February 22,-1923
MUSICAL COURIER
50
CURRENT MUSICAL PRIZES AND SCHOLARSHIPS
[The Musical Courier will endeavor to keep this department up to date and to that end requests that all notices and prospectuses of musical prize contests be sent to the Musical Courier so as to be included in this department. It will be found that in each contest the name and address are given, to which intending candidates may apply directly for further information. Manuscripts are submitted at the risk of the composer.—Editor’s Note.]
Zuro Grand Opera Company (Details of contest in Musical Courier for January 25)—$100, $75, $50 and $25 for the designs of settings for any one of the following operas: Aida, Carmen, Faust, Rigo-letto. Contest ends April 15. Opera Design Contest, Carona Mundi, Inc., 312 West Fifty-fourth street, New York.
American Academy in Rome (details in issue January 4)—Fellowship in Musical Composition open to unmarried men who are citizens of the United States. Applications will be received until March I. Roscoe Guernsey, executive secretary, American Academy in Rome, 101 Park avenue, New York.
Connecticut State Federation of Music Clubs (details in issue February 15)—$10 for the Young Artists’ Contest to be held in Sprague Memorial Hall, Yale University, New Haven, Conn., March 24. Mrs. Frederick M. Card, 116 Edna avenue, Bridgeport, Conn.
The Berkshire Music Colony, Inc. (details in issue February 15)—$1,000 for chamber composition which shall include one or more vocal parts in combination with instruments. Contest ends April 15, 1924. Hugo Kortschak, 1054 Lexington avenue, New York City.
The Hymn Society (details in issue February 15) — $50 for the best hymn-tune to be composed before April 8 for the Harvard prize hymn of Major Harry W. Farrington, Our Christ. Rev. Dr. Milton S. Littlefield, Corona, L. I., N. Y.
Lindsborg Messiah Festival (details in issue February 22)—$750 in cash and scholarships, contest for piano, organ, violin, voice, expression and girls’ glee clubs. Oscar Lofgren, Bethany College, Lindsborg, Kan.
Chicago Musical College (details in issue February 15)—Free scholarships for the summer school from June 25 to August 4. Chicago Musical College, 630 South Michigan avenue, Chicago, 111.
Bush Conservatory (details in issue February 15) —Free scholarships for the summer school from June 27 to July 31. C. F. Jones, registrar, 839 North Dearborn street, Chicago, 111.
, man,v, °f h's solo and duet numbers throughout the opera — loledo Times.
Judson House and Leo de Hierapolis were altogether splendid the former a potent farceur, contributing־ unction and suavity to the’fun —Muncie Morning Star.
Judson House, tenor, whose interpretation of the role was interesting and artistic, was a favorite with the audience.—Leader Springfield, Mo.
Judson House (Don Ferrando) contributed all of his share to the evenings enjoyment. He had a fine, thoroughly trained tenor voice. His acting was a delight. As the Albanian nobleman he is an irresistible lover; he begs serenades, teases and flatters with adorable finesse.—The Topeka Daily State Journal.
Alexander Avenue Baptist Church Concert
A concert was given at the Alexander Avenue Baptist Church on February 2, the soloists being Claire Brook-hurst, contralto; Easton Kent, tenor; Jan Pawel Wolanek, violinist, and Carl M. Roeder, organist. Miss Brook-hurst revealed a voice of richness, volume and good range, and her singing was made more enjoyable by her splendid diction. Mr. Kent has a tenor voice of smooth, pleasing quality, and he gave much pleasure in the admirable rendition of his songs. The violin numbers were played with real artistry and finish of style by Mr. Wolanek. His fluent technic, his pure, singing tone and his musicianly interpretations won the admiration of all; he had to repeat the Old Dance, by Aussek-Burmester. The Rubinstein concerto in D minor was played by Ornstein’s Ampico recording, with Mr. Roeder playing an excellent organ accompaniment. Mr. Roeder also accompanied Mr. Kent. David Buttolph was at the piano for Miss Brookhurst and Mr. Wolanek.
Géza Kresz Hungarian Violinist
Studio: Schöneberger Ufer 44, Berlin W.
LOUIS BACHNER -&£׳•״־
Staatl. Akad. Hochschule für Musik
(National Academy of Music)
Kon8tanzerstr. 62
Berlin W. 15
LEONID KREUTZER, K
PROFESSOR AT THE STATE HIGH SCHOOL OF MUSIC L UITPOLDSTR, 29	BERLIN W 30
HAROLD HURLBUT TENOR — DE RESZKE DISCIPLE 319 WEST NINETY-FIFTH ST.
RIVERSIDE 4660
MUSIC AND PUBLIC EDUCATION
By GEORGE H. GARTLAN
Director of Music in the Public Schools of New York City
THE MUSIC SUPERVISORS’ NATIONAL CONFERENCE
An Account of the Wonderful Growth of This Sterling Body and Its Accomplishments
realizes fully the importance of technique. It.is generally c.aimed that if a pupil possesses technical knowledge he is better equipped to understand music than if his impressions are visionary. The latter scheme, however, appeals more strcng.y to the educators because of the pedagogical value of this type of instruction. However, the National Conference is open-minded. It is not intended that any one method should be accepted or approved, but the main purpose is to aid supervisors to become better teachers no matter what system they favor, or what methods are used.
The Musicianship of the Conference.
Over the period of sixteen years’ experience, the advance in musicianship has been remarkable. In many instances teachers who were formerly not equipped in this regard have been serious students, particularly in the orchestra field. Many now play the instruments of the orchestra, and play them well. This is attested by the fact that an excellent concert is to be given by the supervisors’ chorus and the supervisors’ orchestra. This year the chorus will be conducted by Mr. Otto Meissner of Milwaukee,, whose excellent work both as a choral conductor and composer has placed him among the most prominent music educators in the country. The orchestra will be conducted by Osbourne McConathy of Evanston, 111., who for many years has been a leading light in school music. It would be interesting if a great many professional teachers were to become members of this body and find out exactly what is being done not only at conventions of this kind, but during the entire school year, where the daily drill in the class room is producing results in music development which are comparable to the finest things being done in other branches of education.
It is an unfortunate situation in many cities that some people in charge of public education are not fully aware of the tremendous importance of music as a co-ordinating factor in education. In such places the subject does not receive the time which should be justly allotted to it, and for that reason progress is not as rapid as it should be.
The Importance of the Conference.
The importance of the conference lies largely in the fact that those who attend these meetings go back to their work inspired to better effort and a more intelligent understanding of the work they are doing. It broadens teachers, takes them out of the professional rut into which many of them unconsciously fall by an over-zealousness to our duty, and empowers them to •see the bigger things in their work and to ignore the non-essentials which so frequently take up time which should be devoted to bigger and better things. All phases of their work are discussed, from kindergarten to instruction in high school theory. Some of the subjects include the teaching of rote songs, testing changed and changing voices, part singing, music in the rural communities, appreciation classes, instrumental music, etc. Practically every phase of the subject of school music is treated fully, and if any supervisor has problems which she is not able to solve the National Conference is the place to which she should go for further knowledge concerning the importance of the task which she is daily performing in the class room. It is this particular work which counts in the long run.
House’s Success in Cosi Fan Tutte
Judson House is making his mark wherever he appears in the Hinshaw Cosi Fan Tutte production on tour, direct proof being his engagement to sing Samson in Columbus, Ohio, April 24, where he made a hit in the opera. He will
JUDSON HOUSE
Elsewhere in this issue there is printed the program of the Music Supervisors’ National Conference, which will meet in Cleveland, the week of April 9. The meeting is particularly noteworthy, not because it is the sixteenth year of this conference, but because each year has been marked by progress in increased membership, music education development, and professional advancement of the teaching-profession. It is also noteworthy because it is probably the largest body of music teachers working together as a unit for the advancement of their profession.
The conference was started in Keokuk, la., in 1907. There were sixty-six members. Today the enrollment is probably 1,500. It is only a question of time when every supervisor of school music in the United States will be a member of this conference, whether they are able to attend the conventions or not. Each year prominent names are added to the program. Educators from all parts of the United States are more than anxious to give to the conference members the benefit of their training and experience. Prominent musicians of the country are being attracted to this meeting by the sincerity of purpose behind the whole movement, together with the wonderful accomplishments which have resulted from these unselfish meetings. It is an interesting fact that at the Cleveland meeting two great orchestral conductors, Dr. Walter Damrosch, of New York, and Nikolai Sokoloff, of Cleveland, will appear on thé program as instructors, the former giving a lesson in appreciation, using Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony as an example, and the latter having as his topic The Symphony Orchestra as Related to the Music of the Public Schools. At another session Ernest Bloch, head of the Cleveland Conservatory and an eminent composer, will discuss the relation of music theory to high school instruction. The whole convention is guided by an earnestness of purpose which is unusual for affairs of this character. People usually attend conventions to have a good time. The supervisors not only accomplish this, but actually attend school for the entire week. The symposiums are all interesting and'instructive. They are in charge of men and women whose experience eminently fits them for this service, and there is no more potent agency for the welfare of the young supervisor than the influence of these meetings.
The Professional Teacher Versus the School Teacher.
In the early days of school music the importance of musicianship was not stressed as it is today. Perhaps for this reason the professional teacher looked upon school music as something which was in the incipient stage, and therefore should not be taken seriously. Statistics have proved that very few people in proportion to the population know very much about music. They are not interested in musical development because they are satisfied to look upon it as a form of entertainment, rather than an intellectual accomplishment. _ It is understood that if we are to become a musical nation, and there is no reason why we should not, the salvation depends upon the musical activities in the public schools. There are two lines of development. The first wherein the reading of music is stressed, and the second where the emphasis is laid upon the appreciation side. The ideal course is a combination of the two, but it is difficult to proportion the work so that the instruction will equalize. The advocates of the former method defend their stand on the ground that if children are able to read music fluently they will have an interest in the work which will encourage them to further effort. The search for music knowledge will be easy by this method, and the joy which comes from being able to. do the thing will more than compensate for the laborious efforts which are necessary in the initial stages.
The latter advocates claim that in order to inspire interest it is first necessary for the pupils to understand thoroughly the meaning of music and use it as a background for the technical s'udy of sight reading at a later stage of educational development. The professional musician would be more apt to be influenced by the former method because he
= SWAYNE ״HT
3 Ave. Sully Prud’homme (Quai d’Orsay) Pari» vii, France
Jean de Reszke 53 Rue de la Faisanderie Paris
LESCHETIZKŸ
Gaveau Studios, 45 rue la Boëtie, Paris, France
Under the personal direction of MME. THEODORE LESCHETIZKŸ
(Marie Gabrielle Leschetizky)
John Heath, Associate Director.	Artists’ Class and Private Lessons
share honors with Julia Claussen and Fred Patton. He will also sing King Olaf in the Busch work, at Mt. Carmel, Pa., May 14. A few comments anent his opera tour follows: Not many tenors can act with the unction of Mr. House. To him it was a regular lark and he had a very good time.—Minneapolis Morning Tribune.
The cast was heralded as stars, and they all sang well, exceptionally so, especially Miss Williams and Judson House; the latter possesses a phasing light tenor.—Tulsa Daily World.
Judson House, cast as Ferrando, a naturally born comedian, provided not a few of the laughs, and his tenor voice held great beauty