MUSICAL COURIER
44
February 15, 1923
students, as, not only have they secured some of the greatest musicians in the world to teach at the schools during the summer months, but also throughout the school year they have most competent teachers who now have a chance to show their real worth, many of their pupils appearing publicly at one time or another in concert or recital. Those concerts or recitals and even operatic performances are not only given each week, but now several times during the year Orchestra Hall harbors the pupils of one of those schools.
On Monday evening the Bush Conservatory Orchestral School, a symphony orchestra of rare merit, under the direction of its leader, Richard Czerwonky, gave an amazing exhibition of what can be accomplished by young talent, if well trained. Heard only two months ago, the Bush Conservatory Training School Orchestra has made unbelievable progress since then and the manner in which it played the Merry Wives of Windsor by Nicolai, which opened the program, and the Bizet L’Arlesienne Suite would have been a credit to a professional organization. The Bush Conservatory Orchestra has also been well trained in playing accompaniments and each department has in it students who will make their mark among orchestra players. Enough credit can not be placed at the door of Czerwonky, whose assiduous work is bearing fruit, and though the school as well as the students reap the greatest benefit, the conductor should not be forgotten, as he is responsible for the largest share of the success of this department at the Bush Conservatory, where he is also a big factor in the violin department of which he is the dean. Olga Eitner, violinist, played with much aplomb and savoir faire the Tschaikowsky concerto, op. 35. After the intermission, Harold Triggs, a young pianist with fine technical equipment, enthusiasm and virility, gave a good account of himself in Tschai-kowsky’s piano concerto, op. 23. Maude Bouslough sang the aria from Gounod’s Queen of Sheba, which was inscribed on the program as Le plus grande dans son obscurite when it should have been Plus grand dans son obscurite. Why write titles in French anyhow? But then when using the foreign idiom good spelling is necessary and no grammatical errors should be committed. The grammatical error committed by the proofreader of the program did not upset the singer, however, who is the possessor of a glorious voice, well used and which showed unmistakably fine training. Wagner’s Rienzi overture closed the concert, which was the second of a series of four by the Bush Conservatory Orchestra. The dates of the remaining concerts are April 16 and May 24. The soloists on these programs are members of the Master School of Bush Conservatory, of which Kenneth M. Bradley is the eminent president.
American Conservatory Concert.
Some one once said to this reporter that John J. Hatt-staedt, president of the American Conservatory, was the most conservative man he had ever encountered. For many years we accepted this opinion until facts compelled us to change considerably that wrong impression. John J. Hatt-staedt, president of the American Conservatory, may be conservative, but he is also one of the most progressive musicians and educators in the land. For years he and his associates have arranged numerous recitals where students are accorded the privilege of appearing publicly; but in order to extend to the large number of artist-pupils, who are studying at this justly renowned school, opportunities for orchestral appearances the management of the school provided a mid-winter concert at Orchestra Hall, with a full orchestra, which was practically the Chicago Symphony Orchestra without its concertmaster and a few others, who gave support to the young artists under the direction of Adolf Weidig.
This concert took place on Tuesday evening, February 6, and the talent appearing on this occasion was selected by a board of prominent musicians not connected with the Conservatory. It has always been the view of this reporter that to criticize unmercifully or to over-praise students is a wrong practice, as a young artist may be quickly discouraged by adverse criticism or too much inflated in his own opinion by too kind words written in a reliable paper. For this reason only a few words are here accorded each student, none deserving harsh words, and several not given here their just due.
Edward Eigenschenk opened the program auspiciously with a clean-cut reading of 'Widor’s organ toccata from the fifth symphony. He was followed by Helen Rauh, who hails from Billings (Mont.) and who some day will show them at home and elsewhere how the Moszkowski concerto in E major for piano (of which she played only the first movement) should be rendered. The young pianist was much feted by an audience that crowded Orchestra Hall to capacity. Myra C. Conyers of Glen Ellyn . (111.) is the possessor of a good voice of fine quality and, added to its natural material, it has been well placed, as was exhibited by the young singer in the aria O Mio Fernando from Donizetti’s La Favorita. Ruth Parker, of this city, played with great ease the Saint-Saëns violin concerto in B minor (first
CHICAGO COLLEGE OF MUSIC
Esther Harris Dua, President	A. G. Dna, Mgr.
Mark Oster—member Chicago Civic Opera—Voice Culture, Dramatic Opera Coach.	1234 KIMBALL HALL
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Each Week	^	־■־	a—1
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THEODORE HARRISON,
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PIANIST—COMPOSER
American Conservatory ... Chicago
CHICAGO HEARS RUFFO, HOMER AND HER
DAUGHTER AND UKRAINIAN CHORUS
Conservatory Activities—Artists’ Association Enjoys Frolic—Musicians' Club of Women Presents Program—Notes
doubt, the biggest baritone voice that has ever graced an operatic stage or concert platform, and he poured forth all through the afternoon golden tones that were joy to the ear. It is needless to speak of his triumph or of the manner in which he sang his program. He was acclaimed to the echo by a poorly behaved audience, for an audience that talks with an artist, asking him to sing numbers is one that Chicago should be ashamed of. Why Jews should shout for Rosenblatt to sing certain numbers; why Russians should do the same when Chaliapin appears here, and now the Italians for Ruffo, is inconceivable. Artists know exactly what they want to sing and they also know what the public wants them to sing, and few, if any, will ever accede to giving a number that is clamored for by two or three individuals. Comic singers of the stage today ask the audience what number they want to hear and one or two confederates shout, “Let us have this,” and the comedian, as arranged, sings the number; but fine musicians and great artists are somewhat ruffled by the undignified attitude of an audience—an attitude that always reflects badly on the artist, as, in order to calm the barkers, the artist on the stage must resort to some cheap trick and his deportment at the time is not that which befits a Chaliapin or a Ruffo. Yvonne D’Arle, who hails from the Metropolitan, made a good impression at her first appearance here and she, too, was loudly applauded and compelled to give several encores, so insistent was the public to hear her. F. Wight Neumann managed the concert, which started at three-thirty and was not concluded until after six.
The Homer Recital.
At Orchestra Hall, Louise Homer and her daughter delighted a large gathering by their fine singing of their numbers. This reporter heard Mme. Homer’s first group, which opened with Che faro senza Euridice from Gluck’s Orfeo, in which she totally missed the note of^ pathos and sang the beautiful music as though it meant little to her. Maybe the big drop in the temperature had for the while frozen the popular contralto, as later on she warmed up and sang Haydn’s Mermaid’s Song beautifully, and, with her daughter, Mrs. Stires, the Mozart duet Sull’ aria from Le Nozze di Figaro, and Chausson’s La Nuit, both of which were wonderfully rendered and well earned the demanded numbers. The singers returned to the stage and sang a duet from the pen of Sidney Homer, husband and father respectively of the recitalists. Later, on the same program, Mr. Homer’s song, The Eternal Goodness, was sung by his daughter, and his wife twice more honored him in like fashion. Louise Homer Stires has a fine soprano voice which she uses with distinct artistry. Especially enjoyable was her rendition of Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter of Zion. Both ladies were beautifully gowned, looked regal to the eye and their stage deportment could be taken as a model by other recitalists. Wessels & Voegeli had charge of the recital.
Ukrainian Chorus.
The Ukrainian Chorus, just back from its triumphal appearances in Mexico, sang its farewell here at the Auditorium on Sunday evening. The choir that has been lauded to the skies by critics and others, lived up to its reputation and made new converts by its remarkable singing of its
program.
Bush Conservatory Orchestra.
The three big schools of ChicagCH-the American Conservatory, Bush Conservatory and Chicago Musical College, to name them alphabetically—are doing big things for their
VITTORIO TREVISANI
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Basso for twelve consecutive seasons with Chicago Ot>era Co., now free to accept dates.
For further information
Address: AMERICAN EXPRESS, PARIS, FRANCE
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Jessie CHRISTIAN
Management: Harrison & Harshbarger, 1717 Kimball Bldg., Chicago, III.
Soprano
HERBERT GOULD
BASSO
Management: Harrison St Harshbarger 1717 Kimball Bldg.	Chicago, 111.
GUSTAF HOLMQUIST
BASS-BARITONE Private Address: 1430 Argle Street Address Bush Conservatory, 839 North Dearborn Ave.. Chicago
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Plano and Organ Instruction
BUSH CONSERVATORY 839 North D,arborn Street, Chicago
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Pianist
RATHAUS STR. 20, VIENNA, AUSTRIA
Chicago, February 10.—Our battle cry, “Chicago needs a music hall,” which has been shouted for many years in these columns has been heard, as the Chicago Tribune last Sunday had a long article on the same subject from the pen of its brilliant critic, Edward C. Moore, who also realizes that Chicago is badly in need of a new hall. As a matter of fact, his Sunday lead had to do mostly with that topic under the heading “Sunday Surplus and Week-Day Stint in Music Make New Hall Needed.” The same title was used by the Musical Courier exactly six years ago. The lack of a desirable hall makes the Sunday recitals or concerts far too numerous, as, unable to get a hall for week-days, recitalists use the theaters that are closed on Sunday to give the hungry music-lovers their Sunday musical meal. On February 4 there appeared at the Auditorium Titta Ruffo, assisted by Yvonne D’Arle, soprano; Fritz Renk, violinist, and Leon Benditzky, accompanist. Louise Homer, contralto, and Louise Homer Stires, soprano, gave a joint recital at Orchestra Hall. Pablo Casals held forth at the Studebaker, and at the same hour other less important recitals took place at the Playhouse, Art Institute and in down-town clubs.
Titta Ruffo.
One of the most popular singers of the day, at one time a member of the Chicago Opera where he was for several seasons a big drawing card, should, judging by his reception at the Auditorium on Sunday, be signed up for a few guest performances for the coming season of the Chicago Civic Opera Company. If it were only to hear Ruffo sing the Largo al factotum from The Barber, those who paid for. their tickets would feel well repaid, as Ruffo sings the famous song as it should be sung, enunciating distinctly each word and not burlesquing the song by using, instead of the text, the banal Tra la la la la, which nowadays most baritones■ use, as they have not the facility of Ruffo to enunciate quickly difficult words, and the majority, being out of breath, forget the high tones at the close of the aria. Not so with Ruffo, who, when at his very best, as on this occasion, could sing the aria over and over ten times probably without showing any trace of fatigue. As it was, the farther the program proceeded, the better in voice was the Italian baritone. Ruffo is a unique artist; he has, no
FRAN C ESCO l־^ A r״|r||
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Specialist io Voice Placing and Coaching for Opera, Stage and Recital
Studio: 720 Fine Arts Building Chicago, III.	Harrison 5755
Bush Conservatory
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