Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-06-22
SQUIRE COOP'S BERLIN LETTER



her musical status, still she has long
way yet 10 travel If ] am not mis-
taken we must find a working mate for
friend Stephens, one who can do for
the orchestral situation what he has
done for the vocal And this Is not so
impossible as it might appear at first
glance. II we win look back ON the ac-
complishments of the Is Of =. h1nd at
the salt Lake and Denver esteddiods
! am not a smooth talker nor soOth-
saver, but | can ignite a little cnthusi-
asm on this subject aud call 1t an upn-
ion Sometimes ! have quite q little
fourth Of July all by myself thinking
what might have been and what might
be. one thing ! feel sure OF, that II
dear old friend Peterson had behind
him on institution as devoted and az
generous as our Church has been to
It's Tabernacle choir Utah would not
be- long ignorant Of Wagner
This orchestral matter Is very seri-
GUS one, more so than our people can
az present appreciate. ! for one, would
Ike TO see our people discussing SYM
phonies and orchestral poems instead
Of going into a WhlrlWind ~ glae over
a vulgar cakeW0lk. Tor nothing ever
ensues from the latter but tired bones
and impaired consciences, while the
former Is a soul saving religion IN itself,
lnasmuch as II turns our thoughts to-
ward the truly beautiful and grand II
gives spirituality, instead of sensu9litY
the relns, and our whole being is thus
steadied In driving fast through life
we miss the beauties that lie 10y the
wayside. we are occupied simply by the
speed Of the passage If we have lived
on that we have lived In vain. There
is view 81 music that T'e as a peo-
pie have not yet seen, ana 10 my mind
II Is the truest and the best II lies
only IN the orchestra. Now ! am afraid
this win crate harshly on Prof Steph-
ems ears. for he dearly loves the human
voice Just as ! do, only that |
haven't the cauaclty for loving any
thing as tenderly as he, therefore
I hope he wont gag at gnat, mas.
much as he has swallowed many a
camel In his brilliant career | simply
mean to do my little part, to cast you a
straw, as It were from over the seas
to show you which way the wind Is
blowing here.
The critics are prophesying an early
launch into n new form of musical
composition, a new leading idea, and
even foretellng that were It not for
the anchor Europe has In Richard
Strauss the new thing must come from
Russia, and thus the scene Of musical
creative art be shifted close to Asia.
Now where are we at at home? We
haven't vet started on Wagner nor
Beethoven-nO nor even Haydn (the
orchestral Haydn I do wish some
one would take up the matter IN salt
Lake city True they might fail, but
even then. some good would have been
done for the cause.
ABOUT SEMBRICH,
| want to say a word or two about
Sembrich and then / will have mercy
on you and desist / intended also 10
say something In this letter about
Hamburg and my trip TO Italy, but
see | have used up my space and viii
have to attend TO these items later
We are having a fine opportunity at
present to compare German opera and
Italian opera Marcella Sembrich with
an Italian ensemble Is az one Of the
Royal opera houses and the regular
German company Is at the other, The
Scmbrich company has given us Don
PasQuale," "Rgoletto." II Eisire d
Amore." Barber OF Seville" and La
Traylata." and / must say as the ladies'
say. ut was lust lovely" ! have never
heard anything half so sweet IN my life
EXCEPT at Milan. use sweet" and
'1oyely" purposcly in expressing my
emotions over Italian opera as present
cd nv Sembrich. Constantine her tenor
4 InVftnpu runaRphl and
Almond bassos, and last but not
least. Bevignani, the conductor tor
here we have an ensemble that pre-
sents Italian opera In all It's simple
beauty and loneliness. There has been
but one regretful feature TO uhe
season; Sembrich herself has suf-
fered from having too brilliant
a setting for her voice, which AT best
is not particularly dazzling. She com
mitted the gracious fault OF placing a
soft quiet opal between diamonds ana
rubies. Poor Scmbrlch tried hard %
make her voice ring out with the same
youthful freshness that characterized
the exquisite voice of Constantine and
Alimondi, but all We got was the opal;
a perfect one, though and much bet
ter than q too sharp diamond. ] have
now heard Sembrlch nearly a dozen
times, and / may confess TO a little
pride IN saying truthfuily that my opn-
Ion Of her is just the same as II was
when | first heard her. Her voice is
one IN which you can not find one thing
dsagrceabe, yet something wanting.
There Is not an "edgy' tone from top
to bottom and not one that sets your
throat contracting In sympathy. II Is
a smooth. soft and rather warm beau
tlful voice but lacking volume nevi-
bllity and a certain take holdivcness" .
or an exciting quality that would make
II phenomenal. ! have made these OBJ
servatons here IN consideration OF the
disappointment you experienced In not
hearing her at Salt Lake. In all candor
| can say truthfuliy that do not think
she would have pleased YOU nearly as
well as dld Nordica and Melba
The dawn Is down as far as the third
story on the buildings across the
street. | had better quit or will be
cheated out OF the night and most
likely your further liberation There
are a thousand things to write about
here when one begins 10 gather his
thoughts. I have not half relieved my
self but perhaps the News" will give