The Portland daily press., 1877-03-09
TERMS $500 PER ANNUM, IN ADVANCE.
Music and the Stage.

The tragedy of Macbeth, transferred to Nor
way, and with the witches identified with the
three Norns, or Fates of Morse mythology, has
oeen presented as opera in London, under the
tltie Oh "Biorn." Frank Marshall wrote the
iiore'to, changing the story to make Rollo (who
is the Banquo) love Elfrida Uady Macbeth)
Duncan becomes Sigurd. Hecate is Hela. NAL
colin is Magnus and triumphs over Biorn MAG
beth) Rollo is not murdered. tbonph R;orn
thinks he is, and at the banquet (Which ia
transposed to the close of the story) imsgines
aim spectre and attacks him with fury, slay-
ing Eiirlda, who interposes to save Rolo; and
then RollO puts an end to Biorp. The
score Is by Lauro Ross the successor of Mer-
cadante as principal of the Naples copserva-
Tory aud Is apparently very fiat and ridiculous
lhe more terrible the dramatic situation the
more pleasant Is Sgnor Rosss music" SAYS
the AthenSeam HE has followed Donizettis
example 10 Lncrezis.' which was poison in
lest "Rollo" IL oddly a soprano part, and the
ohiy success I'd the performance at the Queens
was this part sung by Cora Stuart, who is a
rising singer.
The new comedy by Sardou, is one of the sit
uatons, and fiue dresses. giving the pretty
Vaudeville actresses opportunity of display, as
IL VIII To the Fifth Avenue actresses when
DAILY adapts it. Tie principal scene Is Nice,
and the mixed society of that place; the hero
ine, Dora is the daughter of widow EMPLOYED
as an Austrian spy. 10 spite OF her questiona-
bic affiliations, she s welded by count de
Mauri'lac Alter tie marriage, the count is
led by suspicious circumstances 70 believe that
his pretty wife is really a snesking spy, and
there's the deuce To pay before t is found ont
that 2enuiDe woman spy, .ho bad a fondness
born OF past relations for the count, had con-
triyed TO throw the SUSPICIOUS aforesaid on
Dora. The way the Spy is found out Is very
Sardoush, She is 10 the habit of using . pecu-
liar perfume and a FAINT scent thereof adhering
70 certain piper traces the mischief to her.
For just hint of the wicked Parisian wit in
the play, take this: The Princess Barait:ne,
whose antecedeuts are some hat dubious
carelessly remarks, TO o new French acuuain-
tance, did you ever see my busband?" 'tNo,
my dear countess-did you?' There are scenes
In Versailles, in which Sardou is accused of
ridicuiing the government because of the un-
tiattering portraits be draws of the deputies
Edward King writing this remarks: Gin the
United States, if on the stage of a theatre q
representative of the people is accused of the
yllest actions imaginable, every one laughs;
here people of intellect are apt to be grieved
and offended. What is the reason of the differ
ence?'
A London musical patty at Edward Damn
reuther's is described with enthusiasm by NJ.
ID. Conway in a letter to the Cincinnati Com.
mercial. He prefaces the description with
these remarks about book that every musi-
clan ought to read: "When reading in America.
many years ago, Elizabeth Sheppard's roman.
ces, especially Charles Auchester,' the musical
and dramstic scenes which she described as
taknglplace in London drawing-rooms appear
ed to me the visions of a secluded enthusiast.
could not associate with London scenes which
seemed to imply the presence of such genii as
Goethe and Schiller who actually realized an
artistic Utopia at Weimar. Butexperience has
convinced me that Charles Auchester' is not
book of fables. There really are persons here
who know how to make life rich and beauti-
full" The special occasion was the perform
ance of some singularly original compositions
by Mr., Darnreuther, who, while well known
from his apostleship of the Wagner music-gos-
pei, has never yet published anything of his
own But he has been engaged. from time to
time, says Mr.. conway, "in setting to music
ballads by Tennyson, Dante Rossetti, William
Morris, Swinburne, and also two or three from
Beaumont and Fletcher, Ford and Ben Jonson.
% this occasion he invited his friends to come
and listen to them as rendered by four charu-
ing singers, accompanied by his own perform
ance on the piano." 1t is in the house that
John Sterling occupied that the young ex-Cin-
clnnatlan lives, and among those present were
II. r. Haweis-"who finds the path of clerical
liberty fringed with flowers where Sterling
found It strewn with thurns, and mis- wife,
whose "Chaucer for Children has recently ap-
peared; Prof. and Mrs. Kennedy of University
| college, DR.. Hueffer ian ardent Wagnerian
| writer) and his wife, daughter of MADDOX Brown
| the painter, Mathilde Blind, and several of
those beautiful Greek aides who contribute 50
much to the artistic resources of London, Mrs.
| Dannreuther herself being of that race. Mr..
| and Mrs. Dannreuther have added to their
| quaint old house large hall for private con-
| certs." There are paintings Dy Burne Jones,
and wallpapers by Morris, "the pattern in the
concert room being one of the poets most beau
tiful designs-lemOns and pomegranates. The
furniture is of the finest antique character;
aud great German stove towers nearly to the
ceiling" Mr.. Dannreuther's compositions are
al as Yet in manuscript, and the words to one
written by Rossetli have never been published:
but when the twenty pieces are published they
Will make the most interesting album which
has been given to the world within this genera
ton. Nothing can exceed the patient work
which has been put on these ballads, unless it
| be the glowing enthusiasm of feeling which in
spires them. They include every variety of
sentiment, aud required every kind of musical
scholarship"