40
February 1 , 1923
Drum, Christmas Song, and Land of Nod. So simple are they that even the teacher with limited experience will find them practical.
(Clayton F. Summy, Chicago)
Petit Carnaval (Piano)
Walter Spry, one of Chicago’s eminent pedagogues, also finds time to contribute compositions for the young student. In a note to this editor he states this was written after attending a fancy dress ball for children. In it he has given all of the color and brightness that such an occasion could inspire. It is written in the key of C, with a short trio in F, helpful in time and rhythm, with good practice in fingering. A possible second grade study depending on the advancement of the student. This can be simplified by omitting the lower notes of the octave used in the left hand.
{Oliver Ditson Company, Boston)
Ballentino, Prince Charming, Promenade at Trianon and
The Donkey’s Step
Four piano studies for the higher elementary grade, published separately by Paul Wachs. These are most interesting for even more advanced students as salon pieces. Ideal for their recitals where delicate phrasing and nuance are expected, they are modern compositions with a French atmosphere. The first is an Air de Ballet; second, a dainty Minuet; third, a Gavotte; and the fourth, the most difficult of the set, is a march with syncopated rhythm. They are only for the serious student and one whose early training has been well founded, for without these elements this set is worthless. And on the other hand the inexperienced teacher would do well to let them alone.
Five Little Piano Pieces for Ten Little Fingers
N. Irving Hyatt has written these and they are just what ^ ur *u Cj *nc^ca*eS ’ ^rs*־ an^ second grade primary work, published separately and also in one volume. It is advisable to use these after the children have had considerable practice in the most elemental steps, especially the one entitled The Coquette. This is more advanced than the other four. The set can be used to advantage in conjunction with early exercises. Simple and careful fingering is one of the features.
{The Arthur P. Schmidt Co., Boston)
Country Sketches
Four elementary piano pieces by Ernest Newton, Butterflies, At Play, The Skipping Rope, A Birthday Dance and Travelling Gypsies, are the titles. Published separately these are rather tuneful and carefully fingered. There is no special feature which distinguishes them from dozens of others with the same teaching principles emphasized Thev will no doubt find favor with those teachers who have large classes which necessarily demand variety in material.
Sister Sue’s Sunny Stories
First steps in a child’s study of the piano, by Florence Newell Barbour. In the composer’s Foreword she sets forth her aim: “to develop the habit of acquiring interesting facts through the natural order of things—first observation then thought and finally expression.״ They are little tone pictures with a lyric or story to awaken and stimulate interest. These have been worked out with unusual care and by one who evidently has had much experience in teaching children. The words, for instance, taken from a lesson at random: “These are the notes of the triad of C, Now played together a chord it will be.” A splendid foundation for real musical knowledge and skill. For the kindergarten or private classes and well suited with other little pieces which would give more variety. The idea is not entirely new but sufficiently novel to command attention. M. J.
Telmanyi Scores in the West
Telmanyi scored splendid successes in his Western appearances recently as will be noted by a glance at the appended excerpts from criticisms in San Francisco and Omaha:
Emil Telmanyi immediately proved himself an artist of the first ”i* "׳¡*i1,3 ,<jlstln,ct, musical personality. He has a technical equip-ment which allowed lum to play the tremendous difficulties of a taxine program with great fluency and skill. He has a fire of temperament th:it vltal!z,es eac.h number. He has authority and conviction, and he plays with an intensity of expression and an as-interpretation that thrills. He draws a splendid tone K1•? Ume.Ilt; waJn;,’ va״Jed and “1“■ful. He has an incisive S.*f(blt”8 out. big full-toned chords that stand forth clear and charms ,whole flocks of harmonics to poise beneath his skillful bow, while others seem to poise near to alight at every opportunity. He plays brilliantly and more than that, soulfully and he carried the listeners on the crest of the wave with him, swayl mg them at will through his fine skill and ardent personality.—
Mr. Telmanyi’s playing was backed by an exceptionally well de-vdoped technic which enabled him to give his interpretations remarkable clearness, beauty of tone and interesting variety of was d,fnified and intelligent in conception, with many bits of charm and fascination. Mr. Telmanyi made k most favorable impression and will always receive a warm welcome neie.—Umaha World-Herald.
His style of playing is refined, and at the same time forceful His tone is ever glowing with vitality even in moments of extreme finesse, and never	cools	into drab and	uninteresting color.	His
technic has the brilliance and suppleness that pertain to the virtuoso and he controls it without showiness. In personality he is pleasing and th;re is abundance of poetic urgency in his temperament. He has a sensitiveness in expression that gives charm to his interpretations.	His	phrasing is invariably clean, his intona-
tion is accurate and his. rhythmic sense is admirable. The fieriness that we associate	with the Magyar soul	is always present,	held
well in check but	ready	for release at a	touch. His program	con-
ta-ned such thoroughly familiar works as the Devil’s Trill sonata ot lartini, the Bach chaconne, the Wieniawski D minor concerto the E minor nocturne of Chopin and the Beethoven Turkish March’ Ihe novelties were two numberes of Josef Suk, a romantic and interesting Quasi Ballatta and a scintillant Appassionata. Sandor Vas was the capable accompanist.—The San Francisco Chronicle.
Next season’s tour will be under the direction of Arthur and Harry Culbertson, and already he has been booked for a pair of concerts with the Cincinnati Orchestra.
MUSICAL COURIER
appropriately expressed in the Smith type of fluent song. Ina Brevoort Roberts wrote the verse; it is for medium range (D below to high G), and dedicated to that fine tenor, Umberto Sorrentino.
Troisieme Ballade, Etudes in F Major and A Minor (for Piano)
E. R. Blanchet, whoever he may be, is on the wrong track. He evidently plays the piano, for the music, “fits”; but musical ideas he has none, and constant search for new tonal combinations has led him into some of the worst cacophony ever invented. Chromatic wanderings, ending a piece on a 6-5 chord, or on a seventh, using three clefs, all this does not result in music.
(White-Smith Music Publishing Co., Boston, New York, Chicago)
Delight of the Out-of-Doors (Song)
The well known composer, Gertrude Ross, who lately specializes in songs and piano pieces expressing the West, dedicates the song To the Land of the Heart’s Delight— California, she being the author of both words and music. It is a song descriptive of the wondrous world, the orange tree, the bright blue sea, the Open Road, all in vivacious, spontanous style, with varied tempi, bird-music in the accompaniment, a portion declaimed, some of it marked ' with utmost joy,” and ending with high note and upward sweep at close of accompaniment “as fast as possible.” For high and low voice.	F. W. R.
(/. & W. Chester, Ltd., London)
Grande Suite from L’Histoire du Soldat (for Piano)
It is hard to see where Igor Stravinsky has been going ahead since he wrote that little masterpiece, Petrushka. L’Histoire du Soldat is music for a pantomime, written three or four years ago. If memory serves right, Stravinsky employs in the score an orchestra of only six or seven instruments, the idea being to provide a score that will allow the pantomime to be produced in small towns and villages, as well as in cities. Also there is a speaking voice, which explains the action. But no mention of any of this appears in the piano reduction, made by the composer himself. There are eight numbers. Three of them are marches—du Soldat, Royale, and de Diable. There are dances, including a tango, valse and ragtime, none of which are good of their kind.
To judge fantastic music of this kind from a bald piano score is impossible. The subtle colorings that Stravinsky can win from even so small an orchestra must make an entirely different thing of it. On the piano it merely sounds queer and intentionally eccentric, without being in the slightest interesting. With an orchestra accompanying definite stage action, the impression is doubtless quite different. But the tunes themselves are boresome, the harmonies needlessly original, the rhythms uselessly complicated and shifting. It is all done for effect—and after all the trouble, the effect is ineffective. It is hard for instance, to find anything very clever or impressive in the device on which the Marche du Diable is founded, viz.: distributing the dominant seventh chord of B flat between the two hands, leaving the E flatted in one and making it natural m the other. That may amuse for one-hundredth of a second when first heard, but it is repeated deliberately and with malice aforethought by Stravinsky all through the march, as if it were an idea of ponderous value. The thought will persist that the success of Petrushka was due more to the splendid Russian folk melodies which pervade the score, than to any inspiration of the composer’s. H. O.O..’
{John Church Company, New York and Cincinnati)
Teaching Material for Early Grades Two Compositions for the Piano
L. Leslie Loth again turns his attention to modern musical study for the early grades. Warriors’ March not only has a melody to interest, but also the teacher will find this an exceptional exercise in fingering. In the first bars there are repetitions of the same note, which each of the five fingers of the right hand must play, leaving the hand in position for the same melody a third higher. Both hands are treated in the same manner. The same simple fingering is employed with the thirds and fifths used.
The companion piece (published separately) is Little Wild Flowers, This also is an exercise with sufficient melody not to weary the young student. It is excellent for the modern, observing teacher in need of second grade material.
{The Willis Company, Cincinnati)
Tuneful Rhymes from Wonderland
Five little piano pieces published separately for first grade work, by C. W. Krogmann. The feature of this set is the attractive publication. The first obstacle for beginners is removed by the very large notes. It will be impossible to make a mistake. Then the composer has added words for either the teacher to sing to the child or for the little pupils themselves. Experience has proven that either words or a little poem, greatly aids in impressing these essential first principles on the child’s mind. The composer has given each a different key and tempo, thereby adding variety. The simplicity of the titles describes the rhythm. The Morning Glory, The Arithmetic Lesson, The Big Bass
(White-Smith Music Publishing Co., Boston, New York, Chicago)
I’m a Wand’rin’ (Old Slave Song)
Samuel Richard Gaines, born in Detroit, studied with Sapio, Chadwick and others, later organist in Boston, now conductor and organist in Columbus, Ohio, has composed for various instruments, for voice, etc., and writes fluent poems as well as music, both combined in this very taking sort of darky music. It has wistful quality in its eight-measure plaintive periods, with rich but simple harmonies in the accompaniment. Yet it has climax and power .in its second stanza, with contrasting phrases, all in genuine nigger-style. Following a short interlude, the last line is repeated at the close, on the words “down inside ob me 1” making a very effective ending. For high and low voice, also arranged for (four-part) mixed voices, women’s voices, men’s voices, and dedicated “In Memory of the Great Emancipator, Abraham Lincoln.” Title-page pictures an old slave-man trudging up hill, white haired; cabin in distance and a live-oak tree in foreground.
{Composers' Music Corporation, New York)
Pastorale, Memories, Mood Picture, Minuet Varie, and Impromptu (for Piano)
“Hats off, gentlemen,” said Schumann of the young Gade, three quarters of a century ago, and the same holds good with regard to these five fine piano pieces by Lodewyk Mortelmans, who has added a postscript to his music, “September 18, 1916-1920, Antwerp.” For here is a composer who makes universal appeal through melodiousness and good workmanship. These־ kind words but feebly describe the superior merit of the music, however; only personal hearing will suffice for this. There is Schumannesque breadth of melody, allied with Mendelssohnish directness of form in every one of these, and an avoidance of affectation which comes as a breath of purity in this day of harsh dissonance. Not that such are lacking in the Mortelmans works; but his are a natural part of the harmonic scheme pleasingly contrasting to the simple harmonic plan, and enjoyable as are certain condiments at the table.
Graceful, songful, with a fine climax is the Pastorale;' full of color the Memories, dedicated to Carmen Blaess, this lady|s initial-letters, C. B., constantly reiterated in the principal subject; a real character-piece is the Mood Picture; the Minuet is long (sixteen pages), but so is a good dinner, and the variations of the theme make it continuously interesting; and the Impromptu is an animated, soaring, at times impressive work, with restrained passion,, with occasional outburst, running into a precipitoso and tender close. If composer Mortelmans was in Antwerp from 1916 (height of the World War) he saw some unusual sights, and the depth and serious’ness of the music at times seems to picture this.
(Song)
Love Is Like-
Doubtless there are chaps who would supply a certain cuss-word for the dash in this song by Wilson G. Smith, the composer, music critic and instructor, of Cleveland and the United States 1 Could the noun in the title always be personified by a song like this fine, natural and graceful outburst of music, all would be well! The excellent musician-ship, refinement, and vocability of the song is noted at once; canonic imitation in the introduction shows that Wilson G. thinks in musicianly workmanship. Interesting harmony in accompanying chords go at first with the voice, with wellfitting counterpoint in the bass of the last portion, all most
ADOLPH BOLM SCHOOL of the DANCE
ADOLPH BOLM
Director of the Chicago Opera Ballet
Instructs in Classical, Ballet, Toe, Character Dancing and Pantomime.
His Assistants are KONSTANTIN KOBELEFF and MME. ALEXANDRE MAXIMOWA, both from the Russian Imperial Ballet
Classes for Non-Professionals Classes for Children Classes in Folk Dancing
In addition to all forms of the dance art, other subjects taught are Dalcroze Eurythmies, Hygienic and Esthetic Body Culture, French, and Courses in Costuming
Mr. Bolm arranges and Stages Special Dance Features and Ballet Acts
624 South Michigan Ave.	Chicago
Harrison 2029
Illustrated catalogue upon request
NYIREGYHAZI
(Pronounced NEAR-ECH-HAHZI)
“A POET OF THE PIANO” New York American
Management: R. E. JOHNSTON	1451 Broadway
Associates : L. C. Breld and Paul Longone New York Cltyp Knabe Piano Used	Amplco Records
ELENA GERHARDT
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features with great success
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