J. N. Pattison Matinee

“Mr. J. N. Pattison gave his first piano matinée at Irving Hall yesterday before an audience principally composed of ladies. The programme was a highly attractive one, and Miss Maria Brainerd, Mr. George Simpson, Miss Clementine Levey and Mr. Pollock assisted the deserving pianist. The great attration of the piano part of the bill was Pattison’s transcription of the Doctor of Alcantara. Eichberg could not find a more successful interpreter of his charming little operetta. The great desideratum in such transcriptions is the attractive and striking arrangement of the best and most characteristic points of an opera so that the transcription may form a unique and descriptive work, instead of being merely a string of airs without any reference to unity or music dovetailing of such points. Mr. Pattison has been particularly successful in this, and his Doctor of Alcantara fantasia will rank first of all his compositions, excepting his Faust which he played in the latter part of the programme and which is a work of the highest style of art. The Sunrise Mazurka, with which he closed the concert, is a clear and sparkling salon piece. Miss Maria Brainerd sang charmingly as ever in one of Arditi’s waltzes and a ‘Love me or Love me not,’ which seeming contradiction she reconciled in the most satisfactory manner. George Simpson was the pleasing tenor of yore, and Pollock was more lively than ordinary. Pattison’s dashing concert polka was brilliantly played by him and Miss Clementine Levey. There is no doubt of the success of the series of concerts commenced by this favorite magician pianist, and at his next we augur the same triumph for his Henselt concerto, which he will play, the Philharmonic notwithstanding.”

“…The first of a series of Saturday matinées, contemplated by Mr. J. N. Pattison—who is one of the cleverest of our younger pianists—was given at Irving Hall on last Saturday. The programme had the merit of variety at least, and the performances were of a good order, although, with an exception or two, none of them invite specific mention. Miss Brainard, whose method is chasteness itself, sang a pretty ballad by Henry Smart, with the old refrain, ‘Loves he me or loves he not I’ and Arditi’s never tire-some waltz song. Mr. Pattison’s best performance was the last on the program, his own ‘Predowa Caprice,’ and ‘Sunrise Masourka.’ A trio from Verdi’s seldom-heard ‘Atilla’ was given by Miss Brainard, Mr. Simpson, and Mr. Pollack.”

“…Mr. J. N. Pattison, of whose merits as a popular pianist we shall have further occasion to speak, has given successfully the first of a popular Saturday matinee series. He had such good assistants as Mr. Rudolph Hennig’s violincello [sic], and Miss Maaria Brainerd’s educated voice. Mr. Pattison played five compositions of his own, concluding with a Sunrise Mazurka, and among other notabilities of the occasion were Mozart’s ‘Il mio tesoro,’ sung by George Simpson and ‘Love me, or love me not,’ a pretty song by the English composer, Henry Smart, but seldom heard in an American concert-room.”