The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-03-15

with perfect floors, for the dancing.
 Mir Henry Key Miner will direct the
 dance.
 Mrs. Davis stated yesterday that it
 will be the policy of the chairmen ana
 their assistants to make this, the seventh annual ball, one marked by simplicity in its every detail The in- Vitatons are to be issued in booklet form. The chief feature of the func- ton will be the dancing. Rehearsals for some of the fancy figures will begin at once, the first taking place at the home of Mrs. Bowie Tuesday even ing.
 The coming of Miss Alma Beck Tues day evening is d matter of genuine artis-
 tic moment and adds another to the list of musical events which have made it d | winter unusually rich in musical offer 1 ines. Miss Beck's programme is printed in full in this department She is a con tralto and though pronounced by her
 friends most modest young woman, has achieved the enviable distinction of comparison with Mime. Schumann-H -Heink This will be her first appearance In Bir- mingham, though fortunately for her she has friends among the discriminating musical folk who have heard her sing
 and are unstinted in their praise. Mrs Laurens Block the pianist, whose guest
 she will be while in the city, has known of her splendid record and of her capital
 results. She said of her yesterday: Miss Beck is really an artist. Her voice Is fine and she has had an unusual lot 1 of experience for one so young-you see, she is only 22. I wanted her to stay long enough to something of Birmingham and of the musical people here. but she
 must memorize 12 oratorios for the spring season of the Cincinnati Symphony or ipb stt as her, l for the twentieth, she can give no time to society. She is a charming girl-snn- pie, unaffected, yet very earnest where
 her art is concerned. Her reputation has been earned only through her work, as she had no money or influence of the sort that helps musician to get ahead these days, so her success is doubly praise worthy. I am asking all my friends to hear her sing, because l know it will be
 a treat that real music lovers cannot af- ford to miss"
 MT. William Gussen, who has arranged for Miss Beck's appearance is one of the
 most capable and at the same time con servative music critics here. He knows
 Miss Beck through her work at Mont eagle the past summer, when he was di-
 rector of the musical departments and secured the artists. He said yesterday: Miss Beck's success at Monteagle was
 proof of her ability to delight an audi ence. You know it is my custom to wait
 and see how the public likes & thing be- fore deciding as to its popularity. In the
 case of Miss Beck one can only tell after
 her appearance here, but judging by Monteagle-well, the audiences there let you know mighty quick. I believe they
 would walk out if they were not satisfied with a programme. And Miss Beck came for three performances and was re-en-
 gagged for a week. That she simply de- lighted her hearers during that week although the beloved Schumann-Heink
 was also one of the Monteagle artists was the final test.
 ! Mrs. Gussen and I hoped at that time to secure Miss Beck for a recital here
 which would have been an invitation af- fair, but we found that 1t would not be possible for us to do so at this time, and