13
MUSICAL COURIER
Distinguished Attainments of
Tito Schipa
WITH CHICAGO OPERA COMPANY
SEASON 1922-23
He gives unusual pleasure by the completeness of a vocal style in which he is not equalled by any tenor in the country.—Chicago Journal, January 18.
Tito Schipa’s interpretation of the “Dream” in the second act may take a place of distinguished honor in local operatic annals. Schipa has a golden voice, he has true dramatic feeling.
His art is of that romantic quality that stirs the imagination.—Chicago Herald-Examiner, December 30.
His use of his voice is that of a great artist. His middle voice is superb and his regard for dramatic expression marks him as one of the finest members of the company. His ebullient spirit wins him countless friends and all of them seemed to be present last night.— Chicago Daily Journal, December 16.
Mr. Schipa was in fine voice and sang that first act only as he can sing it. He still acts as if it were fun for him to play with these difficulties and his voice responds with an ease most grateful to the listening ear.—Chicago Post, January 4.
It was the famous aria, however, which made the hit of the evening. Schipa sang it beautifully and acted it with his customary taste in languishing tone. There was a tumult at its close and the artist had to return from the wings numberless times, bowing, shaking his head, and make characteristic motions with his hand. The opera was stopped and orchestra and members had to turn aside while the hero made a final determined bow. He was indeed made of stone to refuse his adorers an encore.—Chicago Journal, January 12.
Individual high points were many and fine. I never want to hear the “Dream” sung any better than Mr. Schipa did it in the second act.—Chicago Tribune, December 30.
Tito Schipa’s Duke is a theatrical and vocal picture, so complete and finished that criticism is here only praise.—Chicago American, January 8.
Every one of his arias was beautifully done with a grace, a polish, a finesse that makes Schipa one of the best lyric tenors on the stage to-day. The duet at the close of the first act and the aria of the last act will long linger in the memory.—Chicago Journal of Commerce, December 16.
A Few Spring Dates Available—Season 1923-24 Now Booking
MANAGEMENT:
Mason & Hamlin Piano
fcikr/iA f&alfet
527 Fifth Ave., New York
Victor Records
trude Hutchinson as accompanist. John Chipman led the community singing.
Bessie Pratt Fountain was the organist at the festival of the Community Chorus, Margaret Adsit Bareli, president.
Esther Duerstein, violinist; Bertha Dreseher, soprano; Evelyn Smith, pianist; Marjorie Heiritz, violinist, and Ethyol McMullen, accompanist, were the participants in a concert given by the Kensington Methodist Episcopal Church, recently.
The chorus choir of the Bethany Evangelical Church, under the direction of Kathryn Schaaf, organist, assisted by Gretchen Schaefer, contralto; George Arnold, bass; Alphonse Schneider, violinist, and Frederick Caster, cellist, presented a special musical service one Sunday afternoon before the holidays.
Gladys Lindsay has been engaged to fill the soprano position in Westminster Church choir. She is the possessor of a beautiful voice and is a thorough musician as well
Violin pupils of Charles Schilsky, ¡assisted by Delia Chapman, contralto, and Alice Richards, pianist, were heard in an enjoyable musical evening in Musical Institute Hall recently. The ¡pupils acquitted themselves creditably, many of them evincing marked talent and excellent teaching. Delia Chapman’s lovely contralto voice was heard with great pleasure in two groups of songs.
Among the enjoyable educational events of the season are the two series of piano and violin sonatas given at the Musical Institution Hall—Harry Cumpson’s analyses of sonata’s with their musical performance Saturday afternoons, and the Schilsky-Cumpson violin and piano sonatas, evenings. On January 15, they played Beethoven’s sonata, op. 12, No. 2, and op. 30, No. 2, and Brahms’, op. 100. The series are offered as one of the various plans for educational ¿profit and ¡are open to the public.
Two recent recitals of the Chromatic Club were those given by Gerald Maas, cellist, of the Eastman School of Music, Rochester, with Mrs. Maas at the piano, and Edna Luse, solo soprano of Lafayette Presbyterian Church, with William Gomph, accompanist. The program for a former meeting was furnished by Una Martin, pianist (formerly pupil of Evelyn Choate and recently returned from study in the Fontainebleau School in France with Harold Henry). Her playing of MacDowell’s Keltic sonata, op. 59, Debussy numbers, and Chopin’s B minor scherzo proved her a young artist of brilliant attainments.	L. H. M.
Maia Bang Displays Results of Her Violin T eaching
A musical event of interest was_ the evening festival given for her pupils and friends by Maia Bang and her husband, Baron von Hoehn, in their apartment at 456 Riverside Drive on January 20. Emely Rose Knox opened the evening with a fine rendering of the Chopin-Auer nocturne, and La Gitana by Kreisler. Kalvin Kuhl played Max Bruch’s G minor concerto remarkably well, whereupon Katherine Kerrison gave Veracini’s Largo and Drigo-Auer’s serenade with much feeling and taste. Sam Kissel, twelve years of age, played Vivaldi’s A minor concerto. Miriam Stahl, ten years of age, offered the minuet by Gluck and gavotte by Lully. Next on the program came Emely Rose Knox, contributing poem by Chausson, after which she was warmly applauded.
It was of great interest to hear Oluf Nielsen, who performed Largetto by Handel and Habanera by Sarasate. Mr. Nielsen is a former pupil of Marsick in Paris and came to New York this winter to finish his studies with Miss Bang. The last number was the playing of a young American boy, Wotan Zoellner, who already combines fluent technic and beautiful tone with fine musical ability and deep feeling. He was applauded to such an extent that besides an encore he had to repeat both numbers. Miss Yeaton, Miss Emerson and Mr. Brunner were the accompanists.
The guests were Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Converse Morgan, Mr. and Mrs. Waldimar Kaempfert, Mrs. Bernhard Kaempfert, Mr. and Mrs. James Goldmark, Dr. and Mrs. Kerrison, Prof, and Mrs. de Sadler, Rev. Mr. Brunn and Mrs. Brunn, Mr. and Mrs. Harriman, Mr. and Mrs. Dean, Dr. and Mrs. Kuhl, Mr. Knudsen, Mrs. Gran, Mrs. Friesche, Florenze Howes, Janet Mabon, Mr. Samson, Mr. Busch, Mr. Jolas, Capt. Kosta Rado, Mr. Sage, Miss Welles, Mr. and Mrs. Otto Andreae, Mr. and Mrs. J. Wintrich, Mr. Stahl, Mr. Kissel, A. Peterson, Mr. Morehouse, Mrs. Karsavina, Mr. Reichsuetz and Dr. F. Bergh.
Elsa Foerster in Ruhr District
Elsa Foerster and her brother, the former being prima donna at the Düsseldorf City Opera House, where the latter is first violinist (children of William Foerster, of Woodridge, N. J., who has traveled as clarinetist with Thomas Seidl, Gilmore and others), ar.e in the troubled Ruhr region on the Rhine, and are doubtless having experiences. Miss Foerster recently appeared as Elsa (Lohengrin) with the Berlin Volksoper with success. Mr. Foerster is studying violin with Schulze-Prica in Cologne, and the Foersters both visited Conductor Hans Wetzler, formerly of New York, now in Cologne. Xavier Scharwenka was godfather of young Mr. Foerster, whose parents look forward to entertaining the former when here next May (he is to teach in Chicago).
Latest news from Scharwenka is, that he will be accompanied to America by his wife and daughter, Lucie; that his opera, Mataswintha (performed in 1897 under Grau at the Metropolitan Opera House), is to be produced this winter in Berlin; that his biography will soon appear, with an edition in English, and that he “does not look forward to drinking a glass of genuine lemon-phosphate with friends in America!” The Foersters have many musical acquaintances, noting also that the former New Yorkers, Heinrich Bellmann and Paul Steindorff, both now of San Francisco, are important musical personalities in California; the latter is giving operettas in his own theater.
Laurie Merrill’s Engagements
Laurie Merrill, whose costume recitals attract attention and admiration because of the lovely picture she presents and her beautiful singing, was booked, with Milan Lusk and Mme. Wettche, violinist and pianist, for February 5, at the People’s M. E. Church, New York. On February 8 she was heard at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and at a later date she will sing at St. Agatha’s School for Girls, West End Avenue. Various other engagements are pending.