The Baton: Vol. 4, No. 4 - January, 1925 - The Juilliard School

18 THE BATONmany, Scandinavia and Holland, and was soloist withthe leading orchestras in the principal cities of Europe.Two summer seasons he spent in London as first solo'cellist at the Royal Opera Convent Garden, Hans Richterconducting.The winters he passed in Vienna, where for five yearshe was first 'cellist under Gustav Mahler at the Hofoper,and for the same period was soloist at the courtof Emperor Franz Joseph. The others of this groupof Royal Hofartists were Leo Slezak, tenor; SelmaKurtz, soprano; Arnold Rose, violinist; and Gruenfeld,pianist. They appeared at the Hofburg, the Palace ofthe Emperor in Vienna. Mr. Willeke played beforeKing Edward of England, King Leopold of Belgium,King Oscar of Sweden, the King of Spain, the GermanEmperor, and other royalties.He was the recipient of most marked royal favorand enjoyed great popularity with the music lovingViennese public."At the youthful age of twenty-two. I was calledupon to substitute for the 'cellist of Joachim's Quartet.''said Mr. Willeke."After supper at the Bristol following the concert,Joachim took me to his room and presented me withthe manuscripts of the cadenzas he himself wrote tothe Beethoven violin cencerto. I am very proud ofthem as they are the only ones in existence."Every Wednesday evening Mr. Willeke and EdouardSchutt went to the home of Leschetizky where theyplayed Sonates, etc., until four or five in the morning.In 1907 Franz Kneisel made the trip from Paris toVienna to investigate the rumors he had heard of thegenius of the 'cellist at the Viennese court, and to engagehim for the Kneieel Quartet which post Mr. Willekeaccepted, coming to America the same year.The 'cellist has composed among other things, somecharming songs which Shumann Heink and KittyCheatham have sung at their concerts.Mr. Willeke is the fortunate possessor of a NicolaAmati, one of only four known to be in existence,dated 1647. Formerly it belonged to the great FranzLiszt. Besides many recitals, he has appeared as soloistwith the New York Philharmonic Society, the NewYork Symphony Society, the Chicago Symphony, theSt. Louis and Russian Symphony Orchestras, and onvarious occasions has conducted the New York SymphonyOrchestra on tour and in New York City withmarked success. Two years ago he went with WalterDamrosch on the European tour. His recitals, and thefamous Elshuco Trio which Mr. Willeke founded someyears ago, keep him busy, as well as his activities ashead of the 'Cello Faculty of the Institute of MusicalArt."This concerns one of the ladies, Anna LockwoodFyffe," continued Molly, discovering- anotherarticle.She was born in Ohio, her father, an amateur musician,was well trained in piano, organ and violin. Ensemblemusic in their home provided the little girl withan invaluable knowledge of musical literature at a veryearly age. Good teachers in her home town preparedAnna so thoroughly that at eighteen she was able toenter the Post-Graduate Department of the New EnglandConservatory at Boston, where she studied firstwith Carl Faelten. She also studied with the late Mrs.Bertha Feiring Tapper who became her intimate friendas well as teacher. Paderewski, always interested inMrs. Tapper's work, advised her to study in Vienna,whither she went, taking with her the Conservatory'smost talented American pupil, Anna Lockwood.In Vienna they were members of the most brilliantclass the great Leschetizky ever taught at one time,including such illustrious names as Ossip Gabrilowitch,Mark Hambourg, Artur Schnabel, Katharine Goodson,and our own Elizabeth Strauss and Lotta Mills Hough.As a result of overwork and anxiety, she suffered anervous breakdown, necessitating a premature returnto her home in Ohio. While she was recovering fromthe effects of her illness, her attitude toward her workunderwent a gradual change. Although she possessedevery natural qualification and had had the training fora career as concert pianist, she began to feel that herbiggest opportunity lay in the field of teaching. Withthis in view, she started with characeristic energy tolearn the art of the teacher. She came back to Bostonto study with Calvin Cady, who later sent her to NewYork as his representative. Every summer for sixyears, she studied in Paris with Harold Bauer, attractedby the man's great mentality. She also went to Berlinfor intensive work with Eisenberger.Mrs. Fyffe was one of the pioneers at the openingof the Institute, heartily concurring in all Dr. Damrosch'sideas for broad musical culture.Leschctizky, famous teacher of manyof our Piano Faculty-''Listen to this, mother," laughed Molly. "Hereat last is something about Miss Strauss.''Accidentally meeting aboard a boat plying in Mainewaters you seize the opportunity to glean informationwhen your victim cannot escape! Miss Strauss regalesyou with tales of this sort: She was born in Lynchburg,Va., in 1998, which makes her twenty-four. Shecomes of unmusical but honest parents; they were respectablepeople, not professional musicians!She claims her first public appearance to have occurredwhen she was "quarter past six" and took partin some entertainment. Her family moved to Lexington,Ky., and four years later she went to further herpianistic studies at the Cincinnati College of Music.The next year she sailed for Europe . . ». and- at thatpoint the story reached an abrupt end."Abrupt end is right," declared Mrs. Pearson."We can't sit up here all night reading stories.Come, child."IVThe next morning Molly was just as alert asif she had not had a sleepless night from somuch unusual excitement. There were stillmore whose stories she had to hear and shecould hardly wait for the guests to appear. Thefirst one to come down for breakfast was theinteresting looking young man they had affec-