The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-11-24
MUSIC in NEW YORK
wEE1x,s PRINCIPAL EVENT WAS
FIRST CONCERT OF PHILHAR-
MoNIC SOCIETY
JOSEF HoFMANN GIVES RECITAL
oBarbarossa," 81 weird Composition
by siegmund Won Hausegser'
Given Its First Rendition
by MI. Paur's Musicians.
Special to The Globe,

NEW YORK. Nov. 23-It has been
1,eal, o4 tIisappointments and surprises.
Mr. Whitney Tew started III VIII "
mournful song recital on MONDAY ai,el
noon. and the PHILHARMONIC society us
ed the week with the first American
hearing of a wild symphonic poem by
on Unknown composer. Scattered IN pc
tween were nearly half dozen piano anu
song recitaIs all surprisingly excellehI
And first of Mr. Tew 1t must pc stat
ed by way of preface that TINS slisei
has an exceedingly enviable record oii
+he other side the sea, and comes Win
no end of notices and letters. bal VIC We
evidently seems to suit the mouerl Piie
iebe, does not suit US, for more dole
ful afternoon has rarely peen spent III
o,r bright little Mendelssohn hall IMAM
ON the occasion of Mr. Tew's debut. Inc
weather was perfect English weather
a trifa more. nasty perhaps than the
average London November day, but wet
and dismal enough to make our trans
Atlantic singer feel perfectly at nome
Still he complained of having SO re-
Taxed a throat that he could not DO MIN
self any kind of justice, and almost m
sisted nnon an announcement to that
effect.
Pat think it was what he sang, as
much as the manner in which he sang
it. that made us all so doleful. The re-
cital was In three sections, the hrst OIL
which was all right enough one cant
go very far astray with Bach, Brahms
ST Saens and composers of their KIND
and their songs went very we'll But
the second section was confined to Nine
Lisa Lehmann's cycle, In Memoriam,
the words being taken from Tennyson's
poem. And this was the depression or
the afternoon The monotony OF the
thing grew on one, and. as verse after
verse crept on and no relief came or
appeared In sight, programmes were
scanned and mental wagers made as to
how long the other seventeen stanzas
would take. and II that insistent chord,
that presaged another vista Of drearf-
ness would be missing after the third
or possibly the thirteenth division Of
lines. And meantime tone remarkable
for its oneness of purpose and Intent
doomed on and on through the fog, as
though the singer were trying to take
liberties with Peter Cornelius celebrat-
ed Elm Ton" But even the most monot-
onous of lives must have an ending, and
the final verses We're spoken-no, de-
claimed Is the word-with full voice and
dramatic mien. And as the piano Sob
bed out its last wail-the vocal curtain
fell.
In his last group of songs Mr.. Tew
sang one or two new and comic songs
with good spirit and not little vim,
but in the sentimental tri1e, by Maude
Valerie White, there was a strong tend
ency to bark back to the depressing vein
maintained so long and with such dis
tressing results.
A drinking song of Chaminade's closed
the recital, and its advice to drink
wine was needed with alacrity as soon
as We were where we could do so with
propriety and comfort
In the evening of the same day Mile.
Eugene Caeiel1ano entertained house
full of people for an hour and a quarter
delightfully."- with a programme of plano
music. Delightfully."- is just the word.
For a quaint little body Is mademoisellc,
and her playing is as bright and happy
as the singing of the afternoon had been
lugubrious. From Beethoven to Schubert
Tausig, passing on the way Scarlattl,
Sgambatti and Martucci of her own
countrymen, and in a cosmopolitan way
making use Of Schumann, Jensen, Chopin
and List, her fingers seemed always
merry and mischievous and danced over
the keys in the Jolliest way Crystal
line her playing was called, and no
word so well suits it. There has been
more soul In many a performance, but
seldom more brightness of touch-more
clarity of tone.
Another italian pianist, SCR. Calico by
name, played to us on the following aft
erroon, and proved to be a finished ar
tist and a brilliant composer as well.
The old war horses We're not perpetually
in evidence and some exceedingly clever
work was exhibited.
On Tuesday evening refreshments of
the very highest order were offered by
the Kne1sel string quartette. Smiling
Haydn and frowning Beethoven both ap-
peared, the first in his quartette in D
major Top. Ga, No. 81, and the latter in
his T major quartette Cop. So No. y. and
sandwiched in between the WORKS of
these two past masters In the art of
chamber music was a violin sonata by
Mr.. Henry Holden Heiss, of this city,
played by Mr.. Kneisel and the COM
poser.
DR.. Oliver Wendell Holmes remark
about the ability of the Almighty to i'm
prove upon a certain manufacture of His
but His seeming satisfaction In its per-
lection as it stood might almost be quot
ed regarding the almost perfection Of
the work done by the KneiseFs There
is never SO much as q shade of wrong
intonation. Their bows are never
scratchy. Their strings are never morose,
as some like combinations invariably are
The light and shade of the composers are
serupulously studied and followed and
their tone is always so deliciously mel
low and sweet. Truly this is the full
f1llment of Haydn's prophecy-that in the
fulness Of time there would be artists
who would be so enamored of chamber
music that they would play it fully as
we'll as the composer dreamed it,
Mr.. Huss has long been considered one
OF our most scholarly local composers.
His is a facile pen and has turned with
more or less success to many forms Of
composition. But never is it's work COM
monplace In this new sonata it is less
pleasing and more dogmatlc than of old.
There is in it too much of the peda-
gogue and too little variety. 1t Is all
very well to state a theme in strong
virile way in he first movement but to
iterate and reiterate 1t as a taskmaster
does his lesson to a dullard of pupil
is apt to make one rebellous. There
is most pleasing second movement (An-
dante) that will sing its way into favor
when ever heard. Both Mr. Kneisel and
Mr.. Huss played the sonata con amore,
and 1t lost nothing by this is initial rem
dition.
Nine Lehman sang again on Thursday
evening, exhibiting the art which seems
greater as her tonal power grows less.
Surely no one could sing group OF
Schubert songs with more finish than did
she on Thursday. Her hearers packed
the big Carnegie hall and welcomed her
with the same warmth and affectionate
regard that they did on the occasion OF
her first recital.
The principal event of the week and
one of the principal events of the season