Testimonial Concert Tendered to S. B. Mills

Includes programme [but very difficult to read]

“‘Our’ piano virtuoso Herr S. B. Mills will give his first concert of the season next Monday at Steinway Hall. Herr Mills has fully recovered from the injuries he sustained in an accident in the Castkill Mountains last summer.”

[No explanation for how this review could have been published on Nov. 21, when all the other sources place the concert as having occurred on Nov. 23. An announcement in the Nov. 23 issue announces the recital for the evening of the 23d] “The concert of Mr. S. B. Mills last night at Steinway Hall—his first in public since the terrible accident which befell him in the Catskills—was a remarkable tribute to an artist in whom the whole musical community takes a deep interest. There was a splendid audience, which welcomed the convalescent with cordial applause and a profusion of flower baskets, and the entertainment was prolonged by numerous recalls and encores. The first piece on the programme was Beethoven’s trio in E flat (Opus 70, No. 2), for piano-forte, violin, and violoncello, played with delicious sentiment by Messrs. Mills, Damrosch, and Bergner. Mr. Mills (who is not yet able to walk, and was wheeled to the piano in an arm-chair,) has certainly lost nothing of that exquisite touch, delicate perception, and refined expression for which he has been so long and so generally admired, and he comes out of his sick chamber as [true?] a master of his instrument as ever. His recovery is a piece of good fortune upon which we must congratulate not only him but the whole city. His solo selections last night included, besides other things [lists works]. It [Liszt’s Rhapsodie Hongroise] bears a strong resemblance in some passages to Nos. 1 and 2, and although it is rather less striking and furious than those remarkable productions, it is both brilliant and beautiful, and Mr. Mills made a marked impression with it.

Besides Mr. Damrosch and Mr. Bergner, Mr. Mills had the assistance of [lists performers]. The cornet, as usual, stirred the house to something like enthusiasm, and the soprano and baritone met with a generous share of favor.”

Mills’s “first appearance since his late severe accident.”  

“…Mills appears for the first time this season. A rich and interesting program is offered.” Lists performers.

“The name of S. B. Mills is intimately interwoven in musical life not only in New York, but in every American city. His clear and thoughtful interpretations, his brilliant touch, his modest demeanor—in short, all the qualities which only a true artist possesses, make him a favorite not only of the general public but also of art connoisseurs. Without ostentation, without advertisement, S. B. Mills has been able to maintain his position and, alongside Rubinstein, keeps the public’s interest. As a teacher he is unrivaled, which is proven not only by the number of outstanding amateurs he has instructed, but also by the significant number of proper artists who have studied with him. What characterizes this school primarily is a cleanliness of playing and a conscientious observation of and subordination to all of the composer’s instructions—without, however, slipping into thoughtless parroting. The supremacy that Mills enjoyed was undisputed, and the public is never lacking in its recognition of it. During the summer, Mills suffered an accident in the Adirondacks, from which the worst was feared; the public showed an outpouring of sympathy for its favorite [Mills]; sentiments of admiration and respect poured in from all sides, and it must have come as a consolation for the pianist, as he lay infirm, that the whole musical world was afraid of losing its favored disciple of music. When it became known that Mills would be all right, the joy was no less great, and when he was fully recovered enough to appear again before the public, the decision was quickly made to organize a concert in his honor. This was carried out yesterday. A very large audience, comprised almost only of music lovers, gathered yesterday at Steinway Hall to give the artist a heartfelt reception at his return; a reception which turned into an ovation, and an uplifting one at that. It was a sad sight as the usually lively and energetic man was brought out onto the platform in a wheelchair. Melancholy seemed to grip the audience as it refrained from boisterous applause. Beethoven’s great E-flat major Trio was valiantly played by Mills, Dr. Damrosch, and Bagner [sic]. We must mention that not one voice made itself unduly important—a complete ensemble was achieved. When Mills played next three pieces by Chopin, including the wonderful Etude op. 25, the whole audience listened with unmistakable joy. This was still Mills, the excellent pianist, who gave life to the dreamy ideas of Chopin, with their intricate ornamentation and difficult cadences, with a clarity and purity borne of only a very sensitive nature. The applause was boundless and the floral bouquets so numerous, they decorated the entire stage. The artist, though exhausted, was compelled by the audience to offer an encore. In the second part, Mills played Liszt’s ‘Rhapsodie Hongroise’ and as an encore his own flagrant composition ‘Fairy Fingers.’ Of the other performers, only Herr Tagliapetra [sic] deserves mention. He sang Mattei’s ‘Non è ver’ admirably and would have been very successful in the duet from the ‘Barbier’ had he memorized it. The remaining numbers of the pretty long program were entrusted to Fräulein Donadio and the cornetist Herr Arbuckle, and their performances were warmly received. The concert concluded with Chopin’s ‘Rondo brillant’ for two pianos, which Herren S. B. Mills and W. F. Mills played perfectly. The concert proved that, despite his long illness, Herr Mills has lost none of his strength or eminent skill, and that he both was and will remain the favorite of the public. Herr Mills’s next appearance will be at the Thomas Symphony concert, at which he will perform a new piano concerto by Raff.”

“The concert tendered to Mr. S. B. Mills took place at Steinway Hall, last evening, and was grateful evidence of the regard in which the public hold that skilled performer and amiable gentleman. Mr. Mills lately met with a severe accident, and now that more than two months have gone by since its occurrence, he still has to be rolled to the piano in an easy-chair. That general sympathy is felt for him was shown by the presence of a large audience, by a most cordial greeting, and by a series of floral offerings which would have gladdened the heart of a new prima donna, even in prosperous times. After noting these facts, it is pleasant to be able to say that the excellences and graces of Mr. Mills’ style as a pianist have not, seemingly, suffered from his long confinement. His touch is as firm, as crisp, and as fluent, his command of tone as perfect, and his reading as elegant, as ever. There are greater artists than Mr. Mills, but there are few in whom a mastery of technique and a sympathetic delivery are combined in nicer proportions, and none who address themselves to their work after more careful preparation, and in a more reverential spirit. These traits were once more clear yesterday, and had the wonted measure of appreciation. The programme commenced with the E flat trio by Beethoven, which was capitally played by Mr. Mills, Dr. Damrosch, and Mr. Bergner. Later on, Mr. Mills interpreted a berceuse, an étude, and a tarentelle by Chopin; in acknowledgment of an encore, ‘Des Abends,’ by Schumann; and, next, a ‘Rhapsodie Hongroise’—No. 10—by Liszt, and somewhat less characteristic than the better known numbers of the series. With Mr. W. F. Mills, his brother, the bénéficiare recited, as a finale to the concert, Chopin’s ‘Rondo Brillant.’ The entertainment further included two performances on the cornet by Mr. Arbuckle, whose tone in adagio movements is exquisitely beautiful, and some singing by Mlle. Donadio and Signor Tagliapietra, who were afforded every provocation to slay their accompanist on the spot.”

“At Steinway Hall last evening a large and distinguished company assembled to welcome Mr. S. B. Mills back to his professional duties. He has sufficiently recovered from the effects of his late severe accident to undergo without fear of injury to health the mental tension and excitement of appearing before large audiences. His many friends testified in no measured way their admiration of his powers as an artist, and gratification on seeing him able to exercise them with pleasure.

The concert began with Beethoven’s celebrated Trio in C minor, Opus No. 3, and not the Trio in E-flat Opus 70, as marked on the programme. Mr. Mills received the co-operation of Dr. Leopold Damrosch and Mr. Bergner in the rendering of this beautiful work.

It is somewhat in the Mozartean form, and consists of four movements, Allegro con brio; Andante con variazione; minuet, finale; and proved highly interesting as a specimen of chamber music. It was executed with extreme finish and most persuasive eloquence.

Mr. Mills afterwards played the Berceuse, an etude in F minor, and the Tarantelle in A flat by Chopin, in all of which his faultless mechanism and exquisitely sensitive touch were fully displayed. It is only when the piano-forte is treated in a highly refined way that its great and varied powers are known. The quality of the tones which were produced last evening are seldom heard in ordinary performances, for though there are numberless pianists, there are very few who fully comprehend their instrument, while many appear to use it simply for the astonishment of the uninitiated, by constantly employing it for the exhibition of some special feats of manual dexterity.

In the second part Liszt’s ‘Rhapsodie Hongroise,’ No. 10, in B, was played by Mr. Mills with great brilliancy and animation. For encore pieces he gave a pleasant little theme worked out in the style of an etude, and ‘Des Abends,’ the first of a series of pieces entitled ‘Phantasie Stücke,’ by Robert Schumann.

Signor Tagliapietra sang Mattei’s well-known Romanza ‘Non e Ver’ exceedingly well, and at the close produced a magnificent high A flat, which raised the audience to great enthusiasm, and led to the song being redemanded. Signor Tagliapietra interpreted the plaudits as a compliment to the composer by repeating the song. He delivered with still greater emphasis the high note in the concluding phrase.

The concert was brought to a close by the performance of Chopin’s duet in C major Opus 73, for two pianos, entitled ‘Rondo Brilliant,’ during which the audience remained seated and preserved an unbroken silence, which must have been as gratifying to the Messrs. Mills, as other similar marks of esteem which were freely given throughout the evening.”

“A grand testimonial concert was given last evening for the benefit of the popular pianist, Mr. S. B. Mills, being his first appearance in public this season. He was assisted by [lists performers]. The deserving beneficiare, when wheeled on the stage in an easy chair (for his leg is not yet strong enough to dispense with a chair or crutches), was received with a hearty greeting, which fully attested the high esteem in which he is regarded by the public. The concert opened with Beethoven’s trio in E flat for piano, violin and ‘cello, which was very neatly and smoothly played by Messrs. Mills, Damrosch and Bergner. Mr. Mills gave an exquisite rendering of three Chopin gems, ‘Berceuse,’ ‘Etude, No. 2, op. 25,’ and ‘Tarantella,’ and convinced his hearers that, notwithstanding his severe accident, his fingers have lost none of their cunning. In response to an unanimous encore and a half dozen baskets of flowers tendered to him, he rendered in the most poetic manner the delicious little morceau of Schumann, ‘Am abend.’ In the second part he introduced the tenth ‘Rhapsodie Hongroise’ of Liszt, and played a duet with his brother. There was a large house, and we understand that the receipts were very considerable.”