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May 5th, 1881.
THE MUSICAL CRITIC AND TRADE REVIEW.
109
M. Alexandre Guilmant, the great French organist, will begin a series of
organ concerts at the Trocadero in Paris on May 12. A number of eminent
artists, both vocal and instrumental, are to appear at them, and the orchestra,
combined with the organ, will have a large share in them. In his own an-
nouncement M. Guilmant says: "Bach and Handel—these two musical
giants—are still only known in France by a few of the initiated, notwith-
standing that these two incomparable geniuses have left numerous imperish-
able works. M. Guilmant's object in giving these concerts is to enlarge the
too restricted circle of those who have learnt to appreciate and admire
them. . . . Beside the works chosen from among those by masters since
the sixteenth century, such as Bach, Handel, Buxfehude, Rameau, Albrechts-
berger, Bruhns, Frescobaldi, Froberger, Homilius, Kerl, G. Muffat, Pachel-
bel, Dandrieu, Raison, Swelinck, S. Scheidt, J. Speth, Titelouze, Henry
Smart, Zachan, Zipoli, Claude Merulo, etc., M. Guilmant will reserve in
each of his programmes a place for the unpublished compositions of modern
writers."
Rubinstein will be in London through June, He is to give four re-
citals and two orchestral concerts.
in Gounod's new opera, the " Tribut de Zamora," Sellier, in whom
Edmond About discovered the voice of a great singer as he was rinsing bot-
tles in a wine shop, has a leading part. The opera is in the melodramatic
style and full of passion. , The action from beginning to end is lively.
There is much stir and color.
ABROAD.
At Leipsic a concert has been given in aid of the building fund of an
In a small church at a village near Brighton, Eng., where the congrega-
tion could not afford to pay an organist, they bought a self-acting organ, a Anglo-American church now being erected. Among those who volunteered
compact instrument, well suited to the purpose and constructed to play their services was Miss Agnes Bartlett, a young pianist from Dresden, who
forty different tunes. The sexton had instructions how to set it going and played a Polonaise by Liszt; "Polonaise-Fantaisie," op. 61, by Chopin; and
how to stop it, but, unfortunately, he forgot the latter part of his business, two short pieces by Hans von Bronsart. At a recent concert of the Dresden
and, after singing the first four verses of a hymn previous to the sermon the " Liedertafel," under the direction of Rossler, Mad. Schuch-Proska was the
organ could not be stopped, and it continued playing two verses more; solo-vocalist.
then, just as the clergyman completed the words, " Let us pray," the organ
Rubinstein has been giving a series of concerts recently in Malaga and
clicked and started a fresh tune. The minister sat it out patiently, and then Seville. The Spanish newspapers speak of his playing with the greatest
renewed his introductory words, "Let us pray," when click went the organ enthusiasm. The great pianist will proceed next to Portugal, and will cer-
again and started off another tune. The sexton and others continued their tainly go first of all to Lisbon.
exertions to find out the spring, but no one could put a stop to it; so they
Says the Athenaeum:—Meyerbeer's " Pardon de Ploermel" (better known
got four of the strongest men in the church to shoulder the perverse instru-
ment and they carried it down the center aisle of the church playing away, in this country as " Dinorah") is in preparation at the Opera Comique,
into the churchyard, where it continued clicking and playing until the whole Paris. The principal part is to be sustained by Mdlle. Marie Vanzandt, for
whom M. Jules Barbier is making a translation of the Italian recitatives
forty tunes were finished.
which Meyerb«er wrote for Madame Carvalho when the work was given in
They will take the forthcoming performances of the " Nibelungen Lied" London.
at Berlin in a leisurely fashion, which is, after all, a matter of necessity,
Ambroise Thomas has returned to Paris, from Nice, perfectly restored
when one comes to consider the strain on the singers. These are the dates-
Cyclus I, May 5, 8; Cycl. II. May 12, 16; Cycl. III. May 18, 23; Cycl. IV. to health. How about Francesco, de Rimini ? Where is his Francesca
May 25, 29. These are the principal artists: Mmes. Materna, Vogl, Kinder- (Christine Nilsson) ?
mann, Kiegler and Sachser-Hofmeister, and Messrs. Vogl and Jaeger. The
Provided she can obtain leave of absence from Carvalho, Mdlle.
representations are to be given not at the Royal Opera but at the Victoria Vanzandt will pay Stockholm and Copenhagen a second visit in September.
Theatre, under the direction of Herr Neumann.
Liszt has been longer before the public than almost any prominent
The death is announced of Nicholas Rubinstein, younger brother of the artiat now alive. He made his debut in Oderbreg about sixty years ago, and
more famous Anton, but himself a pianist of extraordinary achievements, his professional labors are not yet ended.
and for many years director of the Moscow Conservatory. There was some
Mme. Clara Schumann and Herr Joachim have both left London, the
question of bringing him to this country a few years ago on a concert tour, Popular Concerts season being over.
but nothing definite seems ever to have been done about it. No date is
Miss Minnie Hauk has had great success in Switzerland, and especially at
given for his death, and there is some hope that the report may be prema-
Zurich, where she was visited by the widow of Hermann Goetz, who came
ture.
to thank her for the interest she had shown in her husband's opera, " The
Wagner's " Lohengrin " is steadily making ita way. It has recently Taming of the Shrew."
been successful in two cities, Naples and Madrid, where it had never been
Giovanni Bettocchio, a master sadler of Turin, having been summoned
performed before, and it had a great triumph at Nice a few days ago. It is
said that this latter was the first performance of " Lohengrin " in France. to Nice by business engagements, took with him his only daughter, an intel-
ligent child of seven, whose fondness for music prompted her father to pur-
A new opera, "Raimondi," composed by Baron Perfall, was produced chase seats in the theatre for the performance which terminated so tragic-
at Munich on March 27th. The principal parts were sustained by Herr and ally. He secured places in the front row of the gallery, and was occupying
Frau Vogl, and the work was favorably received.
them with tbe little girl when the alarm of fire rang through the house.
Gounod intended in his new opera, " The Tribute of Zamora," to take Snatching the child up in his arms he endeavored, and successfully, to break
his farewell of the lyric stage. But as he never tasted before in a more through the panic-stricken crowd to the gallery door; but during the
delightful manner the fruits of celebrity, he may, perhaps, change his mind. struggle the girl was torn from his grasp. By an almost superhuman effort
He has been paid $20,000 by his publisher for the score; the journals have he contrived to reenterthe gallery, by that time plunged in all but total dark-
lauded and be-praised him, and he led the orchestra on the night of the first ness, and, while groping about among the overthrown seats, caught hold of a
little girl, insensible from fright, whom he carried out into the street, fully
representation under exceptionally gratifying conditions.
believing her to be his own daughter. She proved, however, to be a strange
It appears that there is now, unhappily, no doubt that Mile. Zenari, child. Hastily sitting her down upon the pavement, he desperately fought
who was engaged to be married to Mr. Herbert Reeves, the son of Simg his way for the second time into the burning theatre, from which he never
Reeves, the famous tenor, perished in the burning of the Municipal Theatre aga # in emerged alive. His charred corpse was found, two days later, among
at Nice.
the* ruins of the gallery stairs.
M. Leo Delibes's opera "Jean de Nivelle " has been given with great
The repertory at the coming season at Covent Garden, London (the
success at Vienna. Its production there has caused the postponement—prob- Royal Italian Opera) affords interesting matter for study. It contains sixty-
ably till next autumn—of the performance of the complete series of Meyer- one operas, and these are by twenty-seven composers, who represent nearly
beer's grand operas, which had been contemplated for this season.
every large country in Europe except England itself, which has not one.
The industry of the artists in German opera-houses is something almost There are nine Germans, eight Frenchmen, seven Italians, one Brazilian, one
incredible. It is stated that during the past season no less than forty diff- Pole and one Russian. The repertory is chiafly Italian, however, for twenty-
erent operas were studied and performed by the company at Frankfort-on- six of the sixty-one operas which compose it—nearly one-half—are by
Main, and yet this is by no means an exceptional case. Fancy Mr. Maple- Italians. Three ef the composers were noblemen, the Duke of Saxe-Coburg,
Prince Poniatowsky and the Marquis D'lvry. It ought to be a comfort, to
son's singers obliged to work in this fashion!
Wagner and those who with him dread " Judaism in Music" that the chosen
A new tenor has just appeared in Belgium with decided success who has race is so meagrely represented on the list. It contains but two names
a somewhat romantic history. He was a private artilleryman in a regiment which are undeniably and emphatically Hebrew. Those of Meyerbeer and
stationed at Ghent, where his officers were struck by his voice, sent him to of M. Cohen of Paris.
the Conservatory to have him educated, and did all they could to advance
It is now definitely arranged that a short season of German opera will
his interests. His name is Note.
be given at Drury Lane Theatre, London, under the direction of Herr
Niemann, the famous tenor, and Frau Mallinger, scarcely less famous as Richter, in May and June, 1882. It is not proposed to perform Wagner's
a soprano, have both resigned from the Berlin Opera, where they have sung " Der Ring des Nibelungen," but " Tristan and Isolde" and " Die Meiater-
for many years. Memann's farewell appearance was made in "LePro- singer" will be given, and also Beethoven's "Fidelio. '
phete," on March 30, and Frau Mallinger's in Nicolai's "Merry Wives of
The recent tragedy at Nice was full of intensely touching incidents, but
Windsor." Her retirement has revived the story of her quarrel with Lucca, none of them exceeded the death of the three young Kennedys. They were
who used to be in the company with her. Matters went on from worse to worse all singers of promise, a bass, a contralto, and a soprano—the oldest of them
for a long while, until one evening, when they were both singing in " Le only five and twenty—and they had come from Edinburgh, where their
Nozze di Figaro," Frau Mallinger, as the Countess, gave Lucca, the Gheru-
father is a well-known singer, to study with Lamperti. There was another
Jbino, a resounding slap in the face. This Lucca resented; but getting no brother with them at Nice, who was not at the theatre. There was also a
Iress satisfactory to her, she left Berlin, throwing up her engagement and report that the fiancee of young Herbert Reeves, the son of Sims Reeves, wan
Burring a heavy forfeit, and did not return their for many years.
in the theatre and was killed.
of the several opera companies which have from time to time been tinder
engagement to Mr. R. D'Oyly Carte in the United States, have tendered a
testimonial benefit to Miss Helen Lenoir, Mr. D'Oy !y Carte's manager, which
will take place, on a date yet to be selected, at the Standard Theatre.
Mr. Henry Mapleson and Mme. Marie Eoze-Mapleson sailed for Liver-
pool, on the steamer City of Brussels, April 28th.
The Apollo Club of Chicago will repeat Rubinstein's cantata, " The Tower
of Babel," at the Central Music Hall, on the evening of May 5.
Mme. Julia Rive-King has returned to New York, and will hereafter
devote herself to teaching.
Mr. Tretbar, who has had charge of Mr. Joseffy's concerts this winter,
has received an offer of engagement from London for Mr. Joseffy's appear-
ance in one of Mr. Ganz's orchestral concerts at St. James Hall, during
May. As Mr. Joseffy has decided to remain in this country the engagement
will not be made.
Mr. Jerome Hopkins gave his sixteenth annual springtide festival at the
Academy of Music, April 28th. at which he was assisted by Miss Blanche
Roosevelt, soprano; Signor Lencioni, baritone; Mr. S. B. Mills, pianist;
Mr. Franks, violinist, and several amateur pianists.