USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Boston > Fifty years of Boston; a memorial volume issued in commemoration of the tercentenary of 1930; 1880-1930, Pt. 1 > Part 41
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Mr. Henschel was succeeded by William Gericke, one of the conductors of the Vienna Opera and of the concerts of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde. A fine musician, trained in the strictest Vienna school, and by nature very conservative, he gave his best efforts to the rebuilding and development of the orchestra. The second year he replaced some of the older members by twenty younger men from Europe, among whom were Franz Kneisel, Alwin Schroeder, Louis Svecenski and some excellent wind players, mostly French- men. Soon the orchestra acquired a precision, a balance and beauty of tone and a euphony which under many succeeding conductors it has never lost. Mr. Gericke also took a genuine interest in the work of American composers, especially the Boston group. His wise criticisms, founded on his great prac- tical knowledge, were of the greatest value to them. When he performed their works he took the utmost pains to make them as effective as possible. He did not follow the principle that "anything is good enough to try once," but played some of them repeatedly. Several of these works have been added to the permanent repertory of the orchestra.
Mr. Gericke was succeeded by Arthur Nikisch, then about forty years of age. He inherited from Mr. Gericke a perfect instrument on which he could play, and almost improvise, to his heart's content. His was an ardent tem- perament and a striking personality. His performances of the classics were sometimes criticized for lack of repose and dignity and for a superfluity of his
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own temperament, but in romantic and dramatic music he was unsurpassed, either before or since. Evidently he was destined for the pre-eminent position as a conductor which he afterwards achieved. It was his custom to rehearse new works before announcing them for performance. This was an inestimable advantage to Boston composers, since it gave them an opportunity to make improvements in their scores before they came to a final performance. It was during Nikisch's term of service that Paderewski made his first appearance in Boston, playing his own concerto in A minor. His success was sensational. Also Mme. Melba, most perfect of singers, sang with the orchestra. Nikisch resigned before his contract was concluded to become director of the opera in Budapest.
Emil Paur had succeeded Nikisch as conductor of the Leipzig Stadttheater, and now followed him again as conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He was a typical German "kapellmeister," rather heavy-handed in some things, but in the symphonic poems of Richard Strauss and other works of a Teutonic character he was very vigorous and impressive.
At the end of Mr. Paur's term Mr. Higginson called a meeting of certain prominent musical people of Boston. He told them that he had engaged Hans Richter, but Richter declined to carry out his contract. The position was offered to Theodore Thomas, who would have liked to come. However, he could not desert his own orchestra, which had been loyal to him for so many years. Mr. Higginson wanted advice, and several suggestions were made. A few days later it was announced that Gericke had been re-engaged. No wiser choice could have been made. Mr. Gericke remained as conductor of the Symphony Orchestra until 1906. He brought his orchestra to the highest degree of perfection, and he gradually came to recognize the interest and value of modern compositions. His program became somewhat less rigidly classical and his conducting gained a new freedom and elasticity without sacrificing any of the precision and tone quality for which he was so famous.
Mr. Gericke was succeeded, after much parleying with the Berlin authori- ties, by Dr. Karl Muck, the Hofcapellineister of the Berlin Opera House. As a conductor Doctor Muck united qualities not always found in any one con- ductor. A strict disciplinarian, he demanded from himself more arduous labor than from any member of his orchestra. While achieving the utmost clarity and perfection of detail he brought breadth and sweep to the composition as a whole. He made the classics, especially Bach and Beethoven, things of con- vincing beauty. In his hands Bruckner and Brahms attained a new meaning; and his long experience in the Berlin Opera House made him an unsurpassed Wagnerian conductor. To the moderns, Tschaikowsky and Richard Strauss, he gave a fiery impetus and an elasticity entirely in sympathy with the modern spirit. To the American composers he was not often flattering except by the repeated performances of their works, not only in Boston but in other cities. Young players from the New England Conservatory of Music and others were given a chance to play under him. Some of them are still members of the orchestra. To young artists he was invariably kind and considerate. Society functions he abhorred, and was not easily dragged away from his studies to take part in them. Perhaps he would have been treated with more charity during the trying years of the war if he had been a little more amenable in this respect.
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When Doctor Muck was engaged in 1906, it was understood that it was by special permission of the German Emperor, who thus showed his interest in Harvard University and in Mr. Higginson's enterprise. When after two years Doctor Muck was recalled to Berlin, he was succeeded by Max Fiedler. Mr. Fiedler was an excellent musician and composer, who had made a consider- able reputation in Germany as a concert conductor. He was not the strict disciplinarian that Doctor Muck had been, but he had a certain geniality which made him popular with the audience. His programs were composed of both classical and modern music, with a fair proportion of each.
Doctor Muck returned to Boston in 1912. If he could have foreseen the events of the next five years, it is doubtful whether he would have accepted the position. This is not the proper place to recount the vicissitudes of the Boston Symphony Orchestra during the Great War. From the beginning the general atmosphere of the Symphony Concerts had been German. No musician other than a German or Austrian had ever been considered as a conductor for the orchestra. Very rarely had composers conducted their own works; Richard Strauss and Vincent d'Indy were the exceptions. All at once came a change. Every one with a German name was regarded with suspicion. Members of the orchestra who were of German birth found themselves under surveillance as "alien enemies." Some superpatriotic women even insisted that Wagner's music should not be performed at the Symphony Concerts. The concerts of the orchestra outside of Boston were much interfered with. Eventually many members resigned and joined the Musicians' Union. On his return to Europe in 1908 Doctor Muck had been appointed General Music Director, a post not previously held except by Meyerbeer and Spontini, and automatically this carried with it a high rank in the German army. Doctor Muck was a personal friend of the Emperor. He was intimate with the German professors at Harvard and with prominent German residents, some of whom were suspected of being not too sympathetic with the Allied cause. His very footsteps were dogged by self-appointed secret service amateurs. The most outrageous rumors were circulated about him. On the eve of a performance of Bach's Passion Music, which he had taken the greatest pains to prepare, he was arrested and sent to jail. At his trial nothing seditious was proved against him, but he was interned at Fort Oglethorpe, where he remained until the end of the war.
Then came M. Henri Rabaud of Paris, the first non-German to hold the position of conductor. He was one of the most eminent of French composers and musicians. An amiable gentlemen, unpretentious as a conductor, he took the orchestra as he found it; gave interesting programs of modern, especially French, composers; and left it none the worse.
Rabaud was succeeded by Pierre Monteux. An excellent violinist and thorough musician, he had been one of the conductors of the Metropolitan Opera in New York. His was not an easy task. A strong disloyal element in the orchestra wished to unionize it. This did not and could not succeed as long as Mr. Higginson was its sustainer, but it necessitated a practical reorgani- zation of the orchestra with many new players, some not too experienced. For this task M. Monteux was exactly the right man. Under his rigorous discipline the orchestra gained in precision, in euphony and elasticity. It became acquainted with Stravinsky and many others of the modern French and
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Russian schools. With American compositions Monteux took the greatest pains. American composers have to thank him for many fine performances.
In 1926 Monteux was succeeded by Serge Koussevitzky. A famous virtuoso of the contrabass, he organized an orchestra with which he gave many concerts of modern music in Europe, especially in Paris, where he spends most of his time between the seasons of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. As conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, his fascinating personality and dynamic force make him an interesting figure to the public. He is an enthusiastic protagonist of modern music, and in the works of Stravinsky, Tschaikowsky and Debussy he often rises to great heights. To the younger generation of American composers (not neglecting the "elder statesmen") Mr. Koussevitzky has been very generous, playing their works repeatedly both in Boston and in other cities. He has solved the problem of choral per- formances at the Boston Symphony Orchestra concerts by annexing the Har- vard Glee Club and the Radcliffe Choral Society. With these forces he gave in 1929 a Beethoven Centenary Festival which included the Ninth Symphony and in 1930 a Brahms Festival which included the Requiem as well as all four symphonies.
For the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the orchestra Sir George Henschel came to Boston and conducted the first con- cert of the season. The program was the same as that of the first concert given in 1881, except for one number. Many eminent modern composers have been commissioned to compose works for this anniversary year.
Each year at the end of the regular Symphony season the orchestra, some- what reduced, continues at once with ten weeks of concerts in the same hall at moderate prices,- the so-called "Pop" concerts. The programs are of com- positions by the best popular composers (Herbert, Suppé, Johann Strauss, etc.), with many selections from the regular Symphony repertory. These are now succeeded by four weeks of free concerts, given on the Charles River Esplanade, which are attended by thousands of people. They are conducted by Mr. Arthur Fiedler, and the expenses are paid by a few public-spirited citizens.
Thus has Mr. Higginson's vision been made a reality. He builded better than he knew, for the influence of his example has established symphony orches- tras and brought music to the people all over our Republic. It is commonly conceded that the great symphony orchestras of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago have no superiors in Europe. Even smaller cities like Bangor, New Haven, Syracuse, Denver, Seattle and Portland, Oregon, now have orches- tras, some of which are self-supporting or nearly so. It is significant to note that many of them are conducted by young musicians born and trained in the United States.
OTHER ORCHESTRAS
While the Symphony Orchestra has dominated the musical world of Boston for fifty years, other orchestras have arisen from time to time, supplementing its activities either by rendering music of somewhat lighter character or by reaching audiences of more moderate means. Among these was the Boston Orchestral Club, an association of amateur orchestral players having fifty or
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sixty members, which was formed under the direction of Bernhard Listemann. This organization gave orchestral concerts from time to tiine, the missing wind parts being supplied from the Boston Syinphony Orchestra. It was supported by subscriptions, largely among society people. In 1888 the present writer became the conductor. Somewhat more rigid discipline was enforced and more pretentious programs were performed. A chorus was formed and such works as Bruch's "Fair Ellen," Rubinstein's "Chorus from the Tower of Babel," Gounod's "Philémon et Baucis" were given. After 1893 the subscriptions fell off, interest languished, and the club was discontinued. Later a series of "Novelty" concerts were given in Chickering Hall by B. J. Lang with members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The avowed object of these concerts was to make the musical public acquainted with modern music which had not been performed at the Symphony Concerts. After a time the Sym- phony players were forbidden to take part in the concerts and they were discontinued, but they were extremely interesting while they lasted.
The People's Symphony Orchestra, a co-operative organization of musicians outside of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, was a sort of successor to the Boston Festival Orchestra, which for many years had played for the various choral festivals that at one time flourished in the Eastern States. The first conductor was Emil Mollenhauer; after him came Stuart Mason and Theodore Wendt. The present conductor is Thompson Stone. The laudable purpose of this orchestra is to give symphony concerts for a class of music-lovers who cannot attend those of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. They have only a modest financial backing, and though the concerts, now given in Jordan Hall, are well attended, the income is not sufficient to give the players more than a small return for their self-sacrificing services. A small fraction of the money contributed to the deficit of the Boston Symphony Orchestra would be sufficient to support this worthy enterprise.
OPERA
Theodore Thomas made his first appearance in Boston in 1859. It was as a skater on the swamp which was then the Public Garden .* When not thus occupied, he played as concert-master in the opera orchestra conducted by Carl Anschütz at the Howard Athenaeum. Sometimes, in the absence of the conductor, he took charge himself. He was nineteen years old. Did he have a vision of the magnificent service he was to render Boston in the future in the long series of concerts with his "unrivaled" orchestra?
The Howard Athenaeum, a sanctimonious-looking edifice built for the "Millerite" sect, was the home of opera in Boston until the Boston Theater was built. The opening of that "large and sumptuous" theater gave great impetus to opera in Boston, and every year, and sometimes oftener, came visiting Italian, German and English companies, directed by Maretzek, Strakosch and Mapleson respectively, and including the greatest singers of their time. Among them were Mme. Parepa-Rosa, Christine Nilsson, Mme. Albani and Pauline Lucca; the contraltos, Annie Louise Cary and Adelaide Phillips; the
* As told to the writer by Mr. Thomas.
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tenors, Campanini, C'apoul and Mario; the bassos, Maurel, Campanari and others. The first performance of Verdi's "Aïda" in Boston was given with a cast consisting of Ilma de Murska, Annie Cary, Campanini, and others. Walter Damrosch conducted a performance of "Tannhäuser" shortly after the death of his father; this was his first appearance as an operatic conductor. It was almost an omen of his long and brilliant career, successfully accom- plished under trying circumstances.
Up to 1909 Boston had never had an opera of its own. Plans for such an organization had been discussed many times, but they never produced any permanent result. Opera in Boston remained a beautiful but costly exotic. In 1907 a small but efficient company directed by Henry Russell gave perform- ances of the operas of Puccini and others in the Park Theater, which were so successful that the project of a permanent opera was again discussed. In 1908 the company again gave performances, this time in the Majestic Theater. Meanwhile Mr. Russell succeeded in interesting many prominent citizens in the enterprise, with the result that Mr. Eben D. Jordan erected a beautiful opera house at his own expense. A company of some seven hundred stock- holders was formed, with a managing directorship of fifteen members. Forty- six boxes were sold with a guarantee for three years. There was much enthusi- asm among the general public and the tickets were liberally subscribed for. The price of the best seats was $3, descending to 75 cents for those in the gallery. Mr. Russell assembled a good company, conducted by Arnaldo Conti and Wallace Goodrich. The business managership was at first in the hands of Mr. Ralph L. Flanders, who was later succeeded by Mr. W. A. MacDonald. All the scenery, costumes and properties were new; the orchestra was recruited from the best local players, with additions from New York and other places. An arrangement was made with the Metropolitan Opera Company by which the principal singers were to sing at guest performances. The repertory included many of the older Italian favorites and more modern ones by Puccini, Delibes, etc. Nothing by Wagner was announced for the first season, all the operas being given in Italian or French.
The new Opera House was dedicated with a brilliant performance of "La Gioconda" on November 8, 1909, with Mme. Nordica and Mme. Homer (both of whom had studied music in Boston) in the cast. Succeeding perform- ances of "Lakiné" and of "Aïda" and other operas by Verdi were effective and interesting under the skillful stage management of Mr. Menotti. The whole of the first season was decidedly successful. But after a while the repertory of works by Verdi and Donizetti became monotonous and the stock- holders' tickets became a drug in the market. Although the principal singers, Nielson, Lipkowska, Constantino, Baklanoff and Blanchart, were all excellent in their way, they were not stars of the first magnitude, and in spite of the very reasonable prices such luminaries were demanded by the more influential society people who occupied the boxes and orchestra. In the spring of 1910 the opera suffered somewhat from the competition of the New York Metro- politan Company, which gave two weeks of German opera at the Boston Theater, presenting "Tristan," "Parsifal," "Meistersinger" and other Wagnerian operas, under the direction of Gustav Mahler. The next season
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SINGERS IN INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL
LEFT TO RIGHT - LITHUANIAN, ITALIAN. SWEDISH, POLISH, GERMAN (See Page 334) (Courtesy of Community Service of Boston and Women's Municipal League)
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brought some changes. New singers from Europe were added to the company. The prices were advanced to $5 for the orchestra seats and proportionately for those upstairs. The subscriptions fell off accordingly. The outstanding event was the production of Frederick Converse's "Pipe of Desire" and after- wards of "The Sacrifice," both sung in English. The financial result of the season was a deficit of $130,000, which Mr. Jordan paid.
The season of 1910-11 began with the production of St. Saëns' "Samson and Delilah," very elaborately staged, with Mme. Homer in the role of Delilah. It was succeeded, in turn, by Debussy's "Pelleas and Mélisande," with Mme. Maeterlinck in the principal rôle in the first performance, and later by "Louise" and by "Hänsel and Gretel." Mr. André Caplet and Mr. Felix Weingartner were engaged as conductors. Mr. Goodrich resigned at the close of the season. The deficit was still greater than in 1910, but as before was made up by Mr. Jordan. There was much criticism of the business management and some of the "walk and conversation" of the company. In 1911-12 Mr. Weingartner returned to conduct "Tristan," "Don Giovanni" and some concerts. Josef Urban was engaged as general stage director. Wolf-Ferrari's "Jewels of the Madonna" and "Secret of Susanne" and Louis Aubert's "La Forêt Bleue" were added to the repertory. The company inade some trips to New England cities and to Montreal. But public interest was waning. There was a con- tinually increasing deficit, most of which fell on Mr. Jordan's shoulders. It was evident that Boston could not, or would not, support a permanent opera under the "star" system. At the end of the season the company was disbanded and the Boston Opera Company came to an end. After Mr. Jordan's death in 1916 the Opera House, with all the scenery, costumes, properties and orchestral library, was sold. It was a pity, but inevitable under the circumstances.
In 1917 the Chicago Civic Opera Company gave performances for two weeks in the Opera House. These Chicagoans awakened so much interest that in 1919 they returned with an even better company. A sufficient guarantee fund was raised to provide for the deficit, the guarantors being given preference in the choice of seats. The company now come to Boston for a two-weeks' season every year. The number of guarantors has grown so much that indi- viduals are called upon for a very slight amount of money. The performances under the direction of Signor Polacco are the great social-musical event of the season, and the arrangement would seem to be a permanent one if the perform- ances continue to be satisfactory as at present.
CHAMBER MUSIC IN BOSTON
Chamber music has not been neglected in Boston. Records of the Harvard Musical Association show that concerts of chamber music, trios and string quartets were given under their auspices in Chickering's rooms as early as November, 1844.
With the organization of the Mendelssohn Quintet Club by Mr. Thomas Ryan and four members of the Germania Orchestra, a regular series was given. This quartet also traveled about, giving concerts in the smaller towns, and did much to improve tlie general musical taste. Many concerts of chamber music were given by Mr. Lang, Mr. Dresel, Mr. Perabo and Mr. Foote. In the early
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70's the Euterpe Society was formed by a group of music lovers. At first it was partially a society affair with meetings at private houses, but it soon developed into a regular series of public concerts at which the classical string quartets and some modern works were performed. The players were four excellent artists from the Harvard Orchestra, who took much pride in their work and gave excellent performances. These concerts were continued until 1884, when they were superseded by those of the newly formed Kneisel Quartet.
In 1885 several of the original members had retired from the Symphony Orchestra. Their places had been filled by excellent musicians from Europe, among them Franz Kneisel, who became the concert master, Georges Longy, the eminent oboe virtuoso, Timothée and Joseph Adamowski, Gustav Strube and others. These men exerted a great influence on music in Boston, and eventually on the whole country. They remained herc and some of their descendants now take an active part in our musical life. In 1886 the Kneisel Quartet was formed for the purpose of giving chamber music concerts. To the career of this quartet, for seventeen years a Boston institution, is due a large portion of Boston's prestige as a musical city. The Kneisels traveled all over the United States giving successful concerts. While the programs were largely of the classics, Kncisch was by no means indifferent to the moderns, including the rising young Americans.
Mr. Georges Longy organized a chamber music club for wind instruments (sponsored by Mr. Higginson), which made the public acquainted with a some- what neglected class of music, performed with a high degree of perfection. After the Boston Orchestral Club was disbanded, he reassembled many of the members and, with the assistance of some professional players, gave interesting concerts of French and other music, to an audience of subscribers. He returned to France in 1925, universally regretted by the musical public. The Adamowski Quartet, formed in 1888, also gave interesting concerts for several years in Boston. They eventually, in 1896, became a trio, in which Mme. Szumowska was the pianist. In 1903 the Flonzaley Quartet began its series of concerts. This excellent quartet had originally been supported by Mr. de Coppet of New York, giving private concerts for his edification and that of his friends. They now became a great factor in the development of chamber music throughout the country. Their programs, largely of modern music, were performed with exquisite nuances and attention to detail. They gave four yearly concerts until 1929, when the quartet was disbanded.
At the present time, 1930, chamber music in Boston is mainly kept alive by the Boston Flute Players' Club, conducted by Mr. Georges Laurent, an organization of wind and string players from the Boston Symphony Orchestra, giving monthly concerts for wind and strings, including, besides classics, many novelties by modern composers. They are often assisted by excellent pianists and singers, and the concerts are of the highest artistic excellence.
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