The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1888-04-21
ECCENTRIC Won euLoW.


The Famous Musician Now Playing the
Part OF = Lady Killer.
DR.. Hans Won Bulow, the famous
German musician, is, l suppose, we'll
remembered in America. While un-
questionably very great musician, he
has made himself unenviably notorious
by his mad outbursts of temper and
other eccentricities. Indeed. for years
past the public has come to expect, as
q matter Of course, some sensational
scene whenever he appears before
them. Latterly he has been playing
the part Of lady-killer. Though his
head is bald and his face wrinkled
with age, he ogles and smirks at every
pretty woman in the audience, blows
kisses from his finger-tips, and when
ever he speaks in public fails not to de-
clare, with his hand on his heart, that
all the inspiration of his playing comes
from the love-litten eyes of the objects
of his alteration. Such conduct does
not increase ones admiration of him.
But there was an incident of another
kind at Berlin the other evening which
has won for him great praise, and
which makes the public forget every
fault of which he has ever been guilty.
1t was at one of the great Philharmonic
concerts. There was an unusually large
and brilliant audience, including several
royal personages. The most attractive
feature of the programme was the solo
violin playing of a young lady who is
known as rarely gifted artist. The
early part of the programme was
executed, but when it came time for
the violinist to appear the announces
ment was made that she had been sud-
denly taken i'll and could not appear.
As half the audience had come for the
express purpose of hearing her, the
disappointment was great. A murmur
of regret and almost of anger ran
through the house. Then an elderly
gentleman, who had been sitting un-
noticed in parquet scat, arose and
made his way towards the stage. At
first he was not recognized, and every
one looked to see what he was about.
Then some one exclaimed, "Why, its
Won Bulowr' and the entire audience
burst into applause, though without
knowing why. No one had any idea
what he was going to do. Most Of
them expected that he would make u
violent scene of some sort. But he
strobe on towards the stage, waving
one hand above his head and blowing
kisses to the ladies from the other
Reaching the stage he looked depreca-
tingly downward at his clothes. He
was not in evening costume but wore
short roundabout sack coat or jacket.
He lifted the short skirts of this with
his hands, shrugged his shoulders dep
recatingly, and then. without Il word,
sat down at the piano. The audience
was quiet. The musicians in the
orchestra laid down their instruments.
Then he began. The piece chosen was
great concerta of Beethoven. For
three-q quarters Of an hour he played as
one inspired. 1t was remarked that
no one ever heard him play so well
before. Some declared that neither
Liszt nor Rubinstein had ever surpassed
it. Certainly, it more than atoned
for the absence of the violinist. The
great concerto ended. he rose and hur-
ried unceremoniously from tho stage
back to his seat in the parquet, while
the house literally trembled with ap-
plause. He sat down, and looked
about as though expecting the orches-
ira to go on with the remainder of the
programme. But, no. The conductor
rose, looked about, and exclaimed:
after the master has spoken what
more is there to be saidp" And tho
concert was ed.-Paris Letter.