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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
A S a n exponent of Scottish song, no one
* * holds a more prominent place on the
concert platform than Mme. Annie Grey,
who is at present making a tour of the
United States and Canada, and whose por-
trait appears on this page. She has made
a conscientious and intelligent study of the
National minstrelsy. She has the gift of
song in a high degree. Her recitals have
attained a wide popularity alike in Scot-
land and England and have been crowned
with recognition by Queen Victoria, whose
love for everything Scottish is well known.
Mme. Grey came to America in July to
fulfill some engagements with summer
assemblies. She has appeared three times
at Monona Lake Assembly, Wis. ; twice at
Rock River Assembly, Dixon, 111. ; three
times at Bay View Assembly, Mich. ; once
at Ocean Grove Assembly before more
than four thousand people, and once at
Martha's Vineyard Assembly, Mass. She
more recently appeared at Chickering Hall
in this city. Her success in her popular
description and musical song lecture re-
citals has been most pronounced. Her
repertoire includes " T h e Lays, Lilts and
Legends of Scotland," " Robert Burns the
Pathos and Humor of His Life Told in
Poetry and Song," " The Gathering of the
Clans." These recitals are unique in many
respects, thoroughly educative and most
enjoyable.
C R A N K W. HALE, managing editor of
*• the New England Conservatory Maga-
zine is entitled to congratulations on the
appearance of the latest issue of that
paper. Enlarged by eight pages, sporting
a new and artistically designed cover by
J. W. Kennedy, and containing many arti-
cles of interest, not only to students but
to the musical public generally, it fully
merits the support which is being vouch-
safed it by contributors and advertisers.
The New England Conservatory Magazine
succeeds the Conservatory Quarterly and
is published five times yearly at Franklin
Square, Boston, Mass.
of the services which the /Eolian
renders to the music-lover is the res-
cue of- forgotten pieces worthy of a better
fate, says the ^Eolian Quarterly. We do
not forget that great is the science of obli-
viousness. Nearly all music that dies (and
some that doesn't) ought to die. Besides,
the deluge of the new never quite sub-
merges the highest peaks of the old, while
from time to time precious wreckage is
washed back into view and rescued. But
there is no doubt that vast stores of
good music lie unregarded in the dust-bins
of successive ages—operatic gems dragged
to obscurity by wretched librettos; sym-
phonies, sonatas, and songs which never
saw the light, or else were discarded for
new-born gauds. Pathetic, indeed, is the
accident of missed greatness, which too
often extinguishes the flaming tongues of
art and makes sterile the nestling seeds of
power.
Nothing is so soon affected by changes
•of public taste as opera; yet a good frac-
tion ©f-operatic-music that is forgotten and
dead, as far as performance goes, is en-
dowed, if not with immortality, at least
with intrinsic life. Operatic audiences do
not constitute the most discriminating
section of the musical public ; they
usually show a gross and unappeasable
appetite for things that are mint-new,
whether good or not. These are rolled
under the tongue, and soon find the way
to a cavernous maw—which, though it di-
gests nothing, "is like another hell for
capacity."
There is no telling how many operas,
good, either in whole or in part, have been
crowded from the stage
by this cormorant; but
there is no doubt that
thousands are to-day
unknown even by name.
G e n e r a l l y speaking,
overtures stand the best
chance of survival, be-
cause they frequently
possess an independent
musical interest.
You can find scores
of old operatic over-
tures, now all but for-
gotten, which are yet
far superior in every
way to most of the clap-
trap popular music of
the day, most of which
is, by the way, nothing
but old wine in new
bottles.
These old
things were very pop-
ular in their day, but
were pushed aside for
the new, and so lost
sight of. They possess
l i g h t n e s s , agreeable-
ness, fire, and, in fact,
all the elements of pop-
ularity. To paraphrase
what Catalini said of
Sontag, they are great
in their genre, if their genre is not great.
Those who prefer the light and easy style
of music will find here things to their taste.
The music is frank and candid, does not aim
to be what it is not, nor dwell in the house
of subtlety. There is Cherubini, for in-
stance; he knew a thing or two about com.
position. Of Cherubini's overtures four have
been arranged for^Dolian,viz. :"Anacreon,"
"Faniska," "Elise," and "Prisoniere."
They are all eminently genial and pleasing.
Or take Bellini. Bellini was not a great
composer in the sense of Beethoven or
Bach, but he had his qualities. Is there
no merit in " La Sonnambula," which, to
our grandfathers, was as familiar as our
national airs are to-day? Or in "Norma,"
" Le Pirate," "Beatrice de Tenda," or
" II Puritani?"
"Zanetta," etc.; Donizetti, with his
"Anna Bolena," "Favorita," "Lucia,"
"Maria de Rohan," "Don Sebastian,"
"Don Pasquale," "Robert Devereux,"
etc. Pages could be filled with an enu-
meration of the works of Spontini, Mil-
locker, Offenbach, Suppe, and Verdi; but
we merely wish to direct the attention of
our patrons to the field of early music and
the entertainment to be found there.
D I C H A R D BURMEISTER has suc-
^
ceeded Xaver Scharwenka as head of
the Scharwenka Conservatory of Music of
ANNIE GREY.
this city, of which Emil Graintn is mana-
ger. Mr. Scharwenka who has gone to
Europe will not return to this country.
Under the management of Mr. Gramm this
institution is steadily growing in reputa-
tion ; many of the graduates are now
occupying positions of great eminence—a
tribute unquestionably to the capable
faculty of the Scharwenka institution.
*
T H E Boston Symphony Orchestra has
* already begun its concerts in Boston,
where Mr. Gericke, its newly appointed
conductor, has been welcomed with great
warmth, both by the public and the mem.
bers of the orchestra, whose respect he
possesses in a remarkable degree. This,
organization will give its first conceits in
this city at Carnegie Hall on Wednesday
There is Auber, with his overtures: afternoon and Thursday evening, Nov.
"Barcarolle," " Bronze Horse," "Crown 9 and 10. Mr. Rosenthal will be soloist on
Diamonds," " Dieu et la Bayadere," " Le both occasions, but will not play the same
Domino Noir," " D u e D'Olonne," " Fra concerto, as the programs will be en-
Diavolo," " Fiorella," " Gustave ou le Bal tirely different. Other solo artists who
Masque," "Haydee," "Lac des Fees," will be heard in this series of concerts are
" Manon Lescaut," " Marco Spada," "Ma- Mr. Willy Burmeister, Lady Halle, (Norman
saniello," " Le Serment," " L a Sirene," Neruda), M. Alvarez, and Mme. Carreno,.