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May 1, 1915 M USICAL AMERICA 9 witch was taken by Reiss and that of lfOW JOHN POWELL OVERCAME PARENTAL Peter by Goritz. Lila Robeson, Sophie Braslau and Mabel Garrison were, re­ spectively, the Mothe1·, the Sandman and OBJECTION TO ENTER/NO MUSICAL CAREER tne Dewman. Richard Hageman con- ducted. G. C. T. Young Virginia Composer and Pianist Tells of Unique Masquerades Caroline Hudson-Alexander Honored by that Convinced P rotesting Father that His Natural Gifts Entitled Fellow Artist in Boston BOSTON, April 17.-Bertha Barnes, the Him to a P rofessional Life- Fresh Air Needed in the Artistic Boston mezzo-soprano, was hostess on World Wednesday afternoon at a "tea with music" in her studio at the Pierce Build­ "Y OU surely aren't going to make . "Hearing my praises sung as I had ing, in honor of Caroline Hudson-Alex­ a musician of th:,1t boy?" set my mind to work. I would be a ander, the New York soprano. Mr. and Mrs. Alexander were in town attending "Sir, God has done that already." professional musician. But how to con­ quer my parents? I thought of every the centennial celebration of the Handel The speakers were a citizen of Rich­ possible way, and finally decided upon and Haydn Society, in which Mrs. Alex­ mond, Virginia, and the mother of John an extreme means. My :rather ran a ander participated as soloist in Horatio Powell, the Southern pianist. The time boarding-school for girls. All the little Parker's "Morven and the Grail," com­ posed specially for the centennial. At was almost twenty years ago. In the girls of my acquaintance were among his pupils with the exception of one. He the tea on Wednesday a short musical South, at that period, however, no gen­ could not quite understand this, and program was furnished by Ethel tleman born remained at that elevation sometimes mentioned the fact. The Franck, soprano; Edna Seidhoff, pianist, if he became a professional musician. little girl's mother was a young widow. and the hostess. A distinguished list of Bostonian musicians was in attendance, There were only two vocations of Satan­ "With my plans well laid, I forced the little daughter to enter my con­ including Grace Bonner Williams, Har­ istic quality beyond this: life upon the spiracy; I 'dressed up' in her parent's riot Eudora Barrows, sopranos; Helen stage, or that of keeping a bar. To 'weeds' and called upon my unsuspecting Allen Hunt, mezzo-contralto; Willard overcome all parental objections, also father. He received me kindly, and we Flint, William Gustafson, bassos; Theo­ this greatest of publicly agreed mortal made arrangements for 'my daughter's' dore Schroeder, baritone; Arthur Foote education. As I was being ushered out and Benjamin Whelpley, composers. sins, this same John Powell had to resort by him, I pulled up my skirts, showing to extreme means." my short trousers, and threw my arms John Powell, a Virginian Who Has Car­ Jenny Dufau to Sing for Benefit of "Besides having been already created about his neck! He was stunned, and ried the Gospel of Music to the Lead­ Countrymen a musician (according to my mother), acknowledged that I had talent for act­ ing Music Centers Abroad by God, I had ·been given an equally ing. The Alliance Franr,;aise, of Chicago, strong gift for acting," said Mr. Powell. "Then I became serious, and told him has arranged a special benefit concert "From my earliest years, I took the that I had greater possibilities, I was and Joseph Conrad helped to promote with Jenny· Dufau as the leading fea­ greatest delight in donning costumes or sure, as a pianist, and that he might the first meeting in Queens Hall. It ture. The concert will be given May 2 disguises fooling my relatives and choose the lesser of the two evils. Well, speaks peculiarly for the English press at the Blackstone Theater. Miss Dufau friends or playing mischievous tricks. of course it ended in my being placed to say that they were all excitement will sing an aria from "Hamlet" and a As I grew older this imitative instinct under the best master in Richmond, at over the project until they found that group of French songs not heretofore took hold of me to what my mother and that time F . C. Hahr. And I had to its aim was to promote and inspire a heard in America. A long list of pa­ father, especially my father, considered promise that I would go for at least cleaner existence in all fields of art. tronesses is announced, and, while there an alarming degree. The climax to all two years to college, which I did, re­ Then they lost interest! The Fresh Air have been benefits arranged in Chicago my 'monkey shines' came about in this ceiving my B. A. in that time. Art Society has a branch in Paris, and for the Belgians and other war victims, way. The culmination was t he begin­ "J. suspect my father hoped I would one in Berlin. We are hoping to soon tliis is the first charity concert to be ning of my musical career. lose all my 'nonsensical' musical establish another section here in New given in Chicago since the opening of "There lived in Richmond a maiden ideas at college! Later the barrier of York." the European war, to aid the needy in lady who kept a boarding h-ouse. One precedent and tradition was so mu" Mr. Powell's reputation abroad is one war-ridden France. night there called upon her a foreign tilated that I was sent abroad to Berlin. of distinction. He has appeared in the gentleman, in quiet attire, be-whiskered One fact I will ever be grateful for­ leading music-centers both as pianist and and mustached. He inquired, much that is, that my father insisted upon composer. Among his important works York Male Chorus in Annual Concert hampered by a foreign accent, for suit­ a thorough college co urse for me. If are a Violin Concerto, dedicated to his friend Efrem Zimbalist, which Mr. Zim­ YORK, PA. , April 19.-The seventh an­ able apartmentlil. The accent attracted many of the beginners would remember nual concert of the Y. M. C. A. Male the attention of the boarders and they that music alone does not spell success, balist introduced to New York music­ lovers at a special orchestral recital at Chorus last Thursday evening proved lingered behind doors and portieres to there would be less failure. The mind to be one of the important local musical know his message. He also inquired into must be developed along many lines! Carnegie Hall seve~:al winters ago, a Piano Sonata, which Mr. Powell has events of the season. A large and enthu­ the musical atmosphere of the commun­ How can a man expect to be a really siastic audience was in attendance. A ity. Miss Nannie quite overcome by the fine musician without being a fine man? played abroad with no little success and a "Sonata Virginiaesque" for violin and pleasing program was given under the eloquent presence before her, told of one The Fresh Air Art Society · direction of Urban H. Hershey, conduc­ John Powell. I learned from her lips piano, which David and Clara Mannes have played in their sonata programs tor of the chorus. Charles F. Henry, what a musical genius this boy was con­ "This leads me to tell you of the tenor soloist of Baltimore, assisted the sidered by the natives: It was a de­ Fresh Air Art Society which, though in this country. A VERY STRAKOSCH. chorus. The soloists included A. T. lightful surprise, and I returned the still in its infancy, I believe, with many Scarborough, tenor; John H. Eyster and compliment by announcing the presence others, will do a great deal of needed William H. Huntsman, Jr., bass. of this young Mozart, removing the good in the artistic world, the world of G. A. Q. mou tache and whiskers. Through the allied arts. Life in all its phases is of Herbert Fryer Charms His Brooklyn kindness of the inmates of Miss Nannie's fundamental importance. Now, until Hearers in Recital Fryer Recital for Barnard Club e tablishment, she became quite the joke the last few years the artistic atmos­ The English pianist, Herbert Fryer, of the town. She really had been taken phere has resembled a room with the was heard at the music hall of t he The Barnard Club of ew York City, in! The news reached my father's e,ars, windows closed, the air malodorous. Academy of Music, Brooklyn in a recital Walter L. Bogert, chairman of the music and I completed a session with him, Now, the windows are being opened, the on April 12, assisted by Robert Maitland, committee, presented Herbert Fryer, receiving the ultimatum which forbade fresh air, full of health and reason, baritone. As a first appearance for the ' pianist,. in the following program at Car­ any more 'acting'. · In despair, as I was is circulating rapidly in the world of pianist it is to be chronicled that he jus­ negie Hall on the evenjng of April 15: leavin~r the room I said, 'Well, father, allied arts, music, painting and litera­ tified the intetest of a large attendance "Moonlight" Sonata, Adagio sostenuto, if I could fool even you, then might I ture. This Society had its birth in Lon­ of Brooklyn Institute subscribers. Schu­ Allegretto, Presto agitate, Beethoven; act'? don. Such people as Warrington Dorson mann's "Etudes Symphoniques," Op. 17, Prelude, Chorale and Fugue, Cesar displayed the artist's technic, as to a still Franck; Three Preludes, Op.

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