MUSICAL COURIER
14
June 7, 19 23
Ethel Jones a Yankee Girl
Ethel Jones, mezzo-contralto, is one of the few American artists who have broken away from the fetish of a European name and reputation. Refusing to be impressed by this Mumbo Jumbo, she prefers to be known merely as Ethel Jones, a Yankee girl, as simple and unassuming as her name.
Not that Miss Jones has not had extensive European contact—she learned her German in Berlin, her French in Paris, but as an American singer she is sailing under her own colors.
Much of her success, perhaps, is attributable to this same Yankee spunk. Geniuses thrive best sometimes under hardship. But how many girls who had the choice between luxury and hard work would choose the latter, as Miss Jones has done? For in her lexicon, “hard work” is synonymous for a career, and her sacrifice, while different from that of many artists, is quite as heroic.
Hers for the asking would be winters in Florida and California and summers on a ranch amid the Bitter Root Mountains in Montana, where her favorite cow pony pines for his little playmate. But Miss Jones takes her art seriously and in her cosmic scheme a life of ease is simply out of the question.
Her father, rated among Iowa’s wealthiest men, spends most of his time fishing in tropical waters or riding the ranges of his estate in the Far West. He is a director of a chain of small-town banks, a stockholder in Chicago’s largest bank and the gas magnate of Independence, Iowa. Home life offers every possible allurement to Miss Jones, but to the vast amazement of her parents, she insists on her career, her only concession being a vacation of a few weeks every summer in Montana.
It is preordained, perhaps, that this young woman bear the lighted torch handed down to her by her talented grandmother, Harriet Hawley, who in her day was a famous oratorio singer in the East and a member of the music faculty of the fashionable Chevy Chase School in Washington, where Ethel’s mother was a pupil. A musical strain runs in the family, as an uncle is identified with the Yale University School qf Music. Miss Jones feels that she has traditions to maintain. Her grandmother, abandoning her profession, migrated to Iowa, retaining, as the only tie to the culture she had known, her grand piano, which was the first instrument of its kind ever taken to Iowa. The railroads then ran only as far as Dubuque, the rest of the journey being made •by covered wagon. The concert grana, a relic of departed glories, is now installed on the Montana ranch and it is the piano on which Ethel learned her finger exercises.
Miss Jones has risen rapidly in the musical world. Her recitals—at the Blackstone Theater, Chicago; at the Chicago Athletic Club; in the Orchestra Hall Foyer Series; her appearance _ with the Apollo Musical Club, and her recitals in Aeolian Hall, New York, and in Washing ton, this season, have justified her promises as to her dramatic ability, her clear tone production and her charming interpretation.
“A distinct and memorable success,” was the New York Morning Telegraph’s verdict on the occasion of her Aeolian Hall appearance. “Her lovely voice is a thing of full warm tone and rich sympathy,” writes Herman Devries, dean of Chicago music critics.
Future appearances of this young singer will be watched with interest.	g
Nights o’Spring and A Roundelay; secular choruses for male voices—The Four Winds and Waken Lords and Ladies Gay; secular choruses for women’s voices—The Sleeping Beauty, The Singing Leaves, June, God’s Miracle of May, O Robin, Little Robin and Snowflakes ; vocal solos—Thou Art Like Unto a Flower, At Eventide, O Robin, Little Robin and The Things of Every Day; organ solos—Berceuse, Rondo and Canzonetta ; piano solo—Gypsy Dance.
Mu Phi Epsilon Sorority Active
The Mu Phi Epsilon Sorority, which was founded November 13, 1903, has thirty-seven active chapters and sixteen alumni clubs in the United States. It is at present the only strictly honorary musical sorority in existence. Its obj ect is to bring together talented women and students who have a common interest in furthering American music and to loan money without interest to worthy students. An annual cash prize for the best original composition is offered and every endeavor made to assist musical institutions in raising educational standards. Within the last three years, six new chapters have been installed: at the universities of Oklahoma, Wisconsin and Southern California, the Kansas State Agricultural College and the Columbia School of Music and American Conservatory in Chicago.
American Institute Recitals
Isabel Scott (pupil of Miss Chittenden) gave a solo recital at the American Institute, May 18, playing works by Beethoven, Mozart, Bach and including Grieg, Scriabin, Debussy, Sternberg and Chopin. This talented and artistic
,‘She established, by the range of songs that she delivered, her capability as an artiste
The Watsonville (Cal.) Evening Pajaro-nian said the above about May Peterson, soprano of the Metropolitan Opera Company.
Management: HAENSEL & JONES
Aeolian Hall, New York
Mason & Hamlin Piano Used	Aeolian-Vocalion Records
Schnitzer Drawing Card in Philadelphia
After a recent benefit appearance in Philadelphia - Pa under the patronage of the Quakers, Germaine Schnitzer¡ pianist, was the recipient of a ietter of heartfelt thanks from the American Friends Service Committee. The committee enclosed the following letter, which has been sent to Berlin:
Dr. Rau,	Ap1923 ’27 1״’
Dorotheenstrasse 2,
Berlin, N. W., 7,
Germany.
My dear Mr. Rau:
We are forwarding to you through Gilbert MacMaster a check for $100°—proceeds of an entertainment given for the benefit of the tubercular children of Germany, at the entire instigation of Germaine bchnitzer, whose wonderful recital was. the basis around which the rest of the program was planned, and for which her tender interest in these children was the entire inspiration.
We owe not only this great favor to Miss Schnitzer herself, but her zeal is also leading her to take steps at once toward getting up further concerts in New York for the same cause.
This sum of $1,000 makes a material addition to the $50,000 which our committee is trying to raise toward work among the tubercular children of Germany. Funds from the prospective New York concerts which will be conducted through the New York branch of our committee will be used for the same purpose.
Yours very sincerely,
(Signed) Maria C. Scattergood, Assistant Secretary.
Immediately after the aforementioned concert in Philadelphia, Miss Schnitzer took the night train to Boston, where she appeared the next afternoon at the Chickering Centennial Celebration.
pianist showed wide variety of touch and splendid interpretation in the various works, so that applause was strong and long continued.
May 14 a students’ recital of fourteen numbers brought piano pupils of Miss Chittenden and Mr. Moore, vocal pupils of Mr. Tebbs and Miss Madden, and violin pupils of Messrs. Raudenbush and Spiering. This formed a highly diversified program and gave listeners an unusual feast of high class music, for the program contained such names as Schumann¡ Grieg, Beethoven, Brahms, Bach, Debussy, etc. The pupils engaged in this program were the pianists, Caroline Moore, Nancy Hankins, Edith Stetler, Florence Mallory Sanford, Isabel Scott, Adele Halstein, Anne Gordon and Samuel Prager; the vocalists, Charles Joseph Oliva, Thomas Curley and Elsie M. Rockwell; and the violinists, Jeannette Dalton, Teddy Abramowitz and John Passaretti. As usual, a large audience gathered to hear these young artists and further opportunity for similar recitals is planned as follows: June 2, junior recital; June 4, general recital; June 5, song recital by Raymond Moore, and June 6, final recital by artist students.
High Praise for Sylvia Lent
Sylvia Lent, violinist, gave a recital in the high scho! auditorium, of Passaic, N. J., on the evening of May 1 According to George M. Hartt, in the Passaic Daily New “It is marvelous indeed that such a mere slip of a gi can play with such maturity and perfection of powers. SI is a true builder of tone and her architectonics are sure an surprising in their ease and precision. In the delicate pa׳ sages there is a refined exquisiteness of feeling that coul not be surpassed. In the heroic passages, also, her dynamii are excellent. She produces a tone as satisfying in its siz as it is pleasing in its quality. Her G string is especiall fine, and her harmonics leave nothing to be desired.”
Music of the Far East of Interest to Clubs
Beautiful Ragini Devi, who last year came to America to dance the Hindu Temple Dances and sing the music of India, is meeting with a reward for her labors, for a keen interest is evinced in her work by the music study clubs. Her manager, Catharine A. Bamman, recently added to her tour appearances with the Fortnightly Musical Club of Cleveland and the Fine Arts Society of Atlanta. The Trio Ragini of India is composed of Ragini Devi (meaning Daughter of the Gods), Sarat Lahiri, who plays the esraj, an instrument of hoary antiquity which tonally is a cross between a violin and a zither, and Vishnu Nimbker, who plays the tabla, a collection of native drums.
Daisy Jean Completes Coast to Coast Tour
Daisy Jean, the Belgian cellist, harpist and singer, accompanied by Jean Wiswell, pianist, has just completed a tour of the whole United States.
Her trip covered a period of almost seven months, during which time she traveled 25,000 miles, touching or passing through all but five of the forty-eight states, and made 166 appearances before audiences aggregating approximately 90,000 persons.
On all of her programs Miss Jean played the cello, and also sang to her own accompaniment on the harp. The largest audience to which this artist played and sang was in the big Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, where 6,000 people heard her concert. Miss Jean said that the applause sounded like a hard rain storm on a tin roof, but that the acoustics of the auditorium were so perfect that the softest tones of her cello, or her voice, or the harp, carried perfectly to every corner of the room.
Following the concert in the Tabernacle, Miss Jean and Miss Wiswell went there again at noon to play informally, with the big organ. No audience was to have been allowed to attend, but some tourists were in the building. Seeing Miss Jean with her cello, these people begged to stay and so they did and listened devotedly while she and the organist marvelously blended their instruments.
In Washington, Miss Jean and Miss Wiswell had the distinction of playing at the Belgian Embassy, at a tea given by the Baroness de Cartier. This was arranged solely on account of Miss Jean’s acquaintance with the Baron and Baroness de Cartier through her former work for the Belgian Relief and her playing at the Court in Belgium.
During the tour, Miss Jean consented to play many informal musicales in homes—one of them being at Stan-y-vyt Hall, the Ak'ron, Ohio, estate of Mrs. Frank A. Seiberling. ■
Miss Jean was especially fond of high school concerts where the audiences were absolutely frank and sincere in their appreciation. These school children were fascinated by her and when they were permitted to do so they gave their various school yells, these gyrating through the air much to the artist’s amazement and delight. In Los Angeles, a school paper printed the following: “Genius’ visit quiets thrilled audience—The High School audience, that ‘modern audience without a soul,’ as it has been called by many, sat rapt and silent. The blatant, flapping toreador trousers hung in subdued folds, silent and unobtrusive. Slick black ‘vaselino’ pompadours were crinkled into permanent waves as thrills caused by the sheer beauty of the performance rippled all the way to the tops of their heads. (Although not one of them would confess to a single thrill after the spell had worn off and he was his own man again.) Not a powder puff was in evidence, not a single comb coursed its way through the waves of a ‘bob.’ Fascinated eyes clung to the absorbed face of the performer. Sheepish, abashed eyes avoided those of their neighbors, lest the neighbor see the enjoyment there that was not caused by jazz. The audience was in the throes of a new emotion. Entranced and awed they listened, soulless no longer, for genius had come to Franklin High School.”
In Dallas, Texas, Miss Jean had a rather remarkable audience of 1,000 high school teachers who thoroughly appreciated her fine program. In Washington, D. C., she visited the J. Walter Reed Hospital one Sunday night to play for the convalescent soldiers. Here again was an audience of engaging frankness, which left no doubt of its appreciation or lack of it, so when Miss Jean came on the stage she announced to the men that she would play a short cello piece and if they liked it she would play another. Before it was time to go, she had played a whole program.
In Stockton, Cal., Miss Jean took part in a Sunday night church service. The minister, a vigorous young Westerner, seeing the success of her big recital in his city, immediately engaged Miss Jean to play at his church the following Sunday. She played the Vissi d’Arte from Tosca and the Kol Nidrei on the cello, then sang Gounod’s Ave Maria with her own accompaniment on the harp. The minister, by the time his sermon came, was so stirred that he changed his theme from Faith to Daisy Jean.
Miss Jean and Miss Wiswell gave several radio concerts scattered throughout the entire country. One of the most far-reaching of these broadcasting affairs was given from a station in Davenport, Iowa. The greatest distance heard from was from the ship Ardmore off the coast of Chili, more than 3,700 miles away, which reported that the entire concert had been heard perfectly.
Miss Jean will spend the summer in Belgium and Paris and will return for another American tour next season.
Laura E. Morrill Teaches Openshaw Ballad
The worth of a ballad is conclusively proven when large studios teach it constantly. In answer to an inquiry as to Laura E. Morrill’s personal opinion regarding the number, the following letter was received by the publisher:
I have given to pupils Love Sends a Little Gift of Roses, again and agam since it was sent to me when first published. I have found it valuable for the beginner and more advanced pupils alike. One way in which I have used it is for young women trying for musical com-edy or light opera. It is semi-popular and wins out before managers; of thm I am sure for I have proved it. I am glad to say this to the publishers. 1 think it fine as an encore song for artists, also. (Signed) Laura E. Morrill.
Edgar Schofield Reengaged in Concord
Edgar Schofield has been engaged for an appearance in joint recital with Ethel Hayden in Concord, N. H., next season, under the auspices of the Teachers’ Association. The same association had Mr. Schofield this past season, and the result is a reengagement. In practically all of his press notices this season, he has received especial praise for the interesting program material which he was able to present. Two of his most successful American songs were The Great Awakening, by Walter Kramer, and At the Mid-Hour of Night, by Edward Harris.
Frances McCollin Compositions
Among the compositions of Frances McCollin are the following:	Sacred choruses for mixed voices—Agnus Dei,
God So Loved the World, Jubilate Deo, The Lord is King, He is Risen, Owe No Man Anything, Then Shall the Righteous Shine Forth, O Sing Unto the Lord a New Song, A New Commandment and God is Our Refuge and Strength; Secular choruses for mixed voices—The Four Seasons. The
Everything fop the Singer at
The HERBERT WITHERSPOON STUDIOS
MISS GRACE O’BRIEN, Assistant Secretary
44 West 86th Street, New York City
Telephone Schuyler 5889
MISS MINNIE LIPLICH, Secretary