Boston Symphony Orchestra Concert Programs, Season 35,1915-1916, Trip
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SANDERS THEATRE . CAMBRIDGE HARVARD UNIVERSITY ^\^><i Thirty-fifth Season, 1915-1916 Dr. KARL MUCK, Conductor ITTr WITH HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE NOTES BY PHILIP HALE THURSDAY EVENING, MARCH 23 AT 8.00 COPYRIGHT, 1916, BY C. A. ELLIS PUBLISHED BY C. A. ELLIS, MANAGER 1 €$ Yes, It's a Steinway ISN'T there supreme satisfaction in being able to say that of the piano in your home? Would you have the same feeling about any other piano? " It's a Steinway." Nothing more need be said. Everybody knows you have chosen wisely; you have given to your home the very best that money can buy. You will never even think of changing this piano for any other. As the years go by the words "It's a Steinway" will mean more and more to I you. and thousands of times, as you continue to enjoy through life the com- panionship of that noble instrument, absolutely without a peer, you will say to yourself: "How glad I am I paid the few extra dollars and got a Steinway." pw=a I»3 ^a STEINWAY HALL 107-109 East 14th Street, New York Subway Express Station at the Door Represented by the Foremost Dealers Everywhere Thirty-fifth Season, 1915-1916 Dr. KARL MUCK, Conductor Violins. Witek, A. Roth, O. Hoffmann, J. Rissland, K. Concert-master. Koessler, M. Schmidt, E. Theodorowicz, J. Noack, S. Mahn, F. Bak, A. Traupe, W. Goldstein, H. Tak, E. Ribarsch, A. Baraniecki, A. Sauvlet. H. Habenicht, W. Fiedler, B. Berger, H. Goldstein, S. Fiumara, P. Spoor, S. Sulzen, H. Fiedler, A. Griinberg, M. Pinfield, C. Gerardi, A. Kurth, R. Gunderson, R. Gewirtz J Violas. Ferir, E. Werner, H. Gietzen, A, v.Veen, H. Wittmann, F. Schwerley, P. Berlin, W. Kautzenbach, W. Van Wynbergen, C. Blumenau, W. Violoncellos. Warnke, H. Keller, J. Barth, C. Belinski, M. Steinke, B. Malkin, J. Nagel, R. Nast, L. Folgmann, E. Warnke, J. Basses. Kunze, M. Agnesy, K. Seydel, T. Ludwig, O. Gerhardt, G. Jaeger, A. Huber, E. Schurig, R. Flutes. Oboes. Clarinets. Bassoons. Maquarre, A. Longy, G. Sand, A. Sadony, P. Brooke, A. Lenom, C. Mimart, P. Mueller, E. de Mailly, C. Stanislaus, H. Vannini, A. Fuhrmann, M. Battles, A. English Horn. Bass Clarinet. Contra-Bassoon. Mueller, F. Stumpf , K. Mosbach, J. Horns. Horns. Trumpets. Trombones. Wendler, G. Jaenicke, B. Heim, G. Alloo, M. Lorbeer, H. Miersch, E. Mann, J. Belgiorno, S. Hain, F. Hess, M. Nappi, G. Mausebach, A. Rescn, A. Htibner, E. Kloepfel, L. Kenfield, L. Tuba. Harps. Tympani. Percussion. Mattersteig, P. Holy, A. Neumann, S. Zahn, F. Gardner, C. Cella, T. Kandler, F. Burkhardt, H. Organ. Librarian. Assistant Librarian. Marshall, J. P. Sauerquell, J. Rogers, L. J, 3 ™^^ 1 An Artistic The Artigraphic Chickering Grand is presented as the one player-piano that can faithfully reproduce the fine phrasing, touch, exquisite tone production and tone coloring of such masterly pianists as Hambourg, Busoni, Bauer, Godowsky and others without the aid of buttons, levers or expression- devices of any nature. €J The Artigraphic Grand, architecturally and in size, is an exact duplicate of the beautiful Chickering Grand. Its player-control when not in use is effectively lost from view beneath the instrument, so that the Artigraphic, excepjt to the initiated, is played upon and viewed as a magnificent Chickering Grand Pianoforte. N 1^ We are producing a limited number of Arti- graphic Chickering Grands at $1750 for persons of culture and refinement who appreciate the finer elements of beauty in music and in piano- fortes. We shall be very happy to demonstrate the Artigraphic either at our warerooms or in the homes of those who are genuinely interested. Charge Accounts Invited CHICKERING WAREROOMS 1 fT) TREMONT STREET At the Sign of the Clock -- U ' Between Mason & West Sts. Edison Diamond Disc Phonographs, Victor-Vidrolas and Records, Rythmodi\ Music Rolls inn SANDERS THEATRE .... CAMBRIDGE HARVARD UNIVERSITY Thirty-fifth Season, 1915-1916 Dr. KARL MUCK. Conductor SEVENTH CONCERT THURSDAY EVENING, MARCH 23 AT 8.00 PROGRAMME Tschaikowsky Symphony No. 4, F minor, Op. 36 I. Andante sostenuto; moderato con anima in movimento di valse. II. Andantino in modo di canzona. III. Scherzo; Pizzicato ostinato: Allegro. IV. Finale: Allegro con fuoco. MacDowell Concerto for Pianoforte, No. 2, D minor, Op. 23 I. Larghetto calmato. II. Presto giocoso. III. Largo; Molto allegro. Dvorak Dramatic Overture, "Husitska," Op*. 67 SOLOIST Miss ALICE ELDRIDGE STEINWAY PIANO USED There will be an intermission of ten minutes after the symphony 5 . ,- . ii, I—^—H—^—^M^^MM Symphony in F minor, No. 4, Op. 36 . Peter Tschaikowsky (Born at Votkinsk, in the government of Viatka, Russia, May 7, 1840; died at Petrograd, November 6, 1893.) Tschaikowsky composed this symphony during the winter of 1877-78, and lost interest in an opera, " Othello," for which a libretto at his own wish had been drafted by Stassoff. The first draft was finished in May, 1877. He began the instrumentation on August 23 of that year, and finished the first movement September 24. He began work again toward the end of November. The Andantino was finished on De- cember 27, the Scherzo on January 1, 1878, and the Finale on January 7, 1878. The first performance was at a symphony concert of the Russian Musical Society, Moscow, February 22, 1878. Nicholas Rubinstein conducted. The first performance in the United States was at a concert of the Symphony Society at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, February 1, 1890, Mr. Walter Damrosch conductor. The Andantino and the Scherzo were played in Boston for the first time at a Symphony Concert, October 18, 1890. Mr. Nikisch con- ducted. They were played here at an extra concert of the Symphony Orchestra, March 2, 1892. The first performance in Boston of the whole symphony was by the New York Symphony Orchestra, Mr. Walter Damrosch conductor, at the Tremont Theatre, April 20, 1893. The first performance of the whole symphony at a concert of the Boston Symphony Orchestra was on November 28, 1896, Mr. Paur conductor. The Symphony was played at concerts of the Boston Symphony Or- chestra in Boston, March 26, 1904, October 21, 1905, October 16, 1909, February 10, 1912, February 14, 1914. The dedication of this symphony is as follows: "A mon meilleur ami" ("To my best friend"), and thereby hangs a tale. This best friend was the widow Nadejda Filaretovna von Meek. Her maiden name was Frolowsky, and she was born in the village Snamensk, government of Smolensk, February 10, 1831. She married in 1848 an engineer, and for some years she knew poverty. Her courage did not give way; she was a helpmeet for her husband, who finally became famous and successful. In 1876 her husband died, and she was left with eleven children and a fortune of "many millions of rubles." She dwelt at Moscow. Fond of music, she admired beyond measure certain works by Tschaikowsky, and she inquired curiously concern- ing his character as a man and about his worldly circumstances. She became acquainted with Kotek,* a pupil of Tschaikowsky in compo- * Joseph Kotek, violinist, teacher, and composer for violin, was born at Kamenez-Podolsk, in the govern- ment of Podalia, October 25, 1855. He died at Davos, January 4, 1885. He studied at the Moscow Con- servatory and afterward with Joachim. In 1882 he was appointed a teacher at the Royal High School for Music, Berlin. As a violinist, he was accurate, skilful, unemotional. Tschaikowsky was deeply attached to him. 6 sition, and through him she gave Tschaikowsky commissions for tran- scriptions for violin and pianoforte of some of his works. There was an interchange of letters. In the early summer of 1877 she learned that he was in debt, and she sent him three thousand rubles; and in the fall of the same year she determined to give him yearly the sum of six thousand rubles, that he might compose free from pecuniary care and vexation. She insisted that they should never meet. They never spoke together; but their letters to each other were frequent and intimate. Tschaikowsky poured out his soul to this woman, who is described by his brother Modest as proud and energetic, with deep- rooted principles, with the independence of a man; a woman that held in disdain all that was petty and conventional, and was pure in thought and action; a woman that was compassionate, but not sentimental.* The composer wrote to her May 13, 1877, that he purposed to dedi- cate this symphony to her. "I believe that you will find in it echoes of your deepest thoughts and feelings. At this moment any other work would be odious to me; I speak only of work that presupposes the existence of a determined 'mood. Added to this I am in a very nervous, worried, and irritable state, highly unfavorable to composi- tion, and even my symphony suffers in consequence." In August, 1877, writing to her, he referred to the symphony as "yours." "I , hope it will please you, for that is the main thing." He wrote August 24 from Kamenka: "The 'first movement has cost me much trouble in scoring it. It is very complicated and long; but it seems to me it is also the most important. The other movements are simple, and it will be fun to score ;them. There will be a new effect of sound in the Scherzo, and I expect much from it. At first the strings play alone and pizzicato throughout. In the Trio the wood-wind instru- ments enter and play alone. At the end all three choirs toss short phrases to each other. I believe that the effects of sound and color will be most interesting." He wrote to her in December from Venice that he was hard at work on the instrumentation: "No one of my orchestral pieces has cost me so much labor, but on no one have I worked with so much love and with such devotion.