New-York tribune., 1905-12-27
MUSIC.
A DAY OF SONG RECTTALs.
Nine. Gadski and Mr.. Bispham.


The opera having taken itself of for day to
Philade1phia the manifold voices of the concerI
orchestras being benefcently hushed and the WHY
concord which doth too oft our confound mer-
cifully stled yesterday given up to the recita-
tion Of songs. 1t is good word and true. TOT
songs are not always sung nowadays-tney are
rected. Il the most modern composers have their
way there Will be no more singing except In CON
certs of archaic music. Mr.. Sam Franko must live
a decade or two longer. that he may estaohsh
series of concerts Complementary to his present
concerts OF old orchestral music and help the ms
torians of the preserve at least historical OF
antiquarian interest in Schubert, Schumann, Franz
and Brahms. Richard Strauss and his imitators In
Germany are dangerous enough, but there Is a
reign of terror imminent, and 1t IS tncalcula-
bly, more direful to contemplate. Mr. Bispham has
evidently set himself the task OF exploiting the chi
cago school of song composers. He began II last
year with some settings of Shakespear1an words
by Mrs WassaIl, and continued II last night Win
some settings of other words by Mrs Eleanor Ev-
crest Freer, and at least We are told Shcago
holds the donciles of both these ladies. But thAs
Is comment in advance of the record. So long as
it is possible let preserve the sequence OF the
record
In Carnegie Hall yesterday afternoon Nine
Gadskf gave a song recital. whether or not It was
association with Mr. Bispham in the "Shakespear-
ian cycle" of last season. or some other influence
which led her compile her list of pieces, we shall
not attempt to say: but whatever the influence,
its effect astonishing. In the first division OF
her programme we had Brahms, MacDowen, von
Weber, Arthur Foote. Scotch folksong. Schu-
MANN Schubert and Taubert, all tumbled up hfg-
gIedy- y-piggledy, hoity-cum- toity, the last with
chiIds song. 'Trrrrr-1uun. trrrr-dum, following
on the heels of SchUbert's ''Erlkonig'-but that
was an encore" and need not count
gracious dispensatton Of seven songs by Rob
ert Franz the seventh also encore" in
tervened before the final division, in which
Lass and latte 6av
had their innings. There were Oscar Chelius
Peter Cornelius. Conrad Ansorge Max Roger
Eugen Hildach Richard Strauss, F. La Forge and
Frank van der Stucken- All men. but Nine Gadsh.
being herself woman had no call to be gallant
to the fair Mr.. Bispham habitually Is Some
of these composers may need introduction lest
their significance be overlooked. Oscar Won Chelus
is lieutenant of Prussian Uhlans, believe. and
used to be- If he is not now. admired Of court
circles in Berlin Some eight years ago he pro-
duced an opera at the Court Theatre OF
the Prussian capital entitled "Haschisch."
but the drug produced lasting intox1ca-
tion. AS recall the incident. the
inspired Berlin critics, emerging from its fumes
busted themselves in writing down their wonder
ment to how it happened to get performance
instead Of telling the world of the revolutionary
beauties of its score. His contribution TO Nine.
Gadskts programme was soEg beginning with
the statement Die Bibe list Elm heilig Buch."
Whether equal orthodoxy prevailed throughout the
song cannot be said for the most pious attention
was left unrewarded If the text became heterodox,
however. the music did not get beyond mild and
nnocuous agnosticsm. Conrad Ansorge used to
be a pianist in New-York. and once gave a con-
cert in Steinway Hall. at which he produced a
symphonic poem for orchestra after the
manner Of his master, LIszt He called Il
"Orpheus' and since his return to Germany
Che is living in Berlin, and is of first
rate Importance among local pianists there) he has
emulated the example Of his hero so success fully
huta a
congregation OF Viennese to follow him. The Aus
trian capital has Conrad Ansorge Verein." Max
Roger is young man who teaches harmony and
counterpoint at the music school in Munich. who is
out-Herodtng Herod in the modern style OF COM
position, and an organist is putting brass orna-
ments on Bach. But in the song field Herr Roger Is
not at all fearsome- Thus far the songs Of his
which have been sung here by Nine. Sembrich and
others have been delightful in their simple
melodiousness without being in the least COM
rlonplace in harmony Nine Gadski gave US
another example OF the same kinda very
ingratiating little piece. entitled "Des kindes
Gebet." Eugene Hildach is a barytone singer,
with musical wife with whom he
sings duets He composes them, too, and some
of them have been heard in New-York. Yesterdays
song was called "Strampelchen." Mr. Frank La
Forge is q young American whose home, we be-
leve. used 10 be in Rockford, Ill, but despite the
proximity of his native city TO Chicago he does
not belong to the Chicago school. illustrated in
the songs OF Mrs. Freer He is Nine. Gadskis
pianoforte accompanst, and accomplished the feat
yesterday Of playing the pianoforte parts Of all her
twenty-five or thirty songs without the notes-play-
ing them very beautifully, moreover. though with
somewhat too much reserve He studied the in
strurnent in Vienna with LechetitZsky. His song,
Itch fuchte mich in meine Klause,' reeked with
German sentmentalty, but caught the taste OF
an audience whose marks Of favor were very
injudiciously bestowed, and it had be repeated.
after which the composer was called on several
times to bow his Acknowledgements to the delighted
assembIage 1t is good to live composer.
Other songs which repeated by Nine
Gadskf were MacDowelTs '@Thy Beaming Eyes,
Foote'S Irish Folk-Song' and Ansorge's 'sWaldse-
ligkeit." The additional Franz song was "Es hat
die Rose sich beklagt" After the last song on
the list she sang a spring song by Oscar Well, OF
San Francisco. and schumanns "Widmung." Per-
haps more
One might think that with such variegated list
the chief characteristic Of Mime. Gadski's recital
would have been variety But II not; it was
1nonotony. There was little contrast Of tempo in
the songs and still less contrast of vocal color
and sentiment In the admirable ladys singing. Her
beautiful tones were heard persistently either
in a strenuous forte or in half-voice. The middle
tints were lacking. Most praiseworthy was the
whole hearted zeal with which she threw herself
into her task and marvellously did her organ
dure the strain put upon it. Indeed 1t grew better
toward the close of the afternoon more freely and
spontaneously responsive warmer, melIower. more
soulful.
Strauss's wonderful "Traum durch die Dam
merung exquisitely given in the main; so
was Mr.. Ansorges song and Franzs Aus meinen
grossen Schmerzen.' But too often In her en-
rloyrnent OF rnezza voce she went shade sharp
on the concluding note OF a phrase Very puzzling
It was unless the effect of too painstakng effort.
Still, the memory OF her singing was in this respect
like the memory of benson when Mr.. Bispham
sang his open tones at Mendessohn Hall in the
,zT-.-. s,zIfHc So