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MUSICAL COURIER
quality, and in the fortissimo passages her dynamics had the power ^ of a man, while in the pianissimo passages her poetic interpretation made a strong impression on her listeners. Dorothy Friedlander of Chicago impressed as a fine musician, but her playing lacked force. She played the Chopin andante spianato and polonaise (the number chosen for this contest) beautifully and had the audience been S'iven its choice, she would have won by a large majority. Melville Kalish, apparently extremely nervous, had a lapse of memory that completely put him out of the running and this was regrettable as he was going very strong at the time.
The competition for an entire musical education during the season 1923-24 was won by Zelma Smithpeter of Carrollton (Mo.). Miss Smithpeter sang the Nightingale Song from Masse’s the Marriage of Jeannette and her work is here reviewed as though she were a .full-fledged professional. Indeed very few coloratura sopranos of our days could have won in the same competition. This young coloratura has a voluminous voice, as sonorous in the low region as in the upper range. She sings true to pitch and her bird-like thrills are faultless. She is one of the most brilliant students ever heard at this or Other undertakings of the same kind and should she enter the musical field she will find opportunities to display her talent in many communities. Handicapped as they were by such an unusual competitor, the two young men who fought for first honors did remarkably well and both were rewarded for their efforts by being given second and third prizes. Carroll Kearns, with his rich basso voice, came second, and Samuel Spencer was awarded the third prize. Kearns sang in fine style the aria from Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra, II lacerato spirito, showing the results of good training and vocal resources that, with further development, should bring success to this young man from New Castle (Pa.). Samuel Spencer, tenor, was heard in Che Gelida Manina from Puccini’s Boheme, and he, too, made a fine impression. His voice is not of large dimension! but it has carrying power and further training should add to its volume. Interpretively his work was all to his credit and that of his teacher.
. The last competition—that for a Mason & Hamlin grand piano, presented by the Mason & Hamlin Company of Boston —was the most closely contested, Sanford Schlussel finally being returned the winner. The choice was a happy one, as young Schlussel has made a host of friends in these surroundings. He has often played accompaniments for renowned artists and his playing of the first movement of the Scharwenka B flat minor concerto disclosed more the work of a professional than a student. He played with great assurance, fine tonal quality and exhibited a facile technic and two powerful hands, which, without pounding, brought big accents from the piano. Schlussel unfortunately is developing some mannerisms, such as the lifting in the air of his hands after a crashing chord. This he may have seen done by some great pianist but it is unbecoming in a young one. The two other contestants gave Schlussel a run for his piano, as had the judges decided on either of the three the verdict would have been a fair one. Schlussel won and his victory especially was well received, for, as said before, he is popular here and the shouts of approval showed how close the result of the contest was until Mr. Stock made the final announcement from the stage. Elsie Barge of Brookhaven (Miss.) lacked a little virility in her playing; otherwise, the Mason & Hamlin piano might have been hers, as her performance was in every other respect praiseworthy. Lloyd Brown of Iola (Kas.) gave young Schlussel the fright of his life. There was not much in their playing to differentiate the winner, except that Schlussel played like a professional and Brown like an advanced student who has seldom appeared before the public, but who, hereafter should be heard from. This review is already too long to allow analyzing further the merits of Elsie Barge and Lloyd Brown, but as a closing remark it may be said that those two young pianists were a great credit to their teacher and to the school where they have been so well trained. All the violin contestants were pupils of Leon Sametini, the winner of the voice contest from the class of Belle Forbes Cutter, and both Sanford Schlussel and Dorothy Kendrick pupils of Edward Collins, whose pupils won two pianos also last year.
It was noteworthy that the Chicago entries to the contest (Continued on page 61)
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it demonstrated to best advantage Mrs. Devries’ method of singing.
Rose Lutiger Gannon at North Shore Festival.
Among the concerts at which Rose Lutiger Gann.on, the prominent Chicago contralto, will appear this month will be that of the Chicago North Shore Festival Association, May 28, when she will sing the contralto part in Parker’s Hora Novissima.
Chicago Musical College’s Prize Competition.
The annual prize, competition of the Chicago Musical College took place at Orchestra Hall, Wednesday evening, May 2, before an audience that left not one seat unoccupied in the spacious hall. The judges of the final contest were Frederick Stock, Franz Kneisel, Ernest Schelling and Oscar Saenger. The talent was far superior to that heard the previous season and each student was a big credit to the school in which they are being taught.
Before reviewing at length the performances of the students a word of praise does not seem amiss for the vice-president and general managr of the college, Carl D. Kinsey, a musician and a business man who has done a great deal for music in Chicago and surrounding communities. It is incontestably due to Carl D. Kinsey that other schools in Chicago as well as private studios are today flourishing. Lie woke up the conservative schools of yesterday to modern ideas. He advertises broadcast the doings of his school, and other institutions of Chicago and elsewhere have followed suit. Kinsey is the originator of the master class courses which bring to Chicago, during the summer months, hundreds of students from all parts of this country, and due, in part, to him the fame of Chicago as a musical center has traveled beyond the oceans and students are found in Chicago who come here to study music from far distant lands. It is the same Kinsey who inaugurated a few years ago the giving of prizes to competitive students of his school, and it is the same Kinsey who has raised the musical standard of the Chicago Musical College. In this last achievement he has received great co-operation, first of all from Felix Borowski, the erudite president of the school, and from every teacher. Those who could not come up to the mark were dropped by the roadside and now the Chicago Musical College may well be looked upon as one of the largest and most proficient schools of music in the world.
As aforestated, the talent heard on this occasion was of first quality. The students had the advantage, of course, of appearing with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Frederick Stock, who with his men gave each one excellent support. Instead of only publishing the names of each victorious pupil, it seems best for once to review the merits of each student and show the vanquished the fairness of the judges, as each verdict was absolutely just, notwithstanding the attitude of the audience in preferring on two occasions second choice to the first. The competition for a violin presented by Lyon & Healy was won by Theodora Bliedung, of Joplin (Mo.), who played most correctly; her tone is not very large, but it is pure and she rendered the first movement of the Mendelssohn-Barthody concerto m E minor as though she understood fully all its contents, and she seems further to have ideas of her own as to interpretation, proving herself an earnest player, of sure technic, good bowing and of perfect rhythm. Philip Kaufman, who last year won the prize, was squarely defeated by the young lady from Joplin. Kaufman played perhaps with too much assurance, for he seemed sure that the prize would be his and probably due to this he failed in his endeavor ; young Kaufman gets from his violin a very large tone and he plays with much enthusiasm although he committed a few sins against true pitch and gave trouble to the orchestra in following him, as he seemed not to hear the orchestra but wanted the orchestra to listen to him. He is a very clever violinist and should in no way feel discouraged at his defeat, as, like in everything else, where there is a winner, there must be a loser and Mr. Kaufman surely, like every true American, has taken his failure with the sportsmanship that characterizes our race. Linda Sool, beautiful to look at, was a close third and gave the winner a good contest for the position; her playing was forceful and had she begun the concerto as she finished it, the results might have been reversed. Due probably to nervousness she played the few first bars off pitch, but when she got going she revealed her-self a very conscientious young artist and she was much feted by the audience.
The competition for a Conover Grand piano, presented by the Cable Piano Company of Chicago, was won by Dorothy Kendrick of Dallas (Tex.). Miss Kendrick, a very fine pianist, should dispense with some of the mannerisms that somewhat marred her performance. She is what is vulgarly called a “shimmie” player and the contortions of her body very nearly cost her the prize, but her interpretation was so artistic that this redeemed her in the eyes of the judges for her poor stage deportment. Well equipped technically, her fingers responded to her most minute command and she drew from the piano a tone of beautiful
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Songs Sung by Prominent Artists:
THE GULL, SNOW ON THE HILLS, FAIRIES, LES YEUX (French), MORGEN GEBET (German)
May 10, 1923
audiences to whom he generally caters. Heard in the prologue from Pagliacci and the Di Provenzo il Mar aria he revealed anew his glorious voice to great advantage and had to sing the second verse of the latter song after insistent demands from his delighted hearers. The gifted singer had the good fortune of having as accompanist Leon B.en-ditzky, one of the most popular musicians in Chicago and whose services are more and more in demand—and there is a reason. Sylvia Tell is well liked by the Amalgamated Clothing Workers, as she has performed for them on several occasions, always winning their plaudits and return engagements. Miss Tell has trained her corps de ballet well and lias chosen each dancer with an eye for beauty, grace and charm. As to herself, she surpassed any of her previous efforts, looked ravishing to the eye, and to those who understand the difficult terpsichorean art her technic was nothing short of amazing, and to every one present she gave entire satisfaction, her agility, graceful stage deportment and admirable toe dancing .winning her much applause. At the close of her first selection, The Dance of the Hours (Ponchielli), she was recalled many times to the stage to acknowledge the vigorous demonstration of a delighted audience. The Chicago board of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers may well be congratulated for the manner in which the entertainment was given and this office in particular will always be glad to give space to this organization that has done so much good for its members and has created among them the love for the best in music. If this were the only good thing that the Chicago board has done for its members it would be sufficient to win the approval of this office of the Musical Courier.
Esther Harris-Dua Entertains.
An enjoyable evening was had by the large gathering invited by Mr. and Mrs. A. G. Dua (Esther Harris) to their lovely home at 1838 North Park avenue, Sunday evening, April 22, in honor of Mr. and Mrs. Jacques Gordon. A musical program was presented by Gabriel Hrjanowsky, baritone of the Russian Grand Opera Company; Alfred N. Goldman, violinist, and A. L. Shynman, who besides playing piano solos accompanied both the baritone and violinist. After the musicale a delightful luncheon was served the guests, among whom were: Mr. and Mrs. J. B. Brown and son, Mr. and Mrs. D. Stone, Mr. and Mrs. A. Muhlmann, Mr. and Mrs. Louis Victor Saar, Mr. and Mrs. Maurice Rosenfeld, Mr. and Mrs. Charles E. Watt, Mr. and Mrs. Jacques Gordon, Mr. and Mrs. Nathaniel Finston, Mrs. Ernest Jacoby and daughter Graziella, Dr. Blitzen, Abe L. Shynman, Mr. and Mrs. Karl Reckzeh, Abner G. Rosenfeld, Alfred N. Goldman, Leon Benditzky, Alexander Sebald, William O. Rapp, Bessie Birdie Kaplan, Frances Alpert, Dr. and Mrs. Joseph A. Smith, Gabriel Hrjanowsky, Max Fischel, Maurice Gold-blatt, Marion Levin and Mr. and Mrs. Julius Harris.
ESTHER
HARRIS-DUA
Mrs. Herman Devries Presents Pupils.
In the Francis I. Room of the Congress Hotel last Saturday evening a large and artistocratic audience was assembled which enjoyed greatly an evening’s entertainment furnished by the pupils of Mrs. Herman Devries, with the gifted vocal teacher playing piano accompaniments that were in themselves sufficient to assure a treat to the many guests. Some of Mrs. Devries’ pupils are only beginners, others have been recognized by the daily as well as musical press as full-fledged artists, and at this recital the two varieties were presented. The beginners already have that style ever to be recognized in a Mrs. Devries pupil, and though timid at a first public appearance, the youngsters were as much a credit to their mentor as some of the more advanced students. Phyllis C. Holmes started the ball rolling by singing The Maiden and The Butterfly by D’Albert in a charming manner. She was succeeded on the platform by Helen Lucas, the possessor of a lovely voice who was heard agreeably in Bemberg’s II Neige and Chopin’s The Maiden’s Wish. Her mother, a very young woman by the way, has a voice of the same sweet texture as her daughter’s but naturally of larger dimension, which showed careful training in Dr. Arne’s The Lass with the Delicate Air and Max Stange’s Damon. Esther Chukermann, a vivacious young lady, sang well Dessauer’s Lockung and Leoni’s Tally Ho. Jean King received much applause after her singing of MacDowell’s To a Wild Rose and Denza’s May Morning. Helen Derz-bach, always popular, made a hit in Taubert’s Frau Nachti-gall and Bungert’s In der Rosenlaube. Helen Weiner did herself and her teacher proud by the manner in which she rendered two Grieg songs—Mit einer Wasserlilie and From the Monte Pincio. Miss Weiner’s enunciation of the German text is delightful in its purity. Libuske Bartusek Brown, a well known premiere danseuse and a ballet mistress, also has a beautiful voice to recommend her to music lovers. Beautifully gowned, she was a picture to behold and was as much admired for her graceful manner and simplicity of mien as for the beauty of her song. She sang Debussy’s Chevaux de Bois and the same composer’s Green, with perfect French enunciation, fine understanding, revealing, in addition, an organ, if not wide in volume at least most pleasant to the ear and of sufficient carrying power to predict for the young artist, with further vocal study, a musical career on par with her successful terpsichorean art.
Helen Freund, recognized as one of the most popular among the younger singers of this city, made a deep impression in Loewe’s Canzonetta and the Nightingale song from the The Marriage of Jeannette by Victor Masse. The better this auditor gets acquainted with the art of Miss Freund, the more are noticed the big strides she has made in the last few months. The voice has retained all its former beauty and has taken on volume and Miss Freund is sure of recognition in the field she has chosen for her vocation. Edith Orenstein sang a group by Schumann in telling fashion and she, too, received many well deserved plaudits. Elfriede Herz, the possessor of a true contralto voice, had the honor of closing the program, singing two songs by Brahms and one by Strauss in which she revealed herself a fine musician and a. good singer. Her songs were much admired, and, like the other participants, she completely won the audience. The recital once again reflected credit on Mrs. Herman Devries and on each young lady who furnished the program, and