Earl R. Drake and Accompanying Artists

              CONSOLIDATED LYCEUM BUREAU



NEW YORK
 · 
LONDON
 · 
CHICAGO
 Cable Address. 
Consolidaturn




STEINWAY HALL, CHICAGO A. D. Martin, Mar.




Earl R. Drake and Accompanying Artists




REPRESENTED IN EVERY STATE



84  Bldy




Earl R. Drake One Eminent American Violinist And Accompanying Artists



M
R. DRAKE was a pupil of Schradieck and Hild of Leipsic and Berlin, and for some time was associated with Joachim of the Berlin Royal School.




For a number of years Mr. Drake has been at the head of a large school in Chicago—the Drake School of Violin and Orchestra—and has met with great success.  Each year Mr. Drake makes a limited tour of the leading cities in concert and recital.  Mr. Drake uses the famous Stradivarius violin bearing date of 1713, purchased by him for $5000.00.




Mr. Drake will be accompanied en tour by able artists.





Miss Blanche Blood Viola d'Amour Soloist



Miss Blood received her training under Mr. Drake, and is now associate principal in the Drake School of Violin.  Miss Blood plays the Viola d'Amour with great success.  She bears the distinction of being the only lady playing this instrument.




The Viola d'Amour is obsolete, not having been commonly used for the past century.  It was popularly in vogue as a serenading instrument during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries throughout entire Europe.




Miss Blanche Blood




Viola d'Amour




New Glaris, Wisconsin, Courier


—Miss Blanche Blood met with a brilliant reception with her excellent performance on the Viola d'Amour, and few, if any, lady players possess her technical skill and finish on this difficult instrument.




Chicago Press Club


—Miss Blanche Blood, a pupil of Mr. Drake, gave several selections on her fine Viola d'Amour, an obsolete instrument over three hundred years old, that demonstrated her mastery of it.  Her playing was most sympathetic and of fine quality that won enthusiastic applause.




Elmwood, Illinois, Gazette


—Number three was 
Night Piece,
 by Schumann, played by Miss Blood on the Viola d'Amour, an instrument of the sixteenth century.  Miss Blood, by her playing, exhibited the beautiful tone-quality of the instrument as well as her own ability as a performer.  To say that she is a pupil of Mr. Drake speaks well for both teacher and pupil.




Niles Daily Star


—Mr. Drake proved himself a superb artist by playing on both violin and piano, and his 
Appassionata Fantasie,
 by Vieuxtemps, as well as some of his own compositions, was something exquisite.  Miss Blood excited great admiration by her performance of one of her own compositions, and a difficult one by Wieniawski on the Viola d'Amour.  We shall hope to secure this admirable company again.




Iowa City Daily Iowan,


—For over two hours this audience enjoyed the keenest pleasure listening to the delightfully rendered programme, and demanding encore after encore.  Mr. Drake showed himself not only a master of the technique of violin playing, but also a most able and sympathetic interpreter of the selections rendered.  The selection, 
Gipsy Scenes,
 composed by Mr. Drake, proved him a composer of no mean ability  The violin duet by Mr. Drake and Miss Blood was also much enjoyed.







MISS JOSEPHINE RICE one of the most delightfully charming young singers before the public, captivates the hearts of all who hear her, by her wonderful simplicity and magnificent voice.  Unassuming and modest she sings apparently without effort.  She is a favorite pupil of L. A. Phelps, Possessed of a voice of unusual beauty, clear enunciation, excellent style, dramatic force and sincerity, she adds much to this splendid company.




Specimen Drogramme





1.


Trio for Violin Viola 'd Amour and Piano
(The Company)


Schubert




2.


Violin.  Spanish Symphony
(Andante and Rondo)


Lalo




3.


Vocal Aria 
My Heart at Thy Sweet Voice

(Samson and Delilah)


Saint Saens




4.


Viola d' Amour 
Dance of The Fairies


Van Goens




5.


Violin—Gipsy Scenes op. 7


Drake




6.


Vocal (
a
) 
O for a Burst of Song


Allitson





(
b
) 
Du bist die Ruhe


Schubert





(
c
) 
O Dry Those Tears


Del Reigo




7.


Viola d' Amour—Salterello


Golterman




8.


Group of old favorites by the Company.





9.


Duet for two Violins


DeBeriot




10.


Violin–(
a
) 
Slumber Song
, (
b
) 
Polish Dance
}


Drake






Subject to change







Atlantic City Press Atlantic City, N. J.


Miss Josephine Rice with her rich contralto voice gave a delightful musicale Tuesday evening.  The audience was enthusiastic over her perfect rendition.  She adds a charming, captivating personality to her many accomplishments and has a promising future in the world of music.




Phoenix Chicago, Ill.


Miss Josephine Rice popular contralto who has attained distinction as a concert singer has booked for the season with the Earl R. Drake Concert Company, under management of the Consolidated Lyceum Bureau.  Miss Rice who has grown in favor with the lovers of music of this city, has been before the Chicago public for several years, and has steadily gained popularity.  Tours have added admirers and increased her fame as a sweet singer.  Her legion of friends see for her a brilliant future and great success.




Musical Standard Chicago, Ill.


I am glad to learn that Miss Josephine Rice is engaged by the Consolidated Lyceum Bureau.  She has spent several years in diligent study.  With her good voice and ability she pleased the large audience last evening.




Chicago Evening Post Chicago, Ill.


Chicago does not often hear a more interesting and characteristic concert than that given yesterday afternoon.  Miss Rice was enthusiastically received.




Lexington Democrat Lexington, Ky.


Miss Rice made the most charming of impressions upon her listeners, not only by her pure, sweet voice so exquisitely cultivated, but by her attractive personality as well.







Earl R. Drake,
 the well-known virtuoso, was born near Aurora, Illinois, in November, 1865, and at the age of five, showing remarkable talent, was placed in the hands of the best teachers.  He made rapid progress and was placed under Prof.  Henry Schradieck, the celebrated Leipsic concert master.  After this came a two years' course under Carl Hild, and to these two great musicians Mr. Drake owes his large repertory.  He then toured with great success throughout the West, and in 1892 became associated with Joachim in Berlin.  At the invitation of the master, he continued daily with him in the Royal School.  Mr. Drake attached the utmost importance to his opportunity of playing accompaniments for Herr Joachim and his pupils, whereby he obtained a thorough knowledge of the interpretation of the greatest concertos according to Joachim's conception.  Returning to America, Mr. Drake began his successful series of concerts, appearing in the principal cities, before prominent musical clubs and societies, besides conducting his regular series of concerts in Chicago.  Mr. Drake's compositions include:  A Symphonic Poem, 
Pyramus and Thisbe,
 a Suite 
The Brownies,
 both for large orchestra, a concerto for violin and orchestra, several short concert pieces for violin and orchestra, several short concert pieces for violin and piano, the most popular of which are the 
Polish Dance,
 
Slumber Song
 
Gipsy Scenes
 and 
Mazurka.





…Dress Comments…



Berlin, Germany, Joseph Joachim


— 
Delighted to have known Mr. Drake and sorry that this distinguished musician leaves Berlin.




Springfield (Mo.) Republican


— It was the universal verdict of the audience who gathered to hear Mr. Earl R. Drake last evening in his violin recital at Calvary Church, that few artistic privileges are more to be prized than a violin recital like this one proved to be.




Burlington (Iowa) Musical Club, Ellen Tracy Garrett,, 
Pres
.




We look back quite often to the two delightful evenings spent hearing you.  We thoroughly enjoyed it and hope that we may have the pleasure again.  When can you give us a return concert?




Boston, Musical Record


— The concert by Earl R. Drake was largely attended.  Mr. Drake played the third violin concerto by Max Bruch which Camilla Urso played in Boston years ago.  He played broadly and artistically.




Cedar Falls, (Iowa) Daily Record


— The Earl R. Drake Concert Company last night scored a success.  The violin selections of Mr. Drake showed him to be an artist of the first rank.  The superior tone of his $5,000 instrument at once appealed to the lovers of fine music.




Chicago, Tribune


— Mr. Drake played two of his own compositions for the violin, Lalo's Spanish Symphonie, Vieuxtemps' Fantasie Appassionata, and the Greig Sonata.  Mr. Drake is a violinist of great ability.  He has the true artistic instinct, playing at all times with feeling and fire.




New York, Musical Courier


— Earl R. Drake the enterprising and gifted Chicago violinist, has been the first player to present to the American public Richard Strauss' violin concerto.  Mr. Drake gave his concert with the assistance of an orchestra, and played with his usual technical ability and refined musicianship.  He plays with breadth and dignity.




Drofessor Drake's Jamous Stradivarius




Cincinnati, Ohio, Pierre Tirendelli


— 
To Mr. Earl R. Drake the well known artist of Chicago, who recently performed my concerto with so much brilliancy.




Rockford, (Ill.,) Morning Star


— Earl R. Drake gave a concert yesterday afternoon before the Mendelssohn Club.  He has the advantage of playing on a remarkable fine instrument, a genuine Strad, from which he draws a full pure tone of much richness and power.  Mr. Drake's work is full of warmth and tenderness, exquisitly phrased and exceptionally delicate.



Mr. Drake played two of his own compositions, the 
Slumber Song
 on muted strings, and a polish dance.  Both captivated the audience.  The Paganini concerto with which Mr. Drake closed his program was given a broad masterly rendition.  Altogether the appreciative audience felt much gratification in having heard so fine an artist.



Plymouth, (Indiana,) Tribune,


— The entertainment given at the opera house on Saturday night by the Earl R. Drake Company, under the auspices of the Mozart Club of this city, was a success in every way.  Miss Blanche Blood is one of the most talented lady violinists, and every one who heard her was captivated by her performance.




Waterloo, (Iowa) Times-Tribune


— Mr. Earl Drake, the violinist was at his best.  Repeatedly he held the audience spellbound before the skilled manipulations on the king of instruments, his selections, 
Faust Fantasie
 being exceptional.  Miss Blanche Blood on the Viola d'Amour carried the audience with her at every turn of the bow.




Elyria, (Ohio) Democrat


— In Mr. Drake, Elyria heard a gifted violin player, one who plays with intensity of feeling and whose technical gifts are equal to the demands of the compositions he performs.  The Andante and Rondo, from the Spanish Symphony by Lalo, were filled with the intense color of the native music.