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F
THE
(ffiititk &
With which is incorporated THE MUSIC TRADE JOURNAL
VOL. Y.
NEW YORK, AUGUST 5TH, 1881.
T-L,
No. 1
famous Mario-Grisi oj)era troupe, which was under lease during Mr. Mapleson's visit to TKis ~co"untry.
management to Max Maretzek for an American tour, In giving judgment Lord Coleridge said the de-
and early in 1853 made her first appearance in New fendant had been guilty of a breach of a most im-
York in the old Academy of Music. Favored with portant covenant, and had left the building at the
fame, fortune, a beautiful face and figure and ro- mercy of Providence during his visit to America,
mantic history, she was received with great favor trusting to be relieved from the severe operation
by the American people. Her New York debut was of the law.
unparalleled in point of enthusiasm. She next went
to Costa Rica, Central America, and in 1863, in com-
BODOG ORCZY'S " IL RINNEGATO."
pany with Fallini, the baritone, went to San Fran-
N Saturday night, being the last of the sub-
cisco, where she apjseared at the Metropolitan
scription, Mr. Mapleson produced the only
Theatre.
At the end of the year she left San Francisco for novelty of his season— a Hungarian opera, styled,
Australia, but was shipwrecked on a South Sea on the Italian stage, " II Rinnegato," original li-
Island inhabited by cannibals All the other sur- bretto by Farkas Deak, Italian adaptation by S. C.
vivors were eaten, but she escaped through her Marchesi, music by the Baron Bodog Orczy. Al-
wonderful singing, with which she pleased the though certain selections from the work such as
chief. After a year's captivity she escaped and the overture and ballet pieces, had been previously
returned to San Francisco. Josephine then mar- heard, the production of the whole called forth
ried George Evans, the musical director of the interest in artistic circles. This feeling, however,
theatre, but, not living happily together, they could hardly have been keen, since long and pain-
were divorced.
Josephine, during her career, ful experience has created a general impression that
became addicted to champagne drinking. After an amateur's opera is doomed to failure; which im-
her divorce she began to go down hill She would pression, when the amateur chances to have a title
drink all kinds of liquor and get intoxicated. She forthwith ripens into conviction. I t belongs per-
was not so exclusive in choosing her company as haps to Nature's system of compensation that bar-
formerly, and her beauty and her voice began to ons, marquises, princes, and so forth have a hard
disappear. While on a spree in Sacramento she time of it on the lyric stage. Anyhow this is a law
was thrown out of a carriage and crippled for life. so sternly enforced that he must be a bold man who,
if ennobled in any degree, ventures to tread the
Josej:>hine, now but a spectre of the beautiful boards. When Rudolph enters the Wolf's Glen to
woman she once was, returned to San Francisco. keep his appointment with Caspar one shade after
Her money was all gone, and she turned to those another Avaves him back with imploring gestures.
who had fallen at her feet during the height of her So when a titled composer knocks at a stage door
success for aid. They spurned her and drove her nowadays pathetic apparitions interpose, and with
from the rooms they once would give thousands to mute eloquence beseech him to run away before it
have her grace. On the verge of despair she would opens. Thus might Prince Poniatowski, the Duke
hobble on her crutch to the stage entrance of the of Saxe-Coburg, and the Marquis d'lvry have ap-
theatre and beg of the actors for money. She next pealed to the Hungarian baron, each adding force
went to live with a disreputable man named Bower to his touching argument by pointing to the sem-
in a dirty three-story tenement on Chestnut street. blance of a dust-covered and forgotten opera. On
She would cook his meals, chop his wood and give the other hand, it may be that the Baron Bodog
all her money to him, for which she invariably Orczy called to mind that no rule exists without an
received thanks by blows. At night the fallen exception, and that the modern spirit of inquiry
Josephine played the piano at a Jackson street has not, up to this time, discovered any necessary
saloon, one of the lowest resorts in the city. For connection between a patent of nobility and opera-
this she received the pittance of $1.50 per night— tic disaster. Whether or not he persevered, and
all of which Bower took from her to get drunk was the more entitled to do so because, having all
upon. On the night following last Decoration his life breathed a musical atmosphere, and at one
Day, Josephine was found lying dead upon the time occupied a post officially connected with mu-
floor by her neighbors. The body was taken to sic, he now stands very near the line which divides
the city morgue, where it lay in ghastly nakedness an amateur from a professional. We sincerely
until an autopsy was held. Her death was report- trust that the Baron's title will not, at this juncture,
ed to have been caused by " chronic alcoholism," be remembered to his disadvantage. He can no
THE WRECK OF A WOMAN.
but there were three terrible marks upon the head more help being a baron, than Pitt, on a certain
that could have been the means of death. The famous occasion, could help being a young man.
FROM THE KOYWL COURT OF HUNGARY TO THE
remains were buried in the Potter's field, with no Let the public remember this, and show themselves
MOROTJE AT SAN FRANCISCO.
stone or tablet to mark the last resting-place of as ready to act justly towards the composer of " H
r i ^ H E story of the life of Josephine Ordz is one poor Josephine Ordz.—Herald, Boston.
Rinnegato" as though, like the author of " D o n
X of the most romantic and saddest that ever oc-
Giovanni, he were in a position to be kicked by any
cured outside of the two covers of a book of fiction.
upper servant of a German princeling.
Josephine Ordz, in 1848, was young, beautiful and THE NEW LONDON ITALIAN OPERA PROJECT.
facinating, a central figure in the brilliant society
It would not be courteous to the Baron Bodog
at Pesth, the Hungarian capital. Her father, Count y^HE consolidation of the opera companies of Orczy, and might prove cruel were we to judge
Ordz, sent her early in life to a Hungarian convent, X
Her Majesty's Theatre and Covent Garden, the music of his opera on slight acquaintance.
where she received an education that fitted her to London, is definitely announced. The directorate There is reason to believe that he never intended
shine with brilliancy in noble society. It was just includes Lord Lathom, Count Gleicken, and Baron the work for superficial examination, but rather
at the time when Hungary revolted against the Ferdinand De Rothschild. The capital stock of that the earnest mind might have something to
Austrian rule that Josephine became enamored the company is $1,500,000 of ordinary and §750,000 contemplate again and again before success in
with Count Karaly, a Hungarian patriot.
d deferred shares. The purchase price of both sounding the depth and scaling the height of the
Count Ordz was loyal to Austria, and Josephine opera houses is $1,275,000 in cash and $750,000 in subject rewards effort. We are bound to express
had to choose between father and lover. She chose deferred stock. The prospectus of the company our full assurance that this assumed purpose is
the latter, and when Count Karaly was arrested as iBads: '' The sum agreed to be accepted by the fulfilled to the uttermost, and that only a resolute
a rebel she did everything in her power to effect his kte Mr. Guy's Executors for the whole of the in- will can master " II Rinnegato." The Baron is
release. Karaly was sentenced to be hanged, but terests in both opera houses is," &e. Nothing is not a flippant composer or even one who aspires to
through the efforts of Josephine, who bribed an siid about the sum paid to Mr. Mapleson, whence the honor of pouring forth "profuse strains of un-
officer, he made his escape. They fled to France, ii would seem that Mr. Gye owned both concerns. premeditated art." He attempts no rivalry with
were married, and lived happily together until the ]Vr. Mapleson contracts to transact the company's the birds, and leaves " native wood notes wild " to
those whose nature it is to sing them. Judging by
husband died, leaving Josephine almost penniless. American business for 10 years.
She was a splendid vocalist, and, changing her name It has been arranged that Adelina Patti shall what we find in " II Rinnegato," the author Bees
to D'Orme Josephine, made her debut as a singer give one performance weekly next season. She in music a mission far larger than that of merely
on the operatic stage of Paris in 1851. She made intends to reside in Wales and come to town ex- pleasing. In point of fact, there are many parts
of the opera which do not please; but, with refer-
a brilliant success, and, in all the large capital cities pisssly for each performance.
of Europe where she made her appearance, her suc- 3ne of the reasons which led to the formation ence to these, it must be said that the result in
cess was pronounced phenomenal. The Austrian of the Directorate was the forfeiture of Mr. Maple- question never appears to have been contemplated.
authorities forgave her for her disloyalty, and Jos- '. soi's lease of Her Majesty's Theatre by reason of Music written on the principle here exemplified
ephine returned to Pesth the reigning contralto I tli3 non-payment of the premium of insurance on declines the restricted field within which alone
star of all Europe. In 1852 Josephine joined th,e , thi building in breach of the covenants of the the sense of hearing is delighted. It goes beyond,
RUBINSTEIN IN LONDON.
RUBINSTEIN was heard at perhaps his
• best at his final recital at St, James' Hall
on July 4. As gems of the performance may be
mentioned the popular "Moonlight" sonata, the
last movement in which was, however, taken much
faster than usual ; the sonata in D minor (op. 31),
the Nocturne of Field, the "Funeral March" of
Chopin, Liszt's transcription of the " E r l K i n g , "
and the March from Beethoven's " Euins of
Athens." M. Rubinstein, because he was less
excitable than usual, was in his happiest mood,
and his auditors of course gave him the warmest
of leave-takings It would hardly be possible at
the end of a feverish season to gauge the net artistic
results of M. Rubinstein's recent visit here. That
the great pianist has, as a man of sense, risen in
public estimation, cannot be said. He, with mark-
ed and conspicuous contempt for the public wishes
and convenience, refused to announce his full pro-
grammes in advance, and his schemes (down to
the last, when a batch of his own works were im-
mediately followed by two Beethoven sonatas
placed together) were formed in so eccentric a
style that, were not the pianist M. Rubinstein,
we should be tempted to believe he was play-
ing off a joke at the expense of his support-
ers. M. Rubinstein's attitude before the public
was that of a man who was wearied of his work,
and who pitied the taste of the public which pre-
ferred his playing to his compositions. Add to
these the public displays of bad temper—at the
Crystal Palace because the chorus was not able to
rehearse on Saturday morning, at St. James' Hail
because a boy blew a post-horn in the street, and at
Willis' Rooms because his assistant did not turn
over the page to his liking—and it will be seen
that M. Rubinstein has tolerated rather than court-
ed the public. As an artist his reputation remains
untouched. We have had some indifferent and
some very fine playing this season, and it seems
that the sort of performance the public may ex-
pect greatly depends upon the state of M. Rubin-
stein's temper. Liszt is reputed a fine player, but
few of the present generation of British musician
have heard him, and those few are biased. M.
Rubinstein therefore, so far as England is con-
cerned, remains head of his profession, and he has
held his own through a season during which great
pianists swarmed in London.—Figaro, London.
M
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