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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
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MASSENET has written a new
suite, which, it is hoped, will speed-
ily be available for our orchestras. It
really forms the incidental music to Ra-
cine's "Phedre," and the overture was
composed as far back as 1874, but M. Mas-
senet has now added entr'actes, and the
music is said to be in his best manner.
Max Hesse's "Musiker Kalender" for
1901 contains interesting statistics regard-
ing the comparative popularity of compos-
ers in German concert halls. Beethoven,
Wagner and Liszt are in the lead, followed
by Brahms, Mozart, Mendelssohn and
Schumann. Tschaikovsky, whose genius
the Germans were so slow in discovering,
now has more performances than all the
"young Russians" put together. This is
as it should be, for he had more genius
than all those men had combined.
There are at present more than 12,000
students of music in Germany, 20 per
cent, of whom are foreigners, and 67 per
cent, are females.
Of the 5,000 new
singers who make their debut every year
probably five make a name for themselves.
Who is to blame for this ridiculous state of
affairs, the pupils or the teachers?
Weber's "Freischutz" still has an aver-
age of 250 performances a year in the
opera houses of Germany, though it is 80
years old. On Dec. 9 Stuttgart had its
250th performance of it, the 200th having
been given there in 1888, the 100th in 1855,
the first in 1822. Weber's popularity as a
composer in Stuttgart was not in the least
affected by the fact that he was command-
ed by the authorities in 1810 to leave the
city because of his reprehensible conduct.
He thence went to Prague, and subse-
quently to Leipsic, where he founded the
first German opera, and became in many
ways the precursor of Wagner.
It is said that an opera on the subject
of Shakespeare's ''Much Ado About Noth-
ing," composed by Villiers Stanford, with
libretto by Julian Sturgis, is to be one of
the novelties at Covent Garden next sea-
son.
Word comes from Paris that Godowsky,
the pianist, has been exceedingly success-
ful in concert, and that the French jour-
nals have given him much praise.
There is no lack of new operas, of which
few survive. Ernest Morel, a pupil of
Massenet, has composed the music for a
libretto based on the "Corinne" of Mme.
de Stael.
The Oberammergau passion plays were
visited by 173,785 persons, the total re-
ceipts being 1,035,000 marks. The net
profits are a quarter of a million marks,
which will be devoted to improving the
little town. Forty-seven performances
were given, and the highest salary paid
was to "Christ," $375 for all performances
including hundreds of rehearsals.
Andre Messager has been appointed ar-
tistic manager of the Royal Opera, Covent
Garden, London, in place of Maurice
Grau, who has other duties which absorb
his time. M. Messager, composer of "La
Basoche," is musical director of the Paris
Opera Comique, and is the husband of the
well-known song composer, Hope Temple.
There will be no "cycles" of "Der Ring
des Nibelungen" at Covent Garden during
the coming season, for although, of course,
Wagner's operas will not be altogether ne-
glected, the "Ring," as a whole, will have
a rest.
Professor Villiers Stanford has been
chosen to succeed Sir Arthur Sullivan as
conductor of the Leeds musical festival,
one of the highest honors that can be be-
stowed by the English musical world. Pro-
fessor Stanford is of Irish birth and forty-
eight years old. He is professor of music
at Cambridge and has been conductor of
the Leeds Philharmonic Society since 1897.
His most important work is the choral set-
ting to Tennyson's " Revenge."
Edward Grieg is somewhat seriously ill
at Copenhagen, of an internal malady,
which gives considerable anxiety to his
friends. Grieg has suffered for some years
from a weak chest, which has caused him
to winter in a warmer climate than his na-
tive Norway. But his present illness seems
to be a new development.
M. L. PINKHAM,
Perosi's new oratorio, " T h e Annuncia-
tion," was sung last week at the Church of
the Apostles in Rome. It is a very fine
work and destined to live. It is the first
of a projected series of oratorios illustrat-
ing the entire life of Christ. Countess
Pecci, a niece of the Pope, took the role of
the Virgin and achieved a distinct success.
Puccini is turning to the stage for his
operatic subjects.
He has commenced
work on an opera based upon Rostand's
"Cyrano de Bergerac," and the intention
is to produce it in the season of 1901-1902
at the San Carlo, Naples, with Tenor De
Lucia in the title role.
It is reported that Sir Arthur Sullivan
left a number of songs and part-songs,
some of them unfinished, and most of
them dating from his juvenile days.
WILL PLAY THREE CONCERTOS.
ME. C A R R E N O will be heard with
orchestra at Carnegie Hall on April
22, when she will play three notable con-
certos: The Emperor, the Grieg, and Ru-
benstein's D minor. Truly a gigantic un-
dertaking for one concert.
M
CHICAGO NOTES.
/ ^ H I C A G O A N S have become so much
^- > accustomed of late years—since the
inauguration of the Chicago Orchestra—to
hear a long line of famous European vir-
tuosos each season that we perhaps forget
the exceptional advantages we enjoy in
this direction. And the present year has
been remarkable in this respect. Already
we have had Dohnanyi, Gabrilowitsch and
Kreisler, three of the foremost players of
the day, and another of equal importance
—Hugo Becker, the eminent violoncellist,
who has made his initial bow to local music
lovers with tremendous success.
George Hamlin, Sydney Biden and Mrs.
Edwin N. Lapham will be heard in a classic
song and duet recital at University Hall,
Fine Arts Building, on the evening of
Feb! 7. A number of real novelties will
be offered; Mr. Hamlin will sing a group
of songs by Emil Sjogren, a Swedish com-
poser of prominence, and a number of
Brahms' songs. Mr. Biden has also some
interesting novelties in a group of songs
by a young German composer, Hugo
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Contralto
MME. MARYA BLAZEJEWICZ
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WALTER H. WHEATLEY
Tenor
FRANZ LUDWIG HUEBNER
Baritone •late of Vienna)
In Schubert and Schumann programmes
ROBERT HOSEA, Baritone
FREDERIC MARTIN, Basso Cantante
MISS ELIZABETH PATTERSON
Oratorio Soprano from England
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