The Jasper weekly courier., 1877-02-23

E.sossssrsd on sss Wy % CSis.ss.

An Awfml Orrhestra which O6snbaeh
Eneountsred On the Way % Chicago
fFrom Onenbaoh's hook ON America
Besides the many concerts l had
agreed to conduct, there was promise
to Mile. Aimee for some Of her peform-
ances in America. Faithful TO my
pledge, took the orchestra leaders
bow in the theater where she was sing
ing in New York, and believed had
fulfilled my promise. But when l got
through the Philadelphia concerts. she
told me she was of for Chicago, and
begged me to play conductor for her
once more at don't name the city,
but IL was on the route TO Chicago,
whittier intended going, and / con-
sented. got there one morning, and
the evening bill was LA Jolie Par
fumeuse." went to the theater for
rehearsal, took my desk, bravely lifted
my bow, and they began. / knew the
piece by heart, and what was my sur
prise to hear, instead Of the familiar
strains, some strange medley that had
scarcely an air of acquaintance with
my operetta. Finally / made out the
motfJs, but the orchestration was entire
ly new. One Of the natives had thought
fit to rewrite it. My first impulse was
to leave the rehearsal and throw up the
engagement. But Mdlle. Aimee i'm
plored me not, telling me that | was
"billed, \" that the public would be an
CRY il 1 did not appear, that the per-
formancc would be impossible, and SO
/ gave in. l took up my baton and
started again. What an orchestra that
was! Little, but very bad. OF 25 mu-
sicians perhaps eight were very good,
six fair, and the rest wretched. To be
ready for any mishap, begged Sec
ond violin to take drum and would
give him some instructions in an under
tone. Much good it did. There was
no big drum in the orchestra, let alone
in the orchestration. That was so pit
liable rehearsal that renewed my at
tempts to get away. Useless. l had
to stay and see my work--execute
"I'll do it," said, " come what may
God have mercy on my soul"
Oh, what performance that was !!
Only one who heard it might describe
it. NV two clarinets went "quack |!
quackl" straight through-alway ex-
cepting where they should have done
so. In the I" Blind Mems March," Of
the first act, l had put in some false
notes for the amusing effect. But my
two clarinets--they stopped dead and
counted time. The genius who re-
wrote my music wrote this bit for the
quartet only. Now, at the rehearsal,
l had begged the clarinetists TO play
something, no matter what, in these
interspaces, knowing as did that the
false cotes would come naturally. But
l reckoned without my host, for the
rufiians would not 60 out Of their text.
"There is nothing written" " was
what they said. "But, gentlemen, =
said l, "thc 'quacking' you do when
there are no rests iss't written either,
and yet you put your whole heart into
it." Nay, it was impossible to argue
them down. So much for the clarinets
As for the hautboyman, he was an i'm.
proviser who played now and then
when he felt like it. The flute snorted
when she could. The bassoon was
asleep half the time. The violoncello
and the contre- -basso, placed behind me,
went ont of bounds and furnished an
illegitimate bass. As l marked time
with my right hand, hit first the con-
tre-basso's bow, then the violoncellist's
sowed false notes broadcast. The
first violin--an excellent one was al.
together too hot, and brought the tenn
perature Of the hall up 20 40 degrees
(Centigrade) Confouad him, he was
always niopping his forehead.
"My friend,- said I, ia a stifled
voice, IL you desert me we are lost. y
He laid down his handkerchief re.
signedly and took up his fiddle. But
the tide of cacophony rose and rose. A
thousand false notes-happily, the first
act was ending
BY Jupiter il was a success-a success
d'enphousidSms
thought was dreaming. But al
was nothing compared to the second
act. You see had always in my mind
my orchestration, and turned 10 the
left to the little flute which, according
to my text, should play little rentree
Not much--the drum was in there end
I it answered me! My two clarinets
mighty quackers, had to play, accord
ing to my version, an air in thirds
The other fellow had handed over tho
air for the fiddles to the ecornet-a-piston
who played false, and to the bassoor
who was asleep all the time. Painful.
wc struggled TO the close, ! in sweat
saying to myself we should never &c
through. The duo between Rose ant
Bavolet wont every which way, but !
went on. The finale takes in the duo
As that ends in G had naturally mad'
for the entree Of Clorinde, who Begin
in b major modulatioss for G sharp,
sharp and T.. The bass became A sharp
My little harmonic march had been or
chestrated by the great musician Q
--. for the two mighty clarinets, tn
| hautboy that aidn't plaY and the has