The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-02-10

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SATURDAY :. +. FEBRUARY 10. 1877.
ssgenbacrs I'm Amcrfcas
ms OPINIONS UPON CRITICISM AND AMERICAN sS
woxss--AS AMUSING STORY OF TRIBGf.A'
rros wrrE AN oRcHEsTRA.ss ~
fFrom the New York World ~
ofsenbach,s book Is entitled, s.ofenbaGn
in America--Notes by A. Musician ON n LIS
Traveis,,'' and appeared at PARIS tan r,l.i.
is. Offenbach. according 10 tue New n ~ - -
Courier des Flats Unss, tells TINS stofs y
the occasion OF his transatlantic trip.,,,a,
one morning in the garden OF his mouse ~
81. German, when tMdlle. Schneider was y
announced. ofFenhach was ''not at nome,
h,,s conld not refuse this lady admissionn,'
and ,was fins waylaid by the card OF u.
T;no Raauero.', who made him so adYah-
.amso,,s offers for an American trip tnat nc
cnnId mot refuse. He sailed on Apru ziss'
and in due time arrived at Gitmore.s 0a 81
den. Here are his first observations upon It's
orchestra: .r,,,lond
eThc musicians here have powerIuianu
widespread union, out OF whlcn tneie - ~
salvation. Anybody who wants 10 JON an
orches.ra must first join the union-abso-
lufely without exception, from the lcader
to ;he kettle-drummer. had heard OF TINS
from Bourard, who had conducted TWO or
three rebearsals, and had submitted to the
rnle When I entered the ball the must.
c;ans gave me an ovation, and thanked
Them with few words. Then we began the
rehearsal with the overture OF vert ' ert,'
hut had hardly gone six bars when stop.
pedthe orchestra. why, gentlemen sald
I. here we have scarcely begun, and yet
YOU fail in your duty
"Genera! obstupeiactlon.
".Eh p said /. 'Am member OF your
union, and yet you let me lead you
"Upon that great laughter. Wa!tea ,oi
them to be done, and then saia seriously:
Since YOU have not thought best to speak
Of il. / beg to be admitted to your union
General protestations. ,
81 insisted saying that / approved their
organization, and would deem 1t an honor
to be received thereof. ~
prolonged applause greeted this state
~ had conquered my orchestra. Hence
forth we were children OF one father, ana
always in harmony. Besides, it was SUI
perior orchestra, and two rehearsais were
always enough to assure brilliant per-
Torrance"
Ofenbach spends some Jun upon the New
York streets, houses, and horse-cars; ne
deplores the sloyenliness into whlcn tne
dramatic art. painting. sculpture, ana music
have fallen. Then OF American women he
says: Ia
more enchanting. Then the pretty ones
are in q proportion unknown to Paris. Out
Of q hundred who pass ninety are beWltch-
ING. And they know how to dress, too.
Their toilets are i'll perfect taste, full OF tact,
and lust elegant. One imagines that they
have all lust come out OF Worth's."
As for politics, Ofenbach only stops to
regret that American liberty should be so
restricted that you can't buy any beer on
Sunday.
AN AMUSING STORY.
There is chapter on "Torturcs OF
Musician" which may be given nearly IN
full: :.
.tBes;des the many concerts l bad agreed
to conduct, there was q promise to Mdlle.
Aimee for some OF her performances IN
America. Faithful to my pledge, TOOK
the orchestra leaders, bow IN the theatre
where she was singing in New York, ana
believed had fulfilled my promise. But
when I had got through the PDiadeipnla
concerts she told me she was Oft for
Chicago. andi begged me to play conductor
once more for her at don't name the city,
hut il was on the route to Chicago, whittier
I intended going-and consented.
cot there one morning, and the
evening bill was LA Jolie Parfu-
meuse.' went to the theatre for rehearsal,
took nv desk, brayely lifted my bow, and
thew began. knew the piece by heart, and
what was my surprise to hear, instead OF she
familiar strains, some strange medley that
had scarcely an air OF acquaintance with
INV operetta. Finally made out the motttS;
but the orchestration was entirely new. one
of the natives had thought fit to rewrite it.
NV first impulse was to leave the refearsat
and throw up the engagement. But Mdlle.
Aimee implored me not, telling me that was
spilled - that the public would be angry II l
did not appear, that the performance would
be impossible, and so I gave in. l took up
INV baton and started again. What an Or
chestra that was. Little, but very bad. VI
TWENTY-FIVE musicians, perhaps eight were
very good, six fair, and the rest Wretched.
70 be ready for any nishap, begged a
second violin to take Il drum, ana Wouiu
Give him some instructions in an undertone.
SIuch good it did. There was no big drum
in the orchestra, let alone in the orchestra
ton. That was so pitiable rehearsal that
I renewed my attempts to get away. USE
less laQ 10 stay au0 SIC His WIZ
executed. 'I'll do it, I said, come what
may. God have mercy on my soul
doh. what a performance that was.
Only one who heard it might describe it:
NV two clarinets went 'quack! quack :
straight through-always excepting where
thew should have done so. In the Blind
Mems March, OF the first act, had put in
some false notes for the amusing erect.
But my two clarinets they stopped dead
and counted time. The genius who re-
wrote my music wrote this bit for the quar-
tet only. Now, at the rehearsal, had
begged the carinetists to play something,
no matter what, in these interspaces, know
ing, as 1 did, that the false notes would
come naturally. But reckoned without
my host, for the rufians would not go out
of their text.
"sThere is nothing written was what
they said. But, gentlemen said I, the
'quacking you do when there are-no rests
isn't, written either, and yet you put all
your heart into it, Nay, it was impossible
to argue them down. So much for the
clarinets. AS for the hautboy-man, he was
an inproyiser who played now and then
when he felt like it. The flute snorted
when she could. The bassoon was asleep
half the time. The yioloncello and the
contre-basso, placed behind me, went out
OF bounds and furnished an illegimate bass.
AS marked time with my right hand hit
first the contre-basso's bow, then the Ylo-
loncellist's. sowed false notes broadcast.