Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-12-13
ORNSTEIN SONGS ~. ..
HEARD IN RECITAL
Creta Torpadie Gives Compost.
tions of the "Apostle of Mod
yernism" at Little Theatre

Greta Torpadie. Swedish soprano, made
her first appearance In Philadelphia before
an appreciatiVe audience at the Little Thea
tire last evening In a song recital. Miss Tor
padle showed a voice limited in range and
quality She has, moreover, very keen
appreciation for dramatic points and de-
hvers every. song with an action and facial
expression that never transcends the bounds
Of good taste, while using these auxiliaries to
the utmost. -.-.----....... .... ...... =.
Miss Torpadie began her program with
three songs Of the time>of Haendel and Pur-
cell. but the Formal style of composition does
not suit her either vocally or sentimentally,
as she has not the precise manner of vo-
calization required by these masters and did
not seem to be wholly in sympathy vita the
songs. This feeling, however, was entirely
dispelled by her second group, series of
five really beautiful Scandinavian songs
Here she was on her native heath, not
only as to language but In voice manage
ment and sentiment as we'll, and she gave
the songs with exquisite taste and feeling.
showing. the real import of modern Morse
song Before singing this group Miss Tor
padie read the words of each song, giving
the hearers a cleaf idea Of the sentiment to
be conveyed In the music and incidentally
showing herself to be an elocutionist Of no
small ability.
The chief numbers of the concert, how
ever, were six songs by Leo Ornstein three
of them given for the first time, and the COM
poser did Miss Torpadie the honor Of playing
the Accomplishments himself. Ornsten has
been hailed as the apostle of modernism"
and these songs fully bear out his claim to
that somewhat doubtful title.
1t is much to the credit of Miss Torpadie
that she was able to memoriZe so accurately
the voice parts Of the songs. which was often
totally unrelated to the accompaniment both
us to tonality and to sentiment. Con-
sonant harmonies were indeed rare, but
strangely enough the voice by itself, as
somewhat commonplace, melodic outline. and
was also fairly distinguishable as to tonality.
The dissonant parts were nearly all in the
accompaniment.
The total effect Of the compositions was
| one of surprise rather than Of interest or
desire to hear them again. Owing to the
wide diversity Of sentiment in voice part
and accompaniment there was certain
| feeling of incongruity that attached to the
possibly be that Mr.. Ornstein. in the voice
| part. has doubtless given his Interpretation
| of the sentiment as revealed by the words
| alone, while in the accompaniment he essays
specific effects as shown by the title. This
was especially the case in the first two
| songs, 'The Raindrop" and THE Nightin-
| gale '
| The third song, 1.-THE Mother Groom" was
| written in a clear tonality almost without
| dissonant effects, but revealed nothing ex-
| tIaordinary either In melody or harmony. The
| last three, entitled "Three Moorish Songs"
! had the same generally vague melodic out
| lines and dissonant accompaniments that
marked the first songs. All, however, were
| well received by the audience. .''-"
Miss Torpadie closed her recital with a
| group Of modern French songs.