, 1879-06-29

tafns larger proportion Of new works than Il
usual In The programmes OF the Society. Among
| these are posthumons symphony by 9oetz
Berlfoz's .*svmphonie Fantastiq4e" Second
J "Spring'') Symphony, By j. f. Paine; Over.
ture, 'Benyeunto CellinL" Bcrlioz; one OF
Handel's concertos; Scnumann's Concert-stuck
| for four horus and orchestra; and the Night
March from "L'Enfance du Christ, By Bcrt1oz-
| The London dMen1,sns says: t@The Birming-
ham Musical Festival Committee have had the
| good fortune tot engage Nine. GersterGtrdinI
! as the leading soprano Tor the morDag and
evening concerts Of sacred and secular music on
the 26th 9Th, 18th, and Goth Of August next
Mme- Gerster-Gardint's repertoire IN Hun
gary. Austrla, and Germany included the ora
;9r:os Of Hanael, Haydn. Beethoven, spoar,
Mendeissohn, ETC., the music of which she sang
in German. but at Birmingham she will sing in
English. The Lieder Of Schunann, Schubert,
Beethoven, Mendelssohn, +. Frunz, etc., have
oeeu sung here by the Hungarian prima donna
only at private concerts as yet"
l. Ground was broken ia New York1ast Wednes-
dav for the erection OF Messrs. Stciuway & Sons'
new piauoforts factory. which is expected 10 be-
finished AMI ready for occupancy next October.
The structure will be OF stone and brick, 313
feet in length, 60 feet Deep and four stories
high. and, with It's stean~dttings and machinery,
will afford room fur upward of $50 wsrkmen.
Il Is located 210 feet from their present machine
shops and metal-works, running parallel With
the latter, thus forming hollow square. Tie
erection OF this new factory has been necessi-
tated by the Immense and stendv demlnd for .
the new par1or grand and UPRIGHT pianos, of
which latter new stvle Of entirely novel con-
stEuctlon Ia to be brought cut by next fail. This
new addition to Messrs. SteinwaY i Sons man.
ufacturlng works will increase their capacity to
$500 pianos per aunuMl, OF which no less than
1.000 will be grand pianos
The London Figaro says: Is In the new opera,
tHeloise ct AbeIavd.' which he Is Mt present
writing, NJ Gounod will. am Informed, take
new, and for him extraordinary, ground. The
llbEetto Is, In fact written with the serious OBJ
ect OF showing the struggle Of conscience against
the Church law. and Is intended as 4 vudcation
OF freedom OF mind against the dogma OF crtho-
dox priesthood and Roman Catholicism. That
u. Gounod, who was educated for the priesthood,
and who was in hi5 younger DAYS In Rome re-
cetVed into minor orders as preparation for the
subdiaconate, should at the mature age of 81 be
concerned III that which Is practically Protest.
ant opera is sufficiently extraordinary, Quo
difficulty in the story Is overcome By the murder
OF doe ard in bye street at the fustigation OF
the clergy: while the principal scene OF the fourth
act is where Ateard before the ecclesiastical
tribunal throws all bis religious books :uto the
flames. The legend that Heloise rises from her
tomb to receive the corpse OF dbe ard will be-
as vision, in q tableau like the
apotheosis of Fu14st, in which the clouds at the
back OF THE stage divfde and the tomb OF He'oiss
and dbe'1rd In the Cemetery of Pcre-!a-Chaise
Is discovered. It is, however, pretty obvious
that before the new opera can be represented on
the stage considerable notifications at the IL
bretto will be necessary"