Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-07-28

one-half. Her contract there calls for s.. 900
night as certainty, with one-haf of all over
| $4,000 in addition.
BEFORE Mr.. Richard Mansfield closed his
season at the Globe Theater, London, the or
chestra attached to the house presented him
with a massive silver shield bearing a bust OF
| Shakespeare, and an inscription stating that
the gift is in recognition Of Mr.. Mansnelds
efforts to elevate the standard OF music IN
theaters. There is large:sized JOB OF tne
| same description waiting for Mansneid or some
one else right here in Pittsburg.
THERE was an American concert at the Paris
| Trocadero on the 18th inst under the leader
| ship of Frank Van der Stucken, attended py
the vast swarms of transatlantic visitors now
in Paris Selections were given from the WORKS
| of Messrs. Foote. MacDowell, Chadwick, Huss,
| Paine. Bird and Dudley Buck. and two Ameri-
| can sopranos sang. Mr.. MacDowell himself
| interpreted his second piano concerto, when
created so much interest In New York and
Boston last season.
1T is pleasant to read the authoritative de-
nial by Corresponding Secretary f. S. Law OF
the statements that the concerts Of the Music
| Teachers National Association have been used
| to bring into prominence the piano firms that
contributed to the heavy expenses OF the Or
chestra. Mr.. Law declares that piano nrms
only contributed about one-tfth OF the ex-
penses, and that, anyhow, there was no cnance
for wirepulling in the selection of instruments,
which is always done by the artists who play,
forbid collusion.
AT the annual election of the American Col
lege of Musicians E. M.Bowman was reelected
President. 8. B. Whitney. of Boston, and j. Z.
Fillmore were chosen Vice Presidents, and
Bobert Bonner Secretary and Treasurer. Sew.
eral changes were made in the staff of instruct
ors. DIR. Louis Mas, piano; Dudley BUCK, OF
New York, theory of music; w. r. Heath,
teacher in the public school; j. H. w mite, evi.
dence of voice; f. w. Root, cultivation OF
voice; Gustav Dannreuther, violin; Samuel T.
Warren, organ; committee on selections, d. 4.
McDougal, s. n. Penfeld, ]. n. wheeler.
JUDGING from the prominence with which
they figure in the pages of the Somerset Stdnds
ard, our Philharmonic Society boys have been
making quite stir in the neck of the woods
where, until yesterday, they pitched their
musical camp. 1t is a highly original idea of
Director Thomas +. Kirk and his merry men to
turn these musically dull summer weeks into
period of most faithful and energetic daily re-
hearsal. with background of fishing. shooting
and other woodland pleasures. The success Of
the scheme has been notable in this and past
years. and the boys are already quoted as dis
cussing the choice of spot for next summers
camp
THE summer night concerts at Bellevue and
Sewickley by the Gernert & Guenther Orches-
ira pursue the even tenor of their way At
Bellevue next Tuesday evening the programme
will include "Tannhaeuser'' selections, the
overture to "a Night in Granada" and
Moszkowskps Spanish Dances" Mr.. E. f.
Austin will be the vocalist. There will also be
instrumental solos by Messrs. c. F. Cooper.
kscbier and Vatloway. At Sewickley the pro-
grammes are lighter in character, that of next
Friday including the overture to RossinIs
Italians in Agiers" and selections from III
Trovatore" and the "Gipsy Baron" Messrs.
Cooper, Kschier, Frey and Weitz are down for
instrumental solos; no singer being engaged.
Now it is said that Eugene d. Albert, as well
as Pablo de Sarasate, has been secured by that
prince of managers, Henry e. Abbey, for an
American tour next season. D'Albert has been
wrongly credited, then, with preferring to COM
plete his new opera rather than accept an
American offer of $4,000, or some such sum.
Mr.. Abbey will earn much gratitude If he
really brings to us these two greatest among
the younger masters of the piano and violin,
respectively, and that while they are in the full
tide of youthful vigor and the hey-day OF.
European popularity. With these two strong
attractions and his Patti troupe-including, be-
sides la diva herself, Albani and DeVere,
Tamagno. the famous and costly tenor, Del
Puente, Novara Ardit Sapio. and a lot more
Mr.. Abbey will have his hands full and the
American pocket empty before the season is
over.
Mr.. W. ]. HENDERSON, the capable critic of
the New York Times writes from London an
interesting comparison between the operatic
productions of that town and those of New
York. In the principal artists America would
seem to have the best of it; but says Mr.. Hen
derson, I'VE hear no such choruses, no such or
chestras and no such conducting''-as those of
Mancinelli, who conducts Harris troupe at Cow
ent Garden, and of Faccio, who has the original
chorus and orchestra from La Scala Milan, to
help him produce Verdfs "Otello" at the Lyce-
um. Another interesting point is made in the
following paragraph of Mr.. Henderson's letter:
Those who imagine that the practice of hiss
ing takers at the opera is an invention of the
Wagnerites ought to come to London. When
the conductor at the opera lifts his baton to
harr irfrr ntOrx ha nfr iQ
a general Ssh all over the galleries. And
thereafter all noises of any kind are sat upon
with most admirable unanimity; Would that
we could import the delightful determination
with which the encore 1ends are crushed heret
An effort was made to encore Jean de Reszkes
'Salve dimora' the other night, but it was
squelched peremptorily by cries of ''Sh.'"
ANTONIO BoTTEsINI, the greatest artist that
ever played the double bass has just died in
Parma He was 66 years old, having been
born IN December, 1923 and his renown may be
SAID to have followed his first visit to this CITY,
when he came from Havana in the orchestra
of Mr.. Marty about 1850. Between the acts of
the opera he occasionally performed solos upon
the double bass which excited the greatest en-
thusiasm. All that Paganini had ever done
upon the violin was repeated by Bottesini
upon his gigantic instrument Every effect of
brillIancy, of delcacy and of pathos was at his
command, and after two or three evenings he
was recognized as one of the greatest geniuses
of modern musical art. This reputation was
confirmed in London, where he Immediately
became a favorite, and when he appeared in
Paris it was augmented. For a time he was
the director of the orchestra at the Italian
opera in Paris, and subsequently became the
manager of the Italian opera in Cairo. He
wrote several operas, which were performed
successfully though we believe none of them
ever crossed the ocean to this country. Per-
sonally, Bottesini was tall. graceful and inter-
esting, and in private life the friendship of
those who knew him best was as cordial and as
lasting as the admiration OF the public for the
artist-Musicdl Courier.