“Ermine,” the “old favorite” of thirty years ago, has been revived with Francis Wilson, Jennie Weathersby and Madge Lessing in their original rô1es. De Wolf Hopper, another veteran of the good old days of light opera, also adds his strength to the cast. This revival serves two generations—one with an opportunity to renew old acquaintance, the other with a chance to know the charm of real light opera.
Caruso, after a most serious relapse which held his life for days in danger, is slowly recovering, to the great relief of the musical public.
A Prize of $250 is offered for a work in the form of an Overture, Symphonic Poem, Grand March or Suite, to be played by the Goldman Concert Band at Columbia University. All submissions must be in before April 15, 1921.
Albert Coates, who recently appeared on several programs as guest conductor of the New York Symphony Orchestra, is now announced to be engaged as associate conductor of that organization, and will spend ten weeks of the next season with it.
Paul Lawrence Dunbar, colored poet and author of the words of several well-known songs, is to have a monument in Chicago, to be erected by popular subscription.
Coleridge’s-Taylor’s genius seems to have descended to his sixteen-year-old daughter, who already is a successful concert performer and the composer of several songs of recognized merit which have been used on London programs.
Mme. Galli-Curei at last has joined the forces of the Metropolitan Opera Company of New York. This does not mean a severing of her relations with the Chicago Opera Association. For the coming season at least the famous Italian nightingale will divide her time between the Chicago and New York organizations.
Gustave Charpentier, composer of Louise, has been distinguished by the French Government by being elected a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor.
A Three-Year-Old Prodigy-Pianist, Uroff Corma, is “The latest attraction at aristocratic tea parties” in Spain.
Giorgio Polacco, conductor for fourteen seasons in Buenos Aires, a half dozen at Covent Garden and five at the Metropolitan, has been hurried over from Europe as principal conductor of the Chicago Opera for the remainder of this season and all of next year.
Felix Weingartner, famous conductor of the Vienna Folks Opera, attempted to ingratiate himself with the Austrians by sweeping criticisms of German music. As a result he has been unanimously expelled from the German Conductors’ Union and at the same time forced to resign his Vienna position.
A Trinity of Triumphant Femininity. Mary Garden has become a sure enough impresario. Erika Morini shows Heifetz, Elman and Kreisler that they have no monopoly on fine fiddling. Olga Samaroff audaciously, agreeably and absolutely artistically plays in public the entire cycle of thirty-two Beethoven Sonatas.
The Highest Note Ever Sung has a new claimant, a friend of Miss Bessie Greenwood stating that she sings the G on the eighth line above the treble clef, to which Master Robert Murray blandly adds that in the bird cadenzas of his songs he carries his voice to the D five degrees above the G just mentioned.
Prof. H. Augustine Smith, of Boston University, has been appointed musical director of the Assembly at Chautauqua, N. Y., for the coming season.
Pasquale Amato, for his services in the cause of music, has received from the King of Italy his nomination as Cavalier of the Crown of Italy (Cavaliere della Corona d’ltalia).
Emil F. Christiani, well-known pianist, harpist, composer and writer, of Washington, died in that city on January 31st, at the age of sixty-five. He was fatally injured when struck by the bicycle of a Western Union Telegraph messenger. Mr. Christiani was a native of Denmark and a frequent contributor to The Etude and other journals.
Pennsylvania has the distinction of being the only State with its own orchestra, composed of State employees and paid from State funds. Howard W. Fry is conductor, and they recently gave a successful concert at the opening of the session of the Legislature.
The Virginia State Music Teachers’ Association will have its second annual meeting at Richmond, beginning April 4, 1921.
The Waltz, the King of Dances from both a musical and terpsichorean standpoint, is reported to be returning to favor.
A National Conservatory of Music is the object of a bill introduced by Senator Duncan Fletcher, of Florida, with an appropriation for the maintenance of the institution.
Erno Dohnanyi, the eminent Hungarian pianist and composer, arrived in America February 13th for an extended tour.
Hugo Kaun, conductor and teacher in Milwaukee from 1887 to 1902, has written an opera, The Stranger, which is meeting with much success in Dantzig.
The American Orchestral Society, with Mrs. E. H. Harriman and prominent men and women of New York at its head, has been organized for the purpose of developing native talent as conductors and orchestral musicians, so that in the end we may have an orchestra of all-American character.
Luigi Mancinelli, from 1895 to 1903 the principal conductor at the Metropolitan Opera House and for many years at Covent Garden, London, died February 2d, at Rome.
The National Symphony Orchestra, of New York, has ceased its activities, the musicians having become absorbed by the Philharmonic or affiliated with the Metropolitan Opera Company.
A Kettle Drum, of which the changes of tuning are accomplished by means of a pedal or foot-lever, is the invention of a Chicago firm. This possibility of instantaneous changes of pitch greatly increases the resources of this valuable orchestral instrument.
Max Zach, conductor of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, died in that city on February 3d. He came to this country in 1886 as viola player in the Boston Symphony Orchestra and was at once naturalized.
“Lohengrin,” “Parsifal” and “Tristan and Isolde” have been successfully sung in English this season by the Metropolitan Opera Company.
“Sunflower,” a new opera by Siegfried Wagner, has had its first performance at Nuremberg, but with no flattering success.
Instruction in All Orchestral Instruments is now offered by the Huntington. W. Va., public schools, the idea being to develop local talent for a future municipal symphony orchestra.
Oxford University statistics show that since the introduction of music as a regular study, while but ten per cent. of the undergraduates have taken advantage of it as a regular course, yet no less than seventy-five per cent. of the entire scholarship honors of the university have been won among this ten per cent. group of music lovers.
The Original Score of Rossini’s Overture to the “Barber of Seville” has been discovered among manuscripts collected by Queen Caroline Amalia of Denmark. It is of uncommon interest since it is the one so violently hissed at the original performance in 1816, after which Rossini wrote the one now familiar to the public and left copious marginal notes on the original which give rather clearly his “opinions of musical criticis.” (sic)
Paderewski is once more in America and has gone to his ranch in California for a long season of rest and recuperation. Mme. Paderewski and her son are in the party.
Pietro Mascagni is at the head of a coőperative theatrical movement in Naples, the object of which is the restoration of that city to its former high place in the artistic world.
Miss Frances McCollin, of Philadelphia, has won the one-hundred-dollar prize offered by the Mendelssohn Club of that city for the best original work submitted by a native musician. The successful composition is an eight-part A Capella setting of “Then Shall the Righteous Shine.”
Jean De Reszke, the great predecessor of Caruso in the Metropolitan Opera Company and now one of the leading voice teachers of Europe, celebrated his seventy-first birthday on January 14th.
Rachmaninoff has been elected to membership in the Royal Academy of St. Cecilia of Rome, one of the greatest honors that can come the way of the musician.
Mme. Schumann-Heink will make a concert tour of Japan in May.
Ivor Algernon Atkins, organist of Worcester Cathedral, has been knighted by King George of England. Sir Walter Parratt is the only other acting cathedral organist to share this honor with Sir Ivor.
A $75,000 Organ has been ordered for the motion picture theater of the Eastman School of Music of Rochester, New York.
Charles M. Courboin, eminent Belgian organist, who is well known in America where he has concertized extensively, has been decorated by King Albert as Chevalier of the Order of King Leopold II.
Wagner’s Music, including Die Walkure at the Opéra, is returning to a prominent place on important French programs, all of which only shows the French people are sane in not allowing themselves to be blinded to the art of a nation because a group of its political leaders brought ruin to their own fair land.
The Great Organ of Albert Hall, London, is to be fitted with electro-pneumatic action and otherwise rebuilt and brought up to modern standards at an expense of more than $100,000.
The Dana Musical Institute Symphony Orchestra, of Warren, Ohio, has lately celebrated its 2,000th concert with a special program.
Mlle. Chaminade, the eminent French composer, lost fifteen near relatives in the late war.
“Quo Vadis,” a five-act opera by Jean Nougues, presented with all the pomp and circumstance of Neronian Rome, at the “Gran Teatro del Liceo,” of Madrid, Spain, is meeting with Iberian favor.
