, 1880-01-18
MUSIC
The Mapleson Opera Season-Rossinl's
!" Stabat Mater" This &.
Evening.
The Repertory: for This week-Proc-
tor: the Astronomer, on
Opera Bonnets.
Musical News ut Home and Abroad.
/. AT. HOME.

season Is over, and has met with very re:
markable success, both financially and mu-
sically. It has given us "Martha," :"
"Linda," I" aThe Daughter Of the Regiment, ="
"Aida, Faust" and two performances OF
"Sonnambula," and has introduced to us
seven new artfsts,-Allle. Marimon, Mile.
Vallerfa, Mile Ambre, Sig. Runcio, Sig. Te-
! baldi, Herr Behrens, and Sig. Montf: We
record editorially in another column our I'M
| pressions Of the weeks work from musical
| point Of view, so that it Is only necessary
here to congratulate the management upon
| its success, and also upon the fact that, while
! last season there were opportunities for
| criticism of the manner In which the public
| was treated, this season has progressed with
more attention to the comfort and con-
yenfence of audiences and fewer chances
for faultfnding than are usually character
istio Of opera seasons In this city. The most
serious drawback to the general enjoyment
has been the fault Of some. people in the au-
dience itself, and that is, the practice Of COM
ing late. The first act of every opera during
the week has been disturbed by these late
comers, and sometimes very seriously, as In
the case Of "Aida," where Signor Campa-
minis superb singing Of the "Celeste Aida"
was almost ruined by people tramping down
the aisles and brushing past those who were
seated. We may assume that 1t Is q fashion,
but it is a fashion none the less which is very
annoying to those who come on time, and very
discourteous to the artists It would be very
grateful to all concerned If during the pres
ent week this fashion were reversed and peo-f
pie were in their seats when the curtain goes
up. Apropos Of the opera, Prof. Proctor, the
celebrated astronomer, in communication to
ion in a manner so good natured that we
make the following extract from it as peril
nent to our own audiences:
"There is one point which I would, with
due 1espeet[nay, reyerence1submit to the
reasons for eschewing here the rule which
makes evening dress essential in European
operl-houses and III the stalls and dress-circle
OF all the better order Of theatres, though for
nine-tenths Of its beauty when ladies are in
bonnets and hats. But If In q free country
ladies must 80 as they please to theatre aud
opera, so far as wearing bonncts and hats is
concerned, might they not devise neadgear
Of moderate dimensions, SO that, for instance,
q lady should not hidemore of the stage from
those behind her than man not exceeding,
say, seven feet In hight and proportionately
broad? a hat adorned with white ostrich
plume Rlumes 81 (and 3D. doubtless lS' very beautiful r
ject necessity Of rolling my overcoat into a
cushion, by which I Wns enabled to sit some
four or five inches higher,-a proceeding
which frankly admit would be perfectly rep
who sits no higher than myself, had no occa-
sion thus to elevate himself, though he was
sitting behind q tall and portly man.
THIS evening .Rossini's !" Stabat Mater -
will be given for the first part of concert
program, the second part being miscellane
ms The entire nrnpra,n will l1a MS follows.