The San Francisco call., 1909-12-03

BEAUTIFUL SONGS
TO EMPTY SEATS
George Hamlin's Classic Art Is
Given insufficient APP
preciaticn
American Tenor Presents a Re-
markable Program at the
Novelty Theater
By WALTER ANTHONY

We are wont to complain out here
that we have TO wait too long for the
coming of artists whom the east hugs
cause I'VE really get chance to hear
so few of the great singers" and be-
cause our taste has TO go uneducated
so far as imported attractions are con-
cerned.
The plaint is old. and we've come to
believe it ourselves. We have deluded
ourselves so long that only an occasion
like last night. when George Hamlin
sang, shocks us into a dim realization
of the truth And the truth S, we don't
want to hear these artists from the
east unless there is something eN-
traneous and sensational about them
We pretend we do. and brag of our
love for art; but we don't prove it.
For more than ten years George
Hamlin has been name high in Amer
lean music. He is said to be the great
est American tenor: and / am willing
to believe he is. Certainly he is an in
/ terpretative artist. with few superiors
in song. For FIVE years Hamlin has en-
joyed European fame. IL I remembS<s
rightly. il was in 1905 that he went ~
Germany. and in Dresden and BerliIs
gave Strauss recitals-the first concerts
indeed to be devoted exclusively BY
anybody to Strauss compositions HIS
accomplishments were deemed great
enough to entitle him to place abreast
of the leading lieder interpreters in the
home of the lieder. and so his fame be-
came international.
Well! There were about 100 persons
/ at the Novelty theater last night who
/ thought this tenor worth going TO
hear. Ill admit that the Novelty the
ater was bit cold, but Hamlin's art
was warm. I'll admit that Hamlin's
vocal attainments are not without
/ flaws, but they are insignificant, and
I'll admit that the attendance granted
/ DIR. Ludwig Wulner's great lieder pro-
grams, the last of which was heard
Wednesday night, may have had some
thing to do with the pitifully small at
I tendance last night; but surely George
\ Hamlin should have been given a bet
/ ter impression of US and Of our love
/ for pure song than he must have re-
eeived last night when he fronted
/ those empty seats. Let it be said. for
/ the honor of those who were there,
The copper plate phrase about making
up in enthusiasm what we lacked in
I numbers fits in this connection.
/ Hamlin's voice is pure tenor, high,
| though sometimes shallow in places
| He employs his voice with consummate T.
| drI ana MS IQcLLO NOCE NnlS SOIL tones ,
is a marvel of liquid beauty. He has
| much power and reads his poems with
| something of Wullner's insight into
| their meaning. though with infinitely
better voice. He lacks temperamentaI
bigness to encompass the heroic with
ease; nevertheless, his presentation OF
Strauss "Heimliche Aufforderung" was
/ splendid.
BRILLIANT VOICE AND TONES -
HandeFs "The Trumpets LoMi
Clangor' was done with brilliant voice
and ringing tones. Indeed Hamlin
sings the music of the old school, with
it's prim perfections and graceful
phrases. like KreisIer plays them
nearly perfectly.
He had TO respond to many encores
and the surety of his method was evil
denced in the fact that after the final
number and including the extra songs.
| courteously given, he was fresh and
his voice was without evidence Of
WEAKNESS or strain.
/ Two interesting songs were Your
/ Eyes and Flower RAIN" the music
of which was written by Hamlin's tai
/ ented accompanist. Edwin Schneider
Both We're redemanded and half OF the
\ applause went to the composer who
has a genuine gift for melody and a.
neat capacity for writing engaging
piano scores.
To miss Hamlin will be to lose a.
/ great artistic treat He sings again
next Sunday afternoon.