Los Angeles herald., 1907-10-02
The Musical World
BY Genevra Johnstone-Bishop

nHILIP HALE'S opinion of Maud POW
II ell, who comes to us early in Novem-
Il Der as the second event of the great
Philharmonic course, is taken from the
Boston Journal as follows: 'Of women
Lady Halle is to be named in the same
breath with her. Maud Powell has
reached the goal by honest and honorable
means. Her own natural gifts, her geni-
us for indefatigable and intelligent work,
have placed her in the proud position.
agents with sackbut and psaltry and
high sounding cymbals; she did not use
her sex and her nationality to boost her
into position she did not deserve. Her
one great friend and helper has been her
indisputable talent. 1t would be idle to
say that she plays like man, for she
plays better than most men. 1t would be
misleading to say that she plays like a
woman, even though the possession of the
finer sentiments and ge. .ler emotion were
thus implied. Maud Powell plays like a
true artist, who knows all emotions and
passions, but Is not mastered by them,
for she realizes that sentiment is not eff
fiminacy, sensuousnessI is not caterwaul-
ing, and passion, even at its height, is
not hysterical."
Maud Powell has among her curiosities
letter from a middle-aged woman, who
explained that in her present incarnation
there had been a sort of mix-up of souls,
and that her own and Miss Powell's souls
were in parts and inter-mixed. She should
have been the violinist and Miss Powell
should have been the poet, and although
the Great Alchemist had Lad a moment
of absent mindedness, all would be well
and mutually readjusted, if the two could
be life companions. The music hunger,
which threatened to blight the life of the
poet, would be appeased, who in
turn would be able to satisfy the
poet hunger in Miss Powelrs soul. The
lady enclosed sample of her verses, but
as Miss Powell laughingly told the in
terviewer, she wasn't hungry for that
kind of poetry.
Speaking of poetry, Miss Powell ad-
mitted that 'reams" of verse had been
written and debated to her, some bad,
some good, most of it Indifferent. Quite
one of the best and most charming bits
is "a Caprice of Ogarew," written by the
late Richard Hovey, after attending re-
| cital given in Boston by Nine. Powell
during the winter of 1897.
"A CAPRICE OF oGAREW"
ITO Miss Maud PoweD
It is a sweet coquetting 1 see
| Above the fan the rogues eyes merry leer,
| The htful. feigneo retreatings that appear
To court pursuit; the cheeks that dimple with
glee
Like lake struck by light wind; feet that
flee
| A little way and wait, If for fear
| Light love should yield the chase; 50 sweet,
so clear
The violin speech tells its tale to me.
| In beryl-wrought, rare. delicate interludes.
But give not unto these thy Queen her art.
| Rather shoulds. thou unsphinx the rarer
moods
OF Chopin passioning in a stars red heart
| Or Schubert signing in the solitudes.
Verse of another sort, but pathetic
enough in its inspiration, was a long
poem written by recently bereaved wild
over, name unsigned, who had received
surcease of sorrow in the beautiful
strains of "Traumerei played one night
by Miss Powell as an encore at a concert
| in his little town in far western state.
| His sorrow had been bitter and incon-
solable, but while listening to Miss Pow
| ellis violin he seemed lifted above him
self. Sweetness entered into his sorrow,
a new courage came upon him, and he