A small full score of “Tannhäuser” is announced by a Berlin publisher.
The new auditorium of the New England Conservatory of Music was dedicated October 20th.
It is announced that Edward Elgar, the noted English composer, is at work on a symphony.
Only two out of three applicants for instruction at the Vienna Conservatory this year were accepted.
Wagner’s “Götterdämmerung” is to be given in Copenhagen, during the present season, in Danish.
Godowsky’s Chopin Studies have been made a part of the teaching repertoire of the Paris Conservatoire.
“Parsifal” has been given but eight times outside of Bayreuth; in Munich, five times in 1884 and three times in 1885.
Pol Plancon, who has not been heard in America for several years, will be heard on our concert stage this season.
The idea of “Young People’s Concerts,” as started in Berlin, has spread to other German cities. Cologne is to have a series.
William Courtney, formerly a noted oratorio tenor and later a highly esteemed teacher in New York City, died in October last.
Madame Berthe Marx announced a piano-recital in London at which she would play the 24 Preludes and 25 Studies of Chopin.
A French writer on musical subjects, Paul Landormy, will give lectures in Paris on “German Music from Beethoven to Wagner.”
One of the latest items of news from abroad is that Paderewski has lost a large part of his fortune through unlucky investments.
Max Bruch, now in his sixty-fifth year, has recently delivered to his publisher a new work for soprano solo, chorus, and orchestra.
A New York paper says that Felix Mottl will give fifteen symphony concerts at the Metropolitan Opera House during his stay in New York City.
Mr. W. F. Apthorp, the well-known Boston critic and musico-litterateur, has gone to Italy and will make his permanent residence there.
In addition to its Philadelphia series the Philadelphia Orchestra will give a series of subscription concerts in the smaller Pennsylvania cities.
The last manuscript Mr. F. G. Rathbun, a prominent American composer who died several months ago, sent to a publisher was called “Farewell.”
A new work of interest to violinists is Prof. Moser’s “Life of Joachim,” which includes a great deal of correspondence with Schumann, Mendelssohn, Brahms, and Liszt.
The favorite instrument of Loevensohn, the Belgian ‘cellist, who will concertize under Rudolph Aronson’s direction in the United States this summer, is a “strad” dated 1702.
The Belgian “Roman Prize” of $4000 was awarded to the composer Albert Dupins. When shall we have an “American Prize,” for which American composers may compete?
The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra will make arrangements to have a number of guest-directors this season, similar to the plan adopted by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.
Mr. Harold Bauer will give some of his time to teaching in Boston this season, during intervals between his concert engagements. He will be connected with William L. Whitney’s school.
The theater in the royal palace at Munich can look back on 150 years of existence. It was dedicated October, 1753, with the opera “Cato in Utica”; libretto by Metastasio, music by Ferrandini.
The latest musical sensation and Wunderkind in Berlin is a 10-year-old violinist, Franz von Vecsey, who plays Wieniawski, Paganini, Hubay, and Bach with an “astonishing ripeness” of conception.
The municipal council of Lausanne has voted $2000 to the city orchestra on the condition that every winter at least ten people’s concerts be given, at a price less than the regular series calls for.
Felix de Joncieres, French composer, died in Paris last month. He was born April 12, 1839. He was closely identified with the modern school of composition and was an ardent adherent of Wagner.
Mr. Louis C. Elson, with the assistance of the Philadelphia Orchestra, will lecture on the subjects “The Classical Orchestra,” and “The Modern Orchestra,” January 5th and February 9th, in the Broad Street Theater, Philadelphia.
A catalogue has been prepared of the music archives of the Catholic Court Church in Dresden. It contains about 2000 different compositions, many of them seldom met with, and representing all the famous old composers of church music.
Frau Wagner has sent word to the management of the Paris Grand Opera that she will consent to their putting Wagner’s music on their stage on condition that they will include “Tristan and Isolde” in the plan. The latter is to be given next season.
Mr. Peter A. Schnecker, organist of the West Presbyterian Church, New York City, and one of the most noted composers of church music in the United States, died October 17th. Mr. Schnecker was born in Germany in 1850, but was brought to this country in his early youth.
Theodore Thomas has included in the program for the Chicago Orchestra two symphonies by Sibelius, the Finnish composer, and one by Dohnanyi, the Hungarian pianist who appeared in the United States several years ago, several works by Elgar, and some by American composers.
The orchestra of the Philharmonic Society of New York City will number 100 members for the present season’s concerts, under the celebrated European directors, Colonne, Kogel, Wood, Weingartner, Safonoff, Strauss. Victor Herbert is the American representative on the programs.
The Grünfeld subscription concerts complete the twenty-fifth season this year. These concerts were founded by Heinrich Grünfeld, Xaver Scharwenka, and Gustav Hollaender in 1879, and have had a strong public interest ever since. The most famous artists have assisted at these concerts.
The Pope has prepared a decree to be sent to all the Catholic churches of the world, which provides for the banishment from the churches of all operatic and profane compositions. The hand of the abbé-composer, Perosi, is seen in this decree, which praises the simplicity of the Gregorian chant.
A new understanding between the Wagners and the management of the Prince Regent Theater admits of the “Ring” operas being given this year, although they are also on the plan at Bayreuth. Formerly only those operas were given at Munich which were not given at Bayreuth the same season.
The name of the winner of the Mendelssohn Prize, a yearly scholarship of $375, open to all music-students from any royal conservatory in Germany, pianists, violinists, ‘cellists, singers, composers, is Wladyslaw Waghalter, a violinist, eighteen years of age, born at Warsaw. He is a pupil of Joachim at the present time.
A committee of architects, sculptors, musicians, and artists of Leipzig, Germany, are arranging to exhibit at the St. Louis Exposition. Max Klinger, sculptor of the Beethoven statue that has received so much attention lately, will exhibit busts of Wagner and Liszt. Other artists will contribute portraits of famous composers.
Sir Herbert S. Oakeley, an English composer of eminence, died in London, October 27. He was born July 22, 1830. His musical education was mainly received at Leipzig, although he spent some time in other German cities. In 1861 he became professor of music in Edinburgh University, in which position he was succeeded a few years ago by Frederic Niecks.
A European correspondent calls attention to the fact that the catalogues of the various German schools and conservatories of music show a steady diminution in the number of American students. This would seem to show that Americans are awaking to the fact that our home teachers are able to do much more for their pupils than was credited to them a few years ago.
HOME NOTES.
Mr. Harmon H. Watt, assisted by Mrs. Elizabeth Foresman Bagg, contralto, gave a recital at the Chicago Piano College November 5th. Mr. Watt’s program contained works by Beethoven, Schumann, Bach, Mendelssohn, Grieg, Schubert, Liszt, and some of his own compositions.
During his concerts at the Pittsburg Exposition Walter Damrosch and his orchestra played Mr. Ad. M. Foerster’s composition “At Twilight”; during the same series of concerts Mr. Foerster’s march, written for Andrew Carnegie, “Dedication March,” was played by Sousa and his band.
Mary Hallock, pianist, has an interesting musical talk on “The Pulse and the Origin of Rhythm,” which she lately has delivered before several musical clubs.
The Faculty Concert of the Conservatory of Music of Whitman College, Wallawalla, Wash., was given October 12th. In addition to Director Lovewell, Mr. Edgar S. Fischer, violinist; Mr. Thos. J. Pennell, baritone and ‘cellist; Miss M. Grace Jones, pianist; and Miss Edna McKy, soprano, took part.
Miss Louise George, of the Chicago Piano College, gave a Bach program October 17th. The program included “Arie in D major; Inventions, Nos. 8, 6, 14; Minuetto in B minor; Gigue in B-flat major; Prelude and Fugue, E minor; Gavotte in D major; Bourrée in A minor.
Mr. Frank B. Williams, of Newark, N. J., gave an organ recital in the First Presbyterian Church, Mount Carmel, Pa., October 15th.
