The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1880-06-13

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hatdlyogB music In II excepthe Wedding Chorus. -
She said lolicngrln was nOlser than Wagner's other
operas hut that u would keep on going to see II I
would mud by and-hy that II was all music and there
| lore would Then enjoy II. couid then have SAID
" Bnt would You advise person 70 deliberately prac-
compile of years In order that he might then come to
ctloy n.y. hut reserved that remark.
This lady full ot the praises Of the head tenor
who had performed In Wagner opera the night he
fore, aud went to enlarge upon his old and pro-
digions fame and how many honors had been iaylshcd
| upon him Ivy the prnccy houses ~ Germany. Hero
was another surprise. had attended that very opera,
| III the person OF my agent and had made close aud
accurate observations. So said;
WHY madam, M experience warrants me In
stating that the tenor voice Is not voice ut all, bu
only 4 slirloh-,he shrek Of hyena.''
" That is very true, - she sad ''hc cannot sling
now; u Is already many years that he has lost his voice.
but In other times he sang, yes, dlviney So when
ever he comes you shall See yes, that the tca-
| ire viii not hold the people. Jdn6oh Del Gon his
voice Is ,ouHdsrsch6a In that past time"
said she was discovering 10 me q kindly trait In
the Germans which was worth emulating. tsaid that
over the water we were not quite generous; that
with u.s. when singer had lost his voice, and
Jumper had lost his legs, these parties ceased n draw
said had been TO the opera IN Hanover once aud
IL Mannheim once, and In Munich Through my an.
thorlled AGENT once, and this large experience had
nearly persuaded me that the Germans preftrrei
singers who couldn't sing. This was not such very
tenor praises had been the talk of an Heidelberg for
week before his performance took place-yet his
voice was like the distressing noise which nail makes
when you screech 1t across window pane. said ~
TO Heidelberg friends the next day, and they said IN
the camest and simplest way that that very true
hut that 10 earlier times his voice Ind been wonder.
fully fine. And the tenor In Hanover was last another
example Of this sort The English speaking Herman
gentleman who went with me TO the opera there
was trimming with enthusiasm over that tenor lie
said:
Ach GoHi great man You shall SEQ him.
lie Is 50 celebrate IN all Germany-and he lada pen
son yes from disagreement. ilenot Obliged tasting
now only twice every year; but u he not slug twice
v asy as' hts @Ssn s old
tenor appeared, I got nudge aud an excited
whisper: ,.,, ... ,,,,,.
hut the ''celebrated ~ was an astonishing disay-
pointment to me. II he had been behind screen
operation on him. looked at my frlcndto my great
surprise he seemed Intoxicated with pleasure, his
eyes were dancing with eager delight, When the
curtain at last fell he burst into the stormiest applause
and kept 1t up-as did the whole house-uni the
adjective tenor had come three times before the
said:
~ don't mean the least harm, but really now, do
"Himp MOI G0u im himmei obey, how he has
been able to sing twenty-five years ago9 trhen PEN
siyely. "Ach no, no,o he not sing any more, he
only cry. When he think he slug, now, he no,
sling al ALL no. he only make like cat which Is IN
Where and how did We get the idea that the Ger
mans are stoid, phlegmatic racep In truth they
are widely removed from that. They are warm
tears come at the nest touch, aud II is not hard
move them to laughter. They are the very children
pared to the Germans. They hug and kiss and cry
and shout and dance and sing; and where We use one
loving petlng expression they pour ont score. Their
language is full of endearing Notwithstanding
that the love escapes the application Of petty limlnu
tive-neer tho house, nor the dog nor the horse nor
the grandmother nor amy other creature, animate
inanlnate.
In the theatres At Hanover, Hamburg, and Mann
helm they had wise custom. The moment the
tain went up the lights In the body Of the h0,se went
down. The audlence sat IN the cool gloon, of a
deep twilight. which Greatly enhanced the glowing
IN lk.lt ma. n.nt.
are not sweatcd to death.
When saw liking Lear" played nobody was
to be done but slide forest out of the way and expose
temple beyond one did not the forest split Itself
panylng disseminating spectacle of the hands and heels
OF the mpelling impuse-no the curtain was always |
dropped for an Instant one heard not the least
met behind ibut when 1t went up the next Instant
the forest was gone. Even when the stage as being
entirely reset one heard no noise During the whole
time that King Lear ~ was playing the curtain was
never down two minutes at any ono time. The |
orchestra played until the curtain ready to go up
for the first time, then they departed for The
Ing. When the stage waits never reach two minutes |
there Is no occasion for music. had seen this |
two-minue business between acts but before. |
Wallack's.
was a. concert y Munich one night the people
the music struck up and INSTANTLY al movement In
the body of the house ceased no0dy was standing or
walking W. the alslcs or fumblIng with seat, the
stream of incomers had suddenly dried up at its |
source. ! listened undisturbed to piece Of music |
that was fifteen minutes long, always expecting some
tardy tlcket-hoder to come c,owt!ng paat my knees
and being continuously aud pleasantly dsarponted:
nut when the last note was struck here came the |
stream again. yoa SEQ they had made those late |
Corners wait IN tho comfortable waiting paror from |
the time tile music had begun until 1t was ended.
II was the first time had ever seen this sort of |
fort of house full of their betters SOME of these
were pretty fine BIRDS but no matter, they had to
tary %"tsiae In the long paror under the inspection
maids who supported the two walls with their backs
ana held the wraps and traps of their masters and
nistresses on their arms
We had no footman to hold our things AMI II was |
not permissible to take them Into the concert luom;
but there were some men and women to tasn charge |
of them for us. They gave Ns checks Tor THEM
amt ,M charged HFei !fe' payable In ndvaHce-Rve
n Geynany they always Lear QUO thing at an opera
which has never YET iieen heard In America, perhaps
mean tile closing strain of fine solo or duet We
Inc result Is that we rob ourselves of the sweetest
part OF the treat we get the whisky, but dom get
the sugar In the bottom of the glass.
Our way OF scattering applause along through an act
seems to me to he better than the MannboIm way of
saving in all up I'LL the act is ended do not see how
before cold, st.n asdlsnee should thine he Would
feel foolish T isa pain to 10 this day to remoaSsr
now that old German Lear ragged and wopt aud howe
flushed house never single auhurst TIL the act was
ended. TO no there was something unspeakably I'M
ioowcd ms all nersans tremendous Outpourings Of
ms leelE. could not help putting myself his
Ing those siences, because remembered case which
came under my observation once, and which-bnt i
Will tell the incident:
One evening board n Mississippi steamboat n |
boy Of ten years lay asleep In bertha lang slim
legged boy, he was, encased In quite short Shirt; il
boat and 50 hs was trosbIed, aid sealed and 1' lad
gone 70 eea with his head allied with Impending snag-
gings' and explosions and CONGREGATIONS, and sudden
Heath About 10 O'Clock some twenty ladies Were
sitting around about the ladies' saOon quietly read
Ing, sewing, embroiderlng, and on, and among
IA han lama all l
'pecacles on her nose and her busy knitting needles
I, her hands Now all of a sudden, into the midst Of
brief shirt, wiid-eyed, erec-haiyOd, aud shouting,
, vFire, hre J"%p gig rrs, &c Boats are and
ookea Ind smiled sooy s1 1SI'e hs sa as
aay pulled her sPecacles down, looked over the and
"Bat yon Inns,n't catch cold, child. Run and nut
,, yoIr Dreast'pin and then come and tell us all
1t was cruel chill to give to poor little DEVILS
gushing yellemence. He was expecting to be sort
oi hero-the creator OF wild panie-aBd here every
body sat and smiled q Mocking smilo, and an old
hnmDy aMay-for ! was that b0y-and never even
cared to discover whether had dreamed the fire OF
actually seen IL. l.
] am told that In a German concert or opera they
hardly ever encore song, that though they may be
lying to hear II again, their good breeding usually
preserves them against requiring the repetition.
,s kTs %ay sneSrs; !ssf + e another matter
md as 10 inc actor ecored his pride and gratdcatio
are simply boindless. Stiil there are cTcumstances
IN which even royal encOre-
HIT 1t Is better To ILLUSTRATE. The King Of navaril
Is poet and has poet eccenricies- tie ad-
vantage over an other pOets OF being able to crafty
lien, no iattoy what farm tley may take. lie h
ohd OF OPERA but not fond of sitting In the presence
u 40 audience; therefore, 1t has sometimes occurred
~ Munich that when opera has been conc uded and
he players We're getting oft their paint and hnery
Command has cone 10 them to get their paint and
ineiy ON again Presently the King would arrive,
oliary anu alone, and tho players would begin at tho
leginniig and DO the entire opera over again with
'ny that Individual In tho solemn theatre for
audience. Once he took an odd freak IN his head.
gh up ana out OF sight, over the pr0digious stage OF
he court theatre Is maze Of interlacing water pipes
% pierced that In case of fire. innumerable little
streams OF water he caused to descend
'nd In case of need this discharge be augmented
% pouring Hood. American managers might make
note of that, The King was sole audience. The
Itrl proceeded, II was piece with storm In IL; the
mimic thunder began To mntter, the mimic wind |
legam 10 MAll Ann snnp Tic mlnIln MIN nuIInr