The New York herald., 1879-10-31
MAPLESON'S ORCHESTRA.


pAMRoscH-MAPLEsoNs VIEWS or THE
SITUATION.
Tremendous excitement prevailed yesterday IN
that select musical land more especially operatic)
circle embracing the Academy of Music. Thiess'
lager beer garden. opposite; Leute's beer saiooh'
Fourteenth street, the corner of Third ave-
nue.: the region around the Belvidere Hotel and
other eighboring centres OF the grand orchestral
strife raging between Colonel J. H. Mapleson OF Her
Britannia Majestys Opera and his rebelous orches-
ira The battle iercest at Leute's beer saloon'
which is the great rendezvous of the Academy musi
cians and where rows and rows Of foaming glasses
indicated that the orchestra were now celebrating
their pecuniary victory the doughty Colonel
Here sat ponderous. heavy bearded Germans, with
deep cultural voices. holding high carnival Of
words. The subject was, of course. the gallant
Colonel and ths compromise" concluded in the
morning, by which he lad bound himself to pay all
the members OF tho orchestra 81 night irrespective
of the number of nights per week which they
should play. There in the saloon not only
mcmbers of the orchestra but also ex-membcrs. and
the latter appeared to take the side OF the British
improsario. holding that when the members had
once signed their contract with Mr.. Mapleson they
had right under any circumstances whatever. to
break it.
"De Herren haben sich gottstraaich blamirt."
in deep bass voice that sounded like small or
chestra "they signed the contract and got busi-
ness to 60 back on it,"
'.BARoN MARETzEK' VS.. MAJESTY.
This position was warmly contested by another
ex-member, who brandished in his hand a schooner
OF lager and waved aoft lin Pickwickian sense the
banner of Baron Maretzek II just want to tell you
that Baron Maretzek always paid his musicians
good deal more promptly than Her Majesty does.
Just put that in the HERALD. will your tell you
Her Majesty Mapleson isn't the man Baron
Maretzek is. Gott verdamn, mich noch NAL. the
HERALD had just the incest point the other
day in an editorial showing that Her Majesty had bet
ter give something for the money she gets.
Potzblitztausenddonnerwett noch enmal. Why
Baron Maretzek used to give better operas
for fifty cents than Her Majesty does for SO go Da
hol mich der Teufel wann das NIGHT Elm Hunde
skandal st This opera amt worth fifty cents.
I say
NOT 'sPITZBUB."
Thus the war of words went on while the men,
bers Of the orchestra present who have been per-
sonaly enaaged in the contest appeared to be very
little inclined to talk. One OF Them however. Herr
took 1R M aa In which It
ing rehearsal called them to their faces "a set of un
reliable rascals.''
bub aus?' this member. one OF the violinists of
the orchestra. queried. with injured dignity. II
i
wouldn't have dared to such word"
''What is there in this row? the HERALD's envoy
to the seat of the orchestral war queried.
''Id rather say nothing about it." Herr schussel
replied 'Let the others fight it out themselves.
All want is my money. and I got that this morn
ing.
members that III the morning the orchestra was
posed to have ended Saturday last after the
matinee, when they had only played four times and
that beginning with Monday last they all to be
paid aike-s7 per performance-with which ar
rangement they seemed to be well satisfied.
another member, Herr Heincke, the trumpeter,
'.zum Teufel noch enmal. Mr.. Mapleson has repeat
edly broken his agreements with us. A week ago last
Monday we notified him that the society would not
allow us TO play on the terms of our contract. He
then acceded to our demands. and We expected
Tuesday, and when he finally offered us pay we
found he had broken his pledge and would not DO
| he had agreed to. Under these circumstances
fused the money and refused to play last night
| until the full amount promised us by Mr. Mapleson
was again guaranteed by him..
| HISTORY OF THE DIFFICULTY.
| Mr.. X. NJ. Botsord the trombone player. who at
the same time acts as Mr. Mapleson's agent in en-
gaging musicians, gave the writer succinct epit-
ONE of the difficulty. which may prove of value to
the future historian Of New York operate dscord.
Previous to the departure Of Mr.. Mapleson, last
spring" said he. '.he told that he really could
not again pay the large sums which he had dis
bursed for the orchestra. These sums last season
amounted to over S5OOO0. and Mr.. Mapleson de-
clared that no manager could carry on opera
iua''sS him s5o.6oo for the he season.. ~ told told him him
that / did believe the society would
consent to reduction Of the pay but finally he got
cnestra, and S35 week tor the first and $50 n week
for the second instruments was agreed upon in per-
formances to constitute week and, il the per-
formances were less in number. the amount to be
reduced in proportion He insisted upon having
| these contracts signed by the members OF the
chestr and twenty of them did before he left for
| Europe. The others engaged by me during
| the summer and also signed
| THE MILK IN THE cocoANUT
"Then the orchestra were satisfied with the pay
agreed upon?"
! Perfectly so. and not word would have been
the subject but for the hostile feeling of
tain concert organizations led by such men as Dam
rosch. Carlberg and others, who do not like to
the opera because they consider it Injuries
the prospects of their concert operations. and whom
nothing would give greater delight than hurt the
! opera or to break it up altogether. These
men instigated certain members OF the society to
make formal mplaint as to the infraction of the
law regulating the pay of the musicians. and the
society was compelled to take notice of it and To
the orchestra that another violation of tho
rule would bring upon their heads the penalty OF
expulsion. Now expulsion erom the Union means
banishment from New York, for of the 1900 good
musicians in New York ,45O belong to the Union,
and member can remain in the society II he
plays with nonUnion man. Mapleson Of course
tracts they had signed. and simply said. Il have
nothing do with society,". Still the orchestra
would not yield. tor while the men would all have
been glad enough to carry out the contract they did
not dare to risk expulsion from the society.
ELASTIC ALI. RIGHT
"a week ago last Monday 1t came to the issue, and
when Mr. Mapleson saw that tho orchestra would not
play unless their demands scceded to he author
| lied me to toll them that It 'all right
Well. 'al right is very easy word to say,
you know. but that word meant to them that they
would get their salaries in full for week of six per-
formances. though they had only played four times.
When Mr.. Maplcson. however, gave me the money
to nav them ON Tuesday it was only the amount
reduced i'll proportion to the number of the per-
formances agreed upon in the contract. Tho
orchestra refused to take it, and claimed that Maple
sons assurance of 'al right had led them to be-
lieve that they would receive their full weeks pay
as demanded by them week ago last Monday. 0n
Wednesday evening they refused 10 play unless tho
additional amount was guaranteed to them by Mr..
Maploson, and tho latter finally did so. ho
said under protest and compulsion. This morning
when the time for rehearsal arrived they again re-
fused to play because they had not received their
money, AMI the matter finally settled by the
payment to them, under protest. OF the full amount,
Mr. Aapleson threatening to compel them to re-
fund the the contract pay of $3.50 81 by