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THE: MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
DINNER FOR SAINT-SAENS.
pleasure for me to find the American public not
ungrateful. I wish to add that everything beau-
Farewell to the Distinguished French Com- tiful in music and art is appreciated here in the
very highest manner. I have met everywhere
poser by Lotus Club—His Farewell Concert.
splendid orchestras, excellent conductors, and
Canaille Saint-Saens, the French composer, for sympathetic audiences. I hope soon again to
whose visit to America we are indebted to Will- visit these kind and beautiful shores."
Alcide Elbray, the French Consul General;
iam Knabe & Co., and which came to an end this
week, was the guest of honor at a reception at Walter Damrosch and others then spoke. All
the Lotos Club Saturday night. All the promi- paid the highest compliments to the guest of the
nent musicians of the city attended the recep- evening, who seemed much affected.
After the dinner Sigismund Stojowski, who is
tion.
well
known as an interpreter of Saint-Saens' mu-
The entertainment consisted of a dinner, fol-
lowed by music. Saint-Saens' favorite selections sic, rendered "The Romance," for the piano and
were rendered. The menus for the banquet were "The Caprice Sur Des Airs De Ballet D'Alceste"
most artistic. They were of parchment, with a (Gluck,) by Saint-Saens. Alexander Petschnik-
picture of Saint-Saens, surrounded by symbolic off played "Le Cygne" and "Havanaise" on the
figures taken from his operas, in the center. In violin. 3onie of those who joined in the recep-
the border were printed the names of the nu- tion were Franz Kneisel, Frank Damrosch, Mau-
rice Renaud, the baritone at the Manhattan
Opera House; Herman Klein, Chester S. Lord,
Walter Damrosch, Alcide Eibray, the French
Consul General; Sir Casper Purdon Clarke, Dr.
\V. W. Walker, Richard Arnold, of the Philhar-
monic Society, William McKlnley, the tenor; H.
E. Krehbiel, Ernest H. Behrens and others.
• * * •
With a big wreath hanging from either arm. a
floral^ trophy topped with the tricolor and the
Stars and Stripes on one side of him and a huge
basket of roses on the other, Camille Saint-
Saens made his farewells Christmas night at the
Metropolitan Opera House.
The orchestra rose, the audience rose. There
were shouts and "bravos" and Saint-Saens, smil-
ing much as an indulgent father might upon his
children, accepted the homage as simply as
though it were a man-to-man affair.
The farewell concert arranged by Director
Conried through the courtesy of Wm. Knabe &
Co., to honor the great man, radiated the kindly
spirit of the old composer. He was thoroughly
in the vein. When he played Pevilhou's "Fan-
tasie," accompanied by the orchestra, with all his
delightful precision, the brilliancy of his rippling
runs and his resounding chords emphasized and
intensified, they brought him back so many times
that he gave them "La Cyclope" of Romeau to
appease them.
The entire second half of the programme,
C A M IL I.E RAINT- SAEXS.
made
up of his compositions, was conducted by
merous operas and of the orchestral, choral and
vocal selections which Saint-Saens had produced. Saint-Saens. The overture, "Les Barbares," the
Chester S. Lord, vice-president of the club, pre- well-known "Danse Macabre," with its fantastic
sided at the banquet. Mr. Lord called upon Her- images, and the "Marche du Couronnement," ma-
mann Klein, the composer and brother of Charles jestic and sweeping, were rendered by the or-
Klein, the playwright, to welcome Mr. Saint- chestra. In the prelude, "Le Deluge," Nathan
Saens to the club in "his own language." Mr. Franko played the violin solo, and had to play it
Klein, who studied under Saint-Saens, speaking all over again, and the trio from Saint-Saens's
oratorio, "Noel," sung by Mme. Marie Rappold,
in French, said in part:
"Your visit to this country has been long and Dippel and Simard, met with the same fate.
patiently waited for. Its success has been dem- Mme. Kirkby-Lunn had to repeat the "Samson
onstrated by the attendance at your concerts. and Deliah" aria as well.
Nothing lacked to make the tribute complete
Your reception by the press has been distin-
save
the absence of Mr. Conried, who is ill but
guished both for its unanimity and warmth. But
even more astonishing has been the reception by who sent a wreath to the master by way of
the general public. The visit to America of a homage.
composer of your supreme talent and universal
CABLE=NELSON CO. SHIPPING PLAN.
renown ought to produce a very important ef-
fect upon music and art generally, and the pro-
duction of French music in this country par- Unboxed Pianos Shipped in Forty Feet Cars
ticularly."
Which Hold Twenty-One Instruments—Pro-
Mr. Klein also announced that Mr. Conried
tected from Injury by Rubber Covers.
had agreed to produce at the Metropolitan Opera
House next season Saint-Saens' opera, "Henry
(Special to The Review.)
VIII," whose premier in the Paris Opera on
South Haven, Mich., Dec. 15, 1906.
The Cable-Nelson Piano Co., of this city, ships
March 5, 1885, called forth a warm encomium for
its author from Gounod. Mr. Klein intimated its instruments to the Pacific coast and other
that before then Saint-Saens' "Helene" may be distant points unboxed. The pianos are "har-
produced here.
nessed" to the car by a method devised and per-
Before Saint-Saens arose to reply to this greet- fected by H. P. Nelson, formerly superintendent
ing Mr. Lord called upon the diners to toast the of the company.
The unboxed instruments are shipped in "40-
continued health and prosperity of the composer.
The toast was drunk standing. Then somebody foot" cars which hold twenty-one pianos. They
called for "Three American cheers for the guest," are protected from scratching, marring, chip-
and these were given with a shout. Mr. Saint- ping and other injury by a strong rubber cover,
which also keeps them dry while in transit. This
Saens, speaking in French, said in part:
"It is needless to say that in Europe we all plan enables the company to save the cost of
love Americans and everything American. I the boxes, which approximates $3.20 apiece, the
have found here everything in the musical world freight on the boxes, which weigh from 200 to
ot the very highest order. It was indeed a great 250 pounds, and to get twenty-one instruments
into a car which would hold at most eighteen of
the boxed pianos. The saving in cost is about
$50 per car, exclusive of the saving on the freight
of the boxes.
The instruments to be shipped unboxed are
set on "2 x 4" cleats, firmly spiked to the floor of
the car, but the pianos are not fastened to these
floor cleats, being held in place by their own
weight and the "harness." To the back of each
piano are screwed two strips of "2 x 4" which
extend about a foot above the top of each instru-
ment. The pianos are placed with their backs
to the sides of the car, and these extending
strips are then securely bolted to the side of the
car with 3V->-inch bolts.
When the rows along the sides have been se-
cured in place, another row is placed along the
middle of the car, and these are held in place,
first by the cleats on the floor and, second, by
strips of "2 x 4" running from side to side of the
car and spiked to the tops of the extending
pieces, also by short strips running to these sanif
pieces from the side of the car nearest the in-
strument. The last pieces of the "harness" are
the "tie" timbers, which run lengthwise of the
car and are fastened to the transverse strips.
The company has for some time past been
shipping from two to four cars of unboxed in-
struments each week to points on the Pacific
coast, besides an equal number of cars of boxed
pianos to points in all parts of the country.
SELLING PIANOS WITHOUT LICENSE.
A salesman for Stutt Bros., sporting goods
dealers in Redlands, Cal., was arrested last week
for selling a piano without a license, and the
company are contesting the matter, claiming
that they pay sufficient license taxes in engaging
in their regular business to cover anything they
might do in the piano line. Stutt Bros, are not
piano dealers and do not carry a regular line,
but occasionally sell a piano direct or through
their sajesmen.
A new store has been opened at 279 Hanover
street, Boston, by the Tosi Music Co. v a new
concern.
LAUTERCO.
Ring out the Old,
Ring In the New!
The old year is almost a thing of the
past. 1907 is about to begin.
We invite members of the trade every-
where to consider the Lauter as a possibili-
ty early in the new year. This instrument
has come to be recognized by thoughtful
piano-men not merely as a very good piano,
but as one of superlatively beautiful quali-
ty and construction.
We are making GRANDS, SMALL
GRANDS, PLAYERPIANOS and UP-
RIGHTS of such fine character as will
warm the cockles of the critical piano-man's
heart.
Make 1907 your most successful year !
Lauter Pianos on your floor will help
greatly.
Lauter Co., Newark, New Jersey