WOMEN AS VIOLINISTS.
During the past forty or fifty years the violin has become a fashionable
instrument for ladies, and has become correspondingly popular as a
profession for those who are obliged to earn a living.
Formerly, for many years, it seems to have been considered improper, or
ungraceful, or unladylike,--the reasons are nowhere satisfactorily
given, but the fact remains that until recently few women played the
violin.
From the year 1610 until 1810 the list of those who played in public is
extremely short, numbering only about twenty, and of these several were
gambists.
That women did, once upon a time, play on the violin, or the
corresponding string and bow instruments which were its ancestors, there
is evidence.
On the painted roof of Peterborough Cathedral, in England, which is said
to have been built in the year 1194 A.D., there is a picture of a woman
seated, and holding in her lap a sort of viol, with four strings and
four sound-holes. This seems to indicate that in very early days ladies
sometimes played on stringed instruments, if only for their own
amusement.
Among the accounts of King Henry VII., dated November 2, 1495, is the
following item, "For a womane that singeth with a fiddle, 2 shillings."
Anne of Cleves after her divorce comforted herself by playing on a viol
with six strings. Queen Elizabeth, also, amused herself not only with
the lute, the virginals, and her voice, but also with the violin.
These, however, were amateurs, and the earliest professional violinist
known was Mrs. Sarah Ottey, who was born about 1695, and who about
1721-22 performed frequently at concerts, giving solos on the
harpsichord, violin, and bass viol. Previous to her there was one
Signora Leonora Baroni, born at Mantua about 1610, but she played the
theorbo and the viol di gamba.
The next is "La Diamantina," born about 1715, who is referred to by the
poet Gray in 1740, when he was at Rome, as "a famous virtuosa, played on
the violin divinely, and sung angelically."
Anne Nicholl, born in England about 1728, played the violin before the
Duke of Cumberland at Huntley in 1746, and her granddaughter, Mary Anne
Paton, also, who was better known as a singer and who became Lady Lenox,
and afterwards Mrs. Wood, was a violinist.
The celebrated Madame Gertrude Elizabeth Mara, one of the greatest
singers of her time, was a violinist when young. Her father took her to
England, hoping by means of her playing to get sufficient money to give
her a thorough musical education. She was then a mere child, and as she
grew to womanhood her voice developed and she became one of the
celebrities in the history of song. There is no doubt that the training
in intervals which her practice on the violin gave her proved invaluable
as an aid to her in singing. In later days several of the most
celebrated singers have been also good violinists, as, for instance,
Christine Nilsson and Marcella Sembrich.
Maddalena Lombardi Sirmen, born about 1735, had an almost European
reputation toward the end of the eighteenth century. She visited France
and England about 1760-61, and was so good a player that she was looked
upon almost as a rival of Nardini. She will always be celebrated in
history because of the letter which was written to her by Tartini, and
which is not only one of the rarities of musical literature, but
constitutes also a valuable treatise on the use of the violin.
This letter, which has been printed in almost every book on the violin,
would take up rather more space than can be afforded in this sketch. It
is admirably clear and is divided into three parts, the first giving
advice on bowing, "pressing the bow lightly but steadily, upon the
strings in such a manner as that it shall seem to _breathe_ the first
tone it gives, which must proceed from the friction of the string, and
not from percussion, as by a blow given with a hammer upon it,--if the
tone is _begun_ with delicacy, there is little danger of rendering it
afterwards either coarse or harsh." The second section of the letter is
devoted to the finger-board, or the "carriage of the left hand," and the
last part to the "shake."
Maddalena Sirmen received her instruction first at the conservatory of
Mendicanti at Venice, after which she took lessons from Tartini. She
also composed a considerable quantity of violin music, much of which was
published at Amsterdam. About 1782 she, emulating the example of Madame
Mara, appeared as a singer at Dresden, but with comparatively small
success.
Regina Sacchi, who married a noted German violoncellist named Schlick,
was celebrated for her performances on the violin. She was born at
Mantua in 1764, and educated at the Conservatorio della Pietà at Venice.
This lady was highly esteemed by Mozart, who said of her, "No human
being can play with more feeling."
When Mozart was in Vienna, about 1786, Madame Schlick was also there,
and solicited him to write something for the piano and violin, which
they should play together at a concert. Mozart willingly promised to do
so, and accordingly composed and arranged, _in his mind_, his beautiful
sonata in B-flat minor, for piano and violin. The time for the concert
drew near, but not a note was put upon paper, and Madame Schlick's
anxiety became painful. Eventually, after much entreaty, she received
the manuscript of the violin part the evening before the concert, and
set herself to work to study it, taking scarcely any rest that night.
The sonata was played before an audience consisting of the rank and
fashion of Vienna. The execution of the two artists was perfect and the
applause was enthusiastic. It happened, however, that the Emperor Joseph
II., who was seated in a box just above the performers, in using his
opera-glass to look at Mozart, noticed that there was nothing on his
desk but a sheet of blank paper, and, afterward calling the composer to
him, said: "So, Mozart, you have once again trusted to chance," to which
Mozart, of course, graciously acquiesced, though the emperor did not
state whether he considered Mozart's knowledge of his new composition,
or Madame Schlick's ability to play with him unrehearsed, constituted
the "chance."
The next virtuosa was a Frenchwoman, Louise Gautherot, who was born
about 1760, and who played in London and made a great impression about
1780 to 1790, and about the same time Signora Vittoria dall' Occa played
at the theatre in Milan. Signora Paravicini, born about 1769, and Luigia
Gerbini, about 1770, were pupils of Viotti, and earned fame. The former
made a sensation in 1799 by her performance of some violin concertos at
the Italian Theatre at Lisbon, where she played between the acts.
Signora Paravicini attracted the attention of the Empress Josephine, who
became her patroness and engaged her to teach her son, Eugene
Beauharnais, and took her to Paris. After a time, however, the Empress
neglected her, and she suffered from poverty. Driven to the last
resource, and having even pawned her clothes, she applied for aid to the
Italians resident in Paris, and they enabled her to return to Milan,
where her ability soon gained her both competence and credit. She also
played at Vienna in 1827, and at Bologna in 1832, where she was much
admired.
Catarina Calcagno, who has already been mentioned as a pupil of
Paganini, was a native of Genoa, born about 1797, and had a short but
brilliant career. She disappeared from before the public in 1816.
Madame Krahmer and Mlles. Eleanora Neumann, and M. Schulz all delighted
the public in Vienna and Prague. Miss Neumann came from Moscow, and
astonished the public when she had scarcely reached her tenth year.
Other names are Madame Filipowicz, Madame Pollini, Mlle. Zerchoff, Eliza
Wallace, and Rosina Collins, who all played publicly and were well
known.
In 1827 Teresa Milanollo was born, and in 1832 her sister Marie, and
these two young ladies played so well, and were in such striking
contrast to one another, that they proved very successful as concert
players. They were natives of Savigliano, in Piedmont, where their
father was a manufacturer of silk-spinning machinery. Teresa, the elder,
was taught by Ferrero, Caldera, and Morra, but in 1836 she went to Paris
and studied under Lafont, and afterwards under Habeneck, going still
later to Brussels, where she took lessons of De Bériot, and received the
finishing touch to her artistic education,--faultless intonation. Her
career as a concert player began when she was about nine years of age.
When Marie was old enough to handle a violin Teresa began to teach her,
and in fact was the only teacher Marie ever had.
The two sisters, who were called, on account of their most striking
characteristics, Mlle. Staccato and Mlle. Adagio, travelled together
through France, Holland, Belgium, Germany, and England, and were
everywhere received with the greatest interest. They played before Louis
Philippe at Neuilly, and appeared with Liszt before the King of Prussia.
They also created a furore at Vienna and Berlin.
Marie, the younger, who was of a happy and cheerful disposition, was not
strong, and in 1848 she died in Paris. Teresa, the elder, after a long
retirement, resumed her travels, and, having matured and improved, she
played better and excited more interest than before. In 1857 she married
a French officer, Captain Théodore Parmentier, who had seen service in
the Crimean War, and she abandoned the concert stage.
From 1857 until 1878 she followed the fortunes of her husband, who
became a general and a "Grand Officier de la Legion d'Honneur," and her
public appearances were limited to such places as the vicissitudes of a
military life took her to. Since 1878 Madame Parmentier has lived
quietly in Paris, where she is still to be met by a few fortunate
persons in select musical and social circles.
During the lifetime of Marie, the sisters had already put themselves
into direct personal relations with the poor of Lyons, but after Teresa
had roused herself from her mourning for her sister she established a
system of "Concerts aux Pauvres," which she carried out in nearly all
the chief cities of France, and part of the receipts of these concerts
was used for the benefit of the poor. Her plan was to follow up the
first concert with a second, at which the audience consisted of poor
school-children and their parents, to whom she played in her most
fascinating manner, and, at the conclusion of her performance, money,
food, and clothing, purchased with the receipts of the previous
concerts, were distributed.
From 1830 there has been a constantly increasing number of ladies who
have appeared as concert violinists, but few have continued long before
the public, or have reached such a point of excellence as to be numbered
amongst the great performers.
Mlle. Emilia Arditi, Fraülein Hortensia Zirges, Miss Hildegard Werner,
Miss Bertha Brousil, and Madame Rosetta Piercy-Feeny were all born
during the decade 1830 to 1840, and were well known, but in 1840 and
1842 two violinists were born who were destined to hold the stage for
many years and to exert a great influence in their profession. Wilma
Neruda, now known as Lady Hallé and Camilla Urso are the two ladies in
question, the former exerting her influence chiefly in England and on
the Continent, and the latter in America.
Miss Werner has played an important part in advancing the art amongst
women, having for many years conducted a school of music at
Newcastle-on-Tyne, in England. She was also the first woman ever to
address the Literary and Philosophical Society, when in 1880 she
delivered an address on the history of the violin. There is little
doubt, however, that the success of Teresa Milanollo gave the first
great impulse toward the study of the violin by women.
Lady Hallé was born at Brünn, March 21, 1840. Her father was Josef
Neruda, a musician of good ability, and he gave her the first
instruction on the violin, and then placed her under Leopold Jansa, in
Vienna. Wilhelmina Maria Franziska Neruda made her first appearance in
public in 1846, at which time she was not quite seven years old. On this
occasion her sister Amalie, who was a pianist, accompanied her, and
shortly afterwards her father took her, with her sister Amalie and one
of her brothers, on an extended tour. The family consisted of two
sons--a pianist and a 'cellist--and two daughters--a violinist and a
pianist.
In 1849 they reached London, where the young violinist played a concerto
by De Bériot, at the seventh Philharmonic concert of that season. By the
critics at that time she was said to be wonderful in bravura music, in
musical intelligence, and in her remarkable accuracy.
As time went on, and her playing matured, she became known throughout
Europe. In 1864 she married Ludwig Norman, conductor of the opera at
Stockholm, and for a time she remained in that city and became a teacher
at the Royal Music School.
Before long she was again busy with concert playing, and in 1869 she
again appeared in England, where she became a great favourite, and has
appeared there regularly almost, if not quite, every season since. Hans
von Bülow spoke of her as Joachim's rival, and called her "the violin
fairy."
Joachim has always been a great favourite in England, but Madame
Norman-Neruda, or Lady Hallé, as she became later, has fully shared his
popularity. What Joachim is to the sterner sex, just the same is Lady
Hallé to the gentler.
Joachim was indeed one of the first to recognise the fact that he had in
Mlle. Neruda a rival, for in the days when she was earning her
reputation he heard her at some place on the Continent, and remarked to
Charles Hallé, who afterwards became her husband, "I recommend this
artist to your careful consideration. Mark this, when people have given
her a fair hearing, they will think more of her and less of me."
Ludwig Norman died in 1885, and three years later Madame Norman-Neruda
married the pianist, Charles Hallé, who had long been identified with
all that was best musically in England, and who was knighted in
recognition of his services to the cause of art.
Sir Charles Hallé established a series of orchestral concerts at
Manchester in 1857, and by means of these concerts brought before the
English public the works of many composers who would have remained
unknown perhaps for years but for his efforts. In this work he was ably
supported by this talented violinist, afterwards his wife, and with her
he made many tours all over the British Isles.
In 1890 Sir Charles and Lady Hallé made a tour in Australia, which was
highly successful. Five years later they went to South Africa, where
they met with a flattering reception. In his memoirs, Sir Charles Hallé
tells of a curious compliment which they received at Pietermaritzburg.
The mayor invited them to play at a municipal concert to be given one
Sunday afternoon. The concert began, and after an organ solo and a song
had been given by other musicians, they played the Kreutzer sonata. At
the conclusion of the sonata, a member of the corporation came forward,
and said that after the impression just received he thought it would be
best to omit the remainder of the programme, upon which the audience
cheered and dispersed.
In 1895, shortly after their return from the South African tour, Sir
Charles Hallé died, and Lady Hallé went into retirement. At this time
her numerous admirers in England presented her with a valuable
testimonial of their appreciation.
Throughout her career she has fulfilled the prophecies made of her in
her youth, for her talent and musicianship developed as she grew up, and
her genius did not burn itself out as that of many infant prodigies has
done. She has never endeavoured to secure public applause at the expense
of her real artistic nature. Her performances are and always have been
synonymous with all that is good in musical art, and nothing but that
which is of the best has ever been allowed to appear upon her
programmes.
She is celebrated no less as a quartet player than as a soloist, and was
for many years first violin of the Philharmonic Quartet in London.
In 1898, Lady Hallé had the misfortune to lose her son, Mr. Norman
Neruda, who, while scaling a difficult place in the Alps, slipped and
was killed.
In the following year she emerged from her retirement and visited the
United States, where her playing was highly appreciated by unbiassed
critics. There was a feeling, however, that she might have made the
journey many years before, and allowed the American public to hear her
in her prime, when she would have received not only a very warm welcome,
but would have been judged rather by her merits than by her history, and
she would not have challenged comparison with the violinists of the
rising generation.
Camilla Urso has been for many years one of the best known violinists in
the United States. She was born at Nantes, in France, in 1842, of
Italian parents. Her father was Salvator Urso, a good musician, and son
of a good musician, so that the young violinist inherited some of her
talent. In 1852 the family crossed the Atlantic and settled in the
United States, and almost immediately the little girl began to appear at
concerts. Camilla Urso began to study the violin at the age of six
years, and her choice of that instrument was determined by her hearing
the violin and being fascinated by it during a celebration of the Mass
of St. Cecilia. She was taken to Paris for instruction, for which
purpose her father abandoned his position at Nantes. She entered the
Conservatoire and became a pupil of Massart.
She made a tour through Germany, during which she met with immense
success, and then returned to Paris to continue her studies.
She was fresh from Massart's instruction when, in October, 1852, she
made her first appearance in Boston, where her playing and her style
called forth eulogies from the critics of those days. John S. Dwight
wrote to the effect that it was one of the most touching experiences of
his life to see and hear the charming little maiden, so natural and
childlike, so full of sentiment and thought, so self-possessed and
graceful. Her tone was pure, and her intonation faultless, and she
played with a "fine and caressing delicacy," and gave out strong
passages in chords with thrilling grandeur.
For three years she continued to travel and delight American audiences,
and then for a period of about five years she retired into private life,
and did not resume her professional career until 1862, from which time
she frequently made concert tours in America until she returned to
Paris. It was about the period of these tours that her influence upon
young women began to be felt, for she was at an age when womanly grace
becomes evident, and her manners and character were as fascinating as
her playing.
In Paris she so pleased M. Pasdeloup that he begged her not to allow
herself to be heard in public until she had played at his concerts. "You
may count upon a splendid triumph," he said. "It is _I_ who tell you so.
Your star is in the ascendant, and soon it will shine at the zenith of
the artistic firmament."
The result justified the prophecy, and Camilla Urso was the recipient of
great honours in Paris. She was presented by the public with a pair of
valuable diamond earrings, and was treated almost like a prima donna.
In March, 1867, Mlle. Urso received a testimonial from the musical
profession in Boston, where a few years later she had a curious
experience. She was playing a Mozart concerto, at a concert, when an
alarm of fire was given, and caused a good deal of excitement. Many of
the audience left their seats and made for the door, but the violinist
stood unmoved until the alarm was subdued and the audience returned to
their seats, when she played the interrupted movement through from the
beginning.
In 1879 she made a tour to Australia, and again in 1894.
In 1895 she was in South Africa, and achieved great triumphs in Cape
Town, besides giving concerts at such out-of-the-way places as
Bloemfontein. She has probably travelled farther than any other violin
virtuosa.
For the past few years she has lived in New York, and has practically
retired from the concert stage.
Teresina Tua, who was well known in the United States about 1887, was
born at Turin in 1867. As in the case of Wilhelmina Neruda and of
Camilla Urso, her father was a musician, and she received her early
musical instruction from him. Her first appearance in public was made at
the age of seven, and up to that time she had received no instruction,
except that given her by her father. During her first tour she played at
Nice, where a wealthy Russian lady, Madame Rosen, became interested in
her, and provided the means to go to Paris, where she was placed under
Massart.
In 1880 Signorina Tua won the first prize for violin playing at the
Paris Conservatoire, and the following year made a concert tour which
extended through France and Spain to Italy. In 1882 she appeared in
Vienna, and in 1883 in London, where she played at the Crystal Palace.
Wherever she went people of wealth and distinction showed the greatest
interest in her, and when she came to America in 1887 she appeared laden
with jewelry given her by royalty. Her list of jewels was given in the
journals of that day,--"a miniature violin and bow ablaze with diamonds,
given by the Prince and Princess of Wales; a double star with a
solitaire pearl in the centre, and each point tipped with pearls, from
Queen Margherita of Italy." Besides these, there were diamonds from the
Queen of Spain and from the Empress of Russia and sundry grand
duchesses. No lady violinist ever appeared before an American audience
more gorgeously arrayed. "Fastened all over the bodice of her soft white
woollen gown she wore these sparkling jewels, and in her hair were two
or three diamond stars," said the account in Dwight's _Journal of
Music_. Yet with all this the criticisms of her playing were somewhat
lukewarm. The expectation of the people had been wrought up to an
unreasonable pitch, and Signorina Tua, while she was acknowledged to be
an excellent and charming violinist, was not considered _great._ After a
time, however, as she became better known, she grew in popular
estimation, and before she left America she had hosts of admirers.
On returning to Europe she made another tour, but shortly afterwards she
married Count Franchi Verney della Valetta, a distinguished Italian
critic, and retired into private life, though from time to time she was
heard in concerts in Italy.
In 1897 she was again on the concert stage, and played at St. James's
Hall, London, after an absence of eight years, and it was considered
that her playing had gained in breadth, while her technique was as
perfect as ever.
Of the three hundred or more pupils of Joachim, there have been several
ladies who have attained celebrity, of whom Miss Emily Shinner (now
Mrs. A. F. Liddell) has been for some years the most prominent in
England, while the names of Gabrielle Wietrowitz and Marie Soldat are
known throughout Europe, and Maude Powell and Leonora Jackson are among
the brightest lights from the United States.
Miss Emily Shinner has been in many respects a pioneer amongst lady
violinists, for in 1874, when quite young, she went to Berlin to study
the violin. In those days pupils of the fair sex were not admitted to
the Hochschule, and Miss Shinner began to study under Herr Jacobsen. It
happened, however, that a lady from Silesia arrived at Berlin, intending
to take lessons of Joachim, but unaware of the rules against the
admission of women to the Hochschule. Joachim interested himself in her,
and she was examined for admission. Miss Shinner at once presented
herself as a second candidate, and the result was that both ladies were
accepted as probationers. In six months Miss Shinner was allowed to
become a pupil of Joachim, and thus gained the distinction of being the
first girl violinist to study under the great professor.
Again in 1884 Miss Shinner, having acquired a great reputation in
musical circles in England, was called upon at very short notice to take
Madame Neruda's place as leader to the "Pop" Quartet, on which occasion
she acquitted herself so well that an encore of the second movement of
the quartet was demanded. Since that time she has been always before the
public, and has taken special interest in chamber music and quartet
playing, the Shinner Quartet of ladies having acquired a national
reputation.
Her marriage to Capt. A. F. Liddell took place in 1889.
Marie Soldat was born at Gratz in 1863 or 1864, and was the daughter of
a musician, who was pianist, organist, and choirmaster, and who gave
her instruction from her fifth year on the piano. Two years later she
began to learn the organ, and was soon able to act as substitute for her
father when occasion required her services. Until her twelfth year she
studied music vigorously, taking violin lessons with Pleiner at the
Steier Musical Union at Gratz, and composition with Thierot, the
Kapellmeister, at the same time keeping on with the pianoforte.
She played the phantasie-caprice by Vieuxtemps in a concert at the
Musical Union when she was ten years of age, and at thirteen she went on
a tour and played Bruch's G minor concerto.
Soon after this she had the misfortune to lose her father, and a little
later her violin teacher, Pleiner, also died, so that her progress
received a check. Joachim, however, visited Gratz to play at a concert,
and the young girl went to him and consulted him as to her future
course. As a result of the interview she began to take lessons of August
Pott, a good violinist at Gratz, and the following year (1879) she again
went on a concert tour, visiting several cities in Austria.
During this tour, she made the acquaintance of Johannes Brahms, who took
a great deal of interest in her, advised her to devote all her energies
to the violin, and succeeded in arranging for another interview with
Joachim, the result of which was that she was enabled to enter the
Berlin High School for Music. Here she pursued her studies until 1882,
after which she still continued her studies and took private lessons of
Joachim.
At the high school she gained the Mendelssohn prize, and from that time
commenced her career as a virtuosa, touring extensively throughout
Europe. One of her greatest triumphs was when, in 1885, at Vienna, she
played Brahm's violin concerto with Richter's orchestra.
Her career has been marked by hard work and continual practice, which
have enabled her to overcome many obstacles, and have placed her on a
level with the very best violinists of her sex.
The Ladies' String Quartet, which she formed in Berlin, consisting of
herself as first violin, with Agnes Tschetchulin, Gabrielle Roy, and
Lucie Campbell, had a creditable career, and appeared in several German
cities.
In 1889 Marie Soldat married a lawyer named Röger, but did not retire
from her profession. She is now known as Madame Soldat-Röger.
Gabrielle Wietrowitz was born a few years later, in 1866, at Laibach,
and was also a pupil at the Musical Institute at Gratz. Her father was a
military bandsman who had some knowledge of the violin, which enabled
him to give his daughter elementary instruction on that instrument.
After a few years he left Laibach to settle in Gratz, and Gabrielle took
violin lessons from A. Geyer (some accounts say Caspar). On entering the
Musical Union she made a sensation by playing brilliantly at a concert
before a large audience. She was then eleven years of age, and from that
time she made the most rapid progress, taking first prize at the annual
trial concert. In consequence of her great promise Count Aichelburg, who
was a member of the Directorate of the Musical Union, presented her with
a valuable violin, and the Directorate assigned her a yearly salary
which enabled her to go to Berlin and enter the high school, where she
became a pupil of Joachim in 1882.
At the high school her career was as brilliant as it had been in Gratz,
for at the end of her first year she succeeded in capturing the
Mendelssohn prize, which brought her 1,500 marks, and at the end of her
third year she took it for a second time.
She remained at the high school three years, after which she began a
splendid career by playing the concerto by Brahms at the St. Cecilia
Festival at Münster. Then followed a series of concert tours, which
resulted in securing her a reputation as one of the most brilliant stars
amongst women.
Miss Wietrowitz plays with the most consummate ease the greatest works
of the modern school. She has a powerful and brilliant tone, with sweet
tenderness and sympathy, which appeal to the soul of the listener, and
she confines her repertoire to the highest class of musical
compositions. She has recently succeeded Miss Emily Shinner as first
violin in the quartet which that talented lady established in England.
The most recent star of Europe is Madame Saenger-Sethe, whose
appearances are invariably followed by eulogies from the critics. In
Berlin, when she appeared at the Singakademie, in November, 1898, where
she was assisted by the Philharmonic Orchestra, one critic declared that
no violin playing had been heard to compare with it during that season,
with the exception of Burmester's performance of the Beethoven concerto.
"Such wealth and sensuous beauty of tone, such certainty of technique,
such mental grasp of the work, and at the same time such all-conquering
temperament have not been heard in Berlin at the hands of a female
violinist during several years." After many recalls, she gave, as an
encore, a rousing performance of a Bach sarabande.
Mlle. Irma Sethe was born on April 28, 1876, at Brussels, and such was
her early aptitude for music that at the age of five she was placed
under a violinist of repute, named Jokisch, who in three months from the
start taught her to play a Mozart sonata. Five years of hard study
enabled her to appear at a concert at Marchiennes, when she played a
concerto by De Bériot and the rondo capriccioso by Saint-Saëns. The
following year she played at Aix-la-Chapelle, and made such an
impression that several offers of concert engagements were made, but
were declined by her mother on the score of the child's health, and for
three years after this she never appeared at a concert.
One summer, during the holidays, she met August Wilhelmj, who was
charmed with her talent, and devoted his mornings for two months to
giving her lessons daily. At the end of that time he emphasised his
appreciation by making her a present of a valuable violin. She still
continued her regular studies with Jokisch, until, acting on the advice
of her friends, she obtained a hearing from Ysaye, and played for him
Bach's prelude and fugue in G minor.
Ysaye at once recognised her immense ability, and advised her to enter
the conservatoire at Brussels, which she did, with the result that in
eight months she carried off the first prize, being then only fifteen
years of age. She continued her studies for three more years, and was
frequently employed as a substitute for Ysaye, as professor, to teach
his classes while he was absent on concert tours.
In 1894 she appeared with him at a number of important concerts, and
shortly afterwards made her first concert tour, visiting many of the
principal towns of Germany. In November, 1895, she made her first
appearance in London, where she was pronounced to be, with the exception
of Lady Hallé, the most remarkable lady violinist who had ever appeared
before the public in England, and where her excellent technique, perfect
intonation, warmth of feeling, and musical insight were highly, almost
extravagantly, praised.
In August, 1898, Mlle. Sethe married Doctor Saenger, a _littérateur_,
and professor of philosophy at Berlin, but she continues her career as a
violinist, and has made several tours of Europe. She has been compared
to Rubinstein, inasmuch as her remarkable musical temperament and
irresistible impulsiveness carry her at times almost beyond the limits
of her instrument, but these are the very qualities by which she
captivates and carries away her hearers.
Among other European ladies who have made their mark as violinists, and
whose stars are in the ascendant, may be mentioned Sophie Jaffé, who has
been called the greatest of all women violinists, and Frida Scotta.
Although many years behind the continent of Europe in musical life, and
with a musical atmosphere not nearly as dense as that found in almost
any village of Italy, France, or Germany, America has contributed to
the musical world many shining lights during the past few years. Mlle.
Urso has been claimed as an American violinist, though she was born in
Europe and was a good violinist before she reached these shores, but in
1864, in New York, Anna Senkrah was born, who for a few years rivalled
Teresina Tua.
The real name of Arma Senkrah was Harkness, which for professional
purposes she "turned end for end," as the sailors would say, and dropped
an "s." After Miss Harkness had been taught the elements of music by her
mother, she went to Brussels to study under Wieniawski, and then to
Paris, where she became a pupil of Massart She is said also to have
taken lessons of Vieuxtemps and of Arno Hilf.
In 1881 she won the first prize at the Paris Conservatoire, a feat which
always stamps the winner "artist." From 1877 to 1880 Arma Senkrah
travelled a great deal throughout Europe, and in 1882 she played, under
her proper name, at the Crystal Palace, London. She was created, at
Weimar, a chamber virtuoso, by the grand duke. Here she met and shortly
afterwards married a lawyer named Hoffman, and disappeared from the
concert platform.
New York has contributed other stars to the violin firmament, for Nettie
Carpenter and Geraldine Morgan are names which have become well known.
Miss Carpenter went abroad at an early age, though not until she had
appeared in concerts in her native city, and created considerable
interest.
On going to Paris, she was successful in passing the entrance
examinations for the Conservatoire, and in 1884 won the first prize for
violin playing. In 1882 she appeared in London at the promenade
concerts, and again in 1884, when she confirmed the reputation which she
had made two years previously, at the same concerts. From that time on
she went through the usual routine of the concert violinist, with
considerable success.
In 1894 she married Leo Stern, the violoncello player, but the union did
not continue for long, Mr. Stern becoming about four years later the
husband of Miss Suzanne Adams, the opera singer.
Miss Geraldine Morgan is the daughter of John P. Morgan, who was for
some years organist of Old Trinity Church, New York. She studied in her
native city under Leopold Damrosch, besides which she received much
instruction from her father. Then she went to Leipzig, where she studied
with Schradieck, after which she was the pupil in Berlin of Joachim,
under whose guidance she remained eight years. She was the first
American who ever gained the Mendelssohn prize.
Miss Morgan has made tours through the Continent and Great Britain, and
had the honour of playing the Bach double concerto with Joachim at the
Crystal Palace. In 1891 she appeared in New York under the auspices of
Walter Damrosch.
A lady who holds a high position among the violinists of the world is
Miss Maud Powell, who was born in Aurora, Ill., in 1868. Her father is
American and her mother German. She began her musical education at the
age of four, by taking piano lessons. At eight she took up the violin,
and made such excellent progress that, when she was thirteen years old,
she was taken to Leipzig, where she studied under Schradieck, and
received her diploma in a year, playing also at one of the Gewandhaus
concerts.
[Illustration: MAUD POWELL]
She next went to Paris, where she was the first selected out of eighty
applicants for admission to the Conservatoire. In the following year she
accepted an engagement for a tour in England, and had the honour of
playing before the royal family. While in London Joachim heard her, and
expressed his approval of her capabilities by inviting her to go to
Berlin and become one of his pupils, which she accordingly did, and
remained with him for two years.
In 1885 she made her début in Berlin at the Philharmonic concerts, when
she played the Bruch concerto, which she also played in Philadelphia
later in the same year. Her performance in America brought her much
praise, and she was declared to be a marvellously gifted woman, one who
in every feature of her playing disclosed the instincts and gifts of a
born artist, though she had not yet reached the heights of her ability.
Since that time she has gained in breadth, and has become a mature
artist.
Miss Powell has appeared in the best concerts throughout America, and
has gained a reputation second to no American violinist. By many she is
declared to be the equal of Soldat and Wietrowitz in tone, technique,
and interpretative power. She has an immense repertoire, and is also a
student of literature. She also is said to have been the first to
establish a female quartet in America.
The latest American lady violinist to gain honours abroad is Miss
Leonora Jackson, who won the Mendelssohn state prize at Berlin, in 1898,
and who has gained a great reputation by her performances before the
most important musical organisations in Europe.
Miss Jackson was fortunate enough to attract the attention of Mrs.
Grover Cleveland, who admired her talent, and, with Mr. George
Vanderbilt, sent her abroad. For two years she studied in Paris, and
then went to Berlin, where she became a pupil of Joachim. In Berlin she
made her début in 1896, with the Philharmonic Orchestra, which was
conducted by Joachim on that occasion. Shortly afterwards she was
commanded by the Empress of Germany to play at the Royal Opera House, in
Berlin, and she soon earned for herself a position amongst the best of
the rising violinists of the day.
When she appeared in London, in 1898, she surprised and delighted the
audience, displaying a fine tone, natural musical feeling, and complete
technique. Few violinists can play with such quiet, intense sentiment.
Miss Jackson, though but twenty years of age, is already a veteran
concert player, for she has appeared in many cities of Europe, and was
already known in America before she went to Berlin. She played in July,
1899, before the Queen of England at Windsor Castle, and again in August
at Osborne House, in the Isle of Wight.
The time has long since gone by when mere showy technique would earn a
reputation for any violinist, male or female, and she who expects to be
numbered with the great violinists must be first of all a musician,
capable of interpreting the greatest works. If in addition to this she
has "the divine spark," she will be truly great.