The Sistine Chapel Choir is announced for an American concert tour reaching to the Pacific Coast, under the musical direction of Monsignor Antonio Rella, Vice-Director of the Sistine Chapel.
The 900th Birthday of Musical Notation has been celebrated in Europe. Our present system of notation was invented by Guido d’Arezzo in 1023. He sometimes wrote his name as Guido di St. Mauro, in honor of the Monastery of St. Maur des Fosses, in which he was educated.
“The Wayfarer,” A Passion Pageant was produced in the Los Angeles Coliseum, September 8-15. Four thousand singers and three thousand actors took part in the performance.
The National Association of Organists met in convention at Rochester, New York, August 27. Among the leading speakers were T. T. Noble, President H. C. Macdougal, Frank L. Sealy and Harold Thompson, Recitals were given by T. T. Noble, Healey Willan, S. W. Sears and Palmer Christian.
A Prize of Two Hundred Dollars is offered to American composers, by the Matinee Musical Club of Philadelphia, for a dramatic musical setting of an Operetta, using for the text Longfellow’s poem, “The Masque of Pandora.” Particulars from Clara Z. Estabrook, 620 West Cliveden Avenue, Germantown, Pennsylvania.
“Traviata” in Hebrew was given a performance in Jerusalem on July 31. Translated for the first time into the ancient Hebrew, the opera had had an initial performance at Tel Axix. (sic?) Mme. Must, of Moscow, was the Violetta.
A Contest for Young Artists in Piano, Voice, Violin, Violoncello and Flute, under the auspices of The Society of American Musicians, will be held in Chicago, entrance to close November 15. Winners will appear with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and in Popular Concerts at Orchestra Hall. Particulars may be had from Howard Wells, 907-908 Lyon and Healy Building, Chicago.
The Byrd Tercentenary, celebrating the third centennial of the death of William Byrd, the eighteenth century English composer, was honored by special performances of his works in the Chapel Royal, St. James Palace, where he was once organist, and in the leading churches of London, including the beautiful Brompton Oratory, Westminster Cathedral, Southwark Cathedral, St. Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey; also lectures were delivered by leading British musicians. Some English critics maintain that Byrd was the greatest of all English creative workers in music.
Robert Ringling, son of the manager of the famous Ringling Circus, had made seventeen successful appearances with the San Carlo Opera Company during the last season. He inherits his musical tastes from his parents, his mother being a skilled pianist and his father an accomplished violinist and said to be owner of three precious “Strads.”
Carlo Minetti, who hada wide reputation as a singer, vocal teacher and composer, died at his home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, July 31. His compositions frequently appeared in The Etude.
The Royal Carl Rosa Opera Company which, early in the season went into voluntary bankruptcy, has been purchased by H. B. Phillips, of London, who has incorporated the organization and intimates that he will retain the well-known name and conduct the organization much along its former lines.
A $1,000 American Composers’ Prize is again offered by the North Shore Festival Association of Chicago, for the best orchestral composition of not over fifteen minutes’ length. Particulars from Carl D. Kinsey, 624 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago.
“Catherine,” a New Tchaikowsky Opera, that is, an opera with the musical themes drawn from popular compositions of the great Russian composer, has been successfully performed at Birmingham, England, and after a tour of the provinces will be produced at the Gaiety Theatre in London.
Albert Spalding recently was asked to act on the examining jury for the graduating violinists of the Paris Conservatoire. This is not only the first time an American has been on this important committee, but also Mr. Spalding is the youngest man ever to act in this capacity.
The Fostoria (Ohio) High School Band, J. W. Wainwright, Director, won the national championship in a recent contest in Chicago, on June 10th. And this from a town of 10,000.
A Musical Exhibit was a prominent feature of the Norwegian Industries Fair held in Christiania, September 2-9. King Haakon formally opened the exposition.
Franz Lehar, famous as the composer of “The Merry Widow,” is announced for a visit to the United States, to conduct the opening performances of his new operetta with Paganini as the central figure.
A Non-Shellac Phonograph Record has been invented by European chemists. It makes possible the use of leather, blotting paper, cardboard or other paper, linen or cotton cloth as a base. The new process is claimed to enable the printing instead of moulding of records so that on a rotary press as many as fifty thousand a day may be made. The Music Trade Indicator says that American manufacturers will soon begin to produce them.
Fred E. Weatherly, author of the words of “The Holy City,” “Darby and Joan,” “Nancy Lee” and many other favorite songs, is reported to be about to remarry at the age of seventy-five. He celebrated his jubilee as a lyrist in 1919, his first song poem, “When we are Old and Grey,” having been written in 1869 when the author, who is also a well-known barrister, was twenty.
The Paris Opera Comique management has been approached by Fortune Gallo for permission to bring their company to New York for a series of performances in January.
Harry Harkness Flagler has been decorated with the Cross of the Legion of Honor by the French government, in recognition of aid given to musicians of France during the war as well as for his interest in the presentation of French music in America.
First Honors at the Eisteddfod at Mold, Wales, held in the first week in July, was awarded to the Orpheus Choir of Cleveland, Ohio. The organization is composed of native Welshmen, most of whom are steel workers near Cleveland. The announcement of the winning organization was the occasion of a hearty demonstration by “the home folks.”
Mme. Emma Eames, so long a leading prima donna of the Metropolitan Opera Company, has announced her intention of taking up permanent residence in Europe, because of the beneficial effect of the climate on her health.
Louis Ganne, composer of the once popular light opera, “Hans, the Flute Player,” and much well known piano music, died at his home in France on the fifteenth of July.
The Organ on which Bach Played at Lüneburg, from 1700 to 1703, and which was made in 1537, is to be restored and modernized. The original stops are to be retained. It was while living in Lüneburg, young and unknown, and when returning penniless from one of his long foot journeys, that occurred the widely known incident of having the Danish ducats in herring’s heads thrown to him.
$18 to $25 per Week Increase in wages is being asked by theatrical musicians of New York, on a threat of a strike.
The Horatio Parker Fellowship in Music at the American Academy of Rome has been bestowed upon Wintter Watts of Brooklyn, N. Y. This entitles him to three years of study, with an annual stipend of $2,000 together with free residence at the Academy and the chance to visit important musical centers of Europe. Mr. Watts is the fourth to hold this Fellowship. Competitions will be held every year, in the future, it is announced.
Maurice Ravel, one of the foremost of living French composers, is announced for an American tour in the coming season, as recitalist and guest conductor.
A $1,000 Prize for Piano Students is to be the object of a competition at the Cleveland (Ohio) Institute of Music, to be held in January next.
An Unusually Prosperous Musical Season is predicted by the leading managers, based upon the condition of advance bookings which are much in excess of the same dates last year.
The Mendelssohn Glee Club of New York announces the engagement of Ralph Baldwin, director of public school music of Hartford, Connecticut, to succeed the late Nelson P. Coffin as its leader.
All The Autograph Letters Of Musicians received by the publishing house of Bote and Boek, of Berlin, from 1838 to 1890, are to be donated to the Royal Library of Prussia.
Singing is the Best Preventive of Influenza, if we are to believe Dr. Henry Coward, the widely-known English choral conductor, who stated that, during epidemics in several years when it made considerable ravages, there was a total of but two deaths among fifteen hundred to two thousand choristers who attended each week the rehearsals which he directed.
The Wagnerian Opera Company will bring a number of “novelties” in their repertoire for their American stay this season. These will include Siegfried Wagner’s “Bärenhäuter,” Kienzl’s “Die Evangelimann,” and D’Albert’s “Die Toten Augen.”
A “Music Stamp,” to call attention to the 1924 National Music Week, is under consideration by the Post Office Department. Austria already has a full series of stamps on which the portraits of her famous composers are featured.
A Champion Amateur Orchestra Contest and a Champion Pianist Contest for Wisconsin is to be held in Milwaukee, October 15-21, in connection with the Fifth Annual Food, Household and Electrical Exposition.
The Swift & Company $100 Prize for a Male Chorus setting of “The Sea,” by James McLeod, has been awarded to Franz C. Bornschein, of Baltimore. Hermann Spielter, of New York, and Gustav Mehner, of Grove City, Pennsylvania, received honorable mention.
Sir Asger Hamerik, director of the Peabody Conservatory of Music of Baltimore from 1871 to 1898, died July 13, in Frederiksburg, Denmark. Born in Copenhagen in 1843, he was a successful composer as well as teacher. His “La Vendetta” was produced in Milan in 1870. In 1890 he was knighted by the King of Denmark.
An Authentic Portrait of Stradivarius, according to seemingly reliable reports, has been discovered in the possession of a Genoa antiquary and has been purchased by a pianomaker of Cremona.
Paderewski has been decorated with the order of Polonia Restituta, the most distinguished recognition which the Polish government can bestow.
The Third International Festival of Zurich, Switzerland, closed on June 28. The production of “Die Meistersinger” by a cast of German artists was of especial interest because of Wagner having been for some years a resident of Zurich. The popular success of the festival was a performance of Rossini’s “Barber of Seville” by the La Scala company from Milan.
Arthur Beckwith, lately leading the London String Quartet, has been engaged as concertmaster of the Cleveland (Ohio) Symphony Orchestra, of which Nikolai Sokoloff is conductor.
Joseph Leopold Roeckel, composer and teacher, died recently at Vittel (Vosges). He was born in London and spent most of his life in England. His songs were popular encores for a past generation, among the most successful having been the light, humorous ones, A Bird in Hand, Wishes and Fishes and The Three Old Maids of Lee. His father was first tenor of the Imperial Opera of Vienna, a close friend of Beethoven, the original Florestan in “Fidelio,” and active in the introduction of German opera in London and Paris.
A Handel Festival of ten days was held at Göttingen, beginning July 8. The operas given were “Otto and Theophranes,” “Rodelinda” and “Julius Cæsar.”
