Evening star., 1903-10-10
NJ USICAL MEN TION

and before the close of this month full an
nouncements can doubtless be made.
The quartet in the Messiah has been COM
pleted. 1t will be headed by Miss Anita
Rio, soprano. She has sung this in Boston
with the Handel and Haydn Society, and
| the attention of the Choral Society was ad-
dressed to her through the extremely favor
able notices received by her there. Miss
Janet Spencer will sing the alto part. She
| is a young singer who has been heard In
Washington with great approval. She also
| sang at the Worcester Festival of 1907, and
| by some is considered to be the most prom
isng young contralto singer now heard in
| concert. The tenor is Mr.. Edward +. John-
| son. also one of the young tenors- he mas
| had operate experience, but has deter
mined to devote himself to concert work.
| particularly oratorio. His singing for some
! of the officers of the Choral Society last
! spring exhibited so fine a voice that ms en-
| gagement was Immediately determined
upon. The favorite bass. in washington,
| for the Messiah has for many years been
1 Mr.. Ericsson Bushnell.
| by Parker and the Stabat Mater of Rosslni
will be the special feature of the year. Mr.
| William Bruce King, the president of the
| society, has just met DR.. Parker IN NeW y,
| Haven, and is assured by him that he Will
| be very glad to conduct his own work on
the evening of March 13. The Stabat Mater
| will be conducted by the director Of the So
ciety, Mr.. kaSpar. The solo artists Selecteu
| for this concert are unusually distinguished.
Nine. Lillian BlauVelt Will have the Sopra-
| no parts. She has already been heard win
| the Choral Society. but since her last ap-
| pearance here has sung in opera IN LonOon
and elsewhere with much success. Mr.
| David Bspham is to take the bass parts,
| and the tenor rolls will be sung by Mr..
| Ellison Van Hoose, a singer OF very woe
| experience both in opera and concert These
| singers will all sing in both works Ihe
| contralto has not been definitely settled.
! but it is expected that Miss Walters, new
| singer. will take this part. She has been
| engaged by the New York Oratorio Society
| for this season and is said to be the pos
SCISSOR of an unusual voice.
| The engagement of the artists for the per-
| formance of Elijah has not been settled,
| but it is hoped that Signor Campanari Will
| sing if some little difficulty about the date
| can be arranged. While he is more cele-
brated as an opera singer, he is not without
| experience in oratorio, for which MS nne
4 dramatic style well fits him.
Mr. Leo Wheat gave a farewell recital at
| the Riggs House Thursday evening before
| an audience that was deeply interested in
| his work He played program that en-
| braced compositions of the great masters,
| as well some of his own works, and he
| nterspersed the numbers with pleasant
talks of the composers. some of whom he
| had personally known. Mr. Wheat Will
| leave Monday for a tour through the south,
| where he is very popular, and will give a
| series of recitals.
The rehearsals of Carroll Institute Choir
| have been resumed and will continue each
| Wednesday during the season. The choir
| intends giving the Stabat Mater at the CO.
| lumbia Theater some time during December,
| with full orchestra and a quartet of the best
| local talent, for the benefit of Carroll In
| stitute.
| Mr. Louis M. Lester, choirmaster and
| organist of ST. James Church. has been
| appointed to succeed Mr.. kirkpatrick at
| Trinity Church Sd and streets northwest,
and will enter upon his new duties No
| vember -. Mr.. Lester will continue to
| train the choir at st. James, Sth street
| near northeast. His studio in the
| parish house contains many objects d art.
souvenirs of five years. spent a music
| student in London and Rome.
| Miss Lena Sutton. who gained much
| praise by her excellent playing in several
| concerts during her summer trip. has re-
! turned to the city. Although still in her
early teens. she shows promise of bril-
| liant future.
Miss Alma Ebert is preparing her pupils
for their first recital, to be given the mid
| die of November
| Edwin Grasse, a young violinst who has
won distinction in the most eXacting Euro
| pean musical centers, has returned to his
American home after six years residence
| abroad Five of those years he has de-
| voted to completing his musical education
under Cesar Thomson. After his graduation
from the Royal Conservatory in Brussels,
| where he won every prize for which he
competed. he played for Joachim who at
| once bestowed his patronage upon young
| Grasse and effected his debut with the Phil
| harmonic Orchestra in Berlin in February
| n Fri NNI,I,
| was followed in quick succession by others
| equally notable with leading orchestras of
| Vienna, Lepsig and Munich. Although he is
| but nineteen years old and has been blind
since infancy. young Grasse has firmly es-
| tablished himself abroad an artist of rare
| attanments.
| Mr. Howard O. Cook who has filled with
| admirable skill the position at immaculate
| Conception and Ascension Churches. has
| Joined the forces at st. Paurs Episcopal
Church choir as solo tenor.
Mr.. Ernest T. Winchester has been en-
gagged for an organ recital in New York the
| week after Thanksgiving.
| The outlook for the Washington Sym-
phony Orchestra season is excellent It's
management has now got on. business
basis. Mr.. Richard Heard having been given
charge or all business arrangements. Mr..
Heard has had a wide experience in
such matters and has gone into his work
with considerable energy. He has already
arranged the dates for the five concerts
which will be given on Friday afternoons
in December January. February, March
and April at the Columbia Theater. The
soloist for the first concert will be Fannie
Bloomfield Zeisler the celebrated pianist
who was to have played with the orchestra
at the last concert in April but was pre-
vented by the serious illness of her hus-
band
Mr.. and Mrs Hermann G. Rakemann
have returned from their trip to the north
Mr.. Rakemann had a conference with Mr..
DeKoven in New York. at which the plans
| for the symphony programs were discussed,
| and at the latter'S request Mr.. Rakemann
went to Baltimore and played at the open
| ing of Mr.. DeKoven's new opera, THE Red
Feather"
A pianola and aeolian recital was given al
Knabe's Hall last evening and notwith-
standing the inclement weather the
dience was of good size. Mr. Higginbottom
was the instrumental performer and his
selections included the "Tannhauser'' over
| ture, Rachmaminoff s prelude op. g. No. ..
| Chaminades Air de Ballet. a Chopin waltz
and Batiste's ST. Cecilian Ofertory, No. 2.
| Mr. w. d. Mcfarland was the vocal soloist
| and his numbers were: Neidlnger's Sere-
made. tthe ''Salve Dimora," from Faust
| Tostfs Serenade. Schubert's by the Sea"
| and Allibsen's Song of THANKSGIVING He