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debut in Albany and gave as her first number the favorite waltz song, Voci di Primavera by Strauss, which was for years in the repertory of Adelina Patti and Nellie Melba. Miss Keener sang this number most beautifully and it was readily seen that she had a lovely voice and knew how to use it. Her second solo was the immortal Regnava nel Silenzio from Donizetti’s Lucia, which received a highly satisfactory interpretation. Her various renditions were given with musical expression, both opulent and individual, and the exquisite qualities of her art enraptured her hearers.
Miss Keener has a unique personality, a singer sui generis, for she is as cute and chic as Lotta of the good old days, as dainty and fairy-like as Della Fox and as graceful as Pavlowa, and in addition she can sing, for she possesses a bird-like coloratura soprano voice, highly cultivated, and when she delivers her vocal fireworks it seems as if there must be a nest of nightingales in her throat.
She made a pronounced success with her audience and her many encores were charmingly, archly and daintily given. The writer thinks she is in a class by herself and fills the eye and ear.
The fifth number on the program was the famous duo from Verdi’s Rigoletto, and in this exacting selection the artists were at their very best, their lovely voices blending perfectly and it was a fine exhibition of ensemble singing. The ensemble of these artists was so fine that it is to be regretted that another duo was not placed on the program.
Trenton Enjoys Nyiregyhazi’s Playing
Following his appearance in Trenton, N. J., on March IS, the State Gazette commented as follows on the playing of Erwin Nyiregyhazi:
In the twenty-seven years of its history it is doubtful if the Arion Glee Club has given a more enjoyable concert or one of higher character than that of last evening, with Erwin Nyiregyhazi, Hungarian pianist, as the soloist.
Nyiregyhazi came to Trenton originally as a youth of about eighteen, and gave one of the first of his concerts in this country. At that time
(Continued, on page 58)
skill, intelligent interpretation and keen musicianship.—Neueste Nachrichten, München.
Mine. Emma von Holstein made a sensational impression.—London Times.
“Theo Karle in Recital Superb”
This headline from the Los Angeles Examiner of March 5 is representative of the headlines accorded to Theo Karle on his present concert tour of the West. A few typical reviews of his recitals will show the great enthusiasm with which the popular tenor has •been greeted on his present series of concerts:
The recital was the last word in quiet and polished artistry.—Los Angeles Daily Times.
.	. . gave a concert of ballad numbers that proved immensely
pleasing.—Merced Evening Sun.
Enunciation that is well nigh faultless, dramatic power that enables him to interpret music in alien tongues understandingly, tonal clarity, trueness, and purity; these might be mentioned as other assets that made his concert so pleasing and satisfying.—Arizona Record.
Keener Pleases with “Natural Gifts”
Tito Schipa and Suzanne Keener gave a joint recital in Albany, N. Y., on March 19, following which the Journal of that city, in commenting upon the merits of the two artists, wrote as follows about Miss Keener:
Suzanne Keener, an American girl, who with her natural gifts and sheer musical ability is rapidly making a name for herself, made her
April 5, 1923
peared in recital at Elmhurst, L. I., before a crowded house that attested to unusual popularity, won in so short a time.
Splendid Notices for Farnam
Whenever and wherever Lynnwood Farnam, the organist, plays, he wins splendid notices. His first appearance in New York some years ago, at the annual convention of the National Association of Music Teachers, was the immediate cause of a call to become organist and director of a Fifth avenue church in the metropolis. When he visited Minneapolis some months ago he was warmly welcomed by brother organists, press and public alike, and the same was the case in Chicago. Excerpts from local papers prove this, as follows:
. . . . It prepared the way for what followed, a performance beyond praise of Bach’s tremendous Passacaglia in C Minor. In this majestic and yet immeasurably intricate contrapuntal structure on a movable bass, the pedal work vied with the manual in expert deftness and importance. After this achievement followed Jepson’s Pantomime and Georges Krieger’s Toccata in E minor.—Minneapolis Journal.
Those who had previously heard Mr. Farnam and were acquainted with his attainments as a virtuoso were delighted but not surprised. Those who heard him for the first time could hardly restrain themselves, and were both delighted and surprised. It was playing of the kind which eventually must convince the most stubborn enemy of the organ of its wonderful adaptability as a concert instrument worthy of the most superb virtuosity.—The Diapason, Chicago.
.... Stoughton’s Enchanted Forest became peopled with gnomes and a pranking Puck. Day dawned, from the sound of the first insect to the burst of the full-orbed sun, in Jacob’s Sunrise. The same composer’s Vintage, the Pantomime of Jepson, and in a degree the Scher-zetto of Vierne, revealed similar examples of lightness and grace.
Bach's Passacaglia in C minor, possibly the piece de resistance of the program, was a model of swift and poised perfection. Indeed, if one were to seek to find any defect in Mr. Farnam’s performance, it might be placed in his continuous, interminable perfection. One listens vainly for the personal equation, the dramatic that is of common life. I recalled the companion of Liszt who, after coming out on the street after attending one of Chopin’s pianissimo recitals, began to shout lustily and vulgarly to relieve his pent up feelings, much to the horror and disgust of Liszt. What a supreme and fantastic bit of comedy it would be if Farnam should hit a false note!—St. Paul, Minn., Pioneer Press.
Grace Welsh Wins Praise in Home Town Recital
When appearing in piano recital in her home town, Boone (la.), Grace Welsh, the talented young Chicago pianist, recently scored heavily and was overwhelmed with affairs in her honor. The reviewer for the Boone County Pioneer had the following to say:
Grace Welsh of Chicago, a member of the faculty of the American Conservatory of Music, scored another triumph Thursday evening when she appeared before home folks in a recital at the high school auditorium. Miss Welsh may have appeared before larger and more distinguished audiences, but surely none of them could have been more appreciative or the applause more sincere. And not altogether was the tribute to her music, for, though that is of the best, she is no less charming, personally, than she is artistic. . . . The artist received the most sincere compliment that could be given in the close attention of her audience which she held through the entire program, and each number was equally well received with the other. Especially noticeable was the clarity of her technic, the pedal work not being allowed to interfere. Her work showed thoroughly the perfection of her preparation and study. ... By request Miss Welsh played two of her own compositions, Caprice and In Thoughtful Mood, and, though both were beautiful, the first was perhaps the favorite. She closed the delightful program with Dohnanyi’s F minor Capriccio, and too much cannot be said of the pleasure with which the entire program was received. Again and again she was recalled.
Pietro A. Yon Scores in Chicago
Pietro A. Yon gave the first of a series of organ recitals in Kimball Hall, Chicago, on February 20. His program was made up of works by modern Italian composers, and was enthusiastically received, the audience being loath to leave the hall at the conclusion of the program. Testifying to this is the fact that Mr. Yon was obliged to play six encores.
The Chicago Daily Journal, of February 21, 1923, says:
Yon is an Italian living in New York. That he considers himself still an Italian was shown by the inclusion of his own works in a group labeled “modern Italian composers." A sonata of Pagella’s and a group by other musicians completed the list.
There are two types of organ playing, to distinguish all the different kinds very crudely. The first is that devoted to religious services; the other is devoted to the display of the organ and its player. The latter sort has the ascendency today. Yon shows it altogether, and makes a fine and persuasive account of himself.
His style in composing is similar to that of his performance. There is in the main great accuracy, endless care of details, and a light and pleasant sentiment coloring the whole neatly. No extensive concern with the building of great climaxes either of thought or, emotion was discoverable. Instead, there was a finely finished skill in weaving flat designs, taste in finding the right color, the suggestive weight of tone, and the tapering of completed ideas.
An audience which included some of the city’s distinguished musicians applauded the visitor cordially.
Quaile Pupil Has “Wonderful Talent”
Patricia Boyle, a blind pianist, pupil of Elizabeth Quaile, recently gave a most interesting recital in Summit, N. J., following which she received high praise in the dailies. In reviewing the recital the critic of the Summit Herald stated in part:
It is a trite thing to say that she has a wonderful talent, but nevertheless it is so, and her playing is all the more marvelous because of the handicap of not having her sight.
Miss Boyle’s program included many difficult selections well known to concert-goers. . . . Her technic is excellent and her musical appreciation and interpretation is most intelligent. She began to study at the age of fourteen and has continued it intensively for about four years.
The critic of the Summit Record was equally enthusiastic in his praise of Miss Boyle’s art, stating that those who had the pleasure of hearing her will long remember the inspiration and the joy her playing gave to them. He further stated that this young and highly gifted girl’s playing was not only clearly defined and poetic, but showed wonderful technic and splendid training.
Foreign Press Praise for von Holstein
Emma von Holstein, Danish dramatic soprano, who is now in this country, received the appended press notices just prior to her departure for America:
Last evening we finally had the opportunity to hear our famed singer, Emma von Holstein. After several years of absence from Copenhagen, Emma von Holstein was given a rousing welcome by an audience that crowded the hall to capacity. Who does not recall the wonderful voice she possessed? What a joy last night to find her voice still greater. It has matured beautifully, increased tremendously in power and range, technic and emotional expression. It now has a distinctly sympathetic and charming quality, peculiarly her own. Mme. von Holstein was applauded tumultuously and forced to respond to several encores. She received many flowers.—Politiken, Tivoli Concert Hall, Copenhagen.
The celebrated Danish soprano, Emma von Holstein, possesses a marvelous voice of thrilling power and beauty, which she uses with
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