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THE MU3IC TRADE REVIEW
13
sings, it's first-class.' Now, while I do not claim
so high a rank as the mistress of Rossinian
colorature, I, nevertheless, hold that true art
ennobles any hall, and that respectable money-
Lengthy Spring Tour of New York Symphony Orchestra—A Denver Idea of Casazza—Artists making for wife and child does not dishonor—
Wanted in South America—Large Cities Have Operatic Fever—Chaminade's First Concert even an artist."
* • • *
—A. M. Wright to Sail for Europe May 28—The Mason & Hamlin Piano in Concert Work
The
New
York
Evening
Sun relates rather a
—Success of Clara Clemens—Richard Strauss Denies Statement Regarding Americans—
Bonci. to Sing in Buenos Ayres Next Season—Wagner Music Played Out in Germany— clever story anent a recent meeting between
Mme. Nordica and Oscar Hammerstein. The
Works of Eugen d'Albert—Lectures on Music at New York University.
prima donna one day was enthusiastically de-
The spring tour of the New York Symphony Academy of Music, thus supplementing the New scribing to the impresario her pet project to es-
Orchestra has assumed this year unprecedented York season at the Metropolitan and the Man- tablish an American Bayreuth on her estate some
proportions. In fact, dates have been booking hattan, are illustrations showing the tremendous distance up the Hudson.
"But my dear lady," exclaimed the ever-prac-
so rapidly in western States that several east- strides which this country is making in a love
tical Oscar, "after you have established this,
ern engagements had to be canceled, and Walter for operatic music.
Damrosch and his orchestra are not expected to
Yet this is not all, by any means. Our people where are your audiences to come from?" "Why,
return East until some time in August. A par- spend annually enormous sums for operatic from New York, of course," responded the diva,
tial list of the cities in which the New York music, New York, of course, being the lead, and with just a little touch of nettle-rash in her
Symphony Orchestra will play during the spring here there has been an opera war between two middle register.
season shows what an importance the so-called rival institutions during the last two seasons.
"My dear lady, why go so far for them?" said
spring tour has assumed this year. Here are And so, if we follow this trend all over the Mr. Hammerstein. "I am sure you would find
some of them: Atlantic City, Scranton, Syra- country, it shows that America promises to be a far more appreciative public at Sing Sing."
cuBe, Utica, Canandaigua, Harrisburg, Philadel- developed into an art-loving country, resembling
* * * *
phia, Wilmington, Baltimore, Washington, Rich- more closely Germany than any of the other
A cable from Paris states that Alessandro
mond, Va.; Norfolk, Greensboro, Spartanburg, countries.
Bonci, the tenor of the Metropolitan Opera
* • • •
Asheville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Marion, Ala.;
House, New York, has received from Signor
Montgomery, Columbus, Miss.;
Shreveport,
The first of Mile. Chaminade's concerts in Ciacchi, impresario of the Italian Grand Opera
Dallas, El Paso, Tucson, Redlands, Cal.; Los America, at which no music except of her own at Buenos Ayres, an offer of $2,000 a perform-
Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Bellingham, compositions will be played, will take place in ance for 100 nights next year. Mr. Bonci will
Wash.; Tacoma, Victoria, B. C ; Portland, Ore.; Carnegie Hall on Oct. 24. Chaminade will use accept if Ciacchi will consent to his arriving
Spokane, Walla Walla, Wash.; Boise City, Salt the Everett piano while on her tour.
there a week after the close of the New York
Lake City, and many other prominent cities in
* * * *
season. Bonci left here to-day for Vienna, where
A. M. Wright, general manager of the Mason he has been engaged to sing in "Don Giovanni"
the far West.
& Hamlin Co., will sail for Europe on the steamer and "Rigoletto."
• * * •
* * * *
It is not surprising that in penetrating to Deutschland on May 28. Mr. Wright will go
A young lady of Macomb, 111., named Blanche
Denver the name of the new director of the direct to London, and afterward will visit the
Metropolitan Opera House changed one letter. Continent. Rumor hath it that he will add some Blood, recently played at an entertainment given
The only wonder is it didn't change more. But new strings to the Mason & Hamlin bow in the in the Illinois State College an obsolete instru-
changed or unchanged, it moved Arthur Chap- shape of more celebrated artists, who will play ment of which she is said to be the only living
man, the bard of the Denver Republican, to utter the Mason & Hamlin piano during the coming performer. In speaking of her performance the
Macomb Journal said in part: "The instrument,
season.
the following verses:
When it hisses and fizzes and gurgles, like a leak in a
The Mason & Hamlin piano was used as a which is called a viol d' amour, was used exten-
soda fount;
solo instrument with a score of leading orches- sively in the sixteenth century for serenades, etc.,
This linguistic birdie
tras such as the Boston Symphony, the New but is now practically obsolete, there being but
From far land of Verdi
York Philharmonic, the Theodore Thomas, the one other instrument in this country so far as
Tluto something is sure to amount.
(Jiulio Oatta-Casazza—'tis an opera just as It stands, Worcester Festival, and other prominent orches- known. I t resembles a violincello very much as
With its rythraical cadences meeting the crankiest tras during the season of 1907-8. It was also used by her. Originally it had sixteen strings,
critic's demands;
used in recitals in all the large cities from the but she uses but four. Her work on this instru-
If given right setting
Atlantic
to the Pacific, and from the British line ment and also her work on the violin was worthy
'Tis safe to be betting
to Mexico. It is certainly a splendid record for of much praise."
'Twill be played by our county fair bands.
* * • •
Guilio Gatta Casazza—let the whiporwill try it in vain ; any instrument, and what Mr. Wright may do
Wagner is evidently played out in Germany
on his European trip is problematical. He has
The meadow lark's clear, liquid music will never sound
pretty again ;
a large acquaintance with European artists of and Austria. In Vienna his operas had only
No bird in the trees
note, and he can talk to the German artists in ninety-six performances during the past season;
Can master those Zs,
their native tongue, as he uses German with in Berlin they were heard seventy-five times; in
•so huzza for Casazza's long reign t
Hamburg sixty-seven times, and so on. "Lohen-
great fluency.
• * • *
grin" was sung a paltry 313 times, "Tannhauser"
* * * *
The demand for opera stars is growing so in
Clara Clemens, "Mark Twain's" gifted daugh- 305 times, and the others in proportion to their
Latin America that already Buenos Ayres and
Rio de Janeiro are putting forth the most liberal ter, who has been meeting with marked success difficulty of execution and comprehension.
* * • •
inducements to artists of the first class. The since her entrance to the concert field, recently
It
is
stated
that
Eugen d'Albert, who has
Spanish people are great lovers of music, and in completed a tour of the South, assisted by Marie
some South American countries the states make Nichols, the Boston violinist, and Charles Wark, scored a genuine success with his opera "Tie-
liberal preparations to the cause of music, and accompanist. In all of the cities visited by Miss fiand," has written some interesting facts regard-
in this connection I might say that from Mexico Clemens she received recognition for her artistic ing its composition. He began to work on the
straight south to the Cape, excellent trained work, and the announcement made this week music seven years ago and stuck to it for three
bands will be found in all of the towns of lesser that the young contralto will sail for Europe on years before the score satisfied him. The work
size. It is impossible to visit any of the smaller Saturday means that she will attempt to dupli- was sung first at Prague. He selected the text
cities even in Latin America without noting the cate her triumphs in a new field. Miss Nichols of the Spanish play by Guimera as material for
intense love of the people for music. A South and Mr. Wark will accompany her on the Car- an effective opera book. The prelude was writ-
ten by the author of the German text and had
American town without its plaza where the band onia.
nothing to do with the original, although It adds
plays at night is indeed a town to be shunned.
* * * *
It is surprising, too, how the people love Amer-
Richard Strauss explains in an open letter to greatly to the dramatic excellence of the work.
ican compositions. The marches of Sousa are the Allgemeine Musik-Zeitung that he did not "Izeyl," an adaptation of an Indian story, is the
played in nearly every town and city in Latin mean to say that all Americans are hypocrites libretto of his next work, which is almost com-
America, and what is more, the people there and without talent. August Spannuth, having pleted. He is in Rome to put the finishing
enter fully into the language of Sousa's music.
commented in the Signale on the commercial touches to the score.
* * • *
• * * *
spirit of Strauss, as manifested by his willing-
The large cities of America have now the oper- ness to play in a dry goods store, Strauss re-
A feature of the summer session of New York
atic fever. The Philadelphia Opera House, which sponds: "It is said that once upon a time (it University will be a series of lectures and music
is scheduled to open on the 16th of November, was, I think, in London) Patti, on being cen- lessons by Thomas Tapper, Frank Damrosch,
a new opera house in Boston in 1909, and a big sured for having sung in a circus building in- H. E. Dawn, E. Coleman, E. P. Russell, T. M.
season of opera assured in Brooklyn at its new stead of in a concert hall, replied: 'Where Patti Balliet, and B. T. Scales.
POOLE
r > 17J1VT 4(\ C
*
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5 and 7 APPLETON STREET.
Appeal to cultivated tastes. They are
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