Los Angeles herald., 1907-12-31
The Musical w orId
by Gcnevra Johnstone-Bisho

- young composers III AhlOiiN" -
Silvio Helm, who wrote Marrying
Mary" a musical play which Marie
Cahill is playing at the Mason this
week.
Helms music seems to contain every
thing demanded by the term popular,
and yet to include a sufficiency OF
classic stamina to demand serious at
tention. He is evidently good at or
chestration, for his work in this regard
has been generally mentioned wherever
the music has been heard.
Helm, it seems, is both young and
inexperienced, and for this reason the
impression he has made Is all the more
surprising. He was born in America
of German-Italian parentage. His
parents sent him back to some friends
in Trieste, where they formerly lived,
for his musical education. His mother
is of Italian blood, which is not un-
usual IN quaint old Trieste, which was
formerly an Italian city.
Under the old masters of Trieste
Helm made rapid headway and returned
to this country a few years ago with
recommendations to Daniel " Arthur,
owner of Marrying Mary" and man
ager of Miss Cahil1. With judicious
calmness Mr.. Arthur, instead of maxi
ing much Of the young man, thing
he was justified in doing from the
WHICH CdIIle Will
him, set him at work playing the piano
while the company rehearsed. Miss
Cahill was then starring in Nancy
Brown" The director of the orches-
ira left without warning. Helm seized
the opportunity and Jumped in and di-
rected without a moments prepara-
tion. After the first act on the open
ing night of Helms work Arthur
ceased all investigation for the new
director and gave the young man the
position. With keen enthusiasm the
young Italian-Austrian started in to
suggest changes which he thought
necessary in the score of Nancy
| Brown" He had saved up a lot of
suggestions, taking note of everything
during the plano playing days. The
| result of all this was that Helm prac-
tically rewrote the entire score of
Nancy Brown" In a month or two
| he was commissioned by Mr.. Arthur to
| do the music for Molly Moonshine."
1t was his first attempt at large work
and he arrived" Since then the great
success of Marrying Mary" has made
his 1aurels permanent.
| The big musical events are crowding
each other this season. The third
number of the great Philharmonic
| course, which occurs at Simpson Audi
| torium Tuesday evening, January Ia, is
| the coming of that celebrated singer,
Herbert Witherspoon, Americas great
| est basso.
Harry Lott, who is travelling on the
continent, wrote a special letter to
Manager Behymer stating that he
considers Herbert Witherspoon the
greatest singer he has ever heard, and
advised his friendsssin this city If they
attended but one concert in the season
to make that a Witherspoon concert.
There is no musical center in the
east in which Herbert Witherspoon
sings that will not assure him of a
large and cultured audience who recog-
nize the superiority of this great basso
| and his splendid work. Witherspoon's
appearance in concert. oratorio per-
formances and song recitals in particu-
lar. marked by strong individuality,
intelligent reading and Interpretation,
perfect phrasing, diction, rich, power
| full voice and splendid personality all
| combine to make his work a rare artis-
| tic pleasure vocally and intellectually.
There may be those singers with
more beautiful and more extensive
range of voice. but for artistic perfec-
tion and ability to sing story or
| depict drama, Witherspoon stands
almost by himself, since his splendid
art is the blending of so many quali-
ties.
Another feature of the Witherspoon
| concerts Is his admirable taste In form
| ing a program, wherein are contained
| music of the chief song writer's as
well as of folk lore and legend. His
| programs usually include selections
| from Handel in italian, Schumann in
German, Faure and other French COM
| posers in their own language. Irish
| melodies in Gaelic and in English, as
| we'll as groups of Scotch and English
| ballads, and songs from modern Amer
| lean composers show an artistry and
novelty that teaches the audience to
understand that Witherspoon has for
saken the beaten paths and yet found
additional good. Everything in With
erspoon's program is given with q
sense of tonal value and musicianship
which stamps him as one of the great
artists.
Jan Kubelik, who is now making his
| third annual tour of America under
| Charles Frohman, will appear in this
| city during the month of January.
The celebrated Bohemian violin vir-
| tuoso, playing programs rich in variety
| and attractive in each selection, is a
magnet that will draw all genuine
| music lovers. The most sensational
| violinist of the century, the reincar-
mated Paganini, the genius who makes
| the instrument cry, sob, sing and COM
mand at will, the musician who sways
his audience as If they were part of
his spirit-being, all this and more, it
| is no wonder that Kubelik's tournees
in Europe and America alike have
created furores of intensity that have
never been surpassed, not even in the
case of Paderewski. Kubelik is now at
the fullness of his powers. When he
first electrified America seven years
ago he was little more than boy. Now
that he has reached maturity his musi-
| cal puissance has increased fourfold
From prodigy he has developed into
master, along with his marvellous
technique, has grown an interpreta-
tive power which enables him to re-
veal the inmost thoughts, to lay bare
the deepest thoughts of the great COM
posers.
In fact, as well as being mechani-
cally perfect on his instrument, he has
earned the right to be called the
spokes of Beethoven, Bach Mozart,
Jangel. Paganini, Ernst and Wienia-
wski His magic violin is their voice,
! from it's sounding board vibrates their