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THE
RMFW
ffUSIC TIRADE
VOL. XXXVII.
No. 10. published Erery Sat, IT Edward Lyman Bill at 1 Madison lie., New Tort Sept, 5,1903.
THE AMERICAN BOUND TO WIN.
OLLOWING his recent return from Eu-
rope, Giacomo Minkowsky had some-
thing interesting to say regarding the pros-
pects for American singers in Europe. "For
nearly three years," said Mr. Minkowsky, "I
have been warning European singers to keep
an eye on the possessors of American voices.
They are bound to win. Heretofore the great
obstacle in their way has been the scepticism
of impresarios. It is hard for these gentle-
men to believe that art can come out of
America.
"In Italy they are learning better. A few
years ago in Milan a European pupil hardly
dared to be seen associating with an Ameri-
can, pupil. And it must be confessed that
American pupils were subjected to all sorts
of impositions. Now all is* changed. I am
glad to have this opportunity to make it wide-
ly known that the Italian Government is in-
directly responsible for measures taken this
year to see that pupils from America are pro-
tected against extortion on the part of hotel
and boarding house keepers, and kept out of
the clutches of charlatans.
"Have you heard that America will be the
theme and the title of an Italian grand opera,
to be heard before very long ? Some say that
this is the secret which Puccini is guarding
so well—you know he has kept himself vir-
tually buried for months writing a new work.
"This is the important new operatic idea
—using countries as themes and titles.
Franchetti was the pioneer when he produced
the successful 'Germania.' It is known that
Giordano, composer of 'Andrea Chenier' and
'Fedora,' is now at work on 'Siberia.' When
I spoke to him about it he became enthusias-
tic. He declared that countries and nations
offered the only really great themes left for
opera composers.
"Mr. Minkowsky wished to compliment
Herr Conried on having secured the young
Italian tenor, Caruso, who, he said, more than
any other, could be described as "a la Mario."
ft
ADELE AUS DER OHE ARRIVES.
A DELE AUS DER OHE arrived in this
country last week on the steamer
"Kaiser Wilhelm Der Grosse." She will
open her concert tour with the first brace
of concerts of the Philadelphia Orchestra
on October 30th and 31st. The week fol-
lowing she will make her re-appearance in
New York at the first of the Philharmonic
concerts. During her stay in this country,
Miss Aus Der Ohe will play for the first
time here, the second concerto in G major,
op. 44, by Tschaikowski.
SINGLE COPIES. 10 CENTS.
$2.00 PER YEAR.
BETTER MUSIC FOR THE PARKS.
UNVEILING OF WAGNER MONUMENT.
F) ARK Commissioner William R. Willcox,
who has just returned from a vacation
tour of Europe, during which he accumu-
lated many ideas for the betterment of city
parks, had nothing to say regarding an im-
provement in the quality of the music given
at the free concerts in the various parks.
When visited, Mr. Willcox was asked to read
the following letter sent the editor of the
New York Times by a prominent citizeri:
"Can you not use your influence editor-
ially to obtain better music for Central Park ?
I have attended several of the Sunday after-
noon concerts, and find the music of a very
inferior quality as rendered by the band.
The instruments are evidently of a poor
quality or the musicians are not of marked
ability. In such a park the very best quality
of music should be given and by the very
best band the city can produce. A rich city
like New York should not for one moment
regard the cost. Instead of an attendance of
about 1,000 there should and would be (if
the band was high class) at least 10,000
present."
After its perusal he said: "I am going on
the theory, and I want to say that it has been
usually accepted, that for the purposes of
general music such as is given by bands the
Seventh Regiment Band and the Seventy-
first Regiment Band, are the leading bands
in the city, and I believe them to be so. The
concerts in Central Park are divided between
these two bands. Of course, we cannot get
Sousa, or the orchestra from the Metro-
politan Opera House, for they go all over the
country, and we cannot give $2,000 or $3,000
for a concert. There are only fourteen or
fifteen concerts and we had more than 150
applications from musicians who wanted to
give at least some of them, and some criticism
of the music may have arisen from some of
•these disappointed ones. I am not a musician
myself, but I took very careful advice upon
the subject. Both bands had many friends,
so both were chosen for Central Park and
Madison Square. I am not conscious of
anything that we can do more than we have
done to give good music in the parks."
ft
CARL HEIN ELECTED LEADER.
A T a meeting of the United German Sing-
ers, held on Friday last, Carl Hein was
elected musical leader, succeeding A. Thue-
loeke, who was appointed to the same position
two weeks ago, but who decided to resign
in view of certain differences with members
of the organization. Before the meeting ad-
journed it was decided to hold the first pub-
lic concert of the United German Singers at
Central Park on Sept. 2J.
ANDREW CARNEGIE, as director of
St. Andrews University in Glasgow,
will be at the head of a deputation of thir-
ty-one representatives of the British Musi-
cal Association to attend the unveiling of
the Wagner monument in Berlin next Oc-
tober. It is said that the Court Master
of Ceremonies has requested Mr. Carne-
gie's presentation to the Emperor during
his visit.
The Wagner family, it appears, has re-
fused to participate in the ceremonies of
the unveiling, or in the musical congress
incidental thereto. This refusal is due to
the fact that the Emperor declined to ac-
cept the program offered by the family
through Prof. Thode, son-in-law of Frau
Cosima Wagner, showing the development
of Wagner's genius. The Emperor said it
would have required both the Royal Opera
House and the Royal Theatre fourteen
days to produce the program. Meanwhile
the Emperor has arranged to unveil the
monument.
$385,000 FOR SULLIVAN'S OPERAS.
I N the London law courts last week, appli-
cation was made for a reduction of the
capital of the Savoy from $375,000 to
$205,000, and in the course of the argument
the fact was brought out that the acting
rights of Gilberts and Sullivan's operas,
which the late D'Oyley Carte sold at $225,-
000, have recently been resold for $385,000.
This brings to mind by the way that a bust
of the late Sir Arthur Sullivan was unveiled
the other day by the Duchess of Argyll, on
the London Embankment, opposite the
Savoy Theatre, and therefore near the spot
where the dead master achieved his greatest
popular triumphs with the "Savoy operas."
The vote of thanks to Princess Louise was
moved by his former partner, Gilbert, and
seconded by Edward German, who worthily,
but longo intervalto, carries forward the
torch dropped from the dead hand. En-
graved on the pedestal are Gilbert's lines:
Death* whene'er he call
Must call too soon.
ft
Wm. Lavin, the well known American
singer, made his appearance in. London on
August 25 with the Queen's Hall Orchestra,
of which Henry J. Wood is conductor. He
will also appear in a number of later con-
certs.
Richard Strauss, of Berlin, will conduct
the Pittsburg orchestra for two concerts dur-
ing the second week of next March.