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THE MUSICAL CRITIC AND TRADE REVIEW.
see
STAFF CORRESPONDENCE
CHICAGO.
CHICAGO, March 25.
ation, and his striving after effects is too appar-
ent.
At one of the concerts a diminutive little boy
occupied a seat in the front row right under Re-
menyi, and he greatly annoyed the eccentric
Hungarian by smiling in child-like glee at the
latter's facial contortions.
Finally, Remenyi silenced his accompanist and
motioned the offending hopeful to retire from the
range of his vision. The little boy continued to
smile amiably, utterly failing to "tumble to" the
violinist's frantic gesticulations, and it was only
after calling for the assistance of an old gentleman
in the vicinity that the youth was removed and the
solo continued.
April 5th, 1882.
appear in this world that can even approach him
in ability—I say, if I admit this simply for argu-
ment sake, he could not give a popular rendition
of such compositions with an orchestra such as we
have at the Peabody.
The individual performers are not to be blamed,
but the construction of the orchestra and the un-
equal distribution, and many other points upon
which I have touched in former letters, make an
artistic performance impossible.
And yet our daily papers come out in fulsome
praise, and their criticisms abound in glittering
generalities which convey the impression that the
most perfect artistic work is done at the Peabody.
A little advertising space often carries a wonder-
ful amount of conviction with it.
Yet I may be mistaken. A gentleman who has
heard good music in many cities outside of Balti-
more, recently stated that there are only a few
competent critics in this city, and they would not
write for the papers here because their articles
would be mutilated, and in reading them the next
morning they would not recognize them again.
Such has been the experience of several of theBe
critics, and, of course, they do not care to write
under such circumstances.
A new musical joural in a special field has ap-
peared here; it is called "The Piano Teacher's
Review." It will probably reach you, and you
can judge of its character.
The following
r~pHE Strakosch Opera Company's first week
X. here is said to have been financially success-
ful, but, be that as it may, the artistic results have
been far from satisfactory, and just what might
have been expected from the managerial efforts to
make one swallow constitute a summer.
The houses have ranged from those of very good
size to those of discouragingly small proportions,
the consideration that influenced the attendance
THE MOZART SOCIETY
being whether or not Mme. Gerster was billed.
The comparisons that one hears made between has been figuring to secure Gerster for its next
the Strakosch plan and the Mapleson idea invaria- concert. Mr. Newell, the Mozart's secretary,
bly redound to the advantage of the latter; and told me that "Strakosch wanted the earth," and
the prevailing opinion is that an opera presented that probably nothing could be done with him.
with such prim a donne as Hauk and Rossini, such
Still the Mozarts kept on figuring and hoping
artists as Ravelli, Campanini, Galassi and Del that Strakosch would come down from his high
Puente, a fair chorus and an efficient orchestra, is horse and accept a fair slice of this mundane
eminently preferable to a single star with insig- sphere for the services of his Gerster.
nificant and inadequate surroundings.
At this stage of events along comes the manage-
The operas heard last week were "II Bar- ment of the Apollo Club and captures Gerster
biere," "Un Ballo in Maschera," "II Fluto right from under the discomfited noses of the
Magico," "Faust," "La Traviata," "La Somnam- Mozart people, who appear to be egregiously
bula," and "II Trovatore," and Gerster was heard left.
aa Rosina, Astruftamente, Violetta and Amina.
The Apollo Club has also engaged Remeayi,
The largest audiences were drawn by "LaTravi- and its concert next Thursday evening will
GERMAN SINGING SOCIETIES,
ata" and "La Somnambula," while "Un Ballo in be one «f the most attractive of the season.
Maschera" and "II Trovatore" were listened to by Next Thursday night will be the occasion of under the title of "Baltimore Siinger-Bund," gave
another interesting musical event, viz.: The pre- a concert recently at the Germania Miinnerchor
audiences of microscopic dimensions.
Gianini, the new tenor, made a favorable im- sentation for the first time in Chicago of Jerome Hall, for the benefit of the "Home of
the Aged": The "Germania Miinnerchor,"
pression. His voice is of agreeable timbre and is Hopkins's dialogue oratorio,
"Harmonie," "East Baltimore Liederkranz,"
capable of fine bursts of power.
"SAMUEL,"
"Euterpe," "ConcordiaLiederkranz," "Frohsinn,"
Miss Lancaster has appeared in nearly every
performance, and has proved a useful and pleasing which is to be given at Farwell Hall, with chorus, "Onkel Briisig Verein," "Gesang-Verein Lasalle,"
and "Fidelio Quartette Club."
organ, soloists and readers.
member of the troupe.
The concert was a great financial success, and
Mr. Hopkins's composition has been mercilessly
Ciapini, the baritone, would have been accepta-
ble, but for the incessant tremolo, to which it be- "guyed," and for this the gentleman's peculiarities the unanimity of action gives hope that all the
German singing societies here will organize and
are responsible.
came at times painful to listen.
The portions of the music of "Samuel" that I form one large choral body, for the purpose of giv-
Neither Lesino nor Prasini created any marked
have heard I thought were original and pleasing, ing concerts on a scale which in their present
impression either for good or ill.
The chorus was one of the worst ever heard while several of the ensembles seemed highly divided condition is impossible.
It is not proposed that any of the societies
here. In point of fact, there was no chorus, effective—that is, as far as could be judged from
should lose their autonomy, but for special and
for there were only about twenty-five singers all hearing the composer play them on the piano.
I can tell better about it next Friday morning, important purposes, all should belong to the gen-
told, which does not constitute a chorus for grand
You TERPE.
but I understand that one or two of the local eral "Bund."
opera.
The tenors were cracked and the basses gener- critics have formed their opinions without hearing
ally inaudible. Their combined efforts slaugh- a note of the music, and have mutually, in their
INDIANAPOLIS.
tered the priests' choruses in "The Magic Flute," prospective articles, consigned the ill-fated oratorio
and made horrible work of the "Faust" seldiers' to the oblivion that awaits the "guyed."
INDIANAPOLIS, March 24.
This is a way they have.
H. B. S.
chorus.
INCE writing last we have had only two mu-
The only good there was in the dire organiza-
sical entertainments worthy of note, Sauls-
tion was that it gave a grand opportunity to those
bury's Troubadours and the Abbott Opera Com-
BALTIMORE.
of a sportive turn of mind who enjoy "guying the
pany. The business of both companies was
chorus."
BALTIMORE, March 29.
bad,
THE ABBOTT COMPANY
r~pHE Fifth Peabody Concert on last Saturday
THE STRAKOSOH COMPANY
_L introduced a soprano singer, Miss Lena Lit- playing to many empty benches.
returns to this city on April 3, appearing at Mc- tle, and gave us the opportunity of again hearing
It was presumption, to say the least, for such a
Vicker's Theatre for one week. The programme Miss Cecilia Gaul, an artist whose early musical company to attempt to play two engagements in
for this second act of the Strakosch season will in- education was received in this city and who, after the same place during the same season, and small
clude "Lucia," "Mignon," "Faust," "Aida," studying and playing in Germany, accepted a audiences are what might have been expected.
position at the Cincinnati College of Music as
"Hamlet," "II Barbiere" and "Les Huguenots."
The company, never strong, has been weakened
I think that this will be the first presentation piano teacher.
by a reduetion of the chorus, and it is painful to
that Thomas' opera, "Hamlet," has had here in
The programme consisted of Schumann's hear the beautiful choruses, in which "Patience"
complete form, and we will also hear Gerster's "Rhenish" Symphony,Wagner's "Siegfried Idyl," and the "Chimes of Normandy" abouud, butch-
Marguerite for the first time.
and the "Kaiser March," and songs by Miss Lit- ered, as they do it.
There was a series of three concerts given last tle, Miss Ganl playing Liszt compositions.
In "Patience," the twenty love-sick maidens,
week at Central Music Hall by Teresa Carreno and
The orchestra at the Peabody is not constituted who were represented by seven regulars and two
Edouard Remenyi, assisted by two or three vo- to perform any of the three works that were on supes, and the Heavy Dragoons, for the most
calists.
the programme. To perform the Schumann Sym- part made up of supes, combined to form, per-
The concerts were not so well attended as they phony, or that peculiar sketch of Wagner's, the haps, the worst farce in the way of a chorus that
deserved to be, for the reason that they were in- "Siegfried Iilyl," or his remarkable "Kaiser a suffering audience ever listened to.
March," requires above all an evenly balanced
sufficiently advertised.
Of their rendition of the "Chimes," it is only
Carreno has played here on several occasions orchestra, a complete body of musical performers, necessary to say that it was insufferably bad.
and
not
a
heterogeneous
mass
of
players
put
to-
this season, and has established a splendid repu
"Martha" and "Paul and Virginia" concluded
gether at random without any scientific distribu- the list of operas presented. It is to be regretted
tation.
She has a beautiful conception of whatever she tion.
that Miss Abbott should carry such a company as
plays, a remarkable memory, and plays with a
The Wagner works are written with the especial she does, for although she is far from being a great
poetry, dash and brilliancy that delights her au- intention of conveying descriptive motives to the singer, she is still capable of giving light opera
mind of the listener by means of instrumental creditably if she only had good • support. With
diences.
At the Saturday matinee, Carreno played an ex- coloring.
such people, however, as sha now has, such a thing
ceedingly difficult etude of Rubinstein's—I think
Combinations of tone-color are created for the is impossible.
it was the one in C major—and she gave it with purpose of producing a mosaiG, as it were, and
Deakin's Liliputian and the Hess Opera Com-
such vigor and splendid power aa to completely special injunctions must be observed even when panies are the only musical attractions booked at
an orchestra is perfect in all of its parts.
capture her hearers.
present.
As I have several times indicated, and even dem-
She played the etude without notes—a hazar-
The Bijou Theatre, although opened only re-
dous proceeding, which rather astonished some of onstrated to you, the Peabody orchestra is not a cently, has attained a popularity that some of the
complete body of instrumental performers, as it is more pretentious theatres might envy.
the pianists present, I fancy.
lacking in many essential points. Such works as
A NEW WAY TO REPRESS CRITICISM.
BEMENYI
those on the programmes cannot be performed by
Dickson Bros., managers of the Grand Opera
played as he always does, and pleased the people this orchestra as constituted, in a manner worthy
House and Park Theatre of this city, have intro-
immensely. Though far from being such a con- of criticism.
duced an original method of dealing with persona
If, for argument sake, I admit that
summate artist, he reminds me in the effects he
who criticise their manner of doing business—a
produces of Joseffy.
PROF. HAMERIK
manner, by the way, that is at times, to say the
Both revel in pianissimo and staccato passages, in
florid embellishments, and long, intricate cadenzas. is the very greatest musical director that ever lived, least, open to criticism. The following will explain
Remenyi, however, is somewhat given to exagger- that is now living, and that none will ever again what I mean.
S