MUSICAL COURIER
29
April 26, 192 3
Miss Hempel gave her accompanist a courtly sign and began with Casta Diva, from Bellini’s opera Norma.
Her singing is marked by the famous soprano’s traditional qualities of unusual sweetness and expressiveness. A singular richness in the lower ranges is not lost as she proceeds upward in finished coloratura reaches and her absolute unself-consciousness of facial expression and gesture aids the emotional understanding with which she interprets. She is equally effective in the brilliant roulades and trills of her arias and the delineative moods of the lieder. A group of Schubert and Schumann was accomplished with excellent style and polish and a naive manner that was most charming. A Norwegian Melody known both as The Herd-man’s Song and The Echo Song was sung in real Jenny Lind fashion (it was a favorite of hers) with the singer playing her own accompaniment. This won immense approval front the interested listeners. The performance of Meyerbeer’s aria from Etoile du Nord with two flutes, Louis P. Fritze and John Eabrizio officiating, was interesting both to look, at and hear. The collection of colorful masculine attire, emphasis on the “weskits,” and the graceful bowing back and forth as the passages alternated, revived a picture in strong contrast to our uninteresting present day black and white clothes and stage behavior. A final group comprising Mendelssohn’s On Wings of Song, a Bird Song composed expressly for Md’slle Jenny Lind by Tau-bert, A Greeting to America, also of historical interest as it was composed for Lind’s first appearance in America, and Home Sweet Home introduced an encore session notable for length and enthusiasm.
Coenraad V. Bos supplied accompaniments that were dexterous and tonally beautiful,; the way he joined the alter-(Continued on page 50)
NOW BOOKING
ROSA PONSELLE
Prima Donna Dramatic Soprano Metropolitan Opera Co.
JEANNE 60RD0N
Prima Donna Contralto
Metropolitan Opera Co.
FLORENCE MACBETH
Prima Donna Coloratura Soprano Chicago Cime Opera Co.
GIUSEPPE DANISE
Principal Baritone Metropolitan Opera Co.
NATIONAL CONCERTS, Inc., 1451 Broadway, New York City
praise whether it was the Old English, which opened it, the German Lieder which followed, the modern songs by Miss Warren which made up the third group or the one in French which formed an unusual close. And whether it was in English, French or German, Mme. Easton sang it so clearly and distinctly that no program book was necessary and not a word was lost. Her programmed numbers w׳ere O Sleep Why Dost Thou Leave Me (Handel), Come Sw׳eet Morning (arranged by A. L.), Have You Seen But a Whyte Lillie Grow? (Old English), Nymphs and Shepherds (Purcell), Nachtigall and Meine Liebe ist grun (Brahms), Mausfallen Spruchlein (Wolf), Zueig-nung (Strauss), The Heart of a Rose, Children of the Moon, Golden Yesterdays and The Touch of Spring (Elinor Remick Warren), Beau soil־ (Debussy), Villanelle des petits canards (Chabrier), J’ai pleure en reve (Hite) and Carnaval (Fourdrain). Of these, she was forced to repeat the songs of Wolf, Chabrier, Hue and Children of the Moon of Miss Warren. Her encores w׳ere all in English and included Little Slippers of the Rain, also by Miss Warren.
In addition to playing excellent accompaniments entirely from memory and contributing a group of unusually singable and delightful songs, Elinor Remick Warren also was heard in a solo group. This consisted of Praeludium (MacDowell), Meditation (Tschaikowsky) and On the Mountains (Grieg), and so pleased was the audience that it absolutely insisted upon two encores.
The New York papers united in praise of Miss Easton’s work. In the opinion of the Herald: “The singing of the prima donna again attained the lofty heights of excellence. Her beautiful voice was in good condition and she used it with a vocal skill and correctness in phrasing admirably adapted to the styles of the lyrics she delivered. Her smooth legato in the old airs was a delight.”
SATURDAY, APRIL 21׳
JOSEF FUCHS
Recently returned from a European tour, Josef Fuchs, violinist, appeared at the Town Hall before a large and discriminating audience. Saturday afternoon, April 21. Opening his program with the Bach-Nachez Partita in E minor, he proceeded to what was the outstanding feature of the day, the Josef Suk Suite in four movements: Quasi Ballata, Appassionata, Un poco triste, Burleska. This work of modern music was played in a masterly way by Air. Fuchs, in which depth of tone, quality, and flexibility were combined with an interpretation which was quite on a par with the composition itself. The Paganini Concerto in D major and Sarasate’s Introduction and Tarantella completed a program played with notable art, to which Harry Anik furnished spirited and sympathetic accompaniments. The New York Tribune says: “His tone was smooth, clear and sustained, bringing out the expression of slower passages and holding its quality through showers of fireworks.”
SUNDAY, APRIL 22 FRIEDA HEMPEL
Welcome, Sweet Warbler, said a motto of silver and blue, and the throng which filled the spacious Hippodrome, April 22, supported the sentiment of 1850 with loud applause. Gowned in bobbing,! flower-bedecked, white hoop skirts, which duplicated the costume Jenny Lind wore at her American debut, and with the traditional flowers in her golden hair, Frieda Hempel, the modern prototype of the Swedish Nightingale, duplicated the program given in Castle Garden (now the Aquarium) on that historical occasion. Having-been led out in the quaint old way by Coenraad V. Bos, whose apparel was also of the middle nineteenth century,
The Washington Heights Musical Club
Organists’ Open Meeting to be Held at Aeolian Hall Thursday Evening, May 10th, 1923
at 8:30 P. M.
ORGANISTS
FRANK STEWART ADAMS, A.A.G.O. RUTH BARRETT, A.A.G.O.
(Society of Theatre Organists.)	(Society of Theatre Organists.)
LILLIAN CARPENTER, F.A.G.O.
ASSISTING ARTISTS
EDWARD KREINER, Viola.
ROBERT LOWREY, Piano.
HENRY HOLDEN HUSS, Guest Composer.
Admission by Invitation.
(STEINWAY PIANO USED)
MARY HOUGHTON BROWN, Mus. B., Piano
ETHEL GROW, Contralto.
RUTH KEMPER, Violin.
200 West 57th Street
Address: MISS J. R. CATHCART, Pres.
Tel. Circle 10117
expressiveness and beautiful tone quality.” The World: "Mr. Spiering gave a smooth and conservative reading of Brahms’ first symphony following conventional lines. Elsa Alsen was reminiscent of her successful interpretation of Isolde.” The Times: “Mr. Spiering conducted Brahms’ first symphony with clarity and classic calm, qualities befitting that fine work. Aime. Alsen sang with rich, ringing tone, true to pitch and in seemingly endless volume and power.”
BRASSARD CHOIR
A French Canadian chorus called the Brassard Choir came from Montreal to sing César Franck’s Beatitudes, at Aeolian Hall on Wednesday afternoon and evening, April 18. The best thing about the choir was the fresh, youthful quality of the voices and the enthusiasm of the singers. How it kept together as well as it did under the weak, vacillating and indeterminate beat of A. J. Brassard, the leader, was hard.to understand. A good deal of Credit belonged to Elie Savaria, organist, who struggled valiantly along, although he could only get an occasional fleeting glimpse of the conductor in the mirror. Very likely this was the reason he did so well, comparatively. Mr. Charlier, baritone, was the only one of the soloists who deserves any mention.
THURSDA Y, APRIL 19
GWYNETH HUGHES AND MARIE MIKOVA
A joint recital was given at Rumford Hall, Thursday evening, by Gwyneth Hughes, contralto, and Marie Mikova, pianist. Miss Hughes contributed groups of Italian, German, English and old Welsh folk songs to the program. Her voice is rich in coloring and flexible. She sings with much feeling and sincerity, with varied style, and with excellent diction; her personality is also very pleasing. The German songs, by Beethoven, Schumann and Schubert, were beautifully interpreted. Schumann’s Liebe was most expressive and Schubert’s Erlkonig had a very dramatic rendition. Her English group comprised songs of John Carpenter, Edward Elgar and Florence Aylward. Harry Horsfall provided admirable accompaniments.
Miss Mikova was heard first in a group of Chopin—the E minor valse, C sharp minor etude, and the G minor ballade —in all of which she revealed good tone. Paderewski’s Theme Varie, op. 16, was rendered with spirit and energy. Miss Mikova has digital dexterity, accuracy and a flexible wrist to carry her through difficult passages. Her excellent technic was further revealed in Moskowski’s Caprice Espagnol, which closed her program. For interpretation she was at her best in the modern numbers, which included Campbell-Tipton’s Legend, Cyril Scott’s Lotus Land, Josef Suk’s Berceuse for a Sick Child, and Eugene Goossen’s Hurdy-Gurdy Man and March of the Wooden Soldiers.
Both artists were heartily received by an audience that packed the hall, and both were recalled for encores.
HAARLEM PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY: GIGLI RECITAL
It was a record-breaking recital audience for the Waldorf-Astoria that crowded every corner of the grand ballroom to its capacity to listen to the singing of Beniamino Gigli, tenor of the Metropolitan Opera Company. It was a fitting climax to the most successful season of the Haarlem Philharmonic Society, of which Mrs. Everett Menzies Raynor is president. With each recurring event, one is struck with the sincerity of purpose which marks the work of this organization in its search for the best in music without any social furbelows..
Mr. Gigli was in glorious voice and happy mood and gave his genial self, both vocally and personally, wholeheartedly to the program, which opened with the M’Appari aria from Martha. There were three other arias. Rac-conto di Rodolfo from Boheme, Una Furtiva Lagrima from L’Elisir d’Amore and Ridi, Pagliacci. In addition there was a group which consisted of O del mio dolce ardore (Gluck), Quando il mio diavolo nacque (Donaudi) and Torna Amore (Buzzi-Peccia). His audience liked everything he did and recalled him again and again until he had doubled his program with encores. Vito Carnevali, at the piano, played excellent accompaniments.
The splendid violin playing of Rudolph Bochco added materially to the enjoyment of the program. He was programmed for two groups, Hymn to the Sun (Korsakoff-Kreisler), Spinnlied (Popper-Auer), Valse (Tschaikowsky-Auer) and Caprice Basque (Sarasate). He too was obliged to add several extras before the apparently insatiate audience would permit the program to continue. Joseph Adler at the piano furnished his accompaniments with rare skill, thereby adding to an altogether delightful program.
FRIDA Y, APRIL 20 FLORENCE EASTON
There are times—all too infrequent—when Realization is equal to Anticipation, and such a time was Friday, evening, April 20, when Florence Easton, soprano of the Metropolitan Opera Company, gave a song recital. Aeolian Hall was crowded—so much so, in fact, that it was necessary to place chairs in every available bit of space on the stage as well. And every one was glad he—and she—went, for not only did Mme. Easton sing with all the glorious beauty of voice which invariably marks her work, but she was able to endow the entire program with a spontaneity, a virility and a charm which was unique. Perhaps it was because she sang minus the customary books of words which singers make it a point to grasp. Perhaps it was because the accompanist, Elinor Remick Warren, played all the accompaniments without the music. Perhaps it was wholly that delightful, personality of Mme. Easton. Be that as it may, one lost the feeling of being in a formal hall and felt like a personally invited guest to whom a gracious hostess was singing, both because one wanted to hear and because she just couldn’t help but sing from sheer happiness. And the audience did want to hear. Not content with recalls without number and encores after each group, it crowded about the platform a.t the close, until she had added no less than four encores and a darkened stage gave forth a gentle hint that it was time to go.
Each number of her four groups called for individual