MUSICAL COURIER	April 12, 1923
ISA KREMER’S PSYCHOLOGY OF LIFE AND SONG
public may make mistakes; collectively such mistakes are impossible, at least in art. There is a collective soul, simple, good, to which sincerity appeals. If you give full measure to the public, the public responds in full measure. If you give less they return less.
“The artist should never say that the public does not understand^ If one is misunderstood it is either because the public is not prepared or is prejudiced. And it is due to the press that all of the great works have lived in spite of controversies.”
“And the American public?” I asked.
“The American public is as full of curiosity as a child and is easily carried away by emotion. During my short stay it has often happened that the audience has crowded on to the stage after my recital to thank me in the most touching manner. The Europeans could scarcely believe such a thing, for over there they have the erroneous belief that Americans are very reserved, cold.
“And then I love your public because it never smiles. It passes from the serious to laughter with a bound, because it is young and vigorous. The smile is the privilege of old civilizations, tired with the passing centuries. Laughter requires a complete contraction of the muscles, and there are people, alas! who are no longer capable of the effort. I pity people who do not laugh, for a smile is often a grimace. I am always laughing, myself.” And, in fact, Isa Kremer burst into laughter, showing all her teeth, while her great luminous eyes shone with the joy of living. J. H. L.
New York String Quartet Galled Unique
According to Richard Spamer in the St. Louis Daily Globe Democrat of March 13, “Although the organization known as the New York String Quartet has not been in existence very long, the first performance in St. Louis of these stringed instrument artists gave promise to a brilliant future.” Harry Burke, in the St. Louis Times, stated, There was youth, there was spirit, there was romance, and there was temperament in their playing—just the qualities one has been taught not to expect in a string quartet. Let us be candid. That is why we liked it.” The St. Louis Star stated that “It is _ unique, perhaps, among organizations of its class in that it puts unwonted fire and ardor into its work.” After an appearance in Oswego, the Oswego Daily Palladium of March 7 concluded its review of the perform-3!!"■6w follows j “The concert last night brought to a close the Woman’s City Club series. It is within truth to say that the closing offering was a fitting climax to a season of splendid musical attractions.”
Unanimous Praise of Critics
for
Harriet Ware
Composer-Pian ist
in programs of her own compositions
with
JOHN BARNES WELLS
Tenor

“The Contemporary Club of Newark filled the Broad Street Theater yesterday afternoon to hear an ideal program for American women,—a joint recital by Harriet Ware, composer-pianist, and John Barnes Wells, tenor. It was all good United States Music, full of original ideas, well sung and well played. Miss Ware’s songs are of musicianly fabric, woven with a dainty touch and yet veined with red blood.”—Newark Star Eagle, March 20th, 1923.
"All of Harriet Ware’s Songs are imbued with a spirit so in harmony with the themes and so spur the imagination of sensitive hearers that they have in their melodic curves, delicate coloring and light or deep feeling, the effect of finely wrought pastel paintings.”—Newark Evening News, Mar. 20th, 1923.
“The Contemporary’s annual musicale held Thursday afternoon at the Broad Street Theater, filled to capacity, given by Harriet Ware and John Barnes Wells, proved one of the most acceptable ever given under club auspices.”—The Sunday Call, March 25th, 1923.
“From the first clear glad notes of Harriet Ware's ‘Joy of the Morning’ to the gloriously solemn tones of ,Stars,’ her new song which ended the recital, every number on the program was a delight. We hope this concert may be an annual event at Wilson College.”— Chambersburg Valley Spirit, March 19th, 1923.
—-------
Direction of EVELYN HOPPER
Aeolian Hall ־ ־ New York City
If, instead of being a journalist, I had the good fortune to be a painter of talent, and if, instead of interviewing Isa Kremer, the “International Balladist,” I was called upon to paint her portrait, I would use a very blue paper and on it I would paint two immense eyes, curious and intelligent, above them well-defined eyebrows—and without paying any attention to the forehead or the nose, I would paint the teeth, many teeth, white and even. The portrait would be a good likeness, and even now, as I strive to assemble my ideas so as to reproduce those of Isa Kremer, the only impression that I have of this face centers upon the eyes and the teeth.
However, impressionism is not good journalism, and I must try to trace in a few lines Isa Kremer, the artist and the woman.
The artist is unique and great. Those who have not seen her cannot have any just idea of her power on the stage. It is magnetic. She can do with her public what she will, for the public follows her with an attention that is extraordinary and cannot be otherwise explained than by the complete communion that exists between her and her audience. Her voice has all the tones of the vocal human palette. It has all the registers. She is a soprano when she wishes a u S.on^rajt0 when she so desires. She has two octaves and a half, which she owes partly to her natural gifts and partly to her Italian teacher, who, a pupil of Rossini, did not admit the existence of divisions and subdivisions in the voice. ‘One should sing all music,” he loved to say, because he had heard his master say it so frequently.
Isa Kremer, as she appears in her hotel, is small, very small, vivacious, possessing a voice of delightful quality when she speaks. Her arms are admirably proportioned, and critics are right to compare them with those of Pavlowa, for they are equally expressive.
“1 am filled with curiosity,” I said, after the greetings.
A journalist, then,” she answered.
“Yes, a journalist; that is my excuse.”
“Good! Question me. What is it you would like to know ? Is it about the latest engagement of Charlie Chaplin that you wish to hear my opinion?”
“No,” I said. “Nothing of the kind. I want to talk to you about your art.”
She ceased laughing and her face became serious.
‘Yes, of your art,” I continued. /‘You have been only four months in America, and have given your sixth concert at Carnegie. _ It is a record.”
“A record in New York, perhaps, hut I have been spoiled by Europe.
“Still you have ■been appreciated here, both by public and press. You have aroused interest, and the readers of the Musical Courier would like to hear about the psycholosfv of your art.”	6׳־
Psychology! What a big word 1 It is the history of my career that you want to hear, and I will tell it in a few words. I studied four years in Italy, in Milan, with Professor Ronzi, who was seventy years old at the time. I made my debut at Cremona with Tito Schipa. We were both a great success, he as Rodolfo, I as Mimi, in La Boheme But my mother urged me to return to Russia. We left Italy and I made my Russian debut soon after in La Boheme with Anselmi. I had considerable, success, but I was_ not satisfied. Understand me: there is opera, and there is my instinct. I am ruled by my instinct. On the stage it is my absolute master?׳ and I have never had to regret following it's dictates.
Well, my instinct urged me to abandon opera, and my reason told me that there was something artificial in opera something conventional, that would not suit me. I was always amused at the transitional passages introduced with the sole purpose of connecting the action of the opera with the set arias. Even now, although I am delighted by the beauty of the music, and the talent of the great artists I cannot but laugh at the pauses, where the singer stands awaiting his cue and the only motion is that of the baton
j 1 ™ .conc^uctor• ^ could not take opera seriously, and f left it.
“I ׳began singing ballades and popular songs, simple and unaffected From the very beginning I won success, and l continued constantly to seek to come nearer and nearer to the truth. I sing as I feel, and my sole guide is mv instinct.
To sing, ^ say the Italians, three things are necessary: first, the voice; second, the voice; third, the voice. That was, indeed, a fact in the days when everything was sacri-*10j	t.0 volce• But there is evolution in everything,
and the word has now taken in singing the important place that is its right.”
“Then according to you, the word is of the first importance ?
T The first thing is feeling, then the word, then the voice.
, arn .a. singer with a voice and a technic recognized by the critics. But I use the voice to illustrate the word, as 1 use gestures to illustrate feeling. What meaning has the gesture for me?_ It is rhythm, and rhythm is harmony.
I believe that there is music in gesture, or, rather, to better express myself, I believe that the empty spaces in the song should be filled in with expressive gesture.
“I strive to express with music and gesture the feeling that the song arouses in me. Suppose, for instance, I am singing a slumber song. First I have the feeling that to sing a slumber song there must be a child. I place the child m my arms or in the cradle. Then I sing. And of a sudden the words cease while the music continues. In order to express my feeling during that silence I rock my imaginary child. . If I do not do that I feel that I have not been faithful to the music.
“Do you see me singing a slumber song with a sheet of music in one hand and the other hand on my heart? Others do it, it is true. But that is because they are willing to sacrifice everything for the voice. And also, how many of them do it because they are the slaves to convention? They are afraid of _ what people would say of them, and many of them sacrifice their own real feeling for what they consider proper at a recital. I have seen them actually holding^ still by an effort when the gesture becomes instinctive.
“The future will bring greater liberty. Every artist will use his own judgment as to what he should or should not do. Already this is done by Chaliapin, Calve and many others,^ and the public, which is the best judge, responds immediately to this sincerity. You see, individually the
26
ESTHER
Soprano
A Success in Chicago
At Lyon-Healy Hall, on March 29
Following are some of the comments of the press:
“If size of audience and artistic values of recital givers had anything to do with each other—sometimes they do after acquaintance has been made—Esther Dale would have been greeted last night by an assemblage some several thousand per cent, greater than it was. Predictions are not always fruitful exercises of the spirit, but it would seem that she has many of the characteristics and qualities that ought to make her popular—after acquaintance has been made.
Miss Dale is a native of New York with a soprano voice that has not only beauty and training to commend it, but personal quality. She has the kind of sense that impels her to search out songs that have not been worn out by other artists, and the other kind of sense that makes her sing them not only well but with an impression of delight in their charm. She is hereby thanked for having presented some folk songs arranged by Brahms, also Mrs. Her-reshoff’s The Beloved Stranger, a setting of poems by Witter Bynner, wherein her English was as clear as her singing voice.”
-—Edward Moore in the Chicago Tribune.
“We were predisposed in her favor by the dignity and musical value of her announced program and hearing her strengthened our favorable prejudice.
Miss Dale has a genuine singing talent, made up of the combined gifts of intelligence and feeling, besides a voice of generous volume and agreeable quality; the voice is, in fact, almost too large for the small hall that framed her musical personality.—Herman Devries in the Chicago American.
An interpretative talent, a pleasing stage presence and a voice which showed intelligent training and praiseworthy usage were the particular points of merit in the song recital given by Esther Dale.—Maurice Rosenfeld in the Chicago Daily News.
Her voice is used with more than the customary care for the principles of good singing, is fresh, and at the top is very warm.—Eugene Stinson in the Chicago Journal.
Mgt. STANDARD? BOOKING OFFICE
17 EAST 42nd STREET, NEW YORK
Personal Representative: Arthur J. Beckhard