The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1920-06-09
As IT SEEMS
TO Me
DANA SLEETH

perfect performance
W8fNI have waited. more or
less impatiently. for
some months. for chance 10 say
something generous about a visit.
Ing artist. and have. during that
time. aided BY my presence vari.
OTIS strangers. and usually | have
been greatly disappointed. and
probably the fitting artist was
equally chagrined when he read
what l thought OF him. providing.
OF course. he could read English.
or would read IT,
But anysone who carps. or cat.
fishes. or 'tronta at the YSaye-I.i.
man concert II dog fish-tha's
all.
If | wished 10 be blatant about
II. would point out how Ysaye
and Elrnan each secured organ
heart interest while playing tech.
nical concertos- that
Hcifesx could not do.
IL was a perfect two hours. Had
the audience been blessed BY just
one encore OF the popular sort. the
occasion would have been super
perfect
But Tn concert proved that the
great mskical works cen BE- so ren.
dered that the average audience
can hear uhem with rapture
There ~as nothing lownrow
rAbout the fbur concertos. but the
glory of thS masters spirit made
eysry-xnpverdtnt vital 70 the audi
ence. and nothing finer than the
Largo movement In the Bach con
certo has been heard in this city
for many a years
~ ERE ve Mad mature art.
nI seddesi 70 youthful fire.
Ysxye h, 70 my mind.
n the rnpat tovablc artist
among ~foiinists. Fl.
man ts dynsffS Of energy. Ysaye
draws a master bow. that brings
out the deep organ tones. E:lman
draws a fairy bow. that sings In
silver accents way up In the rosy
clouds OF melody. and zach II No
the complement of the other that
either can seize an unfinished
strain OF the other and execute II
In exact and feeling styie. A mar
vel To see two artists SO tempera-
mentally opposed. and yet TO hear
them weaving and cro@s-weaving
harmonies. showering out the sill.
yer. and the gold. and the Jewelsd
notes. 1lnging them 20 and fro
one moment chatting lightly with
staccato. the next throbbing on
the drumming G. with a sound OF
organ pipes.
Seattle has been blessed with
wonderful musical season. but this
concert Of two perfect players.
who sang together with their vfo-
Tins like great big archangcl
and a small. bald headed. dancing
cherub-this concert was the eli.
max
~ EATTLE will soon heas
another entirely human
artist John McCOr
mack, who frankly
sings tunefui songs for
the delight Of his audience.
McCoymack Is a finished master
musician. but he has remained pie
beian. He likes to sing the sort Of
songs we Ike TO hear.
There has been considerable dis
pute among critics over that SO
called trick Of Mccormack Of
Finishing his Irish songs an octave
high. II has been charged that
he sings falsetto. and that IL Is a
regular parlor trick unworthy a
great singer.
Mccormack recently informed
one Of these wise critics that this
jumping Of an octave is about as
old as Irish melody. and that he
heard 1t az boy from the ballad
singers OF rural Ireland
Also. John remarks that he does
not sing falsetto. but that his
soft" singing IL "rnezza voice"
and that IL took many years OF
hard study 10 attain.
Which once again would indi-
cate that what a musical critic
doesn't know about music IL usual.
Iy quite considerable.
l suppose tnat the SWISS yodei
IL trick. too. but when we'll rem
dered IL is a charming effect, and
the high singing in German lula
bys is most pleasing when done
without effort and clearly; and
also, IL nine-tenths OF this grand
opera soprano screechlng and tril.
ing is not triekery y-unpleasant
trIckery, too-then I'm crazy.
Anyhow. I'll admit that muslcally
I'm a Iowbrow and that reputa,
fiona and press notices and "ar.
tiste" hookum mean nothing 10
me. unless the singer or the play
er delivers.
And u will be a fine day for nu.
sic In America when the press and
the public generally take this
show-me attitude. for many "A long
deceased "star" has MIXED the
West Of tens Of thousands. travel
ing on reputation. and with no
more voice. dramatic ability or
honest attempt to do good work