AT HOME.
The most gratifying harbingers of the musical progress of our country that we have any means of estimating are the musical festivals that are held in the spring all over the United States. We wish that our readers might see the enormous number of programs and announcements that are sent to The Etude office. They would have no cause for despair as to the future of musical America. These programs are so numerous that an entire issue of a musical paper similar to The Etude could be devoted to them. The music teachers’ conventions that are annually held in almost every State of the Union could easily require another issue. The expenditure of all this energy must bring good results in the future, and our one regret is that the limitations and nature of The Etude make it impossible to give publicity and individual recognition to each and every festival and convention.
Mme. Nissen-Stone, the German mezzo-contralto, who has been resident in America for some time, will sing at the Metropolitan Opera House next season. She is cast for “La Cabrera,” d’Alberts’ “Tiefland” and Smenana’s (sic) “Die Verkaufte Braut.”
Paolo Giorza, well known as a composer of masses and songs, has recently started a conservatory in Seattle and Vancouver. Signor Giorza is an able voice teacher.
The musical director of Oscar Hamerstein’s new Philadelphia opera house will be Maestro Giuseppe Struani, from Rome. The musical appreciation of the city of Philadelphia is shown by the fact that $50,000 was subscribed on the first day that the sale of seats was opened.
The conductor of the Marine Band of Washington, Lieut. W. H. Santlemann, has the privileges, salary and uniform, of a lieutenant of the navy, but Congress has as yet failed to permit him to have the title of lieutenant. The people, however, have made up for this omission and he has the title lieutenant by common consent.
The thirty-second annual festival of the North American Sangerbund was held in Indianapolis in June. It is said that over 1,500 visitors from out of town were present. David Bispham, Schumann-Heink and Marie Rappold were among the soloists. The New York Symphony Orchestra also assisted. In all 160 singing societies were represented.
It is rumored that Gatti-Cazaza, the new director of the Metropolitan Opera House of New York, will receive a salary of $30,000.00 a year, plus all expenses of the voyage and living in New York.
Miss Jessie Shay, a most talented and admirable young American pianist, who had played with our leading American orchestras, toured with Kubelik and met with success in Europe, died on June 21st. Miss Shay had been on a tour to Mexico. On her return from that country the steamship in which she was traveling was seized by a terrific storm. Miss Shay mistook a door leading to the deck for a door leading to the salon. Realizing that if she let go of the door knob she would be cast into the sea she held on and was so seriously bruised and injured that the results were fatal.
Mr. Andrew Carnegie recently informed Musical America that he has given away nearly four thousand church organs. This is an average of nearly ten organs a week. He is said to treat each case on its merits and that he permits the churches to order their own organs.
Frank Seymour Hastings, President of the Russian Symphony Orchestra, is to be decorated by the Czar for his activities in promoting Russian music in America. Mr. Hastings has been president of the Russian Symphony Society for the last three years. The decoration which he is to receive is the medal of the Order of St. Stanislaus—the same medal that the Czar conferred on Josef Hofmann, the noted pianist. The medal will be presented through the Russian Embassy at Washington. Mr. Hastings is not only a business man, interested in numerous enterprises, but also a musician of recognized ability. He has composed the music of at least a hundred published songs, and his music for “My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose” is almost universally known.
A convention of organists will be held in the Auditorium at Ocean Grove during the ten recitals given by Edwin H. Lemare, the eminent English organist, August 3d to 13th. Various topics will be discussed, over one hundred of the most prominent organists in the country have been selected as a committee of arrangements. Recitals by prominent organists on the new Hope-Jones organ will be given daily at 4.30 p. m.
The New York Herald gives the following list of American girls who are adding to their country’s laurels in European opera houses: Miss May Schneder, of New York, has been engaged for three years as prima donna at Leipzig. Marion Ivell has sung with great success at Nantes. Florence Easton has had great success in the Court Theatre in Berlin. Edna Darch, a sometime protege of Calve’s, also has a five years’ contract at Berlin. Marie Van Dresser made her debut last year in Dresden, where she has an engagement. Lillian Greenville has a permanent engagement at Frankfort-on-the-Main. Josephine Schaeffer sings Wagner rôles in one of the smaller German cities. Florence Wickham is leading dramatic soprano at Stettin. Marguerite Lemon is prima donna at Mayence. Maude Fay is dramatic soprano at Munich. Mrs. Morris Black, now Mme. Cahier, succeeded Edyth Walker at the Imperial Opera in Vienna. Maude Roosevelt sings in Bramfeld. Mary Tracey, known in Europe as Maia Tallasi, sang lately in “Rheingald” (sic) at Monte Carlo. Mme. Madier de Montjan, formerly of New Orleans, is a favorite in Europe. Miss Lindsay sang for five years at the Paris Opera. Caroline Skelton is the latest American to sing in France. Lucille Marcel sings sometimes at the Comique. Another Comique singer is Mrs. W. D. Mann (Margarita Sylva). In Italy, Rose Ely, of Boston, sings as Edith de Lys. Miss Blanche Fox, of Boston, is known in Italy as Signora Vulpine. Alys Lorraine, of New York, sang last season at Genoa. Catherine Carlyna has made a reputation at Rome. Mme. Doria, of the Brussels Opera, is an American. Martha Hofacker, now first lyric soprano in Koenigsberg, Prussia, is from New York.
The Chicago Madrigal Club offers a prize of one hundred dollars for the best setting of an original poem by Willard Emerson Keys, entitled “I Know the Way of the Wild Blush Rose.” Following are some of the conditions: The composer must be a resident of the United States of America. The setting must be for a chorus of mixed voices, to be done unaccompanied. For full particulars address, Director of the club, Mr. D. A. Clippinger, 410 Kimball Building. Chicago, and must be in his hands on or before October 1, 1908. The award will be made November 1, 1908.
ABROAD.
The noted Italian composer, Leoncavallo, has consummated arrangements with Sienkiewicz whereby the famous Polish author will furnish him with librettos taken from the novels which have become so popular throughout the entire civilized world.
Dalmores, the French tenor who created such a favorable impression at the Manhattan Opera House in New York during the last two years, is to sing at Beyreuth this summer. He will assume the role of Lohengrin. Dalmores started in musical life as a trombonist in the orchestras of Colonne and Lamoureux. The latter famous French conductor discovered the tenor’s voice and encouraged him to study for the stage.
The Brooklyn “Arion” Society, numbering 170 members, is now touring Germany and other parts of Europe. The society is under the direction of Mr. Arthur Claassen, who will direct the concerts to be given in the different cities of the German Empire. A hearty welcome is assured by the many German singing societies.
Walter Rothwell, who for two years has been connected with the H. W. Savage English Grand Opera Company as musical director, has just been called to the important European post of Kapellmeister at the Royal Opera in Vienna.
Engelbert Humperdinck is said to have promised the opera on which he is engaged to the Metropolitan Opera House for first production. The libretto of the work in question is based on Ernst Rosmer’s drama, “Die Königskinder,” and the composer will incorporate into his opera some of the incidental music which he wrote some time ago for the above-mentioned drama.
Herr Heinrich Knote, at present singing at Covent Garden, on his way back from the United States disguised himself as a workingman and called on Jean de Reszke to ask if his voice was worth training De Reszke was taken in. He assured Knote that he would get an appointment at once, anywhere.
Mr. Alexander Guilmant has been made a member of the celebrated Royal Academy of Music in Sweden. This is one of the many honors conferred upon the distinguished French organist.
Three sons of the late Franz Rummel have adopted music as a profession. One is a pianist, another a violinist and another a ‘cellist.
The supply of ivory used for pianoforte keys is growing gradually less. The enormous herds of elephants that used to inhabit central Africa are being diminished by the guns of the ivory hunters. When it is remembered that the elephant is a valuable beast of burden in tropical countries, it seems pitiful that so many are slaughtered for the tusks. Ivory hunting is a perilous business, but one famous hunter is said to have realized as high as $20,000 in one year from tusks secured. An elephant tusk sometimes weighs as much as three hundred pounds. The greatest difficulty of the hunter is in getting his trophies to the sea coast.
The Directors for the Beyreuth Festival this year will be Dr. Karl Muck, Dr. Hans Richter, Michael Bailing and Wagner’s son, Siegfried Wagner.
A young stone mason named Berthold Busch, who happened to be the fortunate possessor of a fine voice, has been engaged for the coming season at the Berlin Grand Opera.
Olga Samaroff, the American pianist with a Russian name, has recently played with great success in London. Arthur Nikisch conducted.
For years professional applauders known as “the claque” have been a continual nuisance at the Paris Grand Opera House. The attempt to remove them has resulted in a great outcry from these peculiar barnacles on musical Paris. They claim that applauding is their only business and that to put an end to the claque virtually puts an end to their sole source of livelihood.
Raoul Laparra’s Opera “La Habanerra” is apparently meeting with great success in Europe as reports of coming performances come from several cities. It is to be done in New York next season.
Plans are being completed to transfer Chopin’s remains from Paris to Warsaw.
