Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-04-08
"The Musical Cari,iUGI.D

"Ghe MiesjcaE Carnival"
To the Editor of tine Globe.
The musical carnival is over, and it is
reported on the streets that the managers
OF the series of entertainments given dur
ing the past week are out of pocket TO a
considerable amount. For one am glad
that the infection is over. 1t was fatal
mistake to dole out the warmed-oVer Wet
uals left from & Minneapolis feast to st.
Paul public with the expectation of deri7-
ing profit therefrom.
I do not think am hypercritical. / do
not ex pect that we in st. Paul will be fav-
ored with as perfect musical entertain
ments as the larger cities in the East can
boast, but DO most emphatically object
manifest this week that st. Paul people
are set Of idiots incapable of discern
ing between the good and the
Indifferent, the Indifferent and
the positively bad in music. Maretzek,
Blakely, Foss ct al. seem to have proceeded,
in their arrangement of the carnival
heaven save the mark-here upon the by
pothesis that anything was good enough
for the barbdrians in this northWester
metropolis. That they have learned their
mistake to their cost is certainly crafty
ing.
The carnival" began with concert by
the Oberlin glee club, lot of caIlow
youths with passable voices and little
training who might serve acceptably as g
chorus for a barn storming opera company.
They drew paltry two hundred PEG ple,
who paid first class price of admission,
and finding the entertainment poor COM
PEELED the boys to make up in quantity
what they lacked in quality. Sandwiched
between their numbers were a few songs
by professional artists Of greater or less
merit. The best of these-and this is not
high praise-was McWade, a young and
ambitious singer with a good voice, poor
| training, and an Indifferent method. His
painsJaking efforts to please are his chief
| redeeming quality.
| Tuesday night was repetition OF the
previous one, with the exception that the
! Amherst glee club took thefplace OF The
| Oberjin amateurs. Suffice it to say that
those who paid their money had occasion
to wish it back IN their pockets.
| On Wednesday the we'll worn 'Pinafore'
was given for matinee entertainment
and the mawkish offspring of aestheticism
| Patience" for the evening. The Chicago
/ Church Choir company rendered both with
! general acceptance, although it was notably
weak il some important and essential par
ticuiars. The performances we're credit
| able for their evennesa and fer the good
discipline Of the chorus, especially thC
ladies, who possess fresh, pare, musica
voices, that were particularly enjoyable IL
Patience
''rhe Chimes of Normandy" was given
on Thursday evening, and 1t Is safe to say
that the bells OF Bonneville never rang such
discord since the original Gaspard played
he ghost II the Old castle OF the Count q,
Luoinay. The only marvel is taat an
part OF the audience could endure th'
agony until the finish.
Bu5 the greatest fraud Of tbe entire weei
was the three performances Of "granC
italian opera" heralded as the creates
event of the century in this benighted re-
gion, with Minnie Hauk and Marie Lift;
as tho bright particular stars, and Colts
chalk, Baldanzi and Montegrifo q
supporting attractions. Be /
known in the first place tina
Madame Hauk is a star Of the sixth
magnitude, who, since her return from EU
rope some fifteen years ago has never
| been able to procure an engagement from
| q first-class impressario. She has passa
bic voice and one role, that of Carmen
When she has appeared il that she has ex
hauste6 her capacity as an artist. Sh
sings at other things, but that Is all. Lift;
is no star at all She has a voice suitabl
for parlor concert, but when she essay
anything more ambitious she fails miser
ably I regret TO say this of a deservin,
and indUstri ous woman, bat the manage
ment" that has SO outraged the public b,
, misrepresenting her is responsible, not
!, Gottschaik is in bad voice, and the rest 0
the cast, if cast it can be called, was of tn
most mediocre descri ption if we excep
Baldanzi, who had evidently imbibed the
idea OF the management" that the peoplt
: of ST. Paul were musical heathens, ant
t sang accordingly with the utmost careless
ness.
But we were promised opera, and Italian
opera at that! What did we get? Frag
ments of acts, mutilated beyond recog
milton, the singers absurdly and shabbil
> costumed, part singing in Italian, par
in English, and part in German.
It was italian opera only so far as tn
prefxes to the names Of the singers ar
concerned. 1t was opera in no sense what
ever. It did not even rise to the dignit
of operate concert, for it lacked the ric
appointments that usually surround sue
entertainments. Indifferent as are tn
capabilities of Hauk and Litta, they di
not do themselves justice. Hauk acte
well in Carmen" The character is he
second self, and she cannot help acting
well, but the fragments given were abom
! inably unsatisfactory.
Now, Mr.. Editor, think it is about tim
that the press and the public should pu
the stamp of their d1sapproval upon sue
t 'snide" exhibitions as have been give
= during the past week. st. Paul alway
patconize7 deserving musical entertain
ments, and the beggarly audiences tia
i have greeted the carnival attest the fax
j | skat our people will not support bad Ell
! tsr5ainmsGts. 1t is safe to say that tn
q ! carnival" managers Will never again a
| tempt to run a sideshow to the MINI,
apoiis eircae, but all others should hay
due warning that if they advertise gran
| Italian opera mere they must give it.
for giee clubs, if we want any of the
: music we have home talent enough to O
oag,IzA one Of1s halter ~, ro cter than ai+ h.