Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
TELEPHONE NUnBER. 1745.--EIQHTEENTH STREET.
The musical supplement to The Review is
published on the first Saturday of each month.
Certain papers are raising a big hue and
cry these days over the lack of encourage-
ment given American singers by man-
agers and the almost general employment
of foreign artists. In this discussion the
American public is not apparently taken
into consideration. Granted that we have
among us distinguished and capable artists
of American birth, fitted to take theplacesof
the imported "stars," the important ques-
tion is would they be granted a hearing in
this country to-day minus a European re-
putation? We are inclined to think not.
Take David Bispham, Ella Russell, or
other noted singers, and before they
achieved fame abroad they were utterly
unknown in their native land, and the
probabilities are that they would continue to
be unknown did they endeavor to win suc-
cess by courting the approbation of the
American public. The cases of the singers
referred to are not isolated, but general,
and the truth will out in spite of sentiment
and gush.
The American public will not tolerate
American artists, no matter how talented,
unless educated abroad. The wealthy
patrons of our opera and concert demand
the highest priced artists of an imported
brand just like their clothes and other
luxurious essentials. The home made
article is not wanted. Impressarii are
catering to this demand as a matter of
course and there you are.
We are opposed to the exorbitant salaries
now paid to operatic and concert stars
simply on the grounds that it prevents the
ordinary mortals—the plebeians of the
democratic Republic—from hearing this
best in a musical way at a reasonable tariff.
Outside of that we recognize as long as
our wealthy classes make demands on
managers, so long will their request be
granted^-salaries are of no consideration.
It is only a waste of ink to assail manag-
ers in the matter of encouraging foreign
artists. What our contemporaries can do
and should do is to educate the American
public to the fact that in this "mediocre"
United States can be found artists in the
instrumental and vocal field who on the en-
during grounds of merit deserve apprecia-
tion and support. Their cause should be
espoused and championed not so much be-
cause they are Americans but on the
grounds that they are thoroughly and ar-
tistically equipped. A standard should be
set and lived up to, and it should not be
forgotten that there are capable and incap-
able artists. As we remarked, it is not so
much agitation about salaries that is
wanted as education of the public—and the
"public" means, of course, all those who
patronize musical enterprises.
We have little sympathy with appeals to
national prejudice in the matter of art.
Insularism or knownothingism inthepolit
ical or art world have never been allied to
progress. We can never hope to advance
or succeed on these lines.
©
The engagement of the Damrosch Opera
Co., at the Metropolitan Opera House,
commences on Monday, March 8, and will
continue for four weeks. The opening per-
formance will be "Die Walkuere," in
which MM. Kraus, Fischer, and Hobbing
and Mmes. Lehmann, Gadski, Eiben-
schuetz, Vollmar, Brandis, Hartman, Matt-
feld, Goettich, and Denner will appear.
This will be Mme. Lilli Lehmann's first
appearance in opera here for five years.
On Wednesday night the Wagner cycle
will commence with a performance of "The
Flying Dutchman." The cast will include
MM. Somer Stehmann, Ernst, and Xanten
and Mmes. Gadski and Mattfeld. On Fri-
day evening, which is called the second
night of the Wagner cyclus, "Tannhauser"
will be sung by MM. Kalisch, Fischer,
Mertens, Ernst, Derschuch, and Langeand
Mmes. Russell, Eibenschuetz and Matt-
feld. This will be Miss Ella Russell's
first appearance in opera in this country.
At the Saturday matinee "Siegfried" will
be given by MM. Kraus, Lange, Stehmann,
Mertens, and Derschuch, and Mmes. Leh-
mann and Vollmar. Walter Damrosch will
conduct the performances and the New
York Symphony Orchestra will play. The
advance sales insure the engagement being
a financial success.
©
There is a growing appreciation of the
American dramatist if not of the American
musician, we are pleased to notice. Next
season promises to be a great one for Ameri-
can playwrights. Augustus Thomas will
start for Idaho in a few weeks to gather ma-
terial for a new play for Mr. Frohman ;Henry
Guy Carleton goes to Florida soon with the
same mission; William Gillette is at work
on a new comedy; Bronson Howard is put-
ting the finishing touches on a new drama;
Franklin Fyles expects to finish a melodra-
ma by the first of the season; Charles Klein
has a comedy well nigh finished; Charles
T. Dazey is in France working on a new
play dealing with Southern life; Madeline
Lucette Ryley has finished the outline of a
new comedy, and Mr. Frohman is trying
to coerce David Belasco into writing a play
for season after next.
©
Mme. Lilli Lehman writes to the Herald
that she is in favor of high salaries, the
substance of her article being "the laborer
is worthy of his hire." When she says "it
is not mere craving for money that makes
us demand high salaries" we are inclined
to "break the friendly lance" in protest
thereof. Grand opera singers, particularly
Mme. Lehman, are human like everybody
else, and they want all the money they can
get. The altruistic sentiments occasion-
ally propounded by our musical lights do
them credit, but nevertheless salary is the
principal commandment in their creed.
Mme. Lehman classifies the expensive
singers as those "who do not receive enor-
mous but very good salaries, who appear
once, do not please, and then have to be
paid for four or five months." Very well
put, but managers do not usually engage
singers on the "cat in the bag" principle.
The closing sentence of Mme. Lehman's
contribution is amusing—that is if she had
herself in mind when written:—"Artists in
the zenith of their career and drawing
power can never be paid too much." Verb.
sap.
o
The Music Teachers' National Associa-
tion will hold their nineteenth annual con-
vention at the Grand Central Palace, Lex-
ington avenue and Forty-third street,
this city* June 24 to 28 inclusive. Three
or more sessions will be held daily, cover-
ing concerts, church services, musical ex-
position, business meetings, excursions,
making in all eighteen meetings. Strenu-
ous efforts are being made by President
H. W. Greene to make this reunion one of
the most successful in the history of the
Association.
0
The Sultan of Morocco is a Wagnerian
and a potentate whose musical taste is
somewhat peculiar. We are informed by
the Royal "historian" that he is an ardent
admirer of the Scotch bag pipes and has
just appointed a special piper, whose duty
is to ' 'skirl" for the delectation of his Maj-
esty and the court. The fortunate Knight
of the Bag is an Aberdeen man, who is
now on his way to his new Eastern home.
He takes with him all the fearful imple-
ments of his craft, and the philabeg will
probably become quite a fashionable dress
in the Land of the Sultan.
©
It has at last been arranged that Mme.
Lillian Nordica will sing in the season of
German opera, opening next Monday, un-
der the management of Walter Damrosch
at the Metropolitan Opera House.
Mme. Nordica was to have sailed for
Europe last week, but at the last moment
decided to remain and open negotiations
with Mr. Damrosch. She will remain here
until April, when she will report at the Co-
vent Garden, London, ready to fulfill the
contract which she says she has with Mau-
rice Grau, and which the latter says does
not exist.
©
The piano playing of the French nation
has been ably educated by that noble insti-
tution, the Conservatoire of Paris, which
was founded during the great revolu-
tion. The first teacher was Adam, father
of the composer of the "Postilion de Lon-
jumeau;" his pupil, Zimmermann, long
occupied the leading place in Paris musical
circles. It was at his salons that Mos-
cheles and Thalberg first made their bow