Radio Digest (Mar 1928-Oct 1929)

RADIO DIGES T — Illustrat 69 schule, and soon afterwards the young pianist left for America. Godowsky toured in concerts for two years and later returned to Europe to study under Liszt at Weimar. This, his greatest ambition, was never realized, for Liszt had died before Godowsky reached him. He studied under Saint-Saens, the great composer, but the latter's restless nature and incessant activities made continuous work impossible, and Godowsky became practically his own teacher. That he was his best instructor, time and his great reputation today have proven. A master pianist of singular depth, celebrated for his wondrous and perfect technique, Godowsky is a thorough musician and the composer of several fine compositions. GORDON, JEANNE, Contralto. Jeanne Gordon, contralto, is one of the growing family of New World singers who have not found it necessary either to study, or to seek first critical approval, abroad. She was born in Canada, and took up the study of music under Dr. Albert Ham, of Toronto. Her first public appearances were in New York film theatres. She then went to the Metropolitan Opera Company, the great goal of all singers in America, singing with it for nine seasons and going thence into the still larger field oi concert work. Her voice is of lovely rich quality, and she employs it with great skill and expressiveness. GRAINGER, PERCY, Pianist-Composer, has been called "The Playboy of the Musical World" and in his playing there is certainly a buoyant, joyous virility entirely his own. Grainger is an "outdoor" man, keenly athletic and actually took muscular rhythmic exercise from Muldoon to develop the surety and strength necessary for his dynamic playing. Grainger was born in Australia, his mother was his first instructor and his first London appearance, at the age of ten, secured his fame. In 1906 Grieg heard Grainger play and so admired the young man and his art that he asked him to spend the summer with him. Just before his death Grieg had selected Grainger to play his concerto under bis own conductorship at the Leeds festival. During the war Grainger became a naturalized American and entered the service of our country. In camp as on the concert stage the pianist was a favorite. Grainger's American concert seasons during the last few years and his appearances with the various Symphony Orchestras have always been sensational. HACKETT, CHARLES, Tenor. One of the greatest achievements of all musical history is the sweeping, meteoric rise of "Charlie" Hackett through the most varied international career ever accorded an American tenor to the secured fame of a leading star of the great Metropolitan Opera. Mr. Hackett studied music as a boy in Worcester, Mass. He went abroad at twenty, made his first sensation in Florence and established himself with incredible swiftness in Italy's foremost Opera Houses. In Buenos Aires, where musical discrimination is cultivated to the highest point, Hackett swept all before him. Northward to the Metropolitan, in 1919, was Hackett's next step, where, in one of the most florid and faultless interpretations of the tenor role of II Barbiere di Siviglia ever heard from the famous boards, Hackett was acclaimed by musicians and music lovers, artists, impressarios, singers and critics — "a tenor in a class by himself 1" HEIFETZ, JASCHA, Violinist (High-fetz, Yahsh-ah). To few it is given while still on the threshold of life to achieve the success which comes ordinarily — if it comes at all — only after maturity and experience. Yet that is what Jascha Heifetz accomplished. He commenced playing the violin at three, completed the course at the Royal Music School in Vilna, Poland, at the age of seven, and, after study with Professor Leopold Auer in Petrograd, was a mature artist at the age oi ten. His tour through Russia was a triumph ; the keenest critics of Europe had nothing but praise for him. And after a leisurely trip from Russia to the United States, by way of Yladivostock and California, he swiftly conquered America. Though his years can be counted, the measure of his genius knows no bounds. His technique is flawless; the intonation is perfect, the quality of tone superb and utterly individual, complete mastery over bow and violin having been vouchsafed him in childhood by a Nature bent upon a perfect model. HOFMANN, JOSEF, Pianist, was born in Cracow, Poland, in 1877, of musical parents. His father was a professor at the Warsaw Conservatory and conductor of the Warsaw opera, and his mother was a distinguished singer. After studying the piano with his father until 1892, Josef Hofmann spent two years as a pupil of Anton Rubinstein, who predicted a brilliant career for the young boy — a prophecy which has been marvelously fulfilled. As a boy prodigy, Hofmann was a sensation in the musical world, and when, after retirement for study, he emerged in 1894 to make his debut in Dresden, he had gained strength, maturity and a more solid musicianship. Again, he toured Europe and America, coming to the United States in 1898, and making his home in Aiken, South Carolina. Today, Hofmann is considered among the greatest pianists now before the public. He has no superior in technical mastery of his instrument, interpretative power and in musicianship. He is also a composer, inventor and an American citizen. HOMER, LOUISE, Contralto. The popular American contralto comes from Pittsburgh, Pa., where she was Louise Delworth Beatty, daughter of a well-known clergyman. She is now the wife of Sidney Homer, American composer and one of her earlier teachers, known as the composer of many fine and original songs. Louise Homer laid the foundations of her musical education in the United States, with Alice Groff in Philadelphia, and with W. L. Whitney. Her unusual talent was recognized by George W. Chadwick and Arthur Foote, who with her husband, then in Boston, encouraged her to study and advised her to seek the operatic stage. Taking this advice she went abroad, and two years in Paris atmosphere and training accomplished wonders for her voice and her stage experience. She made her debut as Leonara in "Favorita" in 1898. JERITZA, MARIA, Soprano (Yeh-ritzah, Mahree-ah). Maria Jeritza is in private life the Baroness Popper. She is of Moravian birth, having been born in the little town of Brun. Her debut was at Almitz, and she came thence to Vienna in 1912. The Metropolitan forces had her in mind for New York as early as 1914, but the war interrupted all, and her debut here did not take place until 1921, when she sang in Erich Korngold's "Dead City," in New York, in its first American presentation. Mme. Jeritza has a fine large voice, a commanding presence, and dramatic powers of a high order, especially fitting her for the roles of the Northern opera — though indeed she sings with facility, and with splendid intelligence, in those of the Italian and French schools. She is an artist who still is young, whose sympathies are keen, vivid and inclusive, and whose work will probably grow even richer and finer as years advance. JOURNET, MARCEL, Bass (Zhoor-nay). Journet was born at Nice, France. He studied under Seghettini and made his debut at Bezieres. Belgium, in 1891, where M. Calabresi, manager of the Brussels La Monnaie, heard him and promptly engaged him for three years. In 1897 he made his first appearance in London and has since been a prime favorite there. Journet is possessed of a magnificent voice, full and resonant, and has a fine stage presence. He is perfectly at home in an unusually varied repertoire, speaking the languages as a native. His records cover a great range of compositions, from the splendid rolling bass numbers of the great operas to the patriotic and popular songs of various countries. This sterling artist is well known to opera-goers in America, as he was a member of the Metropolitan Opera Company for many years. In 1908 M. Journet was engaged by the Paris Opera, and has since been one of the important members of that great company, returning to America only at intervals. JOHNSON, EDWARD, Tenor. Edward Johnson, the great Canadian tenor, is one of the greatest operatic artists developed within recent years. As with so many singers born in the New World, his first triumphs came to him in Italy. He was a born singer. He began as a choir boy in NewYork, passed thence into comic opera, then went abroad, translated his name into Italian, and, as "Edoardo di Giovanni," toured Europe for seven years. He created a number of important roles, including those in "II Tabarro" and "Gianni Schicchi," and he first introduced Wagnerian roles into a number of Italian cities. In July, 1920, King Victor Emanuel II conferred upon him the Cross of Officer of the Order of the Crown of Italy. Mr. Johnson's reappearance in the New World, last season with the Chicago Opera Company, was one of the events of the musical year. His voice is fine, fresh, powerful and with a certain quality altogether its own. KREISLER, FRITZ, Violinist, (Krice-Ier). Kreisler was born in 1875, the son of a distinguished physician and musical amateur. He was a healthy and sane boy, full of life, who at first thought nothing of his natural powers, and who would rather be a "trolley conductor" than a violinist. At the age of ten young Fritz won the first prize at the Vienna Conservatory; and in his twelfth year astonished the professors at the Conservatoire in Paris by winning the Prix de Rome, an unprecedented occurrence. As a boy prodigy, he toured America with Rosenthal, returning to Austria to enter other fields. Although during these four years he abandoned violin practice entirely, on his reappearance in 1899 his bow was as true and his technique as flawless as ever. Since then he had toured and concertized, interpreting in the terms of his own experience all that has come within the range of his genial, broad, and sympathetic mind. LASHANSKA, HULDA, Soprano (Lah-shanskah). Hulda Lashanska possesses that rare gift, a pure lyric soprano voice, developed to the utmost fluency by coloratura training. She is an American, born in New York City, and reared among surroundings conducive to her artistic development. At eighteen she was a pianist of enviable powers. Then her voice was discovered. She studied with Frieda Ashforth and with Marcella Sembrich, and was encouraged, in moments of self-doubt, by Sophie Braslau. She has appeared with practically every symphony organization of importance in the United States since her debut in New York under Walter Damrosch. She sings with rare evenness, self-possession, and with quite extraordinary beauty of tone. LAUDER, SIR HARRY, Comedian (Law-der). Sir Harry Lauder began life as a miner. He lightened the labors of his fellows by singing to them, at odd times, his now world-famous songs of humor and sentiment. He sought the musichalls of London; at first was received coldly, but in a short while was singing at three or four every night, being whirled from one to the other in taxicabs. It has been said of him that in national crises, he possibly did more than any single individual to raise the spirits of London; his appearance anywhere was the signal for laughter and cheers. The World War, which brought him the loss of his only son, brought also the honor of knighthood. LAZARO, HIPPOLITO, Tenor (Lah-thah-roh). This promising young tenor, who is a native of Spain, has made considerable success in Europe and South America, and recently appeared at the Metropolitan Opera House. However, it was not necessary to wait for his actual appearance here, as the Victor had already made some records of his voice. In the recording of this singer the Victor has followed its usual policy of endeavoring to exhibit the beauty of the voice rather than its extreme power, and the records are therefore doubly attractive ones. LEWIS, MARY, Soprano. Mary Lewis was born in Arkansas. Step-child of a Methodist minister, when eight years old she sang in the local choir. Ten years later she virtually "ran away" with a theatrical troupe that stranded on the Pacific Coast. She became a "bathing beauty," then a cabaret singer in Greenwich Village, then, by virtue of her unusual voice and beautiful presence, won first place in the "Follies." Her ambitions, however, were made of sterner stuff than so often goes to the uplifting of Follies celebrity, and she went abroad to study singing. She won a place in smaller operatic companies, then came back to America for a Metropolitan debut. Applauded, recognized and accepted, she there came into her true and high place among the singers of the New World. MACBETH, FLORENCE, Soprano. The King and Queen of England were in their box when little "Flossie" Macbeth of Mankato, Minnesota, aged nineteen, was making her debut in London. As a tribute the Queen threw her bouquet toward the stage and Florence Macbeth, who had played many a game of baseball with the boys back home, caught it and fame in a single night. Florence Macbeth, the American coloratura soprano, is known as the "Minnesota Nightingale." Many a critic has said of her, "Another Patti, flawless in tone from lower G to F sharp in alt." Miss Macbeth has a brilliant, clear, even range through three octaves. Her professional debut was made in Holland in 1912, followed by appearances in London, Dresden, Liverpool and Manchester. In 1914 Miss Macbeth joined the Chicago Opera Company forces and since that time has appeared with that Company and in concerts throughout America. MARTINELLI, GIOVANNI, Tenor. This brilliant singer has made a notable success at the Metropolitan, and is one of the best Italian tenors ever heard in America. He was born in Montagnana. His father, a cabinetmaker, was not able to give his son a musical education, but he managed to learn the clarinet and finally joined the regimental band, where the director discovered the young player's remarkable voice. He was sent to Professor Mandolini, and soon made iiis debut at the Dal Yerme as Ernani. A Covent Garden engagement soon followed, and as America eventually gets the best singers, Martinelli soon came to the Metropolitan. MASON, EDITH, Soprano. The soprano voice of Edith Mason, of the Chicago Civic Opera, has