The San Francisco call., 1910-03-28
VIOLINIST DISPLAYS
G[NIUSATCONCERT
Maud Powell Interprets Great
Masters Music With Emo
tiOnaI Comprehension
By WALTER ANTHONY

are an Imaginary dot, void of dimen-
sion. When the acknowledged singers
come-save a group of luminous few
who have battered down our chauvan-
ism-we stay at home. Our vocal
pupils remain away from the recital
hall. though the price of admission be
but the fraction of a lesson fee.
They do not come to hear the singer,
because-well, I suppose because they
from Tilly Koenen, let US say, some
thing which even their teacher does
not know. When a violinist who has
bowed her way into the affection and
esteem of the ultra critical in every
land reaches San Francisco our stu
dents of music and lovers thereof stay
indoors and let the feast pass.
Not even Maud Powell, of whom we
should be patriotically proud, could
draw an audience yesterday afternoon
at the Garrick, and though she played
superbly she scarcely could have felt
enthusiastic in the face of those un-
inspiring vacancies that filled" the
audience.
GENIUS Is RECOGNIZED
What we who were there thought of
her was measurable compensation, no
doubt, for the Indifference implied by
the numbers that stayed away, and
the artist covered her disappointment
if indeed she felt any-and played with
a subconscious and subjective art, as
though she drew her bow for her-own
souls comfort and delight.
This is the first time that Maud
Powell has ever played in San Fran
cisco, though that fact is entirely un-
related TO the smallness of the audi
ence. Miss PowelIs fame is based on
the same sort of testimony that Kreis-
ler's is or Ysaye's. If we had never
heard her we have heard enough about
her to Justify a big attendance and
perfect confidence in the bigness of
her genius.
Genius. by the way. is big word to
employ in connection with the art of
any woman. 1t just fits Miss Powell.
II is in unison with her remarkable
art 1t is a prime" in the expression
of her gifts. To say that she plays as
well as a man would be TO flatter all
the men in the world but five or six.
To say that she plays like an inspired
woman would be TO suggest restric-
ton of feeling and fire and strength
which the facts would not justify.
MUSIC AND EMOTION UNITED
ol4E pldSS l4hC dLl llSl WmOSt nat
ural endowments have been carefully
cultivated. She fingers and bows as
well as thinks. What she feels she
interprets out of the messages of the
masters whose works she comprehends.
In her playing emotion is freed. Few
violinists have greater command of
sentiment than she. Music being es-
sentially emotional, she presents her
self logically as an emotionalist. This
sI-s,
first number.
1t was the first movement of
Tschaikowsky's d major concerto.
Most violinists would be gratiied to be
able TO hit all the notes" and let the
inner meaning slumber far beyond
their powers to reach. Miss Powell's
command over the technical element of
the composition was intimate and
friendly. The skips from abysmal
depths to soaring heights were negoti-
ated with an almost amiable cordial
ity, as though she liked the exercise.
INNER MEANING SHOWN
There We're no techical terrors for
Miss Powell in the work, and that is
how she came to bring forth the inner
content, the esoteric meaning which
the runs and double stops and the chro-
matte scales ordinarily cover from the
gaze of the inexpert
AnOIuGE phase OI MISS HOWelIS art
between the techical and emotional, 1
mean the mental and Intellectual, was
always in evidence 1t tempered into
sweet sanity and aIluring beauty the
emotional luxuriousness of her playing.
Still another quality of Miss PoweIPs
playing that is striking in its purity
is her sense of rhythm. Without being
stilted it is correct; it is graceful, not
stiff; regular, yet not prim nor angular
II is of that exquisite quality of
smoothness that tempts you to dance,
as in Couperin's La F1eurie" but so
evanescent that keeping time would be
profanity if you did ii with your feet
and not your soul. Beethoven's dainty
.Minuet" and Chopin's Minute Waltz"
which were also on yesterdays pro-
gram, were likewise rhythmicaIIy per-
feet.
MANY ENCORES GIVEN
Though we were not many we made
her understand that we appreciated
and she responded with encores as gen
erously as though there were a house
ful at the Garrick.
She will play again next Thursday
night. "A fine artist from orr own
shores Is here bowling for us. It were
a pity that we should fail in respect to
a genius Of the violin whom even Ber-
lin loved in spite of the revolutionary
Yankee spirit she disclosed by being
born in America, which is against all
the rules of music.
Fraternity Girls Attend
Maud Powell is an honorary member
of Alpha Chi Omega, one of the leading
Greek letter fraternities among college
women. A delegation from the frater-
nifty chapter house at the University of
California occupied three boxes at the
recital and showered the performer
with flowers.
Among the fraternity girls were
Misses Bess Kentner, Elsie Williams.
Eda Long, Marie Jackson, Katherine
Asher, Fern Enos Gladys Bartlett. Mar