The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-10-05

Humperdinck's fairy opera, "Hansel
and Gretel." Is to be given In New York
under the direction OF George Quincy;
the first performance Is booked for Oct.
Z. with Anton Seidl as musical director.
Englebert Humperdfnck was born Sept
!. 1854. AT Slegburg- -on-Rhine. His ia
ther was a college professor and des-
tined him to be an architect. While at
tending the course at Cologne he met
FerdihIand Hlller. who induced him to
study music. and Engelbert was coon
enrolled as pupil of the conservatory
under Hiher, Gcrnsheim and Jensen
for harmony. countefpoint and compo-
eition; Selss and Mertke for piano, and
Rensburg and Mertke for violincello.
After four years he obtained a prize
which enabled him to continue the
study Of music for another two years
with II. IIachner, I'm Munich, where ne
also joined the music school so as to
study under Rheinberger and Baer-
mann. In 1878 Humperdinck gained
the Mendelssohn scholarship at Berlin,
valued at $3.50, and In 1850 the Meyer
beer scholarship valued at 800 and
tenable for three years. all of which
enabled him to visit Spain, France and
Italy. In which latter country he also
met Richard Wagner. when the latter
was staying Cn 1880 at the Villa
i
dinck who prepared and coached the
first cast of "Parsifal" at Bayreuth.
Since 1890 he has lived at Frankfurt
on-Maine, where he teaches compost
tion and orchestration at DR.. Hoch's
conservatory, being also musical critic
for the Frankfurter Zeitung.
Hector II. James, of the School of
Music, is one of the young men who
are making themselves felt in the musi-
cal life of this city. 1t Is mainly due
TO his energy and foresight that the
School of Music and Elocution was or
ganized and inaugurated. and which
has proved that the people of Scranton
will support such an institution If con-
Quoted on legitimate lines. AT the head
of each department Is specialist in
his or her particular study, and no
one will deny that this Is the age of
specialists. and that the teacher that
promises complete musical education
must go to the wall. Mr.. James spe-
ciality Is the teaching of vocal music
reading and the elements of music, in
which he takes only private pupils, be-
lieving that individual instruction IS
the more profitable and satisfactory
to both pupil and teacher He states
as his opinion that anybody can be
taught to sing who possesses ordinary
intelligence, and as an earnest of that
Will guarantee that at the end Of a
stated term, the pupil will be able to
read ordinary music at sight or the
tuition fees will be refunded. The
teaching of music reading, except by
the old class system, is rather rarely
found. but the real value of the plan
has never been doubted.
]. NJ. Chance enters this week on his
position of organist and musical direc-
tor Of the Second Presbyterian church.
He is thorough and competent teach
er of the piano and pipe organ, and has
had large experience in drilling Choir
uses and choirs. He has had the ad-
vantage of study in a complete course
of music in Illionis university under q
professor from Leipsic, and graduated
from the Conservatory of Music, Bos-
ton, Mass, under DIR. Louis Mas,
teacher of piano; Professor Dunham.
teacher of pipe organ, and Professor
Hale, teacher of theory and harmony.