Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-10-20
rae FRENcH MUSICAL CRITIC.


The FRENch MUSICAL CRITIC.
a Union. specimen who a.. s.nee mad
Some Les Famous 1m1tators.
Temple Bar.
There was for many years journalist in
Paris who, made no secrets that he was
paid for his articles, and who dealt very
hardly with those who refused to pay, and
he wrote against such artists as Duprez
aud AlboM for no other reason, until
Duprez brought q suit againEt him for
libel. He.swore he would put the most
prominent feature Of Mime. Alboni into
his feuilleton il she did not pay him, and
he did. This is what he wrote Mime.
Alboni is an immense artist" (she always
WAS, even ut the age Of sixteen, very fat),
"nobody can deny it But how does she
not seem to know that she must avoid
Disgusting herselfin mans costume, un-
less she really means to render her
self ridiculous? When she appeared as
Mafio Orsini, every seam of her dress
cracked, tho belt had given in its reeigna-
tion, and the cloak, too short, covered but
the smaller half Of this strange spectacle.
(Le manteau trop court, No couvrait que
ID moits do oct etrange spectacle Once
this critic told me, and, of course, told
everybody, that Meyerbeer owed him 5000
francs. "And, pray, for what ?" asked,
suspectiug that he alluded to debt for
his articles, and curious to sec whether he
would have the oynicism to frankly admit
1t. "Oh - he said quite unconcernedly,
I" everybody seems to think he gave me
l0.OOOf. le400l for my .temlleton on his
sEtoile du Nord,' but be gave me only
1000, 80 he evidently owes me 1000" A
curious incident happened once when a
critic, FloreutiDo, was out of town for
week and begged of met 90 and correct his
proofs 1t the Moniteur (Which appeared
on Sunday and at the Oonstitntionnel
(Which appeared on Monday. He wrote
under tho assumed name of 6" De Row.
ray" for the Aoniteur, whereas he signed
his name ut the C0nstitutiOnnel. When I
arrived at the AOaiteur Office found q
letter for him in these terms Mons. de
Rovrsy-Dear Sir: I am going to make
my debut in week. care for no paper
except tho Aoniteur, because l, as well as
my friends, know you to be the only critic
who really understands music" etc. put
the letter in my pocket, corrected the proof,
and next day went 80 the Constitutionnel
Office, where I found several letters for
Fiorentin0. One of them ran thus ::
"Signor Paolo Fiorentino-Dear Sir
am going to make my debut in week.
care for no paper except the COnstitutiOnnel
because I. as we'll as my friends, know you
to be the only critic who really under
stands music" The writer. of course.
Titled dreamed that writing to two Papers
and two critics, he was addressing the
Same person, who was thereby enabled to
appreciate ar it's full value the compliment
which he paid to each critic exclusive
ly." 1t is every way remarkable that a
man of Meyerbeer's genius as a composer,
who combined the meledic genius of
Italy, the science of Germany, and
the piquant grace OF France-a man
whose energy and musical knowl-
edge were demonstrated beyond all
doubt-shculd have been so bad conduc-
tor, even of his own works. Ho used to
rave about Sir Michael Costa. He said :
"Voila Ie premier chef d'crchestre du
monde" And this, not because Sir
Michael studied his operas at Covent
Garden. and did in five rehearsals what
under Meyerbeer's guidance had taken
months and months to study, but because
Meyerbeer could not move the orchestra
at his will, and Sir Michael Costa told
him: "C'est votre faute," and showed
beating twice with the left hand while he
was beating four with the right hand, and
instantly all would be right then Meyer
beer turned .ouri ;.!.1 said " You are
the first conductor in the world - Meyer
beer was as kindhearted and obl;aing as
possible, and many proof OF it did he
give to people who paid him back in very
different coin.