The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-08-18
FOREIGN MUSICAL AND DRAMATIC
NOTES.

London Truth i'm it's review OF the operate season
at Her Maiesty's in London ys:-''The most note
worthy event has been the debut OF Mile Marie van
Zandt. young singer of striking intelligence ana
cleverness. Her Zerlina, In "Don Giovanni WAS
indeed "a charming performance. Nine. Gerster mas
obtained that recognition from the musical world
which long ago predicted. During the past season
she has essayed various parts. and always with sue
Her vocalization is admirable and her dramatic
conceptions, though capable Of improvement are
of high order of merit
The Pail Mall Gazette notes important reform
which has just been adopted by N. Vaucorbel. the
director Of the French Opera. The title of
Webers masterpiece is honceforh to be given in the
programmes 'Der Freischutz." and not "Der
Freyschhtz AN eccentric mode of spelling to which
the French operatic authorities have hitherto per-
sistently adhered After this may expect "Plum.
kett." in the opera of martha" to have his name
rectifed to '.Plunkett' "God Save the Queen" will
longer be described lie God Save" and
the English ''milors' who figure so frequently in
French comic operas will be spoken OF "lords."
and will be addressed as "my lord"
journalistic criticism of Mozart's operate
works which appeared in Mayence November ID,
1889. contains some highly sarcastic remarks upon
the great composers masterpiece, ''Don juan"
which had then only just boon produced at the
National Theatre of that venerable Rhenish city.
"Here." writes the Hansck of his period, lis
another opera which produced giddiness In the
heads Of public The theatre all but carried
by storm because it not opened three hours be-
fore the usual time! And what was there to listen
to after all this fuss? amount of display and
noise to please the mob; washed out materials and
wretched lack Of taste. in the opinion of the edu
Gated part of the audience. Even tho music though
large and harmonious. is heavy and artificial rather
than pleasing and popular
The medical Wochensch,!f Of st. Petersburg. pub
ishes interesting article the influence of sing
ing upon the health. 1t is founded upon the exhaus
tive researches made by Professor Monassein of ST.
Petersburg, during the autumn of 1878, when he
examined 222 singers ranging between the ages of
nine and ffty-three years. He laid chief weight
upon the growth and absolute circumference of the
chest upon the comparative relation of the latter to
the tallness of the subject and upon the pneuma-
tometric and spirometric condition Of the singer.
It appears to be an ascertained fact from DIR.
Monassein's experiments that the relative and
even tho absolute circumference of chest is
greater among singers than among those who
do not sing, and that it increases with the
growth and age of the singer The Professor
oven says that singing may be placed physically
rs tho antithesis drinking spirtuous lquors-the
latter hndcrs while the former promotes the devel
opment the chest. While milder forms Of catarrh
are frequent among singers bronchial catarrh is cx-
ceedingly The mortality Of singers from
phthisis is unfrcquent. Brghts disease. on the
contrary, is not unfrequent among them. which is
also the with non-drinkers. Professor Monas-
sein concludes that singing is highly to be COM
mended valuable prophyactic for persons who
are phthisically inclined. He adds that as means
for the development, expansion and rengthening
Of the chest regards it to be preferred above
ordinary gymnastics.