Music Trade Review

62
Music Trade Review
© mbsi.org, CRITIC
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THE -- MUSICAL
AND TRAS -- digitized with support from namm.org
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INDIVIDUALITIES.
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spirit settled the mall
stituted for " LohengriJ
OLD NATALE.—New Yd! 1
HANDS OFF.—Reports come across the ocean that Mme. Christine
Nilsson is busily engaged in the study of Fidelio. Ne sutor ultra crepidam! is with Max Strakosch for man
Mme. Nilsson, with her purely lyric organ, will never be able to do justice to glory and in his fall, and sharec
Beethoven's heroine, in spite of her own assurances and those of her mana- name is Signor Natale. He is a maT
things in his life. About 22 years
ger, Henry Jarrett.
and allowed himself to be carried across
CHANGED HIS MIND.—When Mr. Mapleson, the impresario of our Italian recent English Opera Season at the Fifth
opera, was doing well during the fall season, he intimated that the National nightly in the lobby of the theatre enveloped in"
Opera House on the Thames Embankment, London, would soon be finished. spoken to he said in broken English: "Look
Now we read that the unfinished structure has been sold to capitalists for belonged to Ole Bull. He died in my arms." Natale ell
the purpose of building on the site a big hotel.
When last spring the old Norwegian artist left America fo 1 !
MUTUAL.—Max Strakosch thinks that his partnership with C. D. Hess Strakosch to lend him Natale over the summer, and StrakT __
with his demands, Natale being, of course, glad to make the
was a big mistake, and Hess joins in his partner's opinion.
nursed the artist till the hour of his death, and closed his eyes wl
SHE IS EIGHT.—Emma Abbott stated in an interview that in her acting struggle was over. Were Natale capable of speaking English fluently^
as an insane girl, she acts just as insane girls do. She is perfectly right. could make a fortune by lecturing on Ole Bull, his death and Norwegian^
Unfortunately her conception is so thoroughly original that in her mold home.
most of the operatic female characters become insane girls. She represents
WELCOME.—The London Musical World informs us that Miss Minnie
a kind of operatic lunatic asylum.
Hauk will come to New York for the May Festival. As the Armory of the
KEEP COOL.—A Buffalo musician feels grieved on account of a criticism Seventh Regiment, N. G. S. N. Y., holds ten thousand people there is no
on a piece of sheet music composed by a young man in Buffalo and described doubt that Miss Hauk will find a seat among the audience.
by a correspondent of a New York musical paper as "delightful." The
RARA AVIS.—In Rostock, a small town in Mecklenberg, the Senate and
grieved musician thinks that such opinion helps to injure the reputation of
Buffalo's inhabitants as a musical people. We never knew that Buffaloniana Town Council recently voted a grant of 5,000 marks to the Stadt-theatre, and
enjoyed such a reputation, although we know that some veiy good musicians the manager respectfully declined to accept it. Send the man to America
live in that city. But keep cool ! No special harm has been done ! A for six months and then let the Senate of Rostock try again!
trashy song has been pronounced "delightful." Accidents of that kind will
A GOOD REASON.—Young Mr. Brandus, of the celebrated Paris publish-
happen in the best regulated musical communities.
ing house, is in New York. Being asked why his house had discontinued
THE VIRTUOUS MAN.—People complain again about the speculators on the Revue el Gazette Musicale, he said: "Formerly we used it as an adver-
the sidewalk, and forget that they have the remedy in their own hand. As tising medium of our own publications, but what is the use of spending
we said before, let them only for a week abstain from buying from specula- 5,000 dollars a year for the benefit of rival publishing houses. Monsieur
tors and the whole system will be broken up. How far managers are too Choudens becomes the proprietor of a new opera, and we are bound to
blame we do not know; we suppose that some of them are guilty of some devote columns to his property. That did not pay and we dropped the
underhand work, and we are glad to see that Col. Mapleson belongs to the entire thing.
virtuous coterie. He said so himself in a letter written from Detroit, Mich.,
CHURCH SINGERS.—A formidable array of church singers are waiting for
to the New York papers. A man who refused subscription tickets to a well- positions. One glance over the advertising columns of a Sunday Herald
known speculator must be a virtuous man, provided the speculator showed will bring the information that a lady, just returned from her studies abroad,
the cash for the tickets; otherwise virtue would not go very far.
wishes to have the position of a leading soprano in a high-toned church,
BROOKLYN CHORUS.—It seems as if the scheme with the chorus of the or that " a contralto, for many years leading singer in one of the best-
Brooklyn Philharmonic Society did not work very well. Members of the known churches in England, would be willing to accept an engagement
chorus do not come to rehearsals as regularly as demanded, and, of course, here," that a tenor, with a beautiful voice, wishes to become mem-
in consequence of this lack of interest the work is not progressing favorably. ber of a choir in an Episcopal Church, and that a basso, excel-
lent reader, thoroughly familiar with the services of all denomina-
THE SMART BASSO.—Conly was always a fine-voiced basso, but informer tions, is open for any engagement on May 1st. We gave four speci-
years he acted like a stick. AVhen he played here same years ago the role of mens of advertisements, but could give about one hundred more. They are
Peler the Great va. "L'etoile du Nord," it was a pity to see him going through differently worded, but amount to the same thing. How few of these appli-
the performance with stiff arms and legs, as if nature had deprived him of cants will be satisfied? Most of the old singers retain their places, and the
their use. Conly meanwhile has seen Faure, Castelmary, Novara, and some few places which may become vacant, have been promised long ago to
other basses of the Italian stage, and appears now on the stage as a finished friends of the organist or members of the church committee. To satisfy all
actor. He was not arrogant; he was not self-conceited; he saw there was new applicants we need in New York about fifty more churches. With
room for improvement, and he used every possibility of improving his mind patience all singers will find accommodation; but it takes time; churches
and limbs.
cannot be built at the mere bidding of the singer; it takes money, and
money cannot be had so very easily just for the sake of pleasing a soprano
IT WOULDN'T DO.—-Some weeks ago a musician arrived here from or a basso.
Europe who is now writing criticisms for an obscure sheet. This man fol-
lows operatic and oratorio performances with the piano score in hand, and
DISSATISFIED.—Monsieur G. L. Gottschalk is constantly dissatisfied with
afterwards tells his readers that in No. 9, 14th bar from the end, the clario- himself and the management of Strakosch & Hess. He swears that he was
net forgot to make decrescendo, or that the tenor after his cadenza in the treated shamefully, that he will never have anything to do with them, and about
22d bar of No. 16, should have taken F sharp instead of F natural. This a week later he once mor« joins their forces; sings some weeks, and is always
style of writing may be appreciated in other countries, but here in America ready to break out into a new phase of dissatisfaction. We can understand
we have given up the idea of bragging with our wisdom. With piano score that Monsieur Gottschalk is dissatisfied both with the management and him-
in hand it is easy to point out every little mistake, but we do not call that self.
criticism. Take the total impression which a performance gives and judge
it according to this impression from an artistic standard. This adding up
A NEW ENTERPRISE.—A somewhat notorious character in another line of
of mistakes does not satisfy the public, and the artists themselves do not business, has of late taken kindly to music, and established a store some-
derive any benefit from it. If the writer remains longer in this country he where in the neighborhood of the Bowery, in which he pretends to sell
will probably find out what the public wants.
sheet music cheaper than any other music dealer on the globe. So far the
music business does not deviate very far from the general rules and customs
VERY IMPORTANT.—The management of Her Majesty's Opera Company to outwit competition. But our friend does more. A celebrated "pro-
intends to produce the " Huguenots." For this purpose a musician has been fessor " will deliver piano recitals in the store every day between 2 and 4
engaged to play the 16 bars preceding the romance of the tenor in the first for ladies only, between 8 and 10 for ladies and gentlemen. The latest com-
act on the viola d'amore. The name of the artist who will be cast for the positions are promised, and no admission fees are charged. This store must
role of Valentine is unknown both to public and management.
be the next thing to paradise. You go there to spend an evening, find
AT A DISTANCE,—Miss Minnie Hauk is announced as one of the leading delightful company, listen to musical performances of evidently high char-
soprani this spring season, but we are afraid if she does not hurry a little acter, and if you wish to buy the music of a piece, which especially
she will be too late to profit by Mr. Mapleson's engagement. Up to date delighted you, you can buy it for a mere song. Our friend near the Bowery
she has not left Europe, and the Colonel should be aware of this fact as well is a benefactor of musical people with limited means. His name will spread
and will be blessed by many thousands.
as we are.
INTERNATIONAL.—At one of the English representations of "Carmen " at
WAGNER SAVED—The Strakosch-Hess combination entertained the idea
of closing the New York season with a performance of Wagner's "Lohen- the Fifth Avenue Theatre, we saw Belocca in a prosenium box, Lazzarini in
grin." This mere fact should show the artistic standard of these two enlight- an orchestra stall, and far back near the standees Mme. Marie Louise Swift,
ened gentlemen, who want to cater to the taste of the New York public Mr. Swift, and Col. J. H. Mapleson. A kind of international artistic con-
without knowing this taste. On the stage of the Fifth Avenue Theatre, with gregation.
the small orchestra on hand, the performance would have been a farce and a
Is SHE REALLY?—Is Miss Blanche Roosevelt a celebrated American
disgrace to the management and our musical community. The managers prima donna? At least she was advertised that way, and as is a well estab-
notified the directors of their musical departments of their intentions and a lished fact, printers' ink never tells stories.
week later they expected to see the opera on the boards. A clever director
THE FEININGER CONCERTS.—The four chamber musie concerts headed
of the musical department would have laughed in the face of the manager,
because to every musical man the impossibility was obvious. A company by Mr. Carl Feininger, have reached their end. We say deliberately,
which never has sung " Lohengrin" cannot study the work in one week, not Deo Gratia, for we cannot say that the music generally performed there gave
even in four weeks, if really a musical performance is intended. Mr. Stra- a great deal of enjoyment, and unenjoyable chamber music is about the
kosch's musical rulers lacked the faculty of seeing this impossibility, and worst thing we know of.
went to work. The Sunday concert was given up in favor of a rehearsal for
"Lohengrin," and the chorus was put under training. Unfortunately
A new weekly paper, Le Bulletin Musical, is now published in Paris.
things take a certain physical time which not even the toughest manager is
Reichmann, of the Theatre Royal, Munich, has been created a Royal
able to shorten. They rehearsed three days " Lohengrin," and as they had
united the whole corps of singers and players for an ensemble rehearsal, the Chamber-Singer by King Ludwig of Bavaria.
soloists, who have ambition and are not willing to take part in a farce,
A performance of Anton Rubinstein's oratorio, " Das verlorene Para-
declared unanimously that they would not sing; that it was impossible to dies,"
is announced for the beginning of June by the Musical Association,
produce the opera in even somewhat decent shape. Of course, this rebellious Innsbruck.
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