The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-01-27
MUSICAL MATTERS.

The F~ortnightly Muslcales met last nigh
at the residence of Mrs. Lyle, on Suydan
avenue, for an evening OF Italian music
The essay was read by Mrs. w. A. Durrie
The programme was made up from com
positions of Spohr, Paganini, Won Weber
Donizetti, Rossini and such writers of the
Italian school. The applause of the evening
went to Miss Dora Valeska Becker, who ap
] peared before the society for the first time
as a soloist. Miss Becker's reputation as 6
| violin ~virtuouso is assured, and her playing
of the tWitches' Dance" of Paganini, was
thoroughly fine. In response to a recall, she
played a Paganini caprice, unaccompanied
| Miss Adele Becker played the piano part in
the first number. Mrs. Brown played the
| effective Polacca Brilliante of Won Weber SC
as to bring her enthusiastic applause. The
| other programme numbers included "Una
Furtive Lachrima, - for tenor, by Mr.. Henry
Lincoln Case; a Spohr aria by Miss Lucy
Nelson; a trio from Les Huguenots by Mr..
Post, comet; Mr.. Headden, violin, and Mrs.
Headden, piano; a Spohr rondoletta for
piano by Miss Brett and LISTS piano
arrangement of "Cuju's Amman" by Mr..
Gustav l.. Becker. Mrs. Carrie Conant
Smith sang "Una voce POGO ia" in the after
musicale, and in place Of Mr.. W. f. Browns
singing the PRO Peccatis" from R~ossini's
Stabat Mater, Mr.. w. Hunter Brown sang
two Schumann songs. The attendance was
unusually large, the music was well done,
and the evening was entirely pleasant.
At the next meeting of the Fortnightly
Musicales, which will be held at the resi-
dence of Mrs. Cayalli, on Bentley avenue,
Mr.. Silas G.. Pratt of New York City will de
liver his illustrated lecture, called Musical
Metempsychosis,n showing how a melody
would be treated in various climes and
times.
Next week will be a hard one for the
critics-Schubert on Tuesday, a great gala
.ol4 ,rr.4l XT:at1- IIopharf ap1 pncn Sohnt-
t%enfels; Melopoiea on Thursday, with Miss
Dora Valeska Becker, violin, and Herr Conrad
Behrens, basso; Dean lecture on Friday, the
last of the series, with "Seven Living Com
posers' for a subject, and the usual number
of concerts for the benefit of everything.
And the Schubert and Melopoiea are two of
our great events, unsteady speaking.
Mr.. Victor Baier took another degree last
night, that is, he was to have taken it If he
should come out alive from his experience
with the Masonic menagerle. AT any rate,
he was not at the Fortnightly.
The Lineff Russian Choir, which sang at
Hasbrouck Hall recently, will sing at the
Press View of the Russian Cottage Industries,
which will open next week at No. l30 East
Twenty-third street, New York City.
The formation of so many little clubs OF
music students for the study of classic COM
posers, is one of the straws that shows which
way the musical wind blows. We have
many thorough musicians resident in the
city-several professionals of high rank,
many amateurs that might take place with
professionalism our general public is not
a musical public. This is true,
however a critic may get himself disliked
for saying it. The Dean lectures lave done
a great deal toward familiarizing good
music; and the explanations have shown a
great many that a musical composition is or
should be the embodiment of a thought, and
not a mere set of pretty sounds. In the
wake of these lectures have come up several
classes made up of students, who meet for
the systematic study of music as a develop
ment. The plan of all is practically the
beginning with the epoch of Bach and
Handel, they trace the development of the
art either by the study of successive COM
posers, or better, by the study of schools.
such a club of young women is conducted
by Mrs. Lorena Hood Fem. Such is the
'1Classic Club" which has a regular course of
study in musical history, uses a text book
for a guide, and meets every other Friday at
the residence of Miss Sarah L. Culver. The
meeting last night discussed the music of
Mozart. The Fortnightly is in effect a club
of this kind on a larger scale. There was
not such a club or class in the city our
years ago. With such quietly educational in
huences, and a persistence on the part of
concert singers in putting only music of
value upon our programmes, the time will
come when a supposedly musical audience in
this city will not give its loudest applause to
a Sousa march OF a banjo quartette.