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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
PROF. nULLER'S NEW BOOK.
Professor F. Max Miiller, the greatest of
modern philologists, and, though German
born, one of the few living masters of Eng-
lish style, has prepared a book of auto-
biographical reminiscences under the title of
"Auld Lang Syne," which Charles Scribner's
Sons have just published.
The book is divided into three main parts
—"Musical Recollections," "Literary Recol-
lections" and "Recollections of Royalties."
All are full of entertaining gossip, not only
because of the eminence of the names they
include, but also on account of the spirit and
point with which the stories are told.
The book abounds in anecdotes of musical
matters and of famous people. Prof. Miiller
records that music has often helped his pil-
grimage through life. "Both in Paris and
later on in London many a house was open to
me which would have remained closed to a
mere scholar. Musicians also always took an
interest in the son of the poet, Wilhelm Miil-
ler, whose songs had been set to music not
only by Schubert, but by many other popular
composers. I well remember, when telling
Jenny Lind whose son I was, how she held up
her hands and said: 'What? The son of the
poet of the Miillerlieder! Now, sit down,'
she said, 'and let me sing you the "Schone
Miillerin."' And she began to sing, and
sang all the principal songs of that sad idyl,
just moving her head and hands a little, but
really acting the whole story as no actress on
the stage could have acted it."
0
JOSEF HOFriANN.
The Chicago orches-
tra gave the first of its
six concerts at the
Metropolitan O p e r a
House on last Tuesday
evening, March 1, un-
der the baton of Theo-
dore Thomas. The
soloist was Josef Hof-
mann, the young pian-
ist whose visit here ten
years ago as a child
prodigy evoked extra-
ordinary enthusiasm.
Since that time he has
been an assiduous stu-
dent, spending two and
a half years with Rub-
instein, and studying
the theory of musical
composition with Prof.
Urban. This was his
first appearance in this
country. He played
the Rubinstein D Min-
or Concerto and a
piano solo, and won his
way at once into favor.
Hofmann is a pianist
of mature judgment,
and a technician of ex-
traordinary skill.
Although a great artist
Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, the "Don Juan"
to-day, years will still further mature his mar-
velous gift of artistic expression. The or-
chestra was in splendid form, and played
tone poem of Richard Strauss and the "Lohen-
grin " prelude. Hofmann will be heard later
in recitals.
ible; hence, 'Thus spake Zarathustra.' Could
a sparkling operetta be written after a year's
stay at a German boarding-house ? Do soups,
macaroni, cheese of Parma, salads, the native
oils and wines go for naught in the formation
or inheritance of a golden Italian voice ?
" T o o many of our local composers are
passionately addicted to beans and the favor-
ite drink of the late John Phoenix, which was
thus prepared according to his own recipe:
'Three parts water gruel, two of root beer;
thicken with a little soft squash and strain
through a cane-bottomed chair.' "
This is hard on our friends in the "city
of culture."
Wednesday evening at Chickering Hall.
Few men have worked harder for the promo-
tion of all that pertains to art and music
in New York than Mr. Agramonte, and we
should never forget him.
JOSEF HOFMANN.
C0HP0SIT10N AND DIET.
" I am inclined to think that our local mu-
sicians do not pay enough attention to diet
when they are in the throes of composition,"
says Philip Hale, the Boston critic. "Hoff-
mann,musician, critic,rhapsodist, caricaturist,
speculated as to the effect of wines on him
that meditates an immortal work. And he
recommended Rhine wine to him that would
fain write a mass, Burgundy to the composer
of a grand opera, champagne to the writer of
a comic opera, some fiery Italian wine to the
author of passionate canzonets, and arrack
punch to him that would rival " D o n Gio-
vanni." Fuseli ate raw pork late at night
that he might dream frightful dreams which,
awake, he would put on canvas. Listen to
Bayes in " The Rehearsal." " When I write
familiar things, as sonnets to Armida, and
the like, I make use of stew'd prunes only;
but when I have a grand design in hand, I
ever take physic, and let blood; for when
you would have pure swiftness of thought,
and fiery flights of fancy, you must have a
care of the pensive part: in fine, you must
purge the stomach."
" The German composer and the German
singer subsist mainly on pork, veal, cabbage
and beer. Occasionally some bold fellow ex-
periments, as did Anton Fils, a celebrated
violinist at the court of Mannheim; he died
in 1768 from immoderate indulgence in raw
spiders, which, as he imagined, tasted re-
markably like fresh strawberries. Wagner,
it is true, preached vegetarianism to his dis-
ciples, but he condemned the eating of flesh
in his books; in daily life he enjoyed meat.
The diet of your average German is indigest-
©
The musical world of London is already
agitated over the Nibelung performances,
which will be given next May under Mr.
Seidl's direction, and with a cast that is, as
the Daily News justly remarks, " t h e
strongest that Wagner's tetralogy has ever
yet been accorded." In addition to the De
Reszk€s and Seidl, the list of interpreters in-
cludes Ternina, Brema, Nordica, Schumann-
Heink, Gadsky, and Emma Eames, Van
Dyck, von Rooy, Feinhals, Wittikopf, and
Lieban.
The Rhine daughters will come
from Bayreuth, and so will the stage-mana-
ger, Herr Kranach, who is expected to do
for the scenic side what Mr. Seidl will do for
the orchestra and the general command.
Special attention is, indeed, to be paid to the
pictorial side of Wagner's art work.
0
Emelio Agramonte, the clever musician,
and distinguished teacher, was tendered a tes-
timonial concert by a host of friends last
©
Mr. Harvey Wickham, assisted by Mr.
Frederick Downs, solo tenor of the Church
of the Pilgrims, Brooklyn, gave the second of
his present series of organ recitals at Grace
Church, Middletown, N. Y., on the evening
of Washington's birthday. The program
was brilliantly rendered before a large audi-
ence, and included Bach's Prelude in E Flat
and Guilmant's Second Sonata.
©
M. Gerardy, the celebrated 'cellist, occu-
pies the place of honor on our cover page
this month. This clever young artist has
won the praise of leading critics in all parts
of the country, who unanimously admit that
he has made rapid headway in his profession.
From the prodigy of a few years ago he has
developed into a mature artist, whose playing
is noted for all these finer attributes that are
only found in the great virtuoso.
O
UTICA CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC.
The Utica (N. Y.) Conservatory of Music,
which Louis Lombard founded, has just
passed into the hands of Geo. S. Beechwood,
a well-known organist and choirmaster, who
studied long under some noted masters in
Europe and this country. He is sole owner,
and will assume the directorship.
Mrs.
Wheeler, the former director, will continue
to be connected with the institution,