New-York tribune., 1914-11-01
SONG RECITAL
BY ALMA CLUCK
Rapid Rise of an Exquisite
Singer of Songs Who
Delighted Audience.
By n. l.. KREHBIEL,

The serious and observant lover of
song and song-singing has found
pleasant occupation at intervals dur
ing the last few years in noting the
development of the one among all the
young singers of the day who prom
ise to take the place which Nine.
Senbrich shall vacate when she re-
tires from the concert-room as she,
in the fulness Of her powers, retired
from the operate stage.
That singer is Alma Gluck, who in
a recital in Carnegie Hall yesterday
afternoon gave an audience that
crowded the great room exquisite de-
light, not only by the quality of her
voice and art, but also by recalling
the voice and art of her illustrious ex-
emplar who listened to her with evident
pride and pleasure in one of the boxes.
There was a suggestion OF Nine. Sem
brich in every feature Of the affair, ex-
cept, perhaps, in the selection Of songs
which made up the final group on her
programme and those which we're gwen
post festum. First. there came exam
Piles from the historical period Of bel
cant0 Rameau's "Rossignols amou-
reux," Mozarts "Zeffiretti lusingheri,"
Handel's "Care selve" and "The Mer-
maids Song by Hsydn-all from Nine.
Sembrich's list except the exquisite
air from HandePs opera "Ata-
lanta," which is worthy COM
panion of "Oh, Sleep" which Miss
Gluck sang in Nine. Sembrich's manner
last year Then a second part, composed
OF gems from the treasure houses OF
Schumann and Brahms" Lntermezzo,"
"Er ist's," "Der Nussbaum," bot
1trb q
Wangen." Three songs by French and
Slavic composers, with folksong ad-
mixture, in the first of which a COM
bination of two songs from Little Rus
sia arranged by Mr.. Zimbalist) there
was an echo of Nine. Sembrich's epoch
making folksong recital, 80 suslda
chata bila" The last song IN this
group was an arrangement of mod
ern Greek folbsong made by Maurice
Ravel. which was comparatively in
effective, largely, we fancy, because
of Miss Gluck's misconception Of
it's tempo. There were new offer
ings in the concluding group-two
Low German songs ("Vaer daer"
and "De oil Wichel"). and a German
song, "Wenn fromme kindlein," set
BY Mas Vogrich, an English song, re
freshingly effective, because OF It's
freedom from affectation and its pure
feeling OF aspiration; THE Bird of the
wilderness" by Edward Horsman; Sid
ney Homer's "Long Ago and Frank lie
FORCES ITO a Messenger" Mr. Hors-
mans song won a repetition; after the
second group Miss Gluck added Sind
ing's "Sivelin"; after the third, Pela~
dilhe's psyche" and after the fourth.
Sidney Homer's POLITICALLY conceived
"Way Down South" MY Love Is Like
a Red, Red Rose" by Rawllns Cottenet,
and two or three more. Thus the rec
ord of the affair is completed.
Miss Gluck has put on a pretty pair
Of seven league boots since she sang
last in New York, and made tremendous
strides onward technically, intelectu-
ally and emotionally. The few clogs
in her tone production which were
commented on a year ago have been
nut almost wholly aside. and her voice,
unimpaired in its limpid beauty IS al
most completely at the service OF the
lofty things in musical Interpretation.
Emotionally there are still depths
which she has not sounded that can BE-
reached without sacrifice Of the purely
eensuous beauty for which she strives
successfully with an art that corcealI
the striving, and therefore shows ap-
probation of high ideal. Her enup-
citation is exquisite, and 50 is her die
tion for all those who conceive the
term to mean only chronological clear
ness. But in her defamation there is
still merely surface sentiment She
sends no plummct into the soul depths Of
such songs as those by Schumann and
Brahms, which she sang yesterday.
Rachmaninow's "Fruhlingshuten" and
Charpentier's "La Clochefelee.' But
the warmth now lacking in measure
will come; and soon. An innovation
was Miss Gluck's singing of two Of
the Vogrich songs in the original Low
German dialect, a proceeding which no
doubt caused some bewilderment yes
terday. The touchngly naive poems
by Klaus Groth, with their homely
folksong sentiment and form, though
more ineligible to the many. would
have lost charm in the translation.
There is a sweeter note OF music IN
the Low German poets "Quickborn"
than in Heine's lovely lyrics.