not already attained it, of eventually reaching
54
YEATMAN GRIFFITH
JifNn'p i°	.MACBETH, Prima Donna Colorata»;
LEN ORA SPARKES, Lyric Soprano, and other prominent Artista. Studios: 318 West 82d St.. NEW YOKE CITY. Tel. Seknyler 8537
KERR
U.
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BASS BAR !TONE
RECITALS IN ENGLISH, FRENCH,
ITALIAN AND NORWEGIAN 561 West 143rd Street, New York City. Tel. 2970 Audabon
DR. CHERUBINO RAFFAELLI
From Royal Conservatory, Florence. Italy TEACHER OE SINGING AND RIANO 602 West 137th Street. New York City Telephone Audubon 5669
COLORATURA
SOPRANO
Opera and Concert»
ALLABACH
Personal Address : 710 Madison Ave.. Toledo. O. Management: LOUIS BRAND
R
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OPERATIC and CONCERT TENOR Graduate, Royal Conservatory of Music MILANO, ITALY 125 East 37th Street New York
GIUSEPPE BOGHETTI
Vocal Studios: 1710 Chestnut Street Philadelphia, Pa.
Professor of Choral Music, Columbia University Address 39 Claremont Ave.
Hall
Waller
Henry
William s. BRADY
TEACHER OF SINGING
Studio: 137 West 86th St., New York. Tel. Schuyler 3580
CHARLES SANFORD SKILT0N
COMPOSER and ORGANIST
University of Kan»»	Lawrence, Kan»•
MARIE SUNDELIUS Soprano
With the Metropolitan Opera Co.
Exclusive Management:
HAENSEL & JONES.	Aeolian Hall* New York
Edwin Franko Goldman
CONDUCTOR THL GOLDMAN BAND A Symphony Orchettra in Bran”	Columkis UoWsriltr Csscsrts
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J. FRED WOLLE
ORGANIST
Management: THE WOLFSOHN MUSICAL BUREAU,
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o At p niTIDlf E Voice Placement aU t \JU1i\IaL and Opera Class
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DAN BEDDOE
TENOR
Voice Culture—Recitals and Oratorio
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v. COLLEGE OF MUSIC
New Building—114116־ East 85th Street
Founded for the Higher Education in all branches of Music Conducted on the same plane of the European foremost conservatory. Over 40 eminent instructors.
Piano Department...........August Fraemcke, Dean
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Harmony, Counterpoint, Composition. Rubin Goldmark, Dean Vocal Students have exceptional!v good opportunity for Grand Opera and acting.
Terms reasonable.	Catalog on application.
GEORGE S. MADDEN
BARITONE
Master Singer
Concert, Recital and Oratorio
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