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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
10
C O M E time since the papers report-
^
ed the invention of a machine
which registered the strength and vari-
ance of emotions of the listener. It has
been suggested, in view of the wide di-
vergence of opinion of certain perform-
ances on the part of some of our critics,
that it would be a good idea to utilize
these machines and take records of the ex-
act amount of feeling which music arouses
in each critic, and thus we should know
whether the man is fit to be a critic of
music or not. For it is certain you can-
not criticize music adequately unless you
feel it. It is the same with color and
line in painting. And the worst of it is
very few people have a real genuine sense
of color, and in nine cases out of ten you
will find that their ideas of contrasts and
harmony of colors are based on those to
which they are accustomed.
For instance, not many years ago the
beautiful harmony of certain greens and
blues and of purples and yellows and of
greens and purples would have been scout-
ed as glaringly discordant. A painter
here and there did not think so and had the
courage to paint what he felt. The public
scoffed until it had grown accustomed to
the close contrast of these colors, and im-
mediately it forgot its scorn and transfer-
red the painter's idea to its bonnets, dresses,
and house decorations.
And so with music. There can be no
other explanation of the absurdly diver-
gent criticism one reads in newspapers and
hears in conversation.
*
QOME huge musical gatherings are fixed
^
for the present year. The men's sing-
ing societies of Germany will meet in their
thousands at Cassel next May, and the city
of Berne is organizing a " federal festival
of song," in which 700 performers will take
part. In this case a special building is to
erected at a cost of i5o,ooof.
*
AUGUST WILLIAM HOFFMANN,
*"*• whose latest composition, "Little
Wild Rose," appears in this number, was
born in 1866 in Mannheim, Germany, and
received his musical education at the Royal
Conservatory in Stuttgart, under Dr. Se-
bert and Prof. Pruckner. Later under
Vincent Lachner and Wilhelm Kalliwoda.
Mr. Hoffmann has made a reputation
as a concert pianist in both Europe and
BROWN'S Clearthe voice,
BRONCHIAL Relieve
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America, and is considered to be one of our
most gifted composers. As an accompan-
ist, Mr. Hoffmann's success has been most
flattering in concert with Mme. Gadski,
David Bispham, Watkins Mills and a score
of others; and his ensemble playing with
his brother, Ludwig W. Hoffmann, the
'cello virtuoso, has won the highest com-
mendation. Mr. Hoffmann has over one
hundred compositions in the market, most-
ly published by the John Church Co. and
Luckhardt & Belder, of this city. His
last compositions are the one published in
this issue and a sacred song- for high and
low voice, "Abide With Me," published
by Luckhardt & Belder. This composition
Massenet's "Cinderella" is in active re-
hearsal at the Opera Comique, Paris, al-
though its production is not likely to oc-
cur early this month.
Mascagni's "Iris" was very coldly re-
ceived at La Scala, Milan, and the critic-
al reception of the work could have been
little less flattering to the composer.
The season at Bayreuth opens this year
on July 22, with a cycle of "Der Ring des
Nibelungen." The second cycle will be-
gin on Aug. 14. There will be four per-
formances of "Die Meistersinger," and
seven of "Parsifal." Herr Kraus of Berlin,
who is now in this country with the Ellis
Company, will be heard there as Siegfried,
and so will Herr Schmedes of Vienna, who
until a few months ago sang baritone roles.
Hanslick, the famous Vienna critic i.s
not entirely pleased with Goldmark's opera
"The Prisoner of War," and expresses only
qualified praise of it. The Viennese pub-
lic, however, like the work, which will be
given this spring at Covent Garden, Lon-
don. The libretto deals with the story of
Achilles, Agamemnon and Briseis.
•
U
AUGUST WILLIAM HOFFMANN.
is considered one of the best sacred solos
recently written and is having a great sale.
Mr. Hoffmann has a new song in manu-
script which will be sung in Mme. Murio-
Celli's musicale, March 18th, by his wife,
Adelaide R. Hoffmann, who is a talented
young soprano, studying with Mme. Murio-
Celli.
A MONG the important musical novel-
*^ ties to be produced in Europe this
month, are Isador de Lara's opera "Mes-
salina" which will be given at Monte Carlo.
The principal roles will be sung by Mme.
Heglon and Ernesto Tamagno.
T H E THREE DRAGOONS," De
*• Koven & Smith's comic opera at
the Broadway Theatre, is one of the most
enjoyable entertainments in town. The
cast is exceptionally strong both in the seri-
ous and comic roles, while the chorus is
unusually excellent. Mr. McCormick and
the Broadway Theatre Co. are to be con-
gratulated on the success of this jolly
farce. Nothing has been spared in cos-
tuming and mountings to add to the com-
pleteness of the opera. The present suc-
cess is well deserved.
*
A T the fourth recital of Joseph Weiss,
^*- on Feb. 20th, this pianist augmented
the previous high estimate of his ability.
His program embraced numbers by
Brahms, Poldini, Saar and Mr. Weiss him-
self. At this recital he displayed a remark-
able degree of versatility both as an
executant and composer. As before he
used the Steinway parlor grand and this
instrument seemed to be equal to all the
demands made on it. It is veritably a
concert grand in parlor form.
*
HE great organ erected by the W. W.
Kimball Co., in Studebaker Hall,"Fine
Arts Building, Chicago, was formally
dedicated on the evening of Feb. 24th.
T
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