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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW.
Sarah A. Baker is another American born actress
who is past the four score mark, having been
born in Monmouth County, N. J., February
26th, 1818. Mrs. John Drew, who continues to
act, was born in England, January ioth, 1820.
'HE artistic temperament is a queer thing of
itself, and still queerer in some of its de-
velopments. Professor W. Elliott Haslam, of
the New York College of Music, has had a wide
experience as a singing master since he came to
this country for the first time to assist Manager
Henry E. Abbey in opening the new Metropoli-
tan Opera House. The professor, however, has
never got used to a failure by any of his pupils.
At a concert not long ago his favorite scholar, a
charming girl of Spanish descent and very lovely
to look at, was to make her debut. All the con-
ditions were favorable. The house was crowded,
and expectation, as they say, was on tiptoe.
When the soloist made her appearance a buzz of
expectation ran through the house. The accom-
panist at the piano struck the preliminary bars,
and profound silence fell on the audience as it
listened for the first notes of the solo. But no
sound came from the parted lips of the star of
the evening. Her face flushed and then paled,
her frightened eyes gazed wildly about her, she
pressed her hand against her heart and fell on
the floor in a dead faint, while all this time the
professor, who had staked his reputation upon
her success, was undergoing torments. The girl
was simply frightened half to death, and with
all her ability and the advantages of her train-
ing, she will never make a concert singer.
# #
*
1
' Literary people have often great musical
talent," remarked a literary woman, recently,
" and it is often hard to tell in which course the
greatest talent runs." Beatrice Harraden, the
author of that clever book, '' Ships that Pass in
the Night," is as much devoted to music as to
books, and is said to be a splendid performer on
the violoncello, her favorite instrument. An-
other great lover of music, and a clever musician,
is Gladys Dudley Hamilton, the young author
who promises to be a shining light in the literary
firmanent. A visitor at her beautiful home in
Newark, New Jersey, describes it as being an
ideal one. There is everything there to make a
girl's life happy. A lovely devoted mother and
a brother two years her junior form the house-
hold in which Gladys Hamilton takes such an
active part. Everything about the young writer
has the wonderful charm and attraction that has
become so familiar in her writings. Even the
great Patti was interested in her, and before she
sailed for home this last time wrote her a charm-
ing little note that is much valued by the owner.
* #
*
The two oldest living actresses in America are
Rachel Cantor, born in England, September ioth,
18x0, and Clara Fisher Maeder, born in England
in May, 1811. The former is *an inmate of the
Edwin Forrest Home, while the latter is a resi-
dent of New York City, and is enjoying good
health. Eliza Young, another actress living in
New York City in retirement, was born in Eng-
land in May, 1812. The oldest native-born Ameri-
can actress is Rachel F. Monell. She was born at
Philadelphia, Pa., February 26th, 1814, and at
present lives with her son at New Jersey. Mrs.
Chopin is commonly represented as a weak,
sickly youth, but up to the last ten years of his
life the contrary was the case. Though never
very robust, he was fond of athletic exercises ;
was always ready for frolics or practical jokes.
His consumption was prematurely developed in
his system by the late hours and dissipation of
Paris. He is known in literature by his amour
with Georges Sand, who lived with him for eight
years, left him, and in " Iyucrezia Floraine " re-
presented him, under the name of Prince Carol,
as a petulent, complaining, exacting and thor-
oughly exasperating nuisance.
Countess Maria Alboni Pepolo, at one time a
rival of Jenny Lind, died June 23d, in Rome.
"Venus contralto," as Walt Whitman called
her, sang in Boston at the inauguration of Music
hall, November 20th, 1852. She sang only
soprano or mezzo-soprano arias, " Casta Diva,"
'' Non plu Mesta,'' a canzone from '' The Daugh-
ter of the Regiment,'' and in a trio from '' The
Barber of Seville." She also sang in opera in
this country.
* # *
The French Salon has three glorious days—the
vermissage, when the artists are seen before their
pictures; the first Friday, when fashionable
women display their magnificent toilettes ; and
the first Sunday, when all Paris is admitted. A
distinctive characteristic of '' varnishing day ''
is the fact that on this day no varnishing what-
ever is done. It seems that the vermissage has
had four ages—the golden age, when painters
varnished while art critics criticised; second,
the silver age, when the amateurs joined the art
critics; third, the iron age, when painters, no
longer varnished, but art ciitics and amateurs
were allowed to bring their acquaintances;
fourth, the brazen age, and that belongs to us.
Now artists, critics and their acquaintances con-
stitute a minority, for the crowd from the pro-
vinces and the crowd from Paris is a most won-
derful collection of curiosities. The most eccen-
tric toilettes sing the apotheosis of bad taste,
the dame du comptoir exclaiming, '' What talent!
This pinxit is remarkable ! '' You are pushed ;
you are crushed; and if you go to the Salon
with the intention of studying art and artists,
you find yourself comfortable only near the en-
trance door. From nine until eleven in the
morning this excitement continues; then all
rush to the circular veranda, where Ledoyen,
the restaurateur of '' varnishing day '' holds his
court. Artists, actors, actresses, journalists and
less favored mortals go from table to table, shak-
ing hands, asking questions and criticising each
other's work and appearance.
* *
#
An extraordinary illustration of the dual
working of the mind is to be found in a young
musician of Pittsburg. Oscar Rao in is about
nineteen years old. He is possessed of a won-
derful musical ability, especially in the arrange-
ment of orchestral scores. He has scored some
difficult, high-class music for certain well-known
musicians, to their perfect satisfaction and won-
derment, for as yet this youth is but a novice in
musical work, having only recently completed
his course of study under a local musician. But
ability to arrange orchestral scores well is some-
thing that cannot be imparted to a person by
any amount of teaching, but must be born in a
man, and Radin ceitainly has this gift. Like
all men of genius, Radin must live, and to live
requires money. In lieu of anything better, the
young musician took a place as pianist in a
dancing academy. Between the times when he is
employed in playing for lessons he devotes his at-
tention to arranging. Radin is a most studious
individual, and when his time is not occupied in
this way he seeks to increase his knowledge by
reading. Of course, most of his time is taken
by playing the piano, but this does not interfere
with his study in the least. He plays the music
for dancers, taking the signal to start and stop
unconsciously from the professor, never even
glancing up from the book on the music rack,
in which he may be absorbed. He reads away,
apparently undisturbed by having to play or by
the flitting forms on the floor. And the books
he reads are not the sort which could be read
lightly. Histories, books of travel and books on
philosophy are read with equal ease while he is
playing. His playing is in perfect time, and
his memory of what he reads is extraordinary.
Here is an instance of unconscious cerebration,
or the duality of the mind, in which the double
work is well done and without endeavor.
When Dr. Greene had left with Handel a new
anthem for his opinion upon it, he told him that
" it wanted air." "Air! " exclaimed its com-
poser. " Yes, air ; and so I did hang it out of
de vindow," replied Handel. When the "Mes-
siah " was being performed in Dublin, Dubourg
led the band, and one evening had a close to
make ad libitum. Following the fashion, the
violinist took his cadenza through the most ex-
traneous keys, until Handel began to wonder
when he would really come to the shake which
was to terminate the long close. Eventually it
came, whereupon Handel, to the merriment of
the audience, exclaimed loud enough to be
heard: "Velcome home, velcome home, Mr.
Dubourg!" On one occasion a perturbed
singer had some warm words with Handel, and
wound up the wrangle by threatening to jump
on the harpsichord which he played. " O h , "
replied Handel, " let me know ven you vill do
dat, and I vill advertise it, for I am sure dat
more people vill come to see you jump than to
hear you sing.''
When he heard the serpent for the first time
he was very much shocked by the harshness oi
the sound, and cried out, "Vat de taefel be
d a t ? " "That is the newly-invented instru-
ment—the serpent "—somebody said. " Oh ! "
he replied, '' de serbent, ay ! But dat be not de
serbent dat setuced Eve ! ''
*
Robert Thallon shook his bushy gray mane
vigorously when asked if an accomplished mu-
sician was likely to possess the qualifications of
a popular song writer. The celebrated organist
of Plymouth Church has long made harmony
his favorite study, and has had built into a wing
of his splendid house on St. Mark's avenue, in
Brooklyn, one of the three or four grand pipe
organs which have been built in private houses
in this country. Although a musician by profes-
sion and occupation, he is a particularly wide-
awake and well balanced man of the world, and
he has been studying with amused interest the
development in popular taste as expressed in
current ballads. His conclusion is that popu-
larity is largely a matter of swing and jingle,
and that a trained musician would be apt to
cover up the simplicity and consequently the
popular quality of his song by accuracy, if not
by over-elaboration. Very much of the success
of some compositions is due, he believes, to
judicious advertising, and, personally, he has no
ambition to be a song writer.
THE REVIEWER.