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Pianist Josef Hofmann in the New York Times: "Schumann has been quoted as saying that only an artist can gauge an artist: I wonder whether he was altogether right, tor individual music expression is of such a strictly personal nature, so interwoven with a musician's inner life. . . . The artistic relation to Tchaikovsky and Brahms for instance . . . they were as alien to each other musically as water is to fire physically. . . . But I am drifting away from actual criticizing which only too otten is mistaken for systematically finding the negative. . . . May I not, therefore, congratulate Messrs. Downes, Erskine and Urchs lor having given moments of happiness to those who listen to music less with their brains and more with their hearts?. . ."
Jazzmaster George Gershwin in the New York World: " Of Mr. Erskine's private life l know very little but I've heard enough of his piano playing to explain his reputation—as an author. . . . I don't know how he would need the 'St. Louis Blues' but in I he seemed quite at home. . lege professor— must have a spare time. . . . That Brahms was a darn nice ch do such marvelous things to a nursery-like theme of Haydn As the themes were passed one piano to another it reminded me of the baseball phrase—Ei to Downes to Urchs. . . . All in all it was a good concert. . . ."
Mozart
In 1775, the Elector of Ba entertained his noble guests palace with shiny floors and mirrors. They were amused I opera, La Finta Gia d'niera tion of a 19-year-old boy, Wolf Amadeus Mozart. Its plot com three pairs of handsome bred people, all of whom find t selves tangled into complica with the wrong fiance.
On rummaging through the n room of the New York Public bary, Macklin Marrow, Presi of the Intimate Opera ( pany, dusted off an ancient c ment, discovered it to be a gotten score of this old opera was presented at the tiny Mas Theatre in Manhattan last v the text translated into Enj In the orchestra pit sat I Lange, First Violin of the I harmonic Orchestra. Flowers f the little theatre (for this the occasion of the Intimate C panys first production), the sm est Manhattanites attended, laug applauded the dainty music, tl graceful presentation. Otto Kahi — 11 ~s the real Mozart. I mu tell Gatti." This same Otto Kah did not mention that his mont launched the enterprise.
*Educational and recreation colony chiefly pat,ron.ifed by artists, in memory of J^award Alexander MacDowell (1861-1908) most original and gifted musician of U S— origin " MacDowell studied at Paris and Frankfort knew Franz Liszt (see page 39) taught at Darmstadt, settled in Boston taught at Columbia University. His out-put of symphonic poems and suites idiomatic and instructive rather than conventional, for orchestra and piano, was copious. For voice he wrote 30 choruses andpart-songs, 42 solo-songs. Among his most popularly famed piano music are: "To a Wild Rose," "To a Water Lily," "An Old Try-stmg-Place," and a volume of Sea Pieces.
*Of philosophy, at Columbia Universit