Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-10-03
Musical Notes


The New York Symphony orchestra,
Walter Damrosch, conductor. has en-
gagged its entire quota OF So musicians
for the coming season. While other
organizations are eldeavoring to COM
plete their orchestras by filing the
places left vacant by musicians who
have gone to the front for the various
European nations now at war the New
! York Symphony is fortunate In the
fact that none OF its members could be
! called for military service. Alexander
Saslavsky will again be the concert
master. George Barrere, who has been
, with the organization a number of
years, will remain as first flute; Gustav
! Langenus, first clarinet, and Jacques
/ Renard, first cellist. Tn only newcom-
er is Henri de Busscher. formerly first
oboe of the Queens Hall orchestra.
! London. of which Sir Henry Wood is
| the conductor. Mr.. de Busscher stud
led in the Brussels conservatory and
took the first prize for solfege. Two
years later he had first prize honors
for ODE. harmony and transportation
under Lapen and the great Professor
Guide. now director of the Royal
opera. Theatre Monnaie. Brussels He
also studied piano. singing and dra-
matte art under Van Dam, Demest and
Vermandele. The first rehearsal of the
season under Conductor Walter Dam
rosch will occur Oct. in preparation
for the two weeks engagement of the
orchestra at the Pittsburgh exposition.
The New York season will open Friday
afternoon. Oct. %, at Aeolian hall The
orchestra's spring festival tour with a
quartet OF vocal soloists begins April
and extends through the South At
lantic states TO Texas. thence north to
Iowa and east to New York.
Never in the history of music in
America has there been such a wide
spread demand for violfnists by local
music managers and club committees
throughout the entire United States as
Is already Indicated by continued calls
for this coming season. America has
always been a harvest field for famous
fiddlers and the conceded fact that
many of the great European violisists
cannot get to the New World for many /
months heightens the popularity of the |
wizards OF the bow whose coming is !!
assured. A number of the artists al !
ready booked in America are on the !
worlds greatest battle field. If not in /
actual conflict they are in the service
and consequently all thoughts of tours
as violin virtuosi are forgotten.
Evelyn Starr. the Canadian violin
ist. has returned from a tour of Eu-
rope and will be I'm America for the
entire concert season. This youngest
Of all the great violin virtuosi created
a genuine sensation in Russia where
she gave a series of recftals in Mos
COW. Petersburg. Warsaw. Cracow and
Riga. After her Russian tournee she
IN Germany and Bohemia
finishing her continental campaign just
prior to the declaration of war. Miss
Starr is a very beautiful player, her
tone is OF a lovely quality. rich and
and she plays not only
as IL she loved the music she is inter-
preting. but also with absolute accu-
racy of intonation.
Another violinist who will be in
America for the entire concert season
IS Carl F1esch Until last year Herr
Flesch had never crossed the Atlantic
and though his name and fame filled
concert going Europe he was the last
" the great violinists TO visit America.
Of course his late coming caused
many comparisons with other disciples
" the fiddle and the bow but Herr
Tlesch suffered no handicap from this
iifficult position. Rather he left the
that his authoritative play
ng demanded recognition accorded
My TO positive genius. This great
hungarian violinist, who at the time
4 his marriage became a citizen of
Holland. is a man OF middle age. with
he physique required by his instru-
nent. abundantly vital and responsive
o passion. with scholarly poise Flesch
isdains parade of technic and the
affections which have cloth
d some OF his younger colleagues in
title brief authority. On the platform
II on the street Flesch looks like any
ther well dressed and well groomed
Gentleman. Neither long hair nor &C.
entric dress to proclaim the artist,