Beethoven is to receive a recognition hitherto accorded usually in Europe only to royalty. In celebration of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of his birth, Bonn, his native city, is to issue 400,000 marks’ worth of small coins bearing his effigy.
Ysaye and Van der Stucken seem to have “swapped horses.” Van der Stucken, for years, was conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, now under the direction of Ysaye, while Van der Stucken has been chosen to lead the Concerts Ysaye of Brussels, organized and conducted by the great Belgian violinist till put to an end by the war.
Thomas A. Edison is offering, through the American Psychological Association, a prize of $500 for the most meritorious article dealing with research on “The Effects of Music.” Research bearing directly on the nature of music and the way it influences people will be welcomed. Manuscripts, in form for publication, should be sent before May 31, 1921, to W. V. Bingham, Carnegie Institute of Technology, Pittsburg, Pa.
Mildred Wellerson, violoncellist, the latest addition to the constellation “Child Prodigies,” has had a very successful appearance with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.
The Philharmonic Orchestra of Los Angeles, with W. A. Clark, Jr., as its “good angel” and Walter Henry Rothwell at the conductor’s desk, bids fair soon to take its place at the side of the very best organizations of America. The orchestra has 100 performers.
The National Federation of Music Clubs announces its annual contest for young artists, open to pianists, violinists and singers (male and female). Contestants must have been trained in the United States and must be between the ages of eighteen and thirty. The prizes will be $150 in cash to each winner, a concert tour for which each will receive $50 a performance, also, joint recitals in Aeolian Hall (New York), Kimball Hall (Chicago) and at the Lockport Music Festival.
Consular Representatives of France, Great Britain, Italy, Russia, Poland, Norway and Jugo-Slavia, in Chicago, recently held a joint meeting for the sake of arousing the interest of the “foreign born” in grand opera in that city.
Granados, the Spanish composer who perished on the Sussex, carried his entire fortune of $6,000 in his belt, which, by the way, had been earned in America. Gallito, the Spanish bull fighter, recently left $2,000,000. America is not the only land where art is rewarded at its real value (?).
The Chicago Opera Company will open its New York season at, the Manhattan Opera House on January 24.
D’Albert’s opera, “Revolutionischehochzeit,” founded on an incident of the French Revolution, has failed to arouse the enthusiasm of European audiences.
Beethoven Festivals and “anniversaries” are the order of the day in all the centers of the Rhinelands.
Evangeline, the libretto founded on Longfellow’s poem and the music by Xavier Leroux, is promised its American premiere at Montreal this winter.
Patti’s Welsh castle, Craig-y-Nos, is on the market at £30,000.
Tristan and Isolde, in English, has been given successfully in New York’s Metropolitan Opera House, with Sembach and Matzeuauer in the title rôles, thus bringing Wagner opera once more to the musical public. “Perhaps it will be the supreme happening of the entire year.”
Caryl Florio, famous as composer and organist, died November 21, 1920, in a sanatorium near Asheville, N. C., where he was organist at All Souls’ Episcopal Church which was built by the late George W. Vanderbilt on his Biltmore estate.
American Organs, with American organists used to accompanying the silent drama in the way American patrons have learned to appreciate, are being introduced in some of the leading Moving Picture Theaters of London.
Clarence Eddy, the famous Chicago organist, recently gave the opening recital on a new four-manual organ in St. James Episcipal Church of that city. Forty-eight years ago, in 1872, he gave the dedicatory performance on the old two-manual organ of the same church.
The San Carlo Opera Company has closed a four weeks’ season at the Manhattan Opera House, New York, with remarkable success, artistically and financially. All of which only proves that in America there is a public for grand opera at popular prices, if worthily presented.
Andres de Segurola, for many years a leading baritone of the Metropolitan Opera Company, has resigned from that organization to become General Director of a $6,000,000 corporation. “The Company of Gran Casino of the Beach,” which is to operate a grand hotel, a casino, an opera house and a theater in Havana. In fact, it looks like we are at last to have an American Monte Carlo.
The “Department of Municipal Music” of Baltimore, is the first civic department of this nature to be established in an American city. Baltimore thus adds another star to her crown, as she erected the first monument to Washington, thus gaining the sobriquet “Monumental City.” Frederick II. Huber has been selected to administer the new enterprise.
Josef Stransky, conductor of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, is now a full-fledged American citizen, having recently received his “last papers.”
Scarcity of Orchestra Players of first rate ability threatens the success of the enterprise to establish a grand opera company in San Francisco.
Franz Schreker, the eminent Viennese opera Composer, has been appointed to the position of Director of the national Hochschule für Musik of Berlin.
Christoffer Hannevig, Norwegian-American capitalist and ship owner, has offered a new opera house on the American plan to Christiania, Norway. Mr. Hannevig resides in New York. Work is to begin on the building six months after “final peace” has been declared, according to the philanthropist’s stipulations.
Arthur Nikisch’s twenty-fifth anniversary as Director of the Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipsic has been celebrated in royal fashion in that city.
The Etude regrets having to record the death of Miss May Porter, of West Philadelphia, where she was one of the leading spirits in musical circles. An excellent organist and conductor, her death was deplored by a vast number of friends.
Ferrucio Busoni has been called by the Prussian Ministry of Instruction to direct a class in composition in the Berlin Academy of Fine Arts.
“Jacquerie,” a Melodramatic Opera, by Marinuzzi, the leading conductor of the Chicago Opera Company, had its North American Premiere, and at the same time, opened the Chicago opera season, November 17. The story is based on the revolt of the French Peasantry in the fourteenth century, when they destroyed the castles of their overlords.
Henry Hadley, our American composer- conductor, is meeting with satisfying success as Associate-conductor of Josef Stransky in leading the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.
Olga Samaroff’s daring experiment of announcing that she would play the entire thirty-two Beethoven sonatas at eight recitals in Philadelphia, in honor of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the birth of the composer, has proven her optimism well founded. Her audiences tax the capacity of the hall and credit Philadelphia’s musical clientele.
Moritz Jaffé, the 85-year-old Berlin composer, has recently revived his operas Ekkehard and Das Kätchen von Heilbroun.
Reznicek is the composer of the hour in Berlin. In November his Symphony in F minor and his latest opera, Ritter Blaubart (Bluebeard),were performed and are the leading themes for discussion.
Camille Saint-Saëns, in his eighty-sixth year, has delighted Parisians by his wonderful playing of his recent piano compositions, Rhapsody d’ Auvergne and Cypres et Lauriers.
A Colorado State Music Teachers’ Association has been organized as the result of a recent three days’ conference of musicians of the State, under the auspieces of the Musical Society of Denver.
Sir Thomas Beecham, the most liberal patron of musical enterprises in England, is said to be facing bankruptcy as a result of his having “backed” grand opera at the Covent Garden Theater during the war.
Dwight J. Partello, owner of one of the greatest and most famous collections of violins in the world, died suddenly at Washington, on Friday, August 13.
The Musical Art Society of New York has decided to discontinue its concerts for the present. Through its interest in a capella singing and its choir, it has inspired the organization of similar societies throughout the country. Its endowment and activities have been temporarily transferred to the Trustees of the Institute of Musical Art.
The Toledo Symphony Orchestra sends The Etude the following request: Two good bassoon players, one or two good oboists and perhaps a fine ‘cellist are desired for the orchestra, men who wish to locate in a thriving city and develop with its musical interests. At first they would have to depend partially on a trade or other means of income. Write Lewis II. Clement, 700 Second National Bank Building, Toledo, Ohio.
