39
MUSICAL COURIER
June 21, 1923
FELIX FOX I
Founder of the Félix Fox School of Pianoforte Playing
CONCERT PIANIST
FÉLIX FOX
Says of the
Piano
that, in his opinion, it is unrivalled.
of songs, including Spring Song of the Robin Woman from Cadman’s Shanewis, My Gift (Ariadne Holmes Edwards) and Lest We Forget (Ralph Grosvenor), which was especially written for the occasion for Miss Mertens and is dedicated to the Stuyvesant Heights Post.
On May 23 the Newburgh Choral Union presented the contralto in one of her delightful costume recitals in the Y. M. C. A. Auditorium, with Gladys Grove at the piano. The first group consisted of English, Scotch, Irish, French and American folk songs and ballads of long ago presented in the costume of 1860. To bear out the period, the pianist followed in a Gluck-Brahms gavotte and the Paderewski
ALICE LOUISE MERTENS in an 1860 costume.
Minuet. Exceedingly charming in the Oriental costume, Miss Mertens next rendered a group of folk songs and ballads of the Orient, arranged by Bantock. These included: Egyptian—The Unutterable and Lament of Isis; Persian— In the Harem, and Drinking Song; Syrian—Lullaby, and Indian—Nautch Girl. After this the pianist played the Moszkowski Scherzino, Grainger’s Irish Tune from County Derry and Newland’s Waltz caprice. The concluding group was devoted to the folk songs of America, arranged by Ross, Burleigh, Strickland, Putnam and Cadman.
One of the local papers, in commenting upon the concert, said in part:
Miss Mertens succeeded not only in upholding the exteremely favorable impression which she made upon her former appearances in this city, but the nature of her program was such as to reveal new vocal qualities and characteristics. Her voice is unique among contraltos. Rich in color and of great power, there is no suggestion of heaviness throughout the entire extent of its amazing range. It is a voice of such warmth as to lend itself admirably to the sensuous characteristics of Oriental music, and her program throughout was sung with most artistic effect.
The program opened with a group of folk songs and ballads of long ago, and in each she appeared in a pretty costume of the period of the song. Her first was English, followed by a Scotch, Irish, French and closing this part of the program with an American number of the civil war period.	t	...
Her fresh and vigorous contralto lent itself well to the rendition of the Lament of Isis, by Bantock, in the second part of the program included folk songs and ballads of the Orient, arranged by Bantock, and included Parisan, Syrian, Egyptian and Indian numbers. Had her closing group of songs been given first it is doubtful if the others would have had the effect they did, but her closing group were folk songs of America, and while an audience of this kind likes to be entertained with numbers like the first, they are always extremely pleased in a group of American songs. _ The numbers selected were those arranged by Gertrude Ross, Burleigh, Strickland, Putnam and Cadman.
On June 7, Miss Mertens appeared as soloist at an organ recital given by W. E. Goldsworthy at the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Elmhurst, N. Y., under the auspices of the Ladies’ Aid Society.
On Thursday, May 25, Miss Mertens, Marie Stapleton Murray, Reed Miller and Frederick Baer, under the auspices of the East Orange, N. J., Community Chorus, gave dramatic recitatives from O Rest in the Lord, which proved unusually interesting.
In all of the foregoing concerts Miss Mertens won much favor, not alone with the beauty of her voice and her admirable style of singing, but also through the selection of her programs. As a maker of programs she has had much success. Whether it be in one of her costume recitals or simply in a couple of groups of songs, Miss Mertens is certain to offer some interesting numbers that invariably give pleasure.	J-
A Fine Record for the Flonzaleys
For the past fourteen seasons, Wells College, Aurora, N. Y., has not depended upon the sun alone for the measurement of the seasons. Instead of the celestial ecliptic for the reckoning of the winter solstice, they have taken the mundane circuit of the Flonzaley Quartet to be their guide. The coming season will mark the fifteenth annual consecutive visit of this organization to Aurora. Westover School, Middlebury, Conn., comes second with the fourteenth annual visit, and Peabody Conservatory, Baltimore, with the thirteenth. These three places hold the record in point of seniority, but there are other points which the quartet will visit next season, when they are returning for the twelfth time. and so on down to the second visit. Each year lengthens the list and enlarges the circuit with new cities. The following recent bookings will take the quartet for the first time to Pottsville, Harrisburg, New Castle and Sunbury, Pa.; St. Petersburg, Miami and Orlando, Fla.; Frederick, Md.; Auburn, Me.; Danville, 111.; Charleston, W. Va., and Athens, Ohio.
low her other volume, Notes and Time, reviewed elsewhere in this column. Unusually well worked out principals in the form of little pieces of only a few bars, for first grade.
(G. Schirmer, Inc., New York.)
Holidays
By Edmund Parlow
A set of six easy pieces of second grade teaching, published separately. Good material to give to the children after the first steps have been thoroughly mastered. They will add variety to the lesson. The titles are as follows: Out in Field, At the Woodland Spring, The Huntsman, Dancing Under the Lime-Tree, Little Butterfly and Returning Home.
(Century Music Publishing Co., New York—Certified Edition)
Sateac
By Sister Emelyn
A waltz number for second grade work, to be used as the compositions reviewed above.
(G. Schimer, Inc., New York.)
Dance of the Flower-Girls and the Pied Piper
By Josephine C. Smith
Two characteristic pieces for the piano by this well known composer, Josephine C. Smith. Recital selections for third grade students and of medium difficulty and attractive as to melody. Helpful material for the perplexed teacher.
(Century Music Publishing Co., New York—Certified Edition)
The following are for third grade piano students. Some are more difficult than others, but all can be safely given to students with three years’ study and over, provided they display the usual aptitude for time and rhythm:
MOMENT MUSICAL. Schubert’s music edited and fingered by Eugene Platzman.
BEAUTIFUL BLUE DANUBE. J. Strauss; music simplified and arranged by J. M. Hitzel.
WEARING OF THE GREEN. _ The famous melody of P. Emmett’s, arranged by J. M. Hitzel.
LA TR AVI AT A. An easy transcription made of Verdi’s melodies by Catherine Seward.
IN THE GLOAMING. By Harrison. A song with variations, simplified.
GRAND RUSSIAN MARCH. By C. P. Francis.
CARMEN. Easy transcription of Bizet’s music by George Crystal.
One Piano—Four Hands—Third Grade.
UP IN A SWING. Montaine. Arranged in this form by Calvin Grooms.
OVER THE WATERS. Simplified form of Hoffmann’s Barcarole.
FLOWERS AND FERNS. Arranged by Calvin Grooms.
LOVE AND FLOWERS. Also arranged by Calvin Grooms.
CRIMSON BLUSHES. A caprice by Ida Lester, arranged by Calvin Grooms.
STAR OF HOPE. By Kennedy. Arranged by Calvin Grooms.	M. J.
Alice Louise Mertens Finishes Busy Season
Alice Louise Mertens, contralto, is finishing_ up an exceedingly busy season. She is quite a favorite with the Masonic lodges, for the following appearances, under these auspices, were included in her list of dates: January 28, with the Aurora Grata Scottish Rite in Brooklyn; March 29, with the Rose Croix Lodge, Manhattan Opera House; April 24, Meadow Brook Lodge, Westbury, L. I.; May 2, Mosaic Lodge, Masonic Temple, New York; May 16', Jamaica Lodge, Jamaica, L. I.; June 2, one hundredth anniversary of the Silentia Lodge, Hotel McAlpin, New York; June 12, banquet of Alma Lodge at the Hotel Astor, New York, and June 13 at the Ocean Lodge, Carnegie Hall, New York.
When Miss Mertens appeared as soloist with the Meadow Brook Masonic Club, Inc., at Westbury, L. I., she sang a varied program, consisting of Sink Red Sun (del Riego), Hard Trials, negro spiritual (arranged by Burleigh), As I Went A-Roaming (old English), Mother, Dearest (Russian folk song), Sweet Little Woman o’ Mine (Bartlett), Where Blossoms Grow (Sans Souci). Miss Mertens also appeared on an interesting and well rendered program given by the Tompkins Avenue Quartet, of the Tompkins Avenue Congregational Church, of Brooklyn, on April 26, the other members of the quartet being May Prina, soprano; Henry Moeller, tenor, and Frank Forbes, baritone, with Edward K. Macrum the accompanist. Upon this occasion Miss Mertens and the soprano sang a duet from Madame Butterfly (Puccini) and a group of three songs—My Gift (Edwards), the Ould Plaid Shawl (Haynes) and The Danza (Chadwick)—besides taking part in several quartet numbers.
On May 4 she was soloist at a concert for the benefit of the Veterans’ Mountain Camp, given by the University Glee Club of Brooklyn, Edward J. A. Zeiner conductor, at the Tompkins Avenue Congregational Church. Miss Mertens was heard in a duet with Miss Prina and in a group
ALICE LOUISE MERTENS
as she appears in her Oriental costume.