Vocal Recital in the Queen’s Rooms, on Tuesday the 7th of March, 1899, featuring Miss Jenny Taggart, Mr. Atherton Smith, and Mr. Camillo Ritter, the Violinist

On page six of The Glasgow Herald, on Wednesday the 8th of March, 1899:

 

 

“VOCAL RECITAL IN QUEEN’S ROOMS. – In the Queen’s Rooms last night a vocal recital was given by Miss Jenny Taggart and Mr Atherton Smith, two local artists who have attained a high reputation in their profession. They had the assistance of Mr Camillo Ritter, a violinist also well known in the city. The concert attracted a large audience, and the success with which it was attended must have been gratifying to the many friends of its promoters who honoured them with their presence, no less than to the artists themselves. In the selection of the programme excellent taste and judgment were displayed. While not so severely classical as to place it beyond the enjoyment of the average amateur, it was admirably fitted to afford the vocalists and the instrumentalist alike sufficient scope for the display of their representative accomplishments. Miss Taggart was in splendid voice, and gave an admirable account of her share of the work. This consisted of Italian, German, and English songs by Stradella, Scarlatti, Purcell, Schumann, and Brahms, in which she appeared to the highest advantage. Miss Taggart is quite at home on the concert platform, and in the varied selections which she submitted she revealed entire command of a large range of vocal power and a highly cultured method. While all her pieces were beautifully rendered, she achieved marked distinction in Schubert’s impressive setting of Scott’s ‘Rest Thee, Soldier,’ which was sung with exquisite feeling. Purcell’s ‘I Attempt from Love’s Sickness to Fly,’ was also a delightful effort, and the fairylike music of Scarlatti’s ‘Rugiadose, odorose violette’ was likewise charmingly sung. Mr Atherton Smith sustained a large share of the recital. One of his finest efforts was his opening song, Rubinstein’s ‘La Rosee Etincelle,’ [sic] in which he sang the stately melody with much charm of voice and manner. Gounod’s ‘Medji’ [sic] was also finely rendered. Mr Ritter’s contributions included the adagio from G minor concerto (Max Bruch), two Hungarian dances (Brahms-Joachim), Le Cygne (Saint Saëns), and ‘Perpetuum Mobile’ (Novacek), and he proved himself a skilful and an artistic executant. Mr J. Crossland Hirst played the accompaniments.”