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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
of things, occult philosophy. He even said that
the world might be called incorporated music; and
that music speaks to us of other and better worlds,
reminding us of an inaccessible paradise, that it
is the panacea for all ills. Poet and philosopher
thus express the same idea, speak almost the same
language."
©
Last Thursday evening the first of the
Seidl concerts occurred at the Astoria.
There was a crush of fashionable carriages
in Thirty-fourth street that reminded one
of the opening of the grand opera season.
Society has evidently taken up these every -
other-Thursday affairs at the Astoria as its
own particular substitute this year for the
opera gatherings.
This was Mr. Ssidl's first appearance be-
fore the public since his return from Europe.
His successes at London and Bayreuth
have given him great prestige, and his wel-
come on Thursday evening reflected the
esteem and honor in which he is held in
America.
Aside from vocal numbers by Marcella
Sembrich and 'cello solos by Leo Stern, the
following was the program rendered by
Seidl's orchestra: Beethoven's "Leonore"
overture (No. 3), Dvorak's " Slavonic
Rhapsody," Grieg's " Herzenswunden," an
andante by Tschaikowsky, and Liszt's "Les
Preludes."
o
The Oratorio Society will give during the
season two afternoon and two evening
concerts, and a festival in commemoration
of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the
founding of the society by Dr. Leopold
Damrosch. At the first concert, Decem-
ber 3-4, Gounod's "Redemption" will be
sung, and on December 29-30 the usual
Christmas performance of Handel's "Mes-
siah" will be given.
The Damrosch Festival will take place in
April and the programs will contain Dr.
Damrosch's oratorio "Sulamith" and Prof.
H. W. Parker's new dramatic oratorio "St.
Christopher." This work deals with the
legend of the giant Offerus, who was a con-
vert to Christianity and undertook the
self-imposed labor of carrying travelers
over a stream that had no bridge. Rhein-
berger, Prof. Parker's instructor in the art
of composition, employed the same subject
in a work some years ago. The book of
oratorio was written by Prof. Parker's
mother, who also edited the English ver-
sion of "Hora Novissima."
o
The publication of the letters of the Ital-
ian poet Leopardi, who died a half century
ago, suggested the title of an article in an
Italian paper—"Leopardi and Music"—in
which the writer, Arturo Graf, after speak-
ing of the attitude of certain other
men of genius toward music, and Leo-
pardi's agreement with their utterances
on the subject, goes on to say:
It is said that there are 5,000 theatres
and opera houses in the United States,
representing a cost of from $10,000 to $1 ,-
000,000 each. These theatres employ 50,-
000 persons, exclusive of actors and ac-
tresses. Upward of 400 manuscript plays
written or owned by citizens of the United
States are playing nightly. They give em-
ployment to from 5,000 to 6,000 actors. The
cost of producing these manuscript plays
It ranges from $2,000 to $25,000 each,
would probably be safe to say that the
number of those who draw their livelihood
from theatres and opera houses in the
United States is nearer 100,000 than 50,-
000, and at the present ratio of increase it
may be considerably more before the next
national census.
o
" The popularity of negro songs during
the past two seasons has practically ruined
the demand for popular efforts of any other
kind, and the sentimental ballad, whether
it involves the overworked 'mother' in-
terest or is concerned with some less filial
motive, is just at present a drug on the
market," says the New York Sun. It is
evidently the negro song that the public
desires now, and there is seemingly no
indication that this demand has been satis-
fied. A writer of this kind of hodge-podge
has received upward of $5,000 in royalties
from one of his songs. Meanwhile musi-
cians who have had to pay for their educa-
tion have mighty hard work to eke out a
living. 'Tis a curious world, my masters!
o
The National Conservatory of Music of
America announces a series of four orches-
tral concerts to be given at the Madison
•Square Concert Hall during the months of
January, February, March and April, 1898.
They are to be under the conductorship of
Mr. Gustav Hinrichs, the orchestra being
composed of pupils recruited from the or-
chestral classes of the institution and their
teachers. Soloists will be selected from the
Faculty and pupils. These concerts are to
be given under the auspices of the subscrib-
ers to the permanent orchestral fund of the
National Conservatory, and therefore will
be free. Dates will be announced later.
Hearth " will also be produced, and the
company will include Mesdames Malten,
Moran-Olden, and Olitzka, and tenor Wall-
nofer, the baritone Reichmann, and pos-
sibly Madame Eames.
o
Mascagni, of " Cavalleria Rusticana"
fame, whose last five or six operas have
been flat failures, is not worrying about
the wherewithal to "keep the wolf from the
door." The publisher Sonzogno pays him
a sort of "retainer" of $200 a month, pledg-
ing him to give him a monopoly of all his
new operas. Besides this the Conservatory
of Pesaro, of which he is director, pays
him at the rate of $15 a day, also furnish-
ing him with a palatial residence. This is
almost as good a snap as being a New
York politician.
0
Out of the large contingent of European
artists in the vocal and instrumental field
who are slated to enter the musical cam-
paign this season, only three are really un-
known to the American public. Pugno
and Siloti are pianists whose European re-
putation ranks high. The former is not
only considered the greatest pianist in
France, but he is a composer of note, hav-
ing written many works in the larger
form. The other newcomer is Max Karger,
a violinist whocomes to us with the endorse-
ment of Joachim and Halir.
o
Wm. C. Carl, the celebrated concert
organist, commenced his annual series of
free autumnal organ recitals at the First
Presbyterian Church last Friday afternoon.
He was assisted by vocal and instrumental
soloists.
o
A number of free organ recitals will also
be given this season by Dr. Gerrit Smith at
the South Church, Madison avenue, and
by W. E. Mulligan at St. Mark's Church.
These recitals are most effective from an
educational standpoint, and are eagerly
taken advantage of, judging from the large
attendance wherever they were given last
year.
©
The competition for the much coveted
music prize known as the Mendelssohn
stipendium, which was won by Miss Leo-
nora Jackson, the American competitor,
the early days of last month, aroused keen
interest among musicians and students of
music from a score of countries as well as
from
all parts of Germany. The honor is
0
much
more than the prize, which is valued
The Wagner performances by the De
at
only
1,500 marks. This is the first time
Reszke brothers, which the Czar desires,
that
the
stipendium has been won by an
are to take place in St. Petersburg next
American.
March at the Theatre Marie. The season
0
has been arranged by M. Paradies, Presi-
At the first evening concert of the Sym-
dent of the Russian Wagner Society, and phony Society, which takes place this even-
it will be directed by Dr. Lowe, who will ing,Mendelssohn's "Scotch S) mphony"will
bring from Breslau his full orchestra and be played. Miss Trebelli will sing " Hear
chorus. Goldmark's "Cricket on the Ye Israel," and the chorus of the Oratorio
" But more than with all these was he in accord
Society will sing "Thanks Be to God"
'Q Notice, Musicians. All musicians who
(and this should be particularly noted) with
0 are troubled with perspiring hands,
in find immediate cure by ap- from Mendelssohn's "Elijah."
Schopenhauer, with whom, without knowing it, he
agreed on so many points. Schopenhauer was
o
Pomade). Artists be-
passionately fond of music and wrote with the
DMAflP ^ o r e r e n d e l "i n S Solos and Students while
Mile.
Alice
Verlet,
whose portrait ap-
mind of a philosopher and the heart of an artist.
peared
in
The
Keynote-Review
of May 1,
He said that music was a wonderful art, the most
I
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This preparation is perfectly harmless and will re-
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New
York
last
week
from
Europe.
expressed the will, that is to say, the essential and move all eruptions from the skin.
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