The Edison phonograph monthly (Jan-Dec 1916)

Record Details:

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EDISON PHONOGRAPH MONTHLY, NOVEMBER, 1916 13 Who's Who in the Blue Amberol List for December YVONNE de TREVILLE, SOPRANO YVONNE de TREVILE, the famous FrenchAmerican coloratura soprano who is an European favorite and who has filled engagements in the most noted opera houses of Europe, is the latest artist of international renown to be added to the notable list of singers who are making Blue Amberol records. The daughter of a French musician of some reputation, de Treville was born in America and studied under American masters. When the development of her voice reached a stage that insured her success in the operatic world, she set out to acquire the European reputation that to some seems essential to the success of an artist. For some time after her arrival in Europe she was unable to secure a hearing, but finally, after appearing in concert in Paris, she was engaged by the Opera Comique. Her success brought musical Europe to her feet and since then she has sung from every notable stage on that continent, filling lengthy engagements with the Opera Comique of Paris, the Opera Imperial of St. Petersburg, the Theatre Royal de la Monnaie of Brussels and the Opera Imperial of Vienna. She is a linguist of distinguished attainments and is familiar with practically every language in which opera and concert songs are written. In the United States, where she has been heard in all of the leading musical centers, she has been accorded the most enthusiastic praise by the music critics and she is conceded to be one of the foremost coloratura sopranos of the present generation. Her tones are rich and wonderfully clear and flexible. Her mastery of vocal technic is superb. Lescaut's "L'Eclat de Rire," which is listed among he December Blue Amberols, reveals all the fine qualities of tone and technic that have placed this singer in the front rank of vocal artists. Few people have not heard of the Empire City Quartet, an organization that was a headline feature in high-class vaudeville for many years, and the majority of people who live in the larger cities have been entertained by the superb renditions of these singers. On their vaudeville programs, the members of the organization presented solos and duets as well as quartet numbers and it was this, perhaps, that brought renown to Harry Mayo and Harry Tally. The latter was the tenor of the organization and his solos always brought repeated demands for encores. And the public seemed to appreciate the bass renditions of Mayo, who was also in the quartet, about as much as they did the tenor numbers of Tally, and both of the artists gradually acquired individual prominence. They formed a team to render tenor and bass duets, which have proved highly popular features of their programs. It is some time since they started to sing together and today their names seem to have become linked inseparably, at least in the world of vaudeville music. They specialize in songs and ballads of the popular variety and their voices seem to be especially effective in their characteristic arrangements of this class of numbers. Their latest production for the Blue Amberol catalog is a rendition of "I Was Never Nearer Heaven In My Life." This is one of the most popular songs of the day, the melody being sweet and simple and the words having a strong sentimental appeal. Mayo and Tally sing it with their usual good taste. It is a fine example of their work. Robert Gayler, who makes his first appearance in the Blue Amberol catalog on the December list with a Celesta rendition of "Christmas Eve," is a musician of thorough training and high ideals. Gifted with a talent for music, he displayed his aptitude early in life and at the age of fifteen years he was the organist of one of the largest churches in Brooklyn. He studied piano with Xavier Scharwenka, Walter Pezet, A. K. Virgil and others and his organ master was Robert J. Winterbottom. Among the teachers with whom he studied harmony and composition are Gramm and Scharwenka. He is a superb pianist and organist, and he has acted as accompanist to most of the well-known opera and concert singers now before the public. Mr. Gayler was an operatic coach at the Metropolitan Opera House during the Conried regime. At the present time he is conductor and musical director for the following organizations: Christ Church, Brooklyn; Eighty-sixth Street Temple, New York City; Elberon Memorial Church, Elberon, N. J.; Stony Brook Assembly, Long Island; Smithtown Chorus, Long Island, and the Branford Choral Club of Branford, Conn. His mastery of the piano and organ and his thorough understanding of music make him perhaps the foremost Celesta player of the country. He became interested in the possibilities of the Celesta some years ago and has devoted considerable time and study to this beautiful instrument and his renditions are unusually appealing and effective.