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

'&($*â- $, ^Jtop'JJw*1 ' wwmWiJ: SG&- â- &>' Mr, <2$tf' HI: E8fc' M- M. .?£-â-  If. #?•! HMMII......H At the North Shore Music Festival Ass'n nmiiii..............♦ By Walter Alton Stutta. Notwithstanding tbe somewhat In *H W&1* clement weather, the opening perfor- mance of the North Shore Music fes- tival was in every way a conspicuous success. A house practically sold out, the entire Theodore Thomas orchestra, huge chorus, and a notable list of solo- ists, all were potent factors in the moat pleasing "first night" since the festival's inception. An air of eager expectation seemed to pervade the audience and upon their appearance Conductor Lutkin and the soloists were greeted with salvos of applause. The beauty of the decorations, the brilliancy of the illumination, in fact, all things seemed to give an added impetus to the development of the proper "entente cordiale" between those present with the Tesult that the artistic forces employed, tired though tliey were, gave of themselves so free- ly and to such advantage that the re- sultant performance may well serve as a model of its kind. The choice of Gluck's "Orpheus" for the opening of a series of programs festival In nature, though unusual, was more than Justified by the beauty of its rendition. The very fact that nearly one hundred and fifty years have passed since Gluck wrote "Or- pheus" and that the work is univer- sally conceded a masterpiece, is proof of its enduring beauty and worth. In its direct, unaffected loveliness, - as compared with the intricacies of mod* era opera, It has been likened to the Parthenon beside the bewildering de- tail of a Gothic cathedral. It is the oldest opera holding a place in pres- ent day repertoire and from it dates the beginning of operatic reform. In- deed it was with a feeling akin to re- lief that one listened to the simple harmonies and ears jaded by long de- votion to modern harmony not infre- quently bordering upon cacophony were soothed and gratified by a tonal simplicity largely at variance with the spirit of the day. ' Artists' Night. Were one compelled in the shortest terms to chronicle tbe success of "Ar- tists' Night" one need only write in capitals "SCHUMANN-HEINK." So wonderful are the vocal and artistic attributes of this remarkable woman that only superlatives will suffice for their praise. The same gracious per- sonality, the same noble voice, the same remarkable artistry, all were present Thursday evening and if any- thing, more fully matured with the passing of time which still seems to rest lightly upon her shoulders. With what dignity and Repose does she stand before an audience]. What a lesson in stage deportment and pres- ence to younger and less widely known singers who plead their inability to sing operatic excerpts without some of the histrionic effect demanded by the! opera stage, is the manner in whl&h Schumann-Heink stands practi- cally motionless before her hearers and yet sacrifices not one jot of drama- tic-Import. Suffice It to say that of all singers now before the public she is "facile princeps." In her most gracious mood, after electrifying performances of the various programmed numbers she three times responded to vocifer- ous, encores the first time with Deli- lab> aria sung as only she can sing it and again with Mendelssohn's neg- lected but beautiful "But the Lord is Mindful of His Own" and still later Willi a delightful folk song delivered in Inimitable fashion. Not a little of her success was due to the splendid support accorded by the orchestra who seemed on mettle and performed accordingly. Perhaps the most suc- cessful of the evening's orchestral numbers was the suite of Hungarian by Brahms. These showed the. ^master In a more playful mood than was his wont and they were done with matters of mere '"'"" ~mm^ iplrif Btat greatly en- hanced their beauty of content. The Wagner excerpts were read with the customary breadth and tonal opulence and brought to a fitting close a pro- gram of imnsual merit :â- â- ';#â- -•â- 'â- .___„ Well Md, 1 ;. _ -- - pecting to emphasise the unaffeotr •i! beauty at its eleaele score, Dean Ltiikia led his forces to snen a way hotti ehorns and ofthsjpf$a ware ;.'*a|jgisjir^ 'fBsa ^rksstew iflS, Mai ity of tone as they did while voicing the plaintive sadness and resignation of the chorus at Buridice's tomb, "If here, where all Is dark and silent." So throughout the entire work there was a spirit of reverence that was in strong contrast with the lighter character of the "Faust" music that followed. Here there were times when the chorus was not quite so effective inasmuch as the serious attention necessary to a cor- rect attainment of the difficult leads seemed In some degree to detract from the buoyancy and spontaneity that as a rule characterise their work. How- ever, the strains of the familiar "Sol- diers' Chorus" were delivered with a precision and an unction that were quite inspiring and much to the lik- ing of the auditors. The management was very happy in its choice of soloists and it seems hard to believe that artists more adequate to the work in hand could be found. Mme. Gluck, already a festival favor- ite* again sang herself into the hearts of her hearers in a manner that justi- fies the highest praise. Hers is a voice of exquisite purity with a carry- ing quality that is quite unusual and these attributes coupled with a most thorough training and physical beauty of a high degree, unite to make her singing of the utmost worth. With some of her mannerisms one could quarrel were he so disposed, but it is a far cry from the operatic to the con- cert stage, and it is not to be mar- veled at that some of the necessary adjuncts of the one intrude them- selves upon the other. Mrs. Gannon, who has also made a previous appear- ance before festival audiences, was the contralto, and accomplished her trying task with distinct credit to her- self. Her voice, though somewhat light for a hall of such vast propor- tions, is nevertheless an organ of dis- tinct beauty and is handled with much skill. She brings to bear upon her work all the artistic faculties of the routined singer and read the famous aria "Che faro sense Buridice" in a manner that made the most of its pos- sibilities. Has 8plendid Voice. Striving manfully against the han- dicap imposed by severe physical in- disposition, Mr. Martin, by virtue of his long and severe training, was able to invest his lines with much of tonal beauty and sang with a degree of ar- tistry and finesse that was a pleasure to hear. His voice is a splendid one and the very fact that at the end of a long opera season and in contention with illness he was able to perform so adequately, is proof positive of the merit of his method. For many Mr; Scott gave the most pleasure of the evening. His noble bass voice is perfectly used and his distinct enunciation was a joy to the ear and as pleasureable as unusual. His rendition of the part of the cynical Mephistopheles left nothing to be de- sired. It does, however, seem a pity that a performance, otherwise bo perfect, should be marred by the polyglot as- pect cast upon it by artists singing in a language foreign to that employed by the chorus and understood by the audience. Indeed It does seem as if the management should insist upon the solo parts in works performed un- der its direction being sung in the vernacular especially, when, as in this case, the singers employed are all of native birth. Not to be outdone by their elders, who had successfully established a standard of proficiency far ahead of that attained upon previous occasions of a similar nature, the children's chorus under Dean Lutkin's able guid- ance, easily surpassed their former ef- forts. It is a well known fact that large bodies move slowly and there were not wanting those who predicted that augmentation of the chorus to the Imposing total of 1,500 would prove disastrous so far as choral finish was concerned, Happy to say, quite the reverse was true. So attentive were they to their director that, in THE LAKE SHO*tt *BW8, WBPJgg^ JUNE », 1W* volved the task of preparing the chil- dren, had worked first and foremost for quality as opposed to quantity, with the result that in the moments of greatest dynamic force, the tone quality was unusually pure and beau- tiful. Percy Fletcher's very successful set- ting of Lewis Carrol's nonsensical story of "The Walrus and the Carpen- ter" proved to be tbe feature of the afternoon, and a rare treat it was. What one of us does not hark back to the days of his youth and remember with pleasure the rainy days spent reading the delightful nonsense of this talented maker of childish verse. Hence it afforded more than ordinary enjoyment to bear the youngsters singing from memory the somewhat lengthy score. Fletcher has caught successfully the spirit of the text em- ployed and, having avoided the pitfall of writing too complexly for the child- ish performers, has made a worthy contribution to the scant total of ma- terial available for such occasions. Mme. Gluck Soloist. Mme. Gluck was the soloist of the afternoon and, though not in the best of voice, was nevertheless successful in arousing the audience to a high pitch of enthusiasm. Worthy of spe- cial mention was her rendition of an old English song by Bishop, abounding in coloratura difficulties, all of which she surmounted with a nonchalant ease amounting almost to operatic aplomb. In response to vociferous ap- plause she sang delightfully a dainty conceit by Spross, call^-'Will o* the Wisp." There is somejtog QUt^ fectious about the spimff mann which this artist delivers her songs, there being present so much of that elusive something which for lack of any better name we term "tempera- ment," that she never fails to win her way to the hearts of her hearers. The orchestra, seemingly more in accord with the spirit of things than Is usual at such times, accorded the various choral and solo numbers splen- did Bupport. Before an audience that taxed the capacity of the gymnasium, Granville Bantock'B "Omar Khayyam," a setting of the Fitzgerald version of "The Rubai'yat," received Its western pre- miere. Bantock is a contemporaneous composer of the English school whose contributions to the world of music have already reached an imposing number. So far as his command of the technic of his art is concerned, he has much in common with that other great Englishman, Sir Edward Elgar. As a rule he has a fine melodic vein coupled with distinct feeling for effect and generally speaking, Ms music has the faculty of "sounding:** But even Jove nods, and after several hearings of the work in question, one cannot but be impressed with the fact that, in this instance at least, the compos- er's evident joy In the complexity of the forces with which he has to deal has warped his judgment to such an extent that he has produced a work that is lacking in contrast and high lights. Heard while in preparat'^n, one fell that the work promised muA, but, wh<m accorded an almost ideal performance in strict accord with the directions of Its composer, it somehow failed to "get over." There was evi- denced a curious sameness of rhytb mlcal effect which, coupled with the monotony of orchestral effect Incident to the incessant use of the strings, re- sulted in page after page that failed to sustain interest. Then, too, the composer's evident disregard of ac- cepted forms, is something that musi- cal "stand-patters" will find hard to forgive. The work has, of course, its thrilling moments, but they are neither frequent enough or thrilling enough to arouse much enthusiasm. This, however, is not to be wondered at when we consider the introspective character of the text that Bantock has elected to employ. The philosophical ruminations of any mind, no matter how great, are ill adapted to supply the Inspiration necessary to the pro- duction of great music. To chorus members and others who have had op- portunity, under competent direction, to make a detailed study of its con- tent, "Omar" doubtless proved to pos- sess considerable Interest, but the casual listener found himself some- what at a loss. Whether or no the score is great or not remains to be seen, but that it will never attain any marked degree of popularity seems to be reasonably certain for it lacks those elements of popular appeal that make for such a result and the difficulties attendant upon its adequate prepara- tion for performance would seem to be out of all proportion to its ultimate effect. It is pleasant to record that the work was given an admirable presen- tation and one that must needs have commanded the composer's respect could he have heard It. The chorus threaded the difficult mazes of the in- tricate score with a certainty that gave eloquent testimony to the efficiency of the labors of Dean Lutkin and his as- sistants. The accompaniment gives little or no real support to the. singers and this rendered the tricky leads doubly difficult of achievement, yet the chorus sang with The sole^-I^S^nl. tions were incidental in not at all grateiul in oont soloists were Christine tralto; Reed Miller, tenor, W. Clark, baritone. They a trio of exceptional merit, the three voices being of un< worth. The scoring provided took for the solo accompani rather full and this, coupled fact that the orchestra evident to remember the limitations human voice-a* opposed to menu, resulted in frequent where the soloist* were unabU heard. However, each one most artistic fashion, the hoi ing to Mr. Clark who hot only pllshed the difficult feat of slni part from memory but who tbe necessary vocal breadth to through the orchestra except In instances. Taking it all in all, it is after a careful resume of the work, to say that this, the foui nual festival, has reached an en; position and asserted its right classed among the great events kind in this country. 8PARK8 IGNITE BARN. Sparks from a bonfire set firf the barn of A. T. Nonfls, 1024 man avenue, Bvanston, Saturday, small damage resulted. The Are partment answered the still call and extinguished the blaze, a small portion of the* roof burned, Lake Forest, 5; Evanston, 4. Lake Forest academy defeated anston High school in a ten ii game Friday, 5 to 4. Score: Bvanston .0 00200020 0â€"4-1 Lake Ft..O 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1â€"5J1 V \m*. >E have been doing the cleaning, dyeing, pressing and repairing f for particular people ^orJjW£e years than we care to rernjdsftssWP^QsIr business has words, carefi appreciated other. \^rou up and giv steadlhe/ In other and intellij Jiis business as in every |'t it pay you to call us Fa trial? Dehmlow's 622 DAVIS STREET TELEPHONE 1730 \A WANTED-A NAME With a view to securing an appropriate flame for my subdivision shortly to be opened in Riv< Forest, Cook County, Illinois, the following offer is made: $100.00 in Gold for the beet name su 50.00 in Gold for the second beat 25.00 in Gold for the third best •a attack, release, etc., their success was notable and worthy of emulation by any adult choral organization. And with what apparent ease did they suc- cessfully encompass the difficulties at- tendant upon the achievement of food enunciation. Printed words become superfluous and one wis* enabled to lean pack wttn dosed eyes^ and revel to the dettshtfttl mate of the eftiknmb Tlw to to th* child jtotoe a eie»: jKSjfc. it For the guidance of contestants the foj 100 Acres lying between Chicago B01" ten miles west of the Chicago Courthouse years this property has been undergoing coi most beautiful subdivisions in the <sountry.i been planted under the direction of emirn jng informatiojsjUjffven: ^ejjsjgfjsftdivision consists d Division S#ee|sff the northerly p^rt of River For< r d about one-ne^mile west of (JSJTPark. .For .twenty! :ant preparation vnthJh^t^yHgtJHk^&ing it ont oi fhousands. of trejpeMWHmost innumerable shrubs hai ^ landscape architects and gardeners. The iota will hi a street frontage of not less than 100 feeraome of them 200 feet, and only one residence will be p mitted to be built upon each lot. Buildup and other restrictions eliminating the unsightly conditic usually prevailing in subdivisions will ft carefully planned and rigidly observed.. It is the owner* purpose to sell lots only to those who v^|l build homes of an artistic quality harmonizing with tlpj beauty and charm of the land and surroundings. k ^ &j Tbe following simple rules will govern in the selection of a name: All names suggested must be typewri and accompanied by a separate sealed envelope containing full name and address of contestant. Not more than names may be suggested by one contestant. Manuscripts must contain no name, mark or other means of identi* tion. The sealed envelope will be given the same number as the manuscript and will be opened only after 4 sion is made. In this way, entire fairness is assured. Merit alone will govern in deciding the contest. Name* consist of one or more but not exceeding four words and preference will be given to those suggesting the beauty the appeal of nature. Short explanations or arguments may accompany names offered, but these are not r^Qts and in no event shi All suggestions â-  w« •»• vomm^mtv vrw^i vaiwta ^r m**mmm mwruwmvm »w MiWiWI ^*W jTl TT S.'Jfjr SSjS-VeMSiBf *W*Jl SjW T wAJl 'JUm- VVVJS^aaUam' %1itT - VVaSjUBflBJB>S>y' **Sje»*â„¢"* ne or more tout not exceeding four words and preference will be given to those suggestlnc the beaut: of nature. Short explanations or arguments may accompany names offered, but these are not r^C1 event shall they exceed one hundred words in length- Prife winning names to he owned by ale. ggestions must be mailed on or before July 1st, ttlE, and the contest will he decWed^ award*