Los Angeles herald., 1907-12-24
The Musical World
BY Genevru JohnstOne-Bi Bishop

TIVE rendition of Stewards beautiful
Christmas oratorio pleased large
Il audience at the First Presbyterian
church last Sunday night. Mrs Volney
Beardsley has greatly endeared herself
to the congregation, not only by her abil-
| ity as a director and her beautiful So
prano voice, but also by her charming
| personality. She was in excellent voice
and in the aria, "Once in Royal David's
| City," her high tones were true and well
taken. Miss Marie Thomas sweet con-
tralto voice was most appropriately heard
in the solo, "Sleep, Holy Babe" and
brought forth much praise. Mr.. Pitner s
full baritone, always pleasing, was es :
pecially so in all of his numbers. and the
heavy parts allotted to him were remark
ably we'll handled. Mr.. Day, the tenor, q
recent acquisition to the choir, displayel
good tones, especially in the upper reg
lister. Mr.. Harold @. Simpson assisted
with the violin throughout the entire ser
vice, and his solo, 1.-THE Alteration of the
Magii," was beautifully played. Miss
Leane, at the organ. accompanied in her
usual good manner. Many of the audi
ence went forward to congratulate the
artists on their success.
| When Mad t-me Lilli Lehman appeared
upon the stage of the Philharmonic last
week she looked as IL she had jus.
stepped down from a Watteau canvas o.
an etagere IF Dresden china. With her
high coiffed silvery hair, her beautiful
face upon which Nature has left the same
roses which art had fashioned SO skill
| fully upon her rococo gown-she was 4
picture not easily effaced from the mem
ory. Simply to look at her, to study her
| inimitable stage poise and to realize her
very great Significance in the art world
| for many years past, Is valuable lesson
| to the younger generation of singers.
She was not in such good form vocally
as on several occasions last season, a
| fact which was accentuated by her choice
OF the "Schone Mullerin" cycle of Schu-
| bert. These are songs which, If sung in
sequence, require great self abnegation
on the part of the singer; as compositions
they are not of equal interest, nor do
they always offer grateful vocal task,
especially for a woman.
| Madame Lehman sang most of them
in the original key, sincerity which
made the vocal demands for the cycle
even more stringent. Lilli Lehman is
one of those singers who have always
preferred to sacrifice any personal ag-
grandizement to the artistic traditions OF
the song.
Madame Fannie Bloomfield Zeisler had
the distinction of being the first Of
the great artists to visit Detroit, Mich,
this season. Her host of local admirers
gave her an ovation she will long re-
member. The Detroit Free Press tells
the story of her new triumph.
Mime. Zeisler has changed since her
last visit to Detroit She has gained ma
terially; her music IS more robust-and
| en &c E1ar eopar and oarnaat fa re
and habit of looking closely at the key
board still remind one of the slender,
fragile woman who used to come here
but she is now anything but an invalid
Her program was given with a marked
| individuality that baffled and charmed
There may be two opinions on the sub
ject of some Of her rhythms, notably in
the Schumann toccata and in parts Of
| the Chopin sonata, but-there can be n,
| question of ner wonderful musicianship
in the funeral march movement of the
latter and the gorgeous 'Walkuerenritt'
with which her formal program closed.
| She played the composers concert ar
| rangement of this as it is almost never
heard, and then, by way of striking con-
| trast, played Poldinis 'Poupee Valsante
| for an encore. In music of the light and
graceful school. like the earlier and CO.
| herent writings of Richard Strauss the
original and melodious "Serenade" or
Howard Brockwa.- and poor MacDowell's 8
The Brook Nine. Zeisler is in unique
class. Added. to this her reserve power
and her magnificent breadth of interpre-
tation in that glorious 'Walkuerenritt'
make her an artist in the best and least
used sense Of the word.
"There was a large audience, that bore
with the stoicism of custom the ga !
conditions o. the auditorium. A chill