The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

WILMETTE LIFE January 3, 1930 Music ·News and Events Earliest Ancestor· of Piano Is Found in Crude Psaltery Dance Recitalist NEXT WEEK'S OPERAS The original forerunner of the piano is said to be a very primitive form of stringed instrument, with th~ strings running over a fiat support, according to an excerpt of Elson's "The Book of Musical Know ledge," recently reviewed in the Chrisian Science ~Ioni tor. "Such an instrument was hung about the neck and played with a quill, s~ys the Monitor, "and under the title of 'Psaltery' it became popular in mediaeval as well as ancient times. The Arabian dulcimer was similar to it, but the strings were struck with a hammer. It was brought to Europe by pilgrims and crusaders, and in Germanv it received the name of Hackbrett, or chopping-board, from the hammering motion needed to play it, while the psaltery became the Schweinskopf, or pig's head, from its shape. "Perhaps the earliest application of keys to an instrument came in the shape of the light clavicytherium, in which the strings of the kithara were set in motion by quills on the keys. Little is known about the actual origin of keyed instruments, but by the end. of the fifteenth century there were two main kinds in existence. One family consisted of the spinet type, which applied the psaltery method of plucking the strings. The other variety, represented only by the clavichord was more like the dulcimer. But Vera Mirova, Russian dancer, is to where the dulcimer hammer made the appear in recital at the Studebaker strings vibrate through their whole theater Sunday afternoon, January 5, length, just as the piano hammer does at 3 :30 o'clock, under auspices of today, the clavichord key had what is Bertha Ott, Inc. Mme. Mirova is enknown as a tangent, or tongue, which gaged upon her ann~al tour of . the pressed directly ~gainst the string and. country. She has ·a chieved a sustamed stayed there, forming one end of the popularity in Chicago. vibrating part. The clavichord tone, · pa.f'd by the stroke of the tangent at stitu~ of the part that would vibra_te, Civic Music Association next .essarily soft; by alternating Grateful to Subscribers Januad heavy pressure on the key, salor.ormer could make the tangent The Civic Music association offers onh or tighten the string. This its thanks to a number of its members <'.trrent alteration of the teqsion pro- who, this season, have doubled. _the subuuced the vibrato effect of the violin, scriptions which have been gtven the by slight pitch variations, but gave in organization in past years. This as'iisaddition a varying power of tone, tance is of great value, it is explained, greatest when the string was tightest. since the efforts of the Civic Music This tremolo effect made the davi-· association to raise the standard of chord very expressive. Beethoven taste and to bring increased happiness tried to imitate it on the piano by to a multitude of people, by means of alternately pressing and releasing the its children's classes, its free Artist c.oncerts, its community "sings," etc., soft pedal, but he did not succeed. "In the spinet-harpsichord type, the must necessarily depend upon the conkeys were provided with quills, or . tributions of public-spirited citizens. jacks, which plucked the string in passing as each key was played. The CONDUCT TOURNAMENTS jacks were sometimes made of leather The Music News announces a cityinstead of quitl. wide tournament in religious drama, The smallest instrument of this type was known as the octavina, and con- which was started by the Chicago Local tournasisted of a single octave of keys ia a Church Federation. small box. The virginals, which wholly ments were held in the city beginning superseded the older clavicytherium, December 23, and will continue until was still box-like in shape, but had January 26, when there will be an four octaves. It could. give music of evening of one-act religious dramas at some worth. The piano did not at the Goodman theater. once displace the older instruments. CALVE PENS MEMOIRS This was especially tn~e of the clavichord, on which the soft, tender tones Emma Calve has written her mewere wholly different from the piano moirs for the Paris Figaro, telling quality. Bach kept to the clavichord, manv anecdotes for the first time about while the harpsichord continued to her debut in "Carmen," and her correhold its own even in Mozart's time. spondence with celebrities, who include It was Beethoven who turned the scale Queen Victoria, Halevy, Sarah Berndefinitely in favor of the piano, for his hardt and Coquelin. broad and massive effects were too strong for the harpsichord." SKALSKI CONCERT SUNDAY The Skalski orchestra, Andre SkalA revi . ed edition of musical compo- ski, conductor, will give the second of sitions of Eleanor Everest Freer has a series of five concerts at the Stu1ebeen publi. hed by William A. Kaun baker theater Sunday, January 5, at Music company of Milwaukee. 3:30 o'clock. Two additions will be made to the repertoire of the Chicago Civic Opera company's 1929-30 season during the tenth week of opera. Sunday, January 26, mar~s th~ date They are "Lucia di Lammermoor ," of the first of this seasons sertes of which comes to production on Tuesfour concerts by the Chicago Civic orchestra which has Dr. Frederick Stock day evening, January 7, for the first time since the season of 1927-28, as its musical director, and Eric Delamarter as its conductor, The concert and "Pelleas et Melisande," which will be given in Orchestra hall at 3 :30 wilJ be sung on the evening of o'clock. Thursday, January 9. These concert " of the Civic orchesAnother feature of the tenth tra have been some of the most enweek's bill will be the first Friday joyable events of the year in past seanight special performance. .On this sons and. it is planned to make them occasion the program mcludes even more attractive this season. The scenes from four of the bes 1· known programs, chosen by Mr. Stock and operas, three by Guisepp~ \1 erdi and Mr. DeLamarter, are of light and Rtone by Gounod. The performance tractive character, such as are prewill open with Act II, Scene II,. of sented by the Chicago Symphony or"Aida," featuring Rosa Ratsa, chestra CA.t its popular concerts. SoloCyrena Van Gordon, Charles Marists of brilliant talent will be given parshall,· Cesare Formichi, Virgilio ticipation. Lazzari and Chase Baromeo, and "It would be difficult to overestimat e with M usiCd.l Director Giorgio the worth of the performances which Polacco at the baton. It will be are offered in the · series," comments followed by Act II of Gounod's the Civic Music Bulletin, "and mem"Romeo and Juliet," with Hallie bers of the Civic Music association and Stiles as Juliet and Charles Hackett the public generally are urged. to subas Romeo, Emil Cooper conducting. scribe for the series. Subscribers to The second act of Verdi's "Rigothe four concerts will not only have letto" likewise wiH be sung, with their tickets sent to them ten days heMargherita Salvi, Constance Eberhart, Giovanni Manurita, Richard fore each concert and thereby will be spared the ·trouble of going to the boxBonelli and Virgilio Lazzari. Frank to secure them, but will be able office St. Leg-er will conduct. To conclude the evening's performance, the last to secure the same seats for each performance." act of "II Trovatore," including both Subscriptions for season tickets (at scenes, will be given, with Claudia extremely modest cost) are to be diMuzio as Leonora, Cyrena Van rected to the office of the Civic Music Gordon as Azucena, Antonio Cortis association, 637 Fine Arts building, not as Manrico, and Giovanni Inghilleri later than January 6. as the Count of Luna. Roberto Moranzoni will conduct. The balance of the week is given Walter Knupfer Resumes over to repetitions with "La Forza t t t" Cl del Destino" featuring the matinee n erpre a lOD asses of Sunday, January 5; "Le Jongleur V\7alter Knupfer, director of the de Notre Dame" on Monday eveKnupfer studios, a school of music in ning, .January 6; "Conchita," which the Fine Arts building, Chicago, with was the New Year's Eve gala pera north shore branch at 1167 Wilmette formance. on Wednesday evening, avenue, Wilmette, will resume his January 8. with no change in cast; weekly interpretation classes Wednes"Don Giovanni" for the Saturday day, January 8, at his private studio at matinee. of January 11; "The Barber the music school. These. classes are open to all the of Seville" for Saturday evening (at popular prices) and "La pupils of the school who are taking Traviata" for the Sunday matinee the regular courses leading to teachers' of January 12. Coupon-book holders certificates and degrees, as well as to may exchange their coupons for special pupils of the more advanced seats for the Friday night, Saturgrades. They are devoted to many day nig-ht and Sunday matinee persubjects most essential to the music formances. 'student, such as musical history, ear !-::::~~~==~===~===== ·training, musical diction, besides ._ offering a preparation for public p]aying. Claire Dux to Be Heard The program of the next meeting will include as a special feature, Scriain 'Music Club Recital bine's Fantasie sonata, Opus 19, which Claire Dux, soprano, and Gregor will be played by Winnifred Mickey, Piatigorsky, cellist, will appear in joint Mr. Knupfer's assistant. recital Monday evening, January 20, under auspices of the Winnetka Music Bertha Ott Announces club. The program, which represents Recitals Sunday, Jan. the fourth in the club's current seaRecitals offered Sunday afternoon, son, will be presented in New Trier January 5, by Bertha Ott, well known Chicago impresario, include the folHigh school auditorium. lowing interesting programs : Vera Mirova, dancer, appears at the Studebaker theater at 3 :30 o'clock; Beatrice GLAZOUNOW PROGRAM Alexandre Glazounow, Russian com- Harrison, cellist, will be heard at The Playhouse at 3 :30 o'dock; Helen Scoposer-pianist, will appear in recital at vi11e, pianist, gives a recital in the Civic Orchestra hall, W cdnesday, January theater at 3 o'clock. 22, under the auspices of the Chicago WAGNERIAN COMPANY COMING chapter of Pros Musica. Beginning Sunday, February 2, a season of Wagnerian operas will be .IN RECITAL JANUARY S presented at the Auditorium theater Harold Kreutzberg and Giorgi, Ger- under the management of Bertha Ott. man dancers, will give a recital at Or- The repertoire embraces "The Ring"· "Tristan and Isolde" ; "The Flying chestra hall Sunday, January 5. Dutchman," and Mozart's "Don Juan." ··:.. Take Subscriptions for Season Tickets to Civic Concerts . ,. ' J S