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MUSICAL COURIER
AUSTRO-GERMAN MUSICIANS’ RELIEF FUND COMMITTEE
Theodore Spiering, Chairman
List of contributors up to and including February 17, 1923:
Herman Diestel August Palma Louis Lupo Carl J. Stern Frank Paul
Gustav Saenger Martha Martin Eugene Gruenberg Marguerite Melville-Liszniewska Georges Enesco Oscar G. Sonneck Ossip Gabrilowitsch Carl R. Edson Mrs. Carl R. Edson L. Auer Sophie Beebe Frederick Jacobi Walter Knupfer C. O. Herz Mrs. John Gerrian Adolph Mayer Louise Robyn Edith Braun Augusta Murphy Bertha J. Burlingame Mrs. L. von Bernuth Willem Mengelberg George Fergusson Fred-ric Reidemeister Theo. Cassebeer Hans Kindler Marcella Sembrich Joseph Lhevinne Augusta Cottlow Frederic Jacobi, in memory of the late Robert Leonhardt Paul H. Wagner Henry Ziegler Ernest Hutcheson Alvin L. Schmoeger George Meader Ely Ney
¡.Willem van Hoogstraten Max Adler
Mr. and Mrs. Crosbey Adams
Frank A. Schaedler
Alfred Hertz
Paul H. Bilhuber
Carl Westmann
Elizabeth Cueny
Florence Easton
Francis Maclennan
William H. Daniels
xTed Bacon
Edwin Grasse
Harold Randolph Arthur Shattuck Josef Hofmann Amy H. Beach Dagmar de C. Rybner Dr. Cornelius Rybner Thuel Burnham Carl Busch Henry Hadley Victor Herbert Margaret A. Cox Mme. Charles Cahier Frank La Forge Myra Hess J. Lawrence Erb Nicoline Zedeler-Mix Sergei Klibansky Louise Keppel Theodore Spiering Eva S. Joseph Ida S. Lester Ernest Urchs Chalmers Clifton J. B. Berkhoel Alfredo Oswald Guy Maier Steinway & Sons Joseph Regneas Fred Steinway Herman Irion Walter Fischer Fritz Kreisler Victor Harris Anna Faber B. H. Balensiefer Paul H. Schmidt Theodore E. Steinway R. Mojewski Hattie Kämmerer Albert Stuercke Sylvia Cushman Bern Boekelmann Madeleine S. Stern Mrs. Norman S. Goldberger Anonymous, Springfield, Mass,
Francis Macmillen Hans Schneider Walter Spry Herman Epstein A. C. Wieland Emerson Whithorne John R. Ootman Rudolph Ganz H. C. Kudlich John Passaretti George Raudenbush Morris Goldberg Paul Miersch
Orchestras of the Rivoli and Capitol theaters.
Contributions are to be sent to Ernest Urchs, treasurer, care Steinway & Sons, 109 East Fourteenth street, New York.
the coast during the end of March and the .first New York appearance will take place about April 5. On the tour she is being assisted by Max Kaplick, baritone, formerly of the Boston Opera Company, and Mme. Jeanne Kreiger of Paris, accompanist.
Harrisburg Festival May 1 to 4
The 1923 Harrisburg (Pa.) Festival will be held from May 1 to 4 inclusive. On the evenings of May 1 and 2 Horatio Parker’s The Wanderer’s Psalm and the Bach cantata Bide With Us will be given with the following soloists: Bianca Sherwood, soprano; Claire Brookhurst, contralto; Bruce Campbell, tenor, all of New York, and Rollin Pease, bass baritone of Chicago. The same group of soloists will give an artists’ matinee recital on the afternoon of May 2. For the evenings of May 3 and 4 the offering will be Coleridge Taylor’s Hiawatha, the soloists being Melvena Passmore, coloratura soprano; Lewis James, tenor, both of New York, and Horace R. Hood, baritone of Philadelphia. The same artists, with the assistance of Helen Bock, pianist of Philadelphia, will give an artists’ recital on the afternoon of May 4. Bernard R. Mausert will conduct the chorus of 150 voices. The entire festival expense will be underwritten and all six performances will be open to the public, a most unusual feature for May festivals.
Hackett Given Ovation in Barcelona
Charles Hackett, American tenor, made his first appearance for the present season at the Teatro Liceo, Barcelona, as Cavaradossi in Tosca, on the evening of January 18. It was a genuine triumph for the American tenor. An idea of the impression he made can be obtained from the fact that the audience insisted upon a repetition of the first act aria—the first time in fifteen years this has happened in Barcelona—and called him back time after time at the end of the acts, besides holding up the performance for a long time to applaud the latter aria. Mr. Hackett was immediately re-engaged for a series of special performances to follow his present first series, which will include the Barber of Seville, Manon, Boheme, and Romeo and Juliet.
Following his Barcelona appearances he will go to Madrid, and then to Monte Carlo, where, among other roles, he will create the leading tenor part in the new opera Lysistrata, by Raoul Ginsbourg, the Monte Carlo impresario.
Van Hoogstraten to Succeed Stransky
Last Friday Clarence H. Mackay, chairman of the board of directors of the New York Philharmonic Society, announced the appointment .of Willem Van Hoogstraten as the successor to Josef Stransky as conductor of the society’s orchestra. Mr. Van Hoogstraten, a Hollander, who is the husband of Elly Ney, the pianist, has been in this, country about two years. SHce he came here he has conducted two concerts of the Philharmonic Orchestra, also half the season of the Stadium Concerts in the summer of 1922. He has played in chamber music concerts with Mme. Ney, and is said to have conducted orchestra concerts in Germany, Austria and Sweden;
PEOPLE’S CHORUS OF NORWALK
GIVES FAUST FINE HEARING
Mrs. F. J. Morrison, Director, Highly Complimented for Splendid Work—Sundelius, Saville, Crooks and Cuthbert Among Soloists
Norwalk, Conn., February 9.—On Wednesday evening, February 7, at the Regent Theater, a large audience listened to an unusually fine performance of Faust, in concert form, presented by the People’s Chorus, Mrs. F. J. Morrison, director, with Marie Sundelius, soprano of the Metropolitan Opera, as Marguerite; Marie Saville, contralto, as Siebel; Richard Crooks, Faust; Frank Cuthbert, Valentine, and Ralph Toland, Mephistopheles.
At the close of the program, more than a few of the music lovers present realized that much of the credit for the success—artistically and financially—was due Mrs. Morrison, whose drilling of the chorus certainly bore fruit upon this occasion. Bearing out this statement is the following from the Norwalk Hour: “Following the production, many friends stopped for a word with Mrs. Morrison and her singers, congratulating them upon such splendid achievement in so great a project. The presentation of Faust was in development of art and was successful, not only in its purpose, but also financially as well, for it was stated today that indications are that all expenses have been cleared. The production, one of the most difficult, was carried through with accuracy that told of splendid training of the chorus and that paid tribute to the ability of the director, Lucy M. Morrison.”
Mme. Sundelius was ideally cast as Marguerite. _ Her beautiful voice lent itself to the demands of the music and the audience realized that she was in every sense of the word—a real artist. Her charm of manner was an added asset and she was accorded a reception that bespoke the audience’s appreciation of her fine work. Richard Crooks, who is the possessor of a voice of resonant quality and power, handled the role of Faust with distinction. Miss Saville’s sympathetic and rich contralto was heard to advantage as Siebel, while Frank Cuthbert as Valentine (he is a newcomer to Norwalk) gave a good account of himself, revealing an agreeable bass voice. Mephistopheles was in the capable hands of Ralph Toland, a local baritone, whose voice and skill in employing it, won for him new laurels.
The chorus sang extremely well. There was a nicety of tonal quality and balance that formed a worth-while background for the soloists. According to the Norwalk Evening Sentinel, “Norwalk can well be proud of the People’s Chorus. Few cities of this size can boast of such a splendid chorus of male and female voices. The chorus is composed of sixty-nine voices, all of which were trained by Mrs. Morrison, the director. Imbued with ideals of co-operation, the People’s Chorus in its performance showed the effect of working together for the attainment of a common good. The female and male voices blended together in a wonderful fashion, showing the effect of the skilled direction of Mrs. Morrison ... It was in the Soldiers’ Chorus that the chorus was at its best. Accompanied by the organ as well as by two pianos, the chorus swung into the Soldiers’ Chorus in a manner which certainly did credit to its training. The chorus was also fine in the closing scene in which Marguerite is pronounced redeemed by a voice on. high.’(
Credit is due Mrs. W. H. Sniffen and Wilfred Pelletier, pianists, and W. Allen Schofield, organist, for sympathetic accompaniments.	H. S.
Injunction Dismissed in Daiber •Meluis Case
Under date of February 17, Justice Tierney of the Supreme Court of New York refused to grant the permanent injunction asked for by Mme. Luella Melius, which would have prevented Jules Daiber, Mme. Meluis’ former manager, from acting as manager for Ganna Walska. The Justice also vacated the temporary injunction which had been previously granted. The text of the decision is as follows:
LAW JOURNAL Tierney, J.—Feb. 17, 1923.
Meluis v. Daiber et al—This is a motion under an order to show cause to enjoin and restrain the defendant Daiber pendente lite from managing or booking any engagement for any female artist other than the plaintiff and from entering into or carrying out any arrangement or agreement between him and the defendant, Ganna Walska McCormick, for any performance by her under his management. The papers submitted are voluminous to a degree, but I fail to find any sufficient proof that the services of the defendant, Daiber, are so unique or extraordinary that a substitute for him who will substantially answer the purpose for which he was engaged cannot readily be obtained. If defendant has in tact breached his contract with plaintiff the law affords adequate redress to her in such a case as this in damages. But the proofs before me do not establish a present contract relationship between״ the parties. Whether justified or not it does appear that the plaintiff discharged the defendant. This terminated their relations. After that neither party was entitled to have ־ the same resumed at will. In no view of the circumstances of this case would the court be justified in granting the injunction asked for. The motion is denied and the injunction contained in the order to show cause is vacated.
Schnabel at David Mannes School
Artur Schnabel, Viennese pianist, will give a private series of subscription recitals at the David Mannes Music School. This series will mark Mr. Schnabel’s only recital appearances in New York this season, although the New York Symphony, the Friends of Music and the Philharmonic Orchestra have engaged him as soloist. In the series at the Mannes School, to be given in March and April, he will be assisted by his wife, Mme. Therese Schnabel, noted abroad as a lieder singer, and Ernest Hutcheson. Two of the evenings will be devoted to solo music for the piano, one to Schubert’s song cycle, Wrnter-reise, and the remaining concert to original compositions by Mozart, Schubert and Brahms for four hands.
At present Mr. Schnabel is on a five weeks tour to the Coast.
Walska Tour Begins
Mme. Ganna Walska’s concert tour was scheduled to commence on Monday evening of this week, February 19, at Elmira, N. Y., too late for notice in the present issue of the Musical Courier. Her next dates are in Detroit, February 20; Niagara Falls, February 23; Boston February 25 and about twenty other dates have been booked tor her by her manager, Jules Daiber. She will appear on
February 22, 1923
are to be commended for co-operating with the Musical Courier in the campaign of education which this paper has been carrying on for almost fifty years. Perhaps this is the time to repeat that the Musical Courier is the oldest existing musical journal in the world and the only one in the United States that has been published continuously for nearly half a century, without ever combining with any other paper, going into bankruptcy, or offering to sell stock to its subscribers or the musical public generally. In fact, the Musical Courier is older than most of the daily newspapers in the United States. Altogether, this sheet has a great record, as the journalistic business goes in this land, and its staff cannot help feeling becomingly proud.
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In the Evening Mail of February 17:
Leonard Liebling, editor of the Musical Courier, is responsible for this one:
A woman from out of town came to hear Mengelberg conduct. She found the box office closed and the words “Standing room only.” She tried to persuade every uniformed and plain clothes person she could see to get her
3 Finally she got to the Fifty-sixth street entrance (Carnegie Hall) and saw Mengelberg getting out of a car.
“Have you anything to do with this concert, she asked, touching his arm.
“Yes, a great deal,” he answered.	’
“Now, listen, I’m from out of town, and I must hear Mengelberg conduct. Is it true״the seats are all sold— that there is standing room only?”
“Why, yes, even I shall stand all afternoon, he answered.
The foregoing is true in every particular except that it happened to Stransky instead of to Mengel-
Opera singers never have declining years so far as the refusal of engagements is concerned.
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• “To paraphrase an Evening Telegram item,” contributes M. B. H., “an educated man is one who can tell all about the oboe and explain why anyone plays
Our country’s treasury is safe. Siegfried Wagner has given up his intention of coming over here to collect money for the revival of the Bayreuth performances.
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At the biggest climax of Heldenleben at the Philharmonic last Saturday evening, an old gentleman wearing a skull cap remarked audibly: “It sounds as though half the orchestra doesn’t know if or what the other half is playing.” Only old gentlemen with skull caps still consider Heldenleben unduly complicated or incomprehensibly cacophonous.
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When a certain world famous baritone and an equally celebrated soprano were singing a duet in opera not long ago the lady held on to a top tone longer than her partner, and as she left the stage he whispered after her: “One note doesn’t make a prima donna.”	Leonard Liebling.
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GADSKI GETS CORDIAL WELCOME
There was a warmhearted audience to greet Johanna Gadski when she appeared last week as soloist in a Wagner program with the City Symphony Orchestra. How she was welcomed and how she was applauded, as she well deserved to be! And how well she sang the difficult, voice-trying numbers! As the Evening Post, that has known her whole career here, said in its criticism: “Johanna Gadski got a most cordial welcome from a Carnegie Hall audience which evidently got much pleasure from her singing in a Wagner program. Most of the hearers doubtless remembered her as one of the principal Metropolitan stars in the golden age of Wagnerian opera—a singer with luscious voice, a genuine dramatic soprano. She has had recent triumphs on the Pacific Coast. Her voice was still equal to all the demands Wagner makes on the singer.”
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A REAL SERVICE TO AMERICA
Erna Thomas is doing a real service to American music in hunting out the old traditional Creole songs that have been handed down from mouth to mouth for generations and are now presented for the first time in Miss Thomas’ recitals. (Let no one suggest that the Creole is not an American and a most distinct type at that!) Whatever the musical origin of these songs, they are delightful things. Things like Tou-coutou and Ai Suzette are real gems. Another interesting point is that the arrangements of these^ songs, which faithfully preserve the spirit of the originals, are most of them made by a full blooded negro musician, Camille Nickerson, a graduate of Oberlin College.