Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-10-20

forming force well worthy a better cause-and
well able too. to give an opera as much above
the public taste as this was below 1t, and yet
gain the same need Of popular praise and
patronage.
The much-abused but chiefly imaginary
and with more serious menace to the voices of
visiting warblers. Or rather the true character
of that which has no doubt often masqueraded
as the grip" has now come to light.
Conductor Kerker gave it away to the writer
yesterday. The real reason why Lillian Rus
sell gave out during the week, why Fanny Rice
seemed to be in bad voice, why all of the
had to strain their their thsoats for the
because Of the high pitch used
by the Pittsburg orchestra with
which they were singing. 1t was almost half o
the Eastern cities and to which the singers had
been accustomed. The change in pitch entirely
altered the placing" of the voice and sub
jected the vocal organs to an exceedingly inju-
There is another point for the managers to
consider in reforming their orchestras IT they
don't believe Mr.. Kerker let them read the fol-
lowing extract from no less an authority on the
throat-and especially the musical throat-than
Sir Morell Mackenzie: THAT the high concert
pitch now generally used, especially in En-
gland, throws an unnatural strain on even the
finest voices, is fact as to which most authori-
ties are agreed. In the classical period
of music, A (seeond space treble cleft
represented from 4l5 to 429 vibrations; this
pitch suited the human voice admirably. The
desire to get increasingly brilliant effects from
the orchestra forced the pitch higher and
higher, till SO much confusion prevailed that.
in 1853, French commission fixed the standard
pitch at 4S5 vibrations. This is called the
normal diapason, and is now generally used on
the Continent but England, with her custom
ary insular Independence, has not conformed to
the general rule in this matter, and the pitch
has in this country actually risen to 458
vibrations. This result is largely due to the
extraordinary impulse given to the orchestral
music by the genius Of Costa who. so long as
he could get brilliant effects from his instru-
ments, cared little for the consequences which
the rise Of pitch entailed on the voice. But it
will be said, since it is all matter of convlc-
tion, why cannot the pitch be lowered? be-
lieve the chief obstacle is the ex-
pense which this would involve through the
necessity of altering instruments. II has
been estimated that it would cost $4,000 to
alter those of the military bands alone, and
politicians probably think that these are hardly
the times to ask for money for such an object.
But worse even than the undue height Of the
pitch is the difference between this country
and the rest of the civilized world, which has
just been referred to. Herr Joachim complains
violin eight weeksbefore he comes to England,
in order that the instrument may not be in
iured by q sudden change. 1t is not so easy,
however, for the singer to prepare his deli
carely strung instrument in the same way, and
vocal cords and throat generally. The high
pitch used in England leads to the production
Of very disagreeable shrieking; notes are de-
livered which are in no sense artistically beau
tiful, and which only ''splIt the ears of the
groundlings."
The following copyrighted cable to THE DIS
PATCH will interest both the musical readers
and others not so much so-the universal popu-
larity of the Gilbert & Sullivan operettas being
0f ia ula Of ha
Last Thursday afternoon anyone in the vioin-
ity of the Savoy Theater would have discovered
that something unusual was going on in that
neighborhood First Sir Arthur Sullivan drove
up in cab and went into D'Oyley Carte's Office,
bearing a huge roll of music, and soon after
ward w. s. Gilbert arrived in a brougham and
carried great parcel of manuscript into the
same apartment. Then the principals OF the
Gilbert q Sullivan OperaCompany appeared one
after another and also vanished behind the
portals. The door was then closed and locked.
and stout stage carpenter marched up and
down before it. The occasion was the first
a ceremony that Is performed with the great
est mystery and secrecy, lest the wicked
world should discover the plot and learn
the music before the opening performances.
The entire company was delighted with the
new opera. The scene is laid in Venice, and an
island on the Italian coast. The motive Of the
play is the mixed identity of two gondoliers
one Of whom is prince in disguise, these parts
being played by harrington and Courtice
Pounds The two gondoliers are in
love with two flower girls, who are Geraldine
Ulmar and Jessie Bond, and the plot is furthe
complicated by damsel of high degree, the
daughter OF noble who is aware that one of
the gondoliers is prince, and is endeavoring
to discover his identity with view to captur-
ing him. The father of the highborn
damsel is one Of the leading char
and any amount Of fun is derived from the
ludicrous situations in which love, vanity,
pride, simplicity and Ignorance involve the
players. The music is OF the hghtest and
opinion of the Gilbert & Sullivan Company Is
that the opera is as good as the "Mikado."
Rehearsals begin this week, and the first per-
formanee will be given Saturday. November
30. The opera has not yet been named.
It is pleasure to greet the Retter-Toerge
series of chamber music rec1tals again after
season Of inactivity. The string quartet and
kindred combinations give us peculiarly de-
lightfuI form of music. It may be termed the
etching of musical art. There Is no department
containing beauties more refined, more chasre,
more pellucid: few, If any, contain a larger
store of the great composers best
thoughts. Yet this same department is so
replete with the graces Of fancy and SO thrills
with emotional intensity. that it is far from be-
ing ''caviare to the general" 1t will richly re-
pay deep and serious study, but it has abundant
charms lying on the surface which those who
run may see.
There is reason in rejoicing over the re-es-
tablishment of our only local effort along this
delightful line. In the beethoven Quartet
Club" as it is now called. Mr.. Retter and the
brothers Toerge will this season have Mr..
G. Cooper's aid as 'ceilist. Mrs. W.B.Wolfe(nee
Bingler) and Miss Agnes Vogel are the vocal
lists of the series. The first recital will take
place at Hamilton's music and art chamber on
the afternoon of October 81, and with the fol-
lowing programme
OuatuOr n m MOZart
Allagro.
Andante.
Rondo, (Allegro).
Adela1de.... .DoctnoNcn
Mrs. Emma Wolfe.
Cana From the Spanish ueritta v,.rdot
serenade. Quartet, op. IL. '''neiso .i".uo'
Sonata for violin. Piano op. 13. Rubinstein