The San Francisco call., 1905-02-01
RARE MUSIC
Is MADE BY
DOLMETSCHES

One hardly knows where to begin on
the Dolmetsch entertainment-for EN-
tertainment," in the charming old
fashion, these accomplished folk label
their music-there is in it so much and
so varied delightsemeness. Most truly
indeed may their concerts be called
entertainment. "The Harmonious
Blacksmith played as Papa Handel
might have played it, on a beautiful
old harpsichord from which his pudgy
digits may have coaxed its roulades,
is of the kind Of thing the Dolmetsches
have to give.
Last evening ateLyric Hall they gave
their first entertainment. A fair house
ful of people gathered to its hearing.
Every stripe of music lover was among
them. Many, perhaps most, brought a
eonSeienceful ear to glue to stuff that
should be heard. Simple curiosity also
had its contingent. There were those
there also because, being supposedly
caviare to the general, the Dolmetsch
affairs are most particularly and ex-
clusively THE thing" to go to. Then
there were few, a very few, that knew
of the pleasure in store. Possibly these
even did not quite picture the distin-
guished charm of the Dolmetsch music.
own myself to being persuaded and
surprised into a rareness of enjoyment
that / did not know music still held
for me- But there was one voice only
as to the Dolmetsch music-that it Is
music, music rarely, keenly delightful;
music to be enjoyed by any and every
one, as well by those that know Strauss
from Lee Johnson as by those that
won't.
The entertainment begins before a
note is sounded. 1t begins when the
PLAYERS, three of them, Mr.. Arnold Dol
metsch, Mrs. Mabel Dolmetsch and
Miss Katherine Salmon, wander on the
platform in their quantity fashioned
costumes. Particularly picturesque is
Mr.. Dolmetsch, mostly enormous.
whimsical black eyes and hair. and
garbed in his knee breeches and doublet
of sad-colored velvet, and buckled
shoes. In her fine red gown and de-
mure coiffure Mrs. Dolmetsch looks
something like a Saint Cecilia: Miss
Salmon, in green velvet, more robust
devotee of the art. 1t is all a picture.
particularly with its background of the
lovely vermilion of the lacquer of the
harpsichord, the viola da gambia. and
the lutte and virginals lying about.
Mr.. Dolmetsch begins the programme
with lively dissertation on the old
music with advice TO the audience to
/
to its hearing. He describes pictur-
esquely the ancient instruments. their
peculiar qualities, their history. Each
number is most usefully and piufantly
thus preluded. The instruments used
last evening were the harpsichord. the
viola da gambia, the lutte. the virginals
upon which Queen Elizabeth played
and two others of the viol groun Mr.
/ Dolmetsch himself plays upon every
thing but the piano stool-a harpsichord
enthusiast, he would disdain even this
approach to a pianofortei Mrs. Dol
metsch's instrument In particular is
the viol da gambia; she plays also upon
the harpsichord. Miss Salmon does the
singing and also plays delightfully."-
upon the harpsichord.
As to the tone of the instruments,
that wonderful, delicate mellowness,
that pure, penetrant warmth, one
must go to Shakespeare, to Spenser
to find its phrase. Hearing it, in the
/ limpfd. spontaneous sentence of this
morning literature of music, one un-
derstands Slne joy of the old poets in
the art The programme began with
two pieces for the lutte, Mr..
Dolmetsch luting. Scotch and Italian,
both dances, they were. dated 1900;