At Home
Carl R. Diton, the accomplished Negro pianist, recently gave an "All-Negro Composers' Night" at the City Auditorium, Houston, Texas.
The American violinist, Louis Persinger, formerly concert-meister of the Berlin Philharmonic, has been appointed to a similar post with the San Francisco Orchestra.
At a Bible Conference in Winona Lake, Ind., Mme. Ernestine Schumann-Heink formed one of a trio of celebrities that drew an audience of 15,000. The other two were William Jennings Bryan and Billy Sunday.
Considerable additions are being made to the Northwestern School of Music at Evanston, Ill., of which Peter C. Lutkin is director. Among other things a course has been arranged in the Eurythmics of Jaques-Dalcroze.
The death recently occurred in Johnstown, Pa., of George H. Hohmann, a veteran musician and music dealer, and nephew of the author of the celebrated Hohmann violin method. Mr. Hohmann was born in Hamburg, Germany, 1847, and was brought to the United States the following year.
Musical activities in Charles City, Ia., promise to be interesting this season. Mr. Frank Parker will superintend the production of six small but important choral works including d'Indy's Mary Magdalene, Deems Taylor's Chambered Nautilus, and Charles Villiers Stanford's new Fairy Day Cycle.
Arturo Toscanini has definitely decided to give up his position as conductor of the Metropolitan Opera in New York. He pleads ill- health, a desire to devote himself to the needs of musicians made destitute in Italy by the war, and dissatisfaction with certain conditions at the Metropolitan.
A new conservatory of music has been opened in New York by Gustav L. Becker under the name '"American Progressive Piano School." Mr. Becker is well known as a pianist, composer, lecturer, and teacher, and has held office as President of the New York State Music Teachers' Association. He has every qualification to make his new venture a success.
A writer in the New York Evening Post estimates that "probably one-half in number of the Los Angeles population of 600,000 is directly or indirectly dependent upon the motion picture industry." The moving-picture business is offering a new and interesting field for enterprising musicians of all classes.
A daughter has been born to Alma Gluck, wife of the celebrated violinist Efrem Zimbalist and herself one of the foremost operatic and concert singers of the day. Zimbalist himself has been the unfortunate victim of an automobile accident in which his hand was injured—not enough, however, to interfere permanently with his playing.
A feature of the band concert in Philadelphia's city hall square this summer was the playing of popular songs such as Old Kentucky Home, Star Spangled Banner, and similar national and patriotic airs, so that the audience could join in by singing. In the latter part of the summer approximately 6000 people took part each evening in this singing.
Stanley Mackey, a well known Philadelphia musician, died recently in Philadelphia. He played the bass tuba in the Philadelphia Orchestra, and was also its librarian. He was director and founder of the Philadelphia city band, that delighted thousands in the public squares and parks in the summer time. At his funeral the Philadelphia Orchestra performed the Beethoven Funeral March under the baton of Leopold Stokowski.
Dr. H. J. Stewart has been awarded the Diploma of Honor, and the Gold Medal of the San Diego Exposition for distinguished services rendered to the Exposition. It will be remembered that Dr. Stewart has filled the position of Official Organist at San Diego since the opening of the Exposition. The award of the Gold Medal proves that his services have been fully appreciated.
John Philip Sousa recently declared himself in favor of woman's suffrage. "I can't for the world of me see why women shouldn't vote," says the March King. "In the parlor, the theatre, the church and every place else we can treat them with courtesy and consideration. I do not think that polling places are so low that women cannot go there."
A performance is being planned in Jacksonville, Fla., of Dr. Davenport Kerrison's grand opera,The Last of the Aztecs, under the direction of the composer, who will be assisted by Jacksonville musicians. Who knows but in this lies the solution of the grand opera problem in America. When local musicians get together and perform the works of the composers in their midst, there may be some chance eventually of producing a truly American opera.
The Boston Opera Company in conjunction with the Pavlova Russian Ballet opens its season in New York under the direction of Max Rabinoff at the Lexington Avenue Opera House, on October 25. The New York season will be followed by a tour through various cities including Boston. Philadelphia, Chicago, New Orleans, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Toronto, St. Paul and Detroit.
An organization known as "The Three Arts Club" has been formed in Philadelphia. It is a residental (sic) club for women artists engaged in the profession of music, painting and the drama—including arts, crafts and authorship. The rates of board range from $5.50 to $8.50 a week and everything is done to make the club worthy of its purpose. The Honorary President is Bishop Rhinelander, and among the officers are Cecelia Beaux, the well known painter, and Mrs. Celeste D. Heckscher, the composer.
One of the novelties of the operatic season will be the production by the Metropolitan Opera Company of a Spanish Opera, Goyescas, by Enrique Granados. Granados was "discovered" by Ernest Schelling, the celebrated pianist, to whom Granados brought his opera for a criticism when both musicians were staying in Switzerland. Schelling is trying to get his Spanish friend over to New York for the production.
Pittsburgh, Pa., has lost one of its finest musicians in the late Fidelis Zitterbart. who died August 30, 1915. Two of his orchestral compositions, the Marche Funebre, which is the third movement of his Symphony in D, and a symphonic poem, Hamlet, were performed by Wassili Leps and his orchestra at the Exposition Building. The Leps organization has been giving a series of orchestral concerts in Pittsburgh which have been very popular. Speaking of Zitterbart, Mr. Leps says, "He was a composer of eminent ability. His works—at least those of them that I have seen—have been conceived and expressed in truly classical spirit."
The names of composers seem sadly out of place when applied to unmusical people. The New York Musical Courier points out that a von Bülow leading an army instead of an orchestra is something of an anomaly. There is a Dr. Franz Liszt in the German Reichstag, and the name Grieg is to be seen on a score of butcher's carts in London. London also has a barber named Franz Schubert and a dentist named George Handel. "New York has its Bach's department store, and we believe Gluck has an establishment in the Bowery." Sullivan has a saloon in that neighborhood, and a recent Sunday newspaper announced the arrest for begging of a man named Caruso. Our distinguished contemporary suggests that we may yet find a Frederic Chopin in command of one of our dreadnoughts, and thereby misses an opportunity for a pun. The name of a battleship commander would surely be more appropriate if it were Ernest Schelling.
Trouble is present as a result of the appointment of Alfred Hertz, former conductor of the Metropolitan Opera, to the post of conductor of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. As a result important members of the San Francisco Musical Association have recently resigned and the financial outlook has become overcast. Mr. Hertz has made some demands which are regarded as rather extravagant, and though this has been denied by the great conductor there seems to be a feeling that his pro-German tendencies were unduly evident when he gave a performance of Wagner's Kaisermarsch synchronously with the Kaiser's entry into Warsaw, at the same time omitting the Star Spangled Banner. Hertz says the Wagner work was selected at random because the orchestra performers re
fused without extra pay to perform Liszt's exacting Les Préludes, and that he knew nothing about the Kaiser's processional plans. We would rather believe that Hertz's desire to build up a first-class orchestra has made him seem extravagant to the more conservative of the directors. Probably also there is a good deal of feeling against the appointment of a foreign conductor to a post that has been well filled by an American in the person of Henry K. Hadley. A similar feeling manifested itself when the English organist, Edwin Lemare, was engaged for the Exposition.
In Paris the next Prix de Rome, it is said, will be contested for only by women.
Among those who will come to America with the Russian ballet for the New York Metropolitan performances is Leon Bakst, the noted Russian colorist.
A six weeks' season of opera in London at theater prices is promised by the indefatigable Thomas Beecham.
A new opera by Max Schillings entitled Mona Lisa has been scheduled for production in Vienna.
The London Musical Standard observes that "Rome reports fighting on successive days on Monte Piano, Monte Cello and Monte Piccolo. Surely the concert of Europe at last!"
Hans Himmer a 'cellist of the Philadelphia Orchestra, has been fighting with the Germans and has been decorated with the iron cross. He hopes to be back with the orchestra during the coming season if conditions and his wounds permit.
Charles Martin Loeffler's symphonic poem, The Death of Tintagiles, was recently performed by the Queen's Hall Orchestra in London. It was very favorably received. Other works by this distinguished Boston composer from Alsace are to be performed in London during the coming Season.
Giovanni Tagliapietra, a son of Mme. Teresa Carreño, has been arrested in Milan on the charge of spying. This is the second member of the noted pianist's family to be so treated, the other one being her daughter, well known as a concert pianist, who was arrested in Tunis. In both cases release soon followed after some trouble.
A writer in an English musical journal, who conceals his identity under the name "Veterano" says, "As a proof of the health- fulness of singing as a recreation, I am in my sixty-fifth year, and have been singing without any break since I was eight years old." Under the circumstances we think the gentlemen is entitled to stop for a few moments for rest and refreshments.
The genial organist of Westminster Abbey, Sir Frederick Bridge, has composed a war song entitled Michael O'Leary, V. C. It is written to words by John McGrath in honor of the soldier whose gallantry in the field earned him the coveted Victoria Cross. When Sir Frederick presented King George with a copy, His Majesty said, "It is splendid, and I will give it to my daughter to play over for me. it (sic) pleases me immensely." Let us hope it will please everybody else.
The late general manager of Covent Garden Opera in London, Neil Forsyth, left a fortune of $238,000. Discussing "other notable fortunes left by entertainers," a London writer notes that Sir Arthur Sullivan, of Mikado fame, left $272,600, and his librettist, Sir W. S. Gilbert, nearly $560,000, and D'Oley Carte, producer of the Gilbert and Sullivan operattas, left more than $1,200,000; Mrs. D'Oley Carte made an additional fortune out of these works amounting to about half a million. Jenny Lind left a fortune of about $200,000.
The French composer, Florent Schmitt, is in the trenches fighting for his country. He confesses that he writes a little music in his spare time. Massenet did the same in the Franco-Prussian War forty-five years ago. Clement, the noted singer, is driving an automobile and Dalmorés was driven out of the trenches not by the Germans but by abscesses in his nose and throat from which he suffered excruciatingly; fortunately, however, his voice remains to him. Maurice Renaud seems to have endured the hardship better than the others mentioned here—he has been promoted to the rank of Captain. These scraps of information come to us by way of the French harpist Carlos Salzedo, who was in the same ward as Dalmorés, and is now in America. Salzedo gave the information to an interviewer from Musical America. A question that worries Salzedo is this: "What sentiments would have been mine had I found myself face to face with such a man as Fritz Kreisler? Could I have harmed him out of considerations of national policy ?"
"When Mme. Melba sets out to assist a cause," says the London Musical Standard, success is assured from the beginning. In the course of the past several months the diva has sung at concerts, she has appealed strongly in worded speeches, and has sold flags by auction—all on behalf of various war charities. On one memorable evening a sum of $30,500 was realized to help stricken Belgium, a single flag realizing $10,500. This achievement followed upon many successful appeals on behalf of the Red Cross. Through Mme. Melba's activities a total of nearly $85,000 has been collected for the Polish Relief Fund. Altogether the sum to Mme. Melba's credit for patriotic purposes is $150,000." Mme. Melba recently landed in San Francisco, on her way for Canada where she hopes to achieve similar success in her charitable purposes. While we have not the exact figures to hand, it may be safely estimated that the funds raised by Paderewski, Sembrich and others on behalf of the needy Poles assume equally impressive proportions. While we hear much of music as a stimulant for military purposes, we must not forget that music has in this war, as in all cases of suffering, proved itself a marvelous instrument for arousing compassion among the people. Nor are the artists who make the music any less backward in giving their services than those who give of their money. How many thousands of unhappy war sufferers have benefited by the music of Melba, Paderewski, Sembrich and others! Music is not popularly regarded as a "profitable" employment, but there is nothing like it for unloosing the purse-strings by way of the heart-strings.
