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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
has been set for nine o'clock on the morning self opposed to church music as now gener-
of Monday, September 9th, would indicate ally conducted. He is especially severe on
a more than ordinarily successful six weeks' the quartet. In the first place there is not
enough of them, and they are either too
season of opera in English.
Mr. Savage plans to produce two grand fine or too poor. If the former, they keep
operas each week; presenting one on Mon- down those in the audience who know any-
ARTISTS' DEPARTMENT.
day, Thursday and Saturday nights and at thing about singing, and if the latter, the
TELEPHONE NUMBER. 1745.--EIGHTEENTH STREET
the
Wednesday matinee, the other at the re- listeners are criticising them instead of
The Artists' Department of The Review is
Common sense thinking about the messages they are giv-
published on the first Saturday of each month. maining performances.
prices and all seats reserved will prevail dur- ing. His own idea is that all the people
FROM PLAY TO WORK!
should sing at a church service, the old, the
' T H E first week of September marks the ing the entire six weeks.
New York's only .season of grand opera young, and the children. The best realiza-
*
return to town of the thousands, some
of whom have been spending brief, and others in English promises to be a conspicuous tion of his ideal that we can think of is to
extended periods of rest and recreation dur- success. This is evidenced by the number be found at the colored camp-meetings in
ing the summer months. Preparations are of requests for seats received from former the South. Without doubt this idea is a
well under way by the different managers subscribers of the Castle Square Opera Com- good one for promiscuous evangelistic work,
and societies for the forthcoming musical pany's seasons, who are awaiting with keen says the Boston Evening Transcript. But
season. Many teachers have already opened interest the reappearance of this favorite or- it is nevertheless the sign of primitiveness
studios, and the usual routine of work is ganization.
in worship and would not appeal to the high-
being resumed all along the line.
"Aida" and "La Boheme" will be followed class congregations, because their educated
From the present outlook the season by melodic masterpieces selected from the tastes have taken them beyond it. Church
promises to be a brilliant one in almost every following list: "La Gioconda," "Faust," music should be adapted to the audience.
"Tannhauser,"
"Carmen," Only a captious person would quarrel with
department of effort. Every year New "Lohengrin,"
York seems to be increasing its army of "Romeo and Juliet," "Cavalleria Rusticana," the gospel songs of the evangelists. They
music lovers, and this is attested by the at- "I Pagliacci," and several other novelties, are undoubtedly well adapted to the service.
tendance at the opera, the concert and the for which negotiations are now in progress. But, on the other hand, it is hardly tolerant
thousand and one recitals which occur be- Mr. Savage has secured the American rights or charitable to insist that they are the only
tween October and April.
of Puccini's new opera, "Mme. Butterfly," church music that should be used, or dictate
As usual, we will have with us a strong and expects to make the first production of the manner in which hymns should be sung.
representation of foreign artists. Indeed, in the work in this country one of the features These are questions which every church has
a right to settle for itself.
the artistic, as in the commercial field, of the Broadway Theatre season.
this country to-day seems to be fast win-
BUSINESSLIKE MASCAGNI.
ARTISTS WHO WILL VISIT US.
ning its way as a dominating factor. Its
ASCAGNI is becoming widely known \ \ l E are on the threshold of what prom-
wealth, and we hasten to add its augment-
abroad as "the Italian Yankee." He
ises to be an unusually lively musi-
ing culture, are attracting the very cream of
has as great a love for keeping his name cal season. The preliminary announcements
the world's famous artists. The influence
before the public as had the late revered of the different managers indicate this. The
of these great vocalists and instrumental-
P. T. Barnum, and his estimate of the dear list of artists is a formidable one. William
ists is most inspiring and helpful toward
public differs little from the circus impre- Worth Bailey, the blind American violinist,
a keener appreciation of and the prevalence
of a higher standard of music. They make sario's. At brief intervals recently schemes who is to be heard next winter, has
the critical senses less satisfied with the com- have been unfolded by the author of the never played in public here before, although
monplace, and while the wide chasm between popular "Cavalleria," which displays his he has won high praise abroad. He is now
mediocrity and perfection is made plainer, keen business instinct. His latest pronun- twenty-one and he was born in Fort Smith,
so much so that it disheartens oftentimes ciamento from Pesaro is that he intends to Ark. He showed a talent for the violin at
the ambitious pupil, yet it has a decided in- establish, in association with a capitalist and an early age, and when he had learned all
fluence on the nation's progress musically a number of Italian composers, a co-opera- that the teachers in his part of the country
considered. The people of this country can tive society for the publication of operas, could teach him his parents sent him to Eu-
not continue to hear the very greatest of with a view to securing to their authors the rope. He studied with Cesar Thompson at
the world's musicians without becoming in full material advantages to be derived there- Liege and was soon recognized as a player
from. It may be that there are Italian com- of talent by Ysaye, Musin and other Bel-
time greater lovers of the best.
posers who need such protection, though gian violinists whe heard him play. He has
GRAND OPERA IN ENGLISH.
their works are almost always ephemeral. for two seasons been appearing in concert
|\1 EW YORK'S only season of grand opera But as for Mascagni himself, the plain truth
in Europe. Fritz Kreisler and Charles
in English will be inaugurated by the is that he has already received for his operas
Gregorowitsch are to be the other violin
Castle Square Opera Company at the Broad- a thousand times as much as they are worth
virtuosi here. Tivador Nachez, the Hunga-
way Theatre on Saturday night, September —aesthetically, at any rate; and only one
rian player, may also be heard.
14th, when a splendid revival of Verdi's mas- of them has been a financial success. He is
The list of pianists is more numerous
terpiece "Aida" will be presented with a cast now said to be engaged on a one-act opera
of popular favorites, assisted by the famous which is to be a pendant to his "Cavalleria and includes Josef Hofmann, Harold Bauer,
Castle Square chorus, an augmented orches- Rusticana." Meanwhile, Mascagni needs no Ossip Gabrilowitsch, Eduard Zeldenrust,
tra, a military band and a force of supernu- press agent. He "knows the ropes," to use Rafael Joseffy and Fannie Bloomfield-Zeis-
meraries. The cast for the inaugural per- the old-time colloquialism, and his plan of ler. Plunkett Greene is to return here in
formance has been arranged as follows:—• campaign seems to win him notoriety and the spring for two months and will be pre-
Aida, Adelaide Norwood; Amneris, Marion what is better—dollars, or their equivalent ceded by two English singers who have
never been heard before. They are Whit-
Ivel; Rhadames, Joseph F. Sheehan ; Amon- in Italian currency.
ney
Tew, a basso, who comes in November,
asro, William Pruette; Ramfis, F. J. Boyle;
and
Gregory Hast, a tenor, who will be
CHURCH MUSIC AOAIN DISCUSSED.
The King, W. W. Hinshaw. Puccini's "La
Boheme" and Verdi's "Aida" will be the al- T ^ H E criticism of modern church music heard first in the same month. Plunkett
that used to be an almost invariable Greene has not sung here for several years.
ternating operas for the week of September
16th, and will introduce those members of feature of Mr. Moody's summer meetings at Clara Butt has postponed her return to this
the company who are new to New York. Northfield appears, to be perpetuated now country another year. Next season she will
The volume of inquiry received during the that Mr. Moody is no more. Professor be heard only in England. Jean Gerardy,
past few weeks at the Broadway Theater Towner, associated with evangelistic work the 'cellist, will return here after a success-
relative to the opening of the seat sale, which. there as a choral director, has declared him- ful season in Australia,