The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-12-28

SINKING into the B0A. IL seems tnat AT
the age Of fifteen Felix had already COM
posed three operas which wsro performed
at home. On tho completion OF his thrse-act
comic opera Der Onkel aus Boston." Zeltsr
said to him: e Till to-day you were my appren-
tics: now you have worthilY accomplished
your journeyman piece; henceforth work for
the mastership" He did become q master. |
but why Il was not in opcratio composition f.
explained In thcse pages. It was not merely
that his opera Die Hochzoit des Kamacho"
proved u daad failure at Berlin, but he snooun-
tered the most discouraUlng criticism and all |
kinds OF chicanery from tho operate world.
About tho wonderful piano playing Of Mosch-
eles we are told that old Zeltcr wrote to his
friend Goethe: Moscheles does. indeed, play
40 that one has to take Lothean draught and
forget oil his predecessors. The fellow has
hands. must tell you. which he turns like q
shirt. for he does not play badly even with his
nails" 1t Is interesting to read the allusion in
the diaiy Of him who was then accounted the
prince OF pinnists to his FIRST meeting with
Felix Mendessohn: That il family THE
Msndelssohnsl such as have never yet known
tho boy. Felix. now fifteen years old. is n
phenomenon to which thcre exists no
second What all tho prodigies com pared
with him2 Thsy are just precocities. no moro.
But this Folk Mendelssohn Is a mature
artist. though rs yet only niteen. We remained
several hours together. L had to play much
where. In fact. had coma to henr. and to see
compositions not only teeming with genius.
but. more than that correct and thorough" It
seems. however. that there wns ut that tina
1925 in the Prussian capital still moro
founding musical prodigy than Mcndelssoiin:
this was Carl EcEert. vino actually faced Ber-
lin audience at the age OF five. and played the
piano IKE virtuoso Two years iator he was
piano before Gosthe, who. atter nearing him.
remarked: Original talent; that is wator to
some fifty pages OF this book are devoted to
ihouEh tho writer Is ebyioasly aw%rs Of s,sn.
asr ,1t Tor .. To h s Rn
f.! so1ns,ry Say. Friulnin RIausr only
strange passion which ey"p then in Berlin
showed 20 ss in .av S,in sEree q AL Which
Ro..i aiterwari; nay. which psrhnps was
' causes 10 .inr
again for, monoy-hsr passion COR Eamblins.
b" PE % Msaa sit in IN aisn,ns rSm
ni tho card table with shs gnlant Russian Am,
" rsrhns t%en ar nf: S'tn pay
the then fashionable game p Of grab." on her
l apHel al Tsnr S sns e to hs
Goethe. whose comn.rnts on the incidnnt arc
Mia sant"x has '' now also passea us.
disp.n,ing melody and r. music. makes
ing ono ought to conceive and omprehend
her first a y! an Individual rsaogn!ze her as an al
accus:om ones solf to hsr than she must needs
remain sweet Agreeable enjoyment. But
! n;, than eomlorted The good that passes ,.
by without return leaves behind it an impress.
sion which may DO compared to u vacuum"
vtntnrinst t" hint in passing that til" pnssage
lust quoted t5Sm IN the supreme ,!s one" also
mcnum we vii, recall p the , unhea. s
stayed for fortnight. positively refused to ac-
hat n - All m lad tA al n
b.nse n rrlhyate PIX nIopnsed to rent re
sqn h n p woud s
MONOPOLY There il something almost equally
students OF GStiingen unyotine the post horses
from the mail coach that they might drag the
sinking tho vehiss in the river Isine st soma
unworthy mortal should by riding IN i. desc
person not Of tie livise Henri"i ta '''''' W ''''
When FrAn'ein Bauer, mnier tho nstute man
as shnl ssel to England to become .he
Counters aion'Gomery BY q spesiss Of left;
tho Princess Charlotte. she saw something NJ
London rayhouses. and tho opinions of one
,horon,hIly familiar with the standards and
MODELS OF the ti"rmnn stage. WA i,o found we'll
,ro had little a;;raotion Tor her i nrvnr bo-
fore for, she savs , saw - mTem mWSnn . on
natural stra.l ling. intolorahi. accnntuatins.
s5a%nf 9csHs Ken sHHs IF eTsFy
be'' who played as il he lad bc.1 strung on
.WIrs: n p'S i"rpaI Wn 1!D l SAW S'ra1giot ~
sausaking, an, slno4lins 80 much provoked
hi III, III B, ""a VITA my OWE hands. ha
IaDde'h walked and talked as if on suits. and
hands s0S ana much F'r and
as, o,h sno bH weTs whshT B,nsr foun
nmbeness in changinl, his dress uni maslu,
sTn Ms We sSstsaSI Sr r ,bo
fact that the English stages had 30 promp'er's
Of tho s'i pr ts ; Which / thcy lid Ito audi
encs Hlways ksen,y rn,sn'"ah It vas H. at
stare, that she found most into!erahie in the
English theatre"
Montgomery spent few months in Paris.
where. in her enforced sec,us,on her chief
part OF her memoirs some Intelligent comment
and much r,Iuant Goss.n s,y y, Err g. more or
fam iiar. Mile. Georges inicei nnl Dazst
been long disqualified for noting by her por-
s ths to Il Sn ohor s she
was mere shapeiess iump OF flesh. Frhuiain
Rnn Ss f o s rsa and IF vrs. c q d
,ayail tina. her prne WIS stii hean,iu and
i ss fs p sr " vots could All
send q thrill to tho heart With her heal COW
nts1 %.s re-
minded me Of huge ink blotter. or course.
IN %Ssty ths Tor long
time after Mile. Georges had become, the queen
OF the French stage her lite Was biamsless.
Alexandra Dumas used to relate with en-
phasis that after n splendid tr. umph In the
role Of S"nua)nis or Cleopatra. she would con-
tentedy sit down tn sup on q basin of cabbage
soup in her cheap lodsings. . But ono day all
Paris smackrd its lips over tho nows that the
First Consul. Napoleon Eouup,rto. had COM
mnnded Mile. Georxss to visit him at St Cloud
at miInigh and that she had bsysd tho COM
mand Whom the conquered conuueres played
the part OF Emiie in CHINA two evenings
later. and dec. aimed fes intiy, When have
so'lucel Cuna. shall seLucs others Also all
eyes were turned toward tho box in
ly radiant smile. Nms. Josephine Donapnrts
wns polite enough to send the beautiful TRACE
denns a splendid gold mantle for her part a.
Pi,,rb'e." Many such stories are recnl!sd.