YSAYE CODOWSKY- CERARDY CAMILLE DECREUS, Accompanist in a SERIES of WONDERFUL PROGRAMS IN

February 14. 1914 MUSICAL AMERICA 13 munings with nature and dread of public rhythm and harmonies. His "T),llen lionizing have made him a real hermit of synto" ("Origin of Fire") is a magnifi" MUSIc" OF SIBELIUS IN AMERICA the Arctic. He is considering making a cent ballad for orchestra, chorus and trip to this country but his fear of so solo. It bas a broad melodic structure ciety and the long journey may prevent it. and a sombre grandeur especially when Works of the Great Finn Have Obtained Firm Standing in This There is no doubt that this gifted com the chorus .and the orchestra melt into poser of the north has been greatly in one majestic mass of sound. Most of his Country-Altschuler . and Damrosch His Prophets-Contrast spired by his contemplation of nature but songs for solo voice require a too wide Between His Earlier and Later Compositions - His Own probably he has received the greatest im range or they are too monotonous to be petus of all in the appreciative encour effective with a large audience. Story of His Career-A True Poet of Nature agement of his countrymen, for in no Taneli Hurri, a noted Finnish baritone, country is a composer, singer or other who made a tour of this country, did not By IVAN NARODNY musician held in such high esteem by the include in his repertoire a single song by masses as in Finland. Music is the re Sibelius, simply because he did not find ligion .of the Finnish people, therefore them appealing enough to the Finns, who ROM the ranks of the more prominent "My first composition to be performed · Sibelius is th!!ir high-priest. were his hearers.. "Sibelius is too heavy F living composers whose works have was Variations . for String Quartet, The example d Sibelius has been far even in Finland in his songs," explained which was played in Helsingfors in 1887. reaching in and outside Finland upon the Mr. Hurri. Mme. Mieler-Narodny has gained an entree in New York concert It attracted considerable attention, which halls, Jean Sibelius occupies almost the younger . composers. Though there is been so far. the only successful interpre was a great encouragement for a begin much of Mongolian weirdness in his ter of Sibelius in the vocal field, and the foremost place, though he is not by any ner. In 1889 I left Finland to study in melodic form, yet he is not too exotic, too "Spring Song" and "But My Bird," etc., means a creator of sweet and popular Berlin. Prof. Albert Becker instructed me there in composition and it was there Oriental. He confesses to being a de are the gems of her Finnish repertoire. melodies, but rather of music that sounds that I started my bigger orchestral scendant of the Teutons and the Tar The songs· of Sibelius as wel,l as of all somewhat sombre and heavy. Modest tars. other Finnish composers, do not require works. In 1891 I went to Vienna and large volume of voice but very delicate Altschuler and Walter Damrosch, who ' Interpreting His Songs shadings and nuances of tone. have introduced him to this country, Sibelius's songs have been sung ' fre The secret of the success 'of Sibelius should feel well repaid for their efforts, quently during the present season in New in this country is the fact that he is a York, not only by Finnish singers, but man with an individual message who for not oniy. the music critics, but all the also by Americans. Like his orchestral stands close to the ideal of a high-minded intelligent concert habitues hav~ paid pa: creations they require a very exact in American. He is distinctly modern and ticular attention to the novelties of thIS terpretation in order to make the true has plenty of power, tenderness and unique northern composer. It seem~ rather impression upon an audience. Sibelius breadth, besides a touch of sentimentality, strange in an age when the publIc taste is very difficult in his piano accompani as was here and there so distinctly re is turned to ragtime tunes, daIl:ce ~h.emes, ments, mathematically exact in his vealed in his Second Symphony. etc., that the works of such an mdlvldu.al ist as Sibelius should attract such WIde attention. 'th New York audiences are famIlIar WI NEW EXEMPLAR OF AMERICAN TRAININO a number of Sibelius's best orche.stral works, but. his Second Symphony I~ D Major, which was performed Fnday Mabel Garrison Metropolitan's afternoon January 29, by the New York Full Native Coloratura of Symphony Orchestra at )Eolian Hall, gave a new impression of the c<;>mposer.'s Home Teaching peculiar genius. 9ne could dIscern m this piece a very dIfferent compos~r from To be the first wholly American the Sibelius of the present, espeCIally of trained, American-born' coloratura so the Fourth Symphony, which has aroused prano engaged for leading roles at the I so many controversies here and abroad. Metropolitan Opera House is of itself a There is a marked difference b~tw~en Sibelius thirteen years ago and Slbehus distinction, but to be at Qnce signed up now. Then the young. c<;>mposer w~s for a three years' contract, without even typically Finnish,.a patnotIc poet of h~s so much as a try-out in the big audi nation; to-day he IS the broad cosmopolI torium of the Metropolitan, or without a tan the world composer. One. m.ay call hi~ "impressionistic" or "fu.tur~stIc," but big European reputation is quite un he remains a true poet of hIS .t~me. The usual. However, when an interviewer greatest conductors and mUSICIans have from MUSICAL AMERICA approached compared him with W agner a~d. Be,; the door leading to Mrs. George Sie thoven Tschaikowsky and VerdI m hIS creativ'e potentiality. monn's apartment (for that is Mabel The Second Symphony, whIch I. had Garrison's name in private life), an never heard before, proved ex~eedmgly inkling of the reason for this rapid ad melodious, the least heavy o~ hIS larg.er vancement was given the visitor; for the orchestral works, and c~mt~med a. dIS tinct national element m ItS baSIS .of strains of the Johann Strauss's "Voce -di familiar Finnish folk themes. The PIC Primavera" waltz, sung with a bea-utifuJ ture that Sibelius paints in this symphony soprano, were wafted through the door, is a true phonetic landscape of ~m~and and later the o.wner of this voice was and reminds me vividly of the paI~tlI~gs found to be a young woman of decidedly of Munsterqjelm, the celabrated Fmmsh Jean Sibelius-Photographed Especially landscape painter of the last century, charming personality. whose masterpieces in the Mu:;eum ~f for "Musical America" "Do you know," said Miss Garrison, Mabel Garrison, American Coloratura, Abo still haunt me with theI: semI "I was extremely lucky in picking a arctic glamour. Just as.m~ch sttmm'U;?",g continued my studies with Karl Gold Engaged . for Metropolitan Opera as there was in the pamtmgs of Mun mark. I also studied a while with Albert musician for a husband, for most singers Company sterhjelm, there is in the Second Sym Fuchs. Those are in brief the principal have to employ an accompanist, and phony of Sibelius. facts of my musical career. have to limit their practice hours to "It pleases me greatly to be called an the time when the accompanist. can be the Aborn Opera Company, with whom Lover of Nature artist of nature, for nature has been present, but whenever I want to sing, I toured for two seasons, always con "It is true," Sibelius writes to me, "I truly the book of books for me. The my husband is always at my disposal to tinuing my studies with Mr. Saenger am a dreamer and poet of nature. I love voices of nature are the voices of God, accompany me. whenever I was near enough to New the mysterious sounds of the fields and and if an artist can give a mere echo of "We have the distinction of being the York to do so. forests, water and mountains.". them in his creations, he is fully re only two diploma graduates of Peabody "Finally, one day at Mr. Saenger's Since there have be.en publIs~ed. so warded for all his efforts." Institute in Baltimore who are married studio I was heard by Andres de Segu many contradictory stones about Sibehus to each other, although the courtship did rola, and he liked my singing so well . and his life, I asked him to give me the His Latest Works not begin while we were there. Ours that he introduced me to Signor Gatti true facts of it and the other day I re Sibelius's latest works llre. more fas was a church choir romance-Mr. Sie Casazza, who granted me a private hear ceived his reply. He writes: .' cinating than' those that have been per mann was organist, and 1 sang in the ing and immediately gave me a con "My fat~er was !I- s~rgeon of the rapk formed here. Nothing of his has been ·choir." tract. Only yesterday I signed f1 two of major m the Fmmsh army and dIed heard in America after his Fourth Sym As to the details of her career, Miss and one-half years' contract with R. E. when I was very young. I was .educated phony, though the fact is that he has Garrison related: "My first teacher was Johnston, the manager, for concert work by my gr~ndmothe~, who insisted upon written eight huge works since that.

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