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April 12, 1923	MUSICAL COURIER
SPIERING A CONDUCTOR OF NOTABLE ATTAINMENTS
MUSIC FESTIVALS, 1923
American
Amarillo, Tex..........April 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14
Ann Arbor, Mich.................May 16, 17, 18, 19
Bethlehem, Pa.........................May 25, 26
Cincinnati, Ohio .................May 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Columbus, Ohio........................April 23, 24
Emporia, Kans.............................. May 1
Evanston, 111............May 24, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30
Harrisburg, Pa......................May 1, 2, 3, 4
Mt. Vernon, Iowa....................May 10, 11, 12
Newark, N. J.......................April 25, 26, 27
Pittsfield, Mass...............September 27, 28, 29
Spartanburg, S. C.................... May 2, 3, 4
Springfield, Mass........................May 4, 5
Syracuse, N. Y.................April 30, May 1, 2
Toronto, Canada........April 30, May 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Urbana, 111.........................May 10, 11, 12
Foreign
Austrian Music Week, Berlin...................June
Special Opera Week, Berlin............September
Bournemouth, England............March 29, April 15
Cassel, Germany..........May 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16
Donaueschingen, Germany................July 29, 30
Düsseldorf, Germany................June 29, July 4
Gothenburg, Sweden..................June 29, July 2
Frankfurt, Germany. .June 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Hamburg, Germany...........................May 15
Leipsic, Germany.......................June 2, 3, 4
Munich, Germany..........August 1 to September 30
Salzburg, Germany... .August 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14
Trier, Germany...........April 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20
Zurich, Switzerland....................June 8 to 29
Vienna, Austria........................April 17-29
Welsh Eisteddfod......August 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
when the symphony was given a hearing in New York, and now he will make three appearances with the Philadelphia Orchestra, two in Philadelphia, April 13 and 14, and one in New York, April 17. Mr. Hackett has also sung the work with the Cleveland Orchestra.
Winners of New York State Young Artists’ Contest
The young artists’ contest of the New York State Federation of Music Clubs was held at Aeolian Hall on Thursday morning, April 5. There were two contestants for honors in piano, five women and one man in voice, and two in violin.
The winner in the piano contest was Marguerite Hamilton, a pupil of Elizabeth Strauss. First honors in singing for women went to Helen Adler, soprano, pupil of William Brady and sister of the well known pianist, Clarence Adler. The violin contest went to Bella Katz, pupil of Piastro-Borisoff. These winners entered the district contest, which was held at the same place on Wednesday, April 11. A report of this latter contest will appear in next week’s issue of the Musical Courier. The judges for the State contests included J. Landseer Mackenzie, Hans Letz, Max Pilzer, Mrs. Kaufmann, Mme. Boguska-Stein, and H. O. Osgood of the Musical Courier.
Marie Mikova Recital April 19
Marie Mikova and Gwyneth Hughes on Thursday evening, April 19, will give a joint recital at Rumford Hall.
Dr. Clarence Dickinson has finished his Friday noon-hours of music at the Brick Church.
The Tollefsen Trio was obliged to paddle across the Mississippi River in order to fill a concert engagement.
Emma Thursby has gone to Florida for her annual visit.
The Letz Quartet has been engaged for Pittsburgh next season for the fourth year in succession.
Frieda Hempel will give a “Jenny Lind” concert at the Hippodrome on the evening of April 22.
Harold Hurbut will begin his third summer session of master classes in San Francisco in May.
The Chamber Music Association of Philadelphia offers a prize of $500 for a string quartet.
Guy Maier and Lee Pattison are filling five engagements in Boston within five months this season.
Mrs. Adella Prentiss Hughes has been a concert manager in Cleveland for twenty-five years.
During the season just ended the New York Symphony Orchestra played 100 concerts.
Alfred Cortot has completed his extended tour of the West,
_ playing thirteen times in less than one month.
Chicago is to have a new concert hall—costing upwards of one million dollars.
Salvatore Fucito has returned from a successful concert tour with Martinelli.
A visit to the Harcum School offers an affirmative answer to the query, “Can a woman have both a career and a home and a family.”
The Rams Head Players of Washington, D. C., gave six productions during its first season.
Edna Indermaur will sing in Minneapolis, April 16 and in Petersburg, Va., May 24 and 25.
Isa Kremer has appeared in six concerts at Carnegie Hall this season.
Schonberg’s Kammersymphonie was hissed when it was played in Carnegie Hall last week.
Theodore Spiering will conduct a symphony orchestra at Carnegie Hall on April 18.
Titta Ruffo will sail for Havana on April 17.
Cecil Arden has returned from an extensive concert tour.
Paderewski will return next season for a tour of this country.
Leopold Auer will conduct a symphony orchestra when Mischa Elman plays at Carnegie Hall, May 20.
The winners in the New York State Young Artists’ Contest were Marguerite Hamilton, Helen Adler and Bella Katz.
Andres de Segurola is now devoting all his time to being an impresario.
Chickering Hall is the name of a new concert' auditorium scheduled for New York.	.	G. N.
a master of his craft, both historically and practically, but also a distinguished wielder of the pen as well.
Why Mr. Spiering has not become the permanent conductor of one of our great American symphony orchestras is one of those mysteries which has to do with the basic mystery of the American’s distrust of its native born in the field of music. This distrust is utterly unreasonable, and it is breaking down, gradually, alas 1 but steadily, before such successes as have been won by a few leading Americans at home and abroad, which have had the effect of convincing Americans that their musicians are not so bad after all. Mr. Spiering has proved his ability and will prove it again at the concert of the eighteenth.
CINCINNATI APPRECIATES FINE
PROGRAMS OFFERED BY REINER
Cincinnati, Ohio, April 3.—For the thirteenth program of the symphony concert season of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Fritz Reiner, the director, gave a novel and rather unusual pair of concerts on April 6 and 7 at the Emery Auditorium. As usual the orchestra and director were greeted by an audience that has come to appreciate more and more the efforts of Mr. Reiner to give the best that can be had. Often his programs are of such a nature as to attract by their very originality. The concerts were made up of two unfinished symphonies which were all that could be desired by way of musical charm. The first number was the Bruckner symphony No. 9 (Unfinished) and proved to be one of the real delights of the present season. It was to a great extent unknown here. The second number was the unfinished Schubert symphony, in B minor, which was also gratefully received by the audience. This symphony possesses some fine and inspiring parts, and like the first number on the program was a real treat. As for ’the work of the orchestra and director, there is only the highest praise. The members entered into the work at hand with a vigor that was most delightful, and the novel concert was highly valued for its fine effects and the results.
W. W.
Haarlem Philharmonic in Final Concert
The fourth musicale of the Haarlem Philharmonic Society was given on February 15. The fifth and last musicale of this season will take place on Thursday, April 19, when the program will be given by Beniamino Gigli, tenor of the Metropolitan Opera Company, and Rudolph Bochco, violinist. Before the musicale there will be the usual informal reception by the president, Mrs. Everett M. Raynor, and her committee. Invitations for this musicale have gone out to disabled soldiers and to students of music. The guests of honor will be about twenty presidents of women’s clubs.
George Reimherr in Third Recital
George Reimherr, tenor, will give his third recital of the season at the National Theater on Sunday afternoon, April 29. He will present a program of beautiful German Lieder, featuring modern lieder by Max Reger, Karl von Kassel, Joseph Marx, Eugen Haile and Ernest Dohnanyi. Frank Braun will assist at the piano.
Arthur Hackett in Demand for Liszt Symphony
Nowadays it would seem that wherever the Liszt Faust Symphony is to be given it is a foregone conclusion that Arthur Hackett will be singing the tenor solos. Recently Mr. Hackett appeared with the Boston Symphony Orchestra
I SEE THAT
Josephine Lucchese has been engaged for ten operatic performances at Ravinia Park this summer.
Dusolina Giannini is now on the Victor list of exclusive artists.
The Denishawn Dancers began a week’s engagement at the Town Hall last Monday evening.
Mabel Wood Hill has completed works for strings and for full orchestra.
Joseph Malkin has completed a tour of eighty-four concerts with Farrar and is now en route for Berlin.
Lazar S. Samoiloff advertises that he can accept no more pupils.
The Oratorio Society of New York has completed its forty-ninth year.
Arthur Hackett is in demand as tenor soloist for the Liszt Faust Symphony.
Jascha Heifetz wilt be guest artist at the Metropolitan Opera House on Sunday evening, April 15.
Frederick Schorr, of the German Opera Company, will be heard in recital in America in the fall.
Luella Meluis gave ten encores at her first recital in Raleigh, N. C.
Colin O’More has given over forty concerts this, his first, season.
Maria de Reigersberg, a native of Switzerland, has opened a vocal studio in New York.
Carmela Ponselle bids fair to become just as successful an artist as her sister Rosa.
The London String Quartet is on an extended tour through the Canadian Northwest.
Maestro Seismit-Doda entertained for Chevalier Luigi Costantino, pianist.
The State Normal School at West Chester, Pa., announces a summer session from June 29 to August 10.
Frank Cuthbert, bass, is having a busy spring season.
Mengelberg has declined an offer to conduct a series of concerts in Milan and Turin in May.
Margaret Matzenauer will be the first soloist to appear at the Goldman Band concerts in Central Park.
Pupils of Adele Margulies are giving a series of recitals in her studio in Steinway Hall, New York.
Ethel Watson Usher will begin her thirteenth year on May 1, as organist of the Harlem-New York Presbyterian Church.
Music lovers who are interested in the progress of American music and the American musician will receive with pleasure the announcement made last week that Theodore Spiering is to give an orchestra concert at Carnegie Hall on April 18. Spiering’s name is already well known here both as a violinist and conductor. He is one of the few American-born musicians who have succeeded in winning prominence in the latter branch of musical endeavor. Perhaps it might be said that he first came into the limelight several years ago during the season of the New York Phil-
THEODORE SPIERING,
violinist and conductor.
harmonic when Gustav Mahler was supposed to conduct the season’s concerts. Mahler’s activity was cut short by illness, and Spiering took his place and finished the series of concerts, accepted both by press and public as a worthy successor of the great Mahler.
The fact that Spiering was on the ground was not a matter of accident. His ability was already well known to Mahler, and it was Mahler himself who had engaged him as assistant conductor, knowing his qualifications, and knowing that he could be fully and confidently depended upon in case of emergency.
Spiering began his conducting experience in Chicago, where he organized his own orchestra class on the same plan that has since been carried out by numerous student orchestras whose mission it is to prepare players for the symphonies by giving them routine. Among those now prominent in such work who got some of their training under Spiering was Delamarter, now assistant conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Later on, when Winthrop Ames put on The Betrothal, Maeterlinck’s sequel to the Blue Bird, for which Delamarter wrote incidental music, Spiering was engaged to take charge of the orchestral direction, and brought the production to an undoubted successful issue, winning the admiration of musicians, and the acclaim of the public.
Then, again, there was the occasion on which the Castle Square Opera Company was in despair of filling the place of its conductor, M°rreak, who was ill. Spiering was on hand, and was asked if he would undertake the job. He had no experience with the operas he was to conduct, but felt sure of himself, as well he might, and the outcome amply proved that his self-confidence was not misplaced. He actually saved the season, just as he had saved the season of the New York Philharmonic.
Another occasion on which he acted as substitute conductor was at a concert in Berlin by the Bliithner Orchestra given jointly by Busoni and Reger. At this concert Busoni was to have conducted some of his own music, Reger some of his, and Busoni was to have played the Brahms concerto in D minor. But when it came to rehearsal, it developed that Reger and Busoni could not agree on the interpretation of the concerto. Busoni refused to play under Reger, and Reger refused to conduct for Busoni. So somebody had to be called in to save the day, and Spiering was the only man available whose reputation as a conductor warranted confidence. He was engaged and, without rehearsal—for he was not called upon until 5 o’clock of the day of the performance—he conducted in such a manner as to win equal applause with the soloist.
As a result of this he won commendation both from Busoni and Reger, the latter writing him a testimonial: “Mr. Theodore Spiering has won my high esteem as a conductor and his most excellent qualities elicit my heartiest commendation,” and the Berlin Lokal Anzeiger said of him that he “had an opportunity to prove himself a conductor fully prepared to serve at a moment’s notice.”
On an earlier occasion Spiering had conducted a series of concerts in Chicago. He went abroad at the suggestion of Mottl, and among various other appearances, conducted the Kaim Orchestra, Munich, and introduced, for the first time in Germany, D’lndy’s Mountain Symphony With Rudolf Ganz as soloist, and the Lustspiel overture of Busoni Three seasons before the war he conducted concerts of the Bliithner and Philharmonic orchestras in Berlin.
In 1915 Mr. Spiering read a paper before the Music Teachers’ National Association on The Qualifications of the Modern Orchestral Conductor, a most interesting and well written paper, which proves the writer to be not only