Abroad
New incidental music by Saint-Saëns to a play of de Musset, On ne badine pas avec l’amour, has just been given in Paris.
Parisian opera houses were closed four days out of the week during the late winter months—not because of lack of singers or audiences, but because of lack of fuel to keep the houses warm.
The Société des Instruments Anciens, a French organization devoted to the interpretation of music upon certain obsolete instruments, such as the viola d’amore, viol da gamba, etc., has met with great artistic success at its performances in New York. “The talk of the town” one critic puts it.
Before the war 80 per cent. of the Australian piano trade was with Germany, 12 per cent. with Great Britain and 4 per cent. with the V. A. These are the figures now: Great Britain, 43 per cent.; U. S. A., 52 per cent.
An article in the Musical Courier, by Prof. M. Iwamaoto, reports that Philharmonic societies are being organized in all parts of Japan. The “empire of the rising sun” is just now taking an immense interest in Western music of all kinds.
Six hundred and fifty-five British bandsmen have died at the front.
Dr. George Robertson Sinclair, the distinguished conductor of the Birmingham Festival Chorus Society, died on February 7th. Dr. Sinclair was a man of the highest ideals, with the true altruistic spirit, who will long be remembered by English musicians.
It is rumored that the Russian Ballet lost over $250,000 last year; that is, the backers in New York are supposed to have lost that amount. The ballet was a success the first season.
The death of Emile Louis Fortune Pessard in Paris has just been announced. Pessard was born in Paris, May 29, 1843. In 1866 he won the Prix de Rome at the conservatoire. During much of his life he was a professor at the conservatoire and an inspector of singing in the public schools of Paris. He was a fluent composer of music, which for the most part was of a lighter sort. His Mazurka de Concert is well known. His operas are Le Capitaine Francaise and Taberin.
According to the London Music, it is not unusual for the English bands to put upon their programs the “Hymn of Hate,” for the purpose of inducing the public to take larger subscriptions for the War Loan. Hate is always a boomerang, but this is the first instance we have ever heard of its musical use.
Sir Henry Wood has recently made a special orchestration of the “Star-Spangled Banner” for his concerts in London. It was received with wild enthusiasm.
Nikisch just brought out the work of a new symphonic composer in Berlin. His name is Ewald Straesser. He has already produced a symphony in G. His recently produced work is in the key of D. The work was highly praised by some of the Berlin papers.
Ernst Rudorff, a noted Berlin piano teacher, died recently at the age of seventy-seven. He was a pupil of Moscheles and Reinecke. He taught for nearly fifty years at the Berlin Royal High School of Music. One of his pupils was Bernhard Stavenhagen. In 1880 Rudorff succeeded Bruch as the conductor of the Stern Singing Society.
The audiences at the great Italian Opera House “La Scala” have been, it is reported, very poor this year. In fact, all through Italy so many artists and musicians are under arms that many operatic performances have been seriously interfered with.
Sir Thomas Beecham has been giving performances of opera in English at the Aldwych Theatre in London with surprising success. “House Full,” the English equivalent for our “Standing Room Only,” sign has been used continually. One of the real stars of the cast was Miss Mignon Nevada, daughter of the famous American singer of other days.
Ireland has had an Irish Musical Fund for the relief of musicians, their widows and their children since 1787. The capital amounts to about $55,000, and yields $2,305 a year. This one-hundred-and-thirty-year-old philanthropy finds its American prototypes in the fund left by the late Oliver Ditson. and in the Department for the Relief of Deserving Musicians in the newly created Presser Foundation. Very deserving musicians sometimes find themselves in real distress entirely through no fault of their own. A fire may wipe out all of the earthly possessions of a music teacher, old age, unavoidable sickness and other calamities come out of the clear sky and the musician often does not knew where to turn. In cases—which after sufficient investigation reveal that there is genuine need—funds may be obtained if the appropriations have not been consumed. The Presser Foundation, at 1713 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, Pa., will at any time consider an application for relief coming from adequately endorsed musicians in distress.
At Home
The Philadelphia Orchestra has raised the sum of $652,000 as a part of the proposed endowment fund.
The University of Kansas is to have a new $125,000 building for its music and art department.
Americans can have no complaint against the Metropolitan Opera Company, as five operas by American composers have been given during the last few years, the fifth being Reginald De Koven’s “The Canterbury Pilgrims.”
Mme. Schumann-Heink, who was seriously injured in an automobile accident in St. Louis, is now well on the way to recovery.
America publishes 23,387 magazines, and it is said that the educational influence of these magazines is amazing to careful observers coming from Europe. America’s musical magazines are more numerous than those of any other country.
De Koven’s “Canterbury Pilgrims,” which was given at the Metropolitan on the night of March 7th, for the first time, proved one of the most beautiful spectacles ever given at the great opera house. The music proved interesting, bright and appropriate. A duet in the third act was especially effective. The production is said to have cost $30,000. Percy Mackaye is the author of the libretto.
Edward Baxter Perry is just completing a lengthy recital tour in the South and West. This gifted and able blind pianist meets with enthusiastic audiences wherever he appears.
Flaxton, South Dakota, a city of four hundred inhabitants, has a newly organized choral club, under the direction of Rudolf G. Messerli. The chorus will render a program composed of representative works by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Gounod and Grieg. Can your city, boast of as much enterprise “per capita”?
The Damrosch Orchestra has planned to present a number of Greek plays with music next year. They will be given in collaboration with Margaret Anglin.
“Score one” again for Victor Herbert. His new Irish opera, “Eileen,” written in conjunction with the clever librettist, Henry Blossom, and recently produced in New York, has made, according to newspaper reports, a “great hit.” Mr. Herbert, American citizen, brought up and trained in Germany, but Irish by birth, is said to have put more into this new work than any work in recent years.
Galli-Curci, the remarkable new soprano of the Chicago Opera Company, is constantly gaining in popularity. In her few concert appearances this season she has duplicated the successes she has made at the Chicago Opera House.
E. H. Lemare, the celebrated English organ virtuoso, has been appointed city organist of San Francisco, with a salary of $10,000.
The Rotary Club, of Chicago, a notable gathering of business and professional men, have agreed to stand sponsor for a brilliant child pianist, called Violet Bourne. In doing this they have virtually adopted the child and will look after her future artistic welfare. When she was nine years old she played the D minor Concerto with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra. She is now fifteen.
The Tenth Biennial Convention and Festival of the National Federation of Musical Clubs was held at Birmingham, Ala., April 16th to 21st. Delegates went from all parts of the country to this interesting event. Through the efficient management of Mrs. A. J. Ochsner, of Chicago, all of the meetings arranged were finely attended. Birmingham is a fine modern city, with splendid buildings and a spirit of welcome and progress which all the delegates enjoyed immensely. The Russian Symphony Orchestra, Lada and John Powell were among the foremost features of the convention.
The new Music Settlement School at 416 Queen Street, in Philadelphia, was opened early in March. The school is the gift of Mrs. Edward Bok, wife of the famous editor of the “Ladies’ Home Journal,” and is a memorial to Mrs. Bok’s mother, Mrs. Louisa Knapp Curtis. The building is said to have cost $200,000, and although located in a part of the city where a settlement school was deemed necessary, it is one of the finest conservatory buildings in America. Nothing has been spared to make the equipment complete. A fine hall with an excellent organ, numerous beautiful classrooms and studios and excellent instruments. Great credit is due to the splendid energy and ideals of Johan Grolle, the head worker of the Settlement. A thorough musician and a good leader, he has made this fine work a real success. On March 22d Mr. Grolle entertained the Music Teachers’ Association of Philadelphia, when a symphony club of fifty young men played remarkably well. This “Philadelphia Symphony Club” is another Philadelphia enterprise supported by Mr. Fleisher. It is a string orchestra of astonishing excellence, conducted by Mr. Grolle. The speakers for the evening were Dr. Lucy Wilson and Dr. Warfield, president of Wilson College. The soloist was Mary Barrett, soprano.
