May 24, 1923
MUSICAL COURIER
■ Apeda photo.
PHRADIE WELLS
at the monthly musicale at the Saenger studios, April S. Miss Wells has a beautiful, round, full, dramatic soprano voice and a broad style. She would make an excellent Sieglinde, not to mention several other roles in which she would be very effective.
O 5 ITUAR-X
Dr. Florenz Ziegfeld
Dr. Florenz Ziegfeld, founder of the Chicago Musical College and now its president emeritus, died at his home in Chicago early on Sunday, May 20, at the age of 82. The funeral will be held this (Thursday) afternoon from his home and interment will be in Chicago.
Dr. Ziegfeld was born in Jenvier, Oldenberg, Germany. He began the study of music when he was a small child and at the age of sixteen he graduated from the Leipsic Conservatory. While there he studied with Moscheles Reinecke, Wenzel, Richter and Ferdinand David. During ■he.£ivil War he came to Amer'ca and settled in Chicago in 1863. In 1867 with the aid of Marshall Field and others, he established the Chicago Musical College and became its first president, which office he held actively for almost fifty years.
During that time his achievements in music were notab] and many. In 1872, he brought from Europe the sta1 and court bands of France, England and Germany to tak part in the Boston Peace Jubilee. He was chairman of th board of judges of the musical exhibit for the World Columbian Exposition at Chicago in 1893.
Dr. Ziegfeld found time for other interests. He organize the Second Infantry Regiment of the Illinois National Guar and was its first colonel. He was interested in rifle prac t‘ce .fnd inspector for the State of that arm of the servic. Until three years ago he continued his participation in Stat military affairs, when he was retired with the rank o Brigadier General.
Dr. Ziegfeld was an officer of the Legion of Honoi created in 1903 in recognition of his work for Frenc music He also had received a gold medal and a diplom from the Academy of Art and Letters of Florence, Italy.
In 1865, he married Mile. Rosalie de Hez, a French gii and great grand-daughter of General Gerard, one of Na poleon s generals, who survives him with his three childrer f,™ ZleSfeld׳ Jr•’ t^le weh known theatrical producer W. K. Ziegfeld,_ and Mrs. W. E. Buhl, of Detroit, all o whom were at his bedside when he passed away.
John G. Warfel
John Girvin Warfel, one of the former proprietors of the Lancaster New Era Printing Company, and only son of the late State Senator John B. Warfel, died last week in w siyy־third year _ at his home in Lancaster, Pa. Mr. Wartel was at one time bass soloist and choirmaster of the Moravian Church. During the years 1882 to 1884 he organized and was president of the first Operatic Society in Lancaster, singing principal roles in all the Gilbert and Sullivan operas so popular then. Mr. Warfel is survived by his widow, a son, a daughter (Mary S. Warfel, well known harpist and local concert manager) and one sister.
Mme. Hortense Decreus
Word comes from Paris of the death at Fontaineble on May 3 of Mme. Hortense Decreus, widow of the 1; Achille Decreus, and mother of Camille Decreus, the w known French coach and accompanist, head of a departme of the Fontainebleau School of Music. Mr. Decreus w in this country for several seasons some years ago and w planning to return as chief coach for the de Reszke-Seaf at Schroon Lake this summer, but he has be obliged to give up his plan to come here because of 1 mother s death.
Strauss’ Mother-in-Law Dead
Vienna, April 28.—Dr. Franz Strauss, son of Richard Strauss, has; returned .from Munich, where he attended the funeral of Frau de Ahna, mother of Mrs. Richard Strauss, who died while the Strauss family was on a trip through Italy prior to Dr. Richard Strauss’ departure for South America.	p R
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less nebulous. Certain it is that she will give a recital in New York early in November. Mme. Leblanc’s recitals are the last word in artistic perfection. Whether she sings, recites poems or scenes from drama, it is done with a finished art that is surpassed by no other artist of the day. Her repertory is extraordinarily large and extraordinarily interesting.
It is not necessary to explain who Mme. Leblanc is. She made a name for herself as an actress and singer before she became Mme. Maeterlinck. Her first visit to this country was several years ago when she interpreted Melissande, the heroine of Maeterlinck’s drama, Pelleas and Melissande, as presented in Debussy’s operatic form by the Boston Opera Company.
Of late in her Soirées Intimes, she has appeared as an interpreter of the modern French poet, of the modern French musician—particularly those of the Groupe de Six— and of the modern artist, who made decorations for her studio. One of them was the back drop behind the little platform with a peculiar looking opening through which Mme, Leblanc entered as she began her recitations, or her singing. It looked to one observer like the interior of a shark’s mouth with a lavish display of teeth. He was terribly shocked to fin! that in reality it signified a huge tree and that the shark’s mouth was merely the magic opening in the base from which the Druid or Driad—or whatever it might be that Mme. Leblanc typified—emerged.
Now that Mme. Leblanc has a competent staff to look out for her managerial interests she will undoubtedly meet with the general recognition in this country which she has long deserved. For practical demonstration of the beauties of the French language either spoken or sung, particularly as an example to students of French Departments in schools, colleges, and universities, of the goal toward which they are struggling, there is no artist in America today to compare with Mme. Leblanc. And just at the moment Mme. Leblanc is not in America. She is in her native country, France, where she will spend the summer gathering new material for her recitals and conférences next season. Incidentally she has been engaged to appear this spring in Paris at the Theater des Champs Elysees, which belongs to Mme. Ganna Walska.
Summer Master Glasses Again at Soder-Hueck Studios
MME. LEBLANC NOW UNDER
HER OWN MANAGEMENT
Her Success, So Deserved, Now Seems Certain—Her Great Art
Early this spring—or late last winter—Mme. Georgette Leblanc (Maeterlinck) gave thirty-five Soirees Intimes on thirty-five successive evenings in the drawing room of her
Bain News Service photo.
GEORGETTE LEBLANC
Mme. Soder-Hueck, New York vocal authority, who in the course of years has produced many fine singers and teachers who are now prominent before the public, will again hold a term of summer master classes for teachers, artists and students. She has reached this decision, and given up her former plan to go to Europe this summer, because of urgent requests from all parts of the country to give those who desire to benefit by her skillful, inspiring work and method, an opportunity to brush up vocally, and also prepare their repertory for next season, and gain new ideas ;for their own teaching activities and pupils.
The Soder-Hueck studios in the Metropolitan Opera House building are roomy, cool and comfortable, and with an adjoining Roof Garden, an ideal surrounding and atmosphere is offered thus affording all a combination of play and recreation with work under masterly, uplifting and helpful guidance.
The summer course will consist of a six weeks’ course for teachers, artists and students from June 18 to July 28.
attractive Washington Square South studio apartment, with its little raised platform at one end.
Mme. Leblanc, who has been here for two or three seasons, despite the exquisite quality of her art, has hitherto failed to find the necessary financial support which would enable her to arrange for presentations in as wide a field as that in which she deserves to be heard.
“I knew,” she said, “if I could only find the combination of business man and art lover who would appreciate my work that I should get the support I needed. I said to myself: ‘If I only appear often enough such a one will be sure to come and hear me and the thing will be done? So I began giving recitals every night. I gave thirty-five of them and, sure enough, the man for whom I was looking found his way into my audience. But if he had not, I should have kept on for another thirty-five nights or even another thirty-five hundred nights, if necessary, until he came.”
Phradie Wells a Well Liked Soprano
Phradie Wells is one of the most popular church singers in New York, and is constantly in demand for special services and for substitute work. On Easter Sunday she sang at the First Presbyterian Church, South Orange, N. J., in the morning, and at the Congregational Church, Bound Brook, N. J., in the afternoon. She also sang excellently the Inflammatus from Rossini’s Stabat Mater, at the Wed-nesday afternoon concert at the Wurlitzer Auditorium, and
The tangible result is the formation of the Art Direction Georgette Leblanc, Inc., with offices in the Fisk Building, New York City, in charge of Louise Davidson, whose clever cartoons on musical subjects have adorned more than one issue of the Musical Courier. It is “a rich lumber man” who is supposed to be behind the new Art Direction— at least so the dailies suppose, though Mme. Leblanc says nothing and Miss Davidson less.
Anyway she is to have this new management all to herself. The exact plans for her next season are still more or
SIGISMOND STOJOWSKI
Eminent Polish Pianist Composer
Authoritative exponent of Paderewski
Teacher of Guiomar Novaes, Mischa Levitzki and others.
Announces the opening on October 1st, 1923, of a
Master- School
at
150 West 76th Street, New York City
Private and class instruction—Personally trained assistants.
Lectures—Recitals—Courses in Piano and Musical Composition.
y

For particulars address:
JEAN WISWELL
New York
437 Fifth Avenue