Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1915-11-18
Alma Lyceum Course e Is To
Be Congratulated On
Their Selection
FRANCES INGRAM, C0NTRALTO
Conceded One OF The Best Mum
bers Ever Given on
The Course

An evening of very rare enjoy
ment was afforded those who care for
music. on Tuesday of this week, by
the singing of Miss Frances ingram
cf the Chicago Opera Company. Miss
! Ingram came to Alma under the au-
spices of the committee on the Lyceum
Course and the Department of Music
Of Alma College. These deserve the
gratitude of the community for Civ
ing US not only a metropolitan singer.
but program of rich and varied char
acter
The list of songs chosen by Miss In
gram was headed by II mio del foco' by
Marcello, a song in old form, given
with much beauty Of tone and inter
probation Indeed, no sooner had the
/ first phrase of this reached our ears
than we knew that a great artist was
before US Expectancy reached high
pitch and was not disappointed. The
group of old English ballads. With
EARLY One Morning" the singer deep
ly moved her audience. "I've Been
Roaming" was sung with great del
icacy and charm; in the old Irish 81
Know Where Tam Going ar
excellent Irish accent and fine sense
,.f h.
charming "Oh. No John, familiar nov
to American audiences through the
singing Of the Misses Fuller, was de
llightfully done.
In the group of German lieder, the
Sshumann and the first Brahms were
sung with much intelligence, the sec
ond particularly with beautiful tone
To the Brahms "Wiegenliedr
Miss Ingram brought most lovely
mezzo voce, and though in parts this
song seemed high for contralto, she
moved easily among the upper notes
"Still Vie Die Nacht" was one of the
peaks of beauty Of the evening. In
the climax of this song of Bohm's the
singer reached great artistic height
of glorious singing. The Erl King"
followed then. impressively delivered,
and very freely interpreted. Much,
however, Of the effect of this song was
lost by the immediate temperance Of
the singer in the pretty, but out-of
place The Little Silver Ring"
It was in the great aria from Sam
son ct Dalila" that Miss Ingram
showed her great powers This
was magnificent singing, and mag
nihcient acting too. In fact the
Oriental feeling in the singers beaut-
iful evening dress, the barbaric ad
ornment of black feathers in her Jet
black hair, all lent themselves to the
/ illusion, and one saw again the great
scene OF the temptation of the strong
man, and felt, through this artists
wonderful gift, the passion and the
danger of the temptress.
In the fourth group of songs, Mas
senet's "Crepuscule' was deliciously
sung and the Russian song following.
q wild and powerful composition. was
presented with great spirit. Alas.
this song, the song of the Cossacks
wife, the barbarian.on receiving hearty
encores, was followed by the religious
ditty 81 Think When | Read That
Sweet Story Of Old". Could anything
have been more unsuitable, more in
artistic? In fact humorously inartist-
ic, coming on the heels of the glorious
Moussorgsky
A group Of songs by contemporary
writer's closed the program, and Of
these Sidney Homer's "Sing to me.
Sing, and Sumner Salter's "Cry of
Rachel were superbly given. The
last is q great composition and was
Ifnely sung
Miss Ingram's voice is very sumpl-
uous in quality, very finished in tech
lnique Her dramatic power was at
all times in evidence. and the evening
was perhaps the most important mus
ically that has ever taken place ir
Alma
The most that can be said Of Mr.
Fram's accomplishments is to call
them acceptable. His choice Of a pia-
no solo. the GODDARD Fantaisie in A
minor. was unfortunate. A dull com.
position it was. made more duh by the
very bad piano which was used: but
these drawbacks vanish when we con-
slider the distinguished singing Of
/ Miss Ingram, the rare beauty of her
rica voice, and the significance Of her
dramatic art. c
Ii your watch won't keep time let