The German Government has seized the property of all American music concerns in Germany, consisting of music, music books and music plates. This was to be expected as we have taken a similar action.
The San Francisco Symphony Orchestra begins the present season with a larger list of guarantors than any previous season, showing the increasing interest in music despite the disintegrating influence of the war conditions.
An interesting outcome of women’s war activities is a piano made entirely by a sixteen-year-old girl for an English piano firm, and pronounced by their inspector as entirely satisfactory.
Judge Ben Lindsey, of Denver, Colo., who recently returned from the front, says: “The American soldiers are always singing, and they march along as if they were going to a picnic.”
This is a story just imported from London: A visitor of pompous character went up to one of the attendants at Westminster Abbey and said, “Will you please tell me who that is at the organ?’ I can’t tell by the touch whether it is Sir Walter Parratt or Sir Frederick Bridge.” The attendant answered, “Beg pardon, sir; that isn’t either of them. It’s the vacuum cleaner over in the corner.”
San Francisco possesses one of the largest and finest organs in the world. Frederic Lemare, the eminent English organist, has been the city organist at a salary of $10,000.00. The first year sixty-one recitals were given to audiences totaling 101,147 people at ten cents each. This paid Mr. Lemare’s salary and left something over for the upkeep of the organ. This, judging by the work of other public organists where the admission is free, is a wonderful showing.
While in France, Walter Damrosch gave his services to the Government in helping to reorganize the U. S. bands and train the conductors.
The musical union of Los Angeles has prohibited, under accumulative fines of $5.00, $10.00 and $50.00, the performance of any composition of any German composer who is not a citizen of the United States.
The Paulist Choristers, so long associated with the musical life of Chicago, have moved to New York.
The Music Teachers’ Association of San Francisco recently gave a highly successful banquet to Leopold Godowsky.
The London symphony conductor, Sir Henry Wood, has planned to give many American works during the coming season. At the beginning of the war he was severely criticised for giving German works, but British audiences, with few protestants, wanted the works of the old German masters and he has, at this public demand, included many. Considering the hideous losses of men in England, it must take some courage to swallow what might easily be a forgivable prejudice. But British audiences take a pride in trying to ride above such prejudices. Nevertheless there are thousands who cannot bring their eyes or ears to suffer anything of any description coming from the other side of the Rhine.
Dr. Henry G. Hanchett, one of the best known of American musical educators, died on August 19th, at his residence at Siasconset, Mass. Dr. Hanchett was born in Syracuse, New York, August 29th, 1863. He became a physician in 1884, but his love for music was so great that he abandoned his medical work. He studied with Kullak, Mason, Sherwood, Goodrich, A. K. Virgil, and others. His career as a teacher embraced experience in many different music schools—Beethoven School of Music, St. Louis, Adelphi School of Musical Art, and Metropolitan Conservatory, New York. He was an organist for many years in New York City churches and also gave many lectures upon musical subjects, notably for the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences. He was the author of excellent books upon medical and musical subjects and has contributed scores of articles to The Etude. The achievement by which he will be best remembered, however, was the invention of the Sostenuto or Tone Sustaining pedal—the middle pedal now found upon grand pianos.
Campanni has arranged to give, with the Chicago Opera Company, Henri Fevrier’s “Gismonda.” Americans will remember this as the romantic drama of Sardou which Fanny Davenport gave in America some years ago. Fevrier’s best-known opera is Monna Vanna.
The latest report has it that Camille Chevillard, of Paris, is to be the new conductor of the Boston Symphony. The gifted Pierre Monteux, of the Metropolitan Opera Company, was offered the position but declined it, it is said. However, he is to conduct the opening concerts of the company. Suffering as the orchestra did last year from the internment of Dr. Muck, who, despite whatever may have been the reason for his internment, was nevertheless a remarkable conductor, it may be that this organization, which has been the musical pride of all America, will have a difficult time for a while. Many Americans feel, however, that it is better for us to have no orchestra at all, if it is to be composed of radical alien influences. The whole episode of Dr. Muck is a catastrophe—one that all Americans must resent with a great deal of bitterness. Whatever may have been the cause of his internment—we do know that our Government is usually extremely lenient and never interns anyone without mighty good reason.
A syndicate of Western managers has organized an opera company known as the La Scala Grand Opera Company. Many well-known singers have been engaged, including Tamaki Miura, who will appear in an English version of the Geisha, as well as her famous “Madam Butterfly.” Carl Formes, Marion Green and Edith Mason are among the other members of the company.
In several cities the leasing of large buildings to the Government has caused a dearth of studios for musicians, which has caused great annoyance to many. Musicians, however, should accommodate themselves to anything which the situation demands under such very trying circumstances.
Frederic Fradkin, an American violinist, twenty-six years of age, born in Troy, New York, of Russian parents, and educated under Henry Schradieck, Max Bendix, Remy, Joseph White, Lefort and others, has been appointed the concertmaster of the reorganized Boston Symphony Orchestra. Fradkin received the first prize for violin playing at the Paris Conservatoire, in 1909. Among the judges were Faure, Colonne, Vidal, Thibaud, Lalo. Later he went to study with Ysaye and made his debut in Carnegie Hall in 1911 with the New York Philharmonic under the baton of the late Gustave Mahler. Later he made appearances in London, Germany and Austria with great success, becoming the soloist for the ballet. This is a very enviable post for so young a man and The Etude offers its congratulations and best wishes to the lucky Mr. Fradkin.
The Opera Comique at Paris is continuing its activities in remarkable fashion during the war. It has planned to give over fifty operas in forty days. One will be Dame Libellule, by the young American composer, Blair Fairchild. Entirely new settings of Louise and Pelléas et Mélisande.
Sir Frederick Bridge, after twenty-five years’ service, has resigned from Westminster Abbey, and is succeeded by Mr. Sidney H. H. Nicholson, M.A. Mus. Bac., F.R.C.O., who has been organist of Manchester Cathedral. Mr. Nicholson is in his “forties” and is the son of Sir Charles Nicholson, LL.D.
All of the possessions of Dr. Ernst Kunwald, formerly conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic and later of the Cincinnati Orchestra, have been taken over by the Government during Dr. Kunwald’s internment at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. Four thousand dollars in gold coins, $17,000 in certificates of deposit and a necklace said to be worth $22,000, are now slumbering under lock and key in the U. S. Government’s safe deposit box.
American musicians are looking forward with great pleasure to the coming visit of the Société des Concerts du Conservatoire. The conductor is André Messager. This will be a rare treat, as up to last year the orchestra never appeared outside of the walls of the Conservatory, although it is one of the oldest of all existing orchestras. Alfred Cortot, the noted French pianist, will accompany the orchestra, appearing at many of the concerts. It is expected that the American tour of this orchestra at this time will be one of continuous musical triumphs. Many of the members of the orchestra are musicians of wide renown.
Many of the musicians who have enlisted in the army service have been given opportunities to continue their professional work temporarily in the localities in which they have been placed. This is an advantage to the community. Sergt. Homer P. Whitford, bandmaster of the First Brigade, Camp Gordon, has been engaged as organist and musical director in one of the leading Presbyterian churches of Atlanta during the period of his stay in camp. Sergt. Whitford is a fellow of the American Guild of Organists.
The proposed increase to 20 per cent., in the war tax on concert tickets, is viewed with great misgivings by professional performers and by all lovers of music as well. It is probable that such a tax, instead of increasing the government income, would practically destroy this source of it, by taxing concerts out of existence. Concert-giving, aside from a few exceptional cases when success has been of a sensational nature, is largely a labor of love, and has never been a lucrative commercial proposition. The wisdom of such a tax is open to question.
Among the numerous signs of the spread of Western music in Japan is its growing use in picture shows in Japanese cities. Some movie theaters in Tokio have orchestras of from ten to twenty players, but there is no musicians’ union, and salaries are said to be very low.
Correspondents in some of the British musical journals are riviving (sic) a discussion of the English fingering (x 1, 2, 3, 4) vs. the Continental fingering (1, 2, 3, 4, 5). While many things can be said for the former from a purely logical point of view, the fact that all the existing best editions use the Continental fingering, ought to be enough to make the matter a closed question at the present day.
Mr. Walter Damrosch, upon his return from France, announced that he had discovered a new work by a French woman composer, Lili Boulanger, which, in his mind, is the greatest production of any of her sex and equal to the highest attainments of the masters of to-day. The work is called “Faust and Helene.” The composer died last spring.
Thomas Hilton-Turvey, composer, voice master and violinist, died in Philadelphia, September 6th, 1918. He was born at Birkenhead, England, the only son of Thomas Turvey, organist at Worlsop Abbey, and a teacher of eminence. Mr. Hilton-Turvey was educated in England and Canada, taking his musical B.A. under Dr. Hugh A. Clarke, University of Pennsylvania. His songs were sung all over the English-speaking world by the best artists of England and the United States. His work as a voice teacher was unique, and ranged from tone production for speech in the deaf and dumb, to training voices for grand opera. To a modest circle of friends he was known as a singer and violinist of transcending beauty and artistry. He leaves a wife, daughter of C. A. Schetky, U. S. N., retired.
