New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-09-22
ODD NOTES OF MUSIC.
AMERICAN SINGERS-ANNAMTTE ORCHES-
TRANSITIONAL AIRS.

and T bove been dea fened nj the fiery and untamed
Annomite opero. | have heard 1000 Frenchmen
sing the Marseillaisc and have seen GypsIes from
Grenada gyrate in dresses that were louder Ihah
their voices In the better class OF music the
Americans are decidedly leading just now. NOT
only is Miss Sanderson. of San Francisco ruling
Mt the Opera Comique, but Miss Emma EameS, OF
Boston. is the bright particular star at the "rahd
Opcra. A few years ago 1 attended some interest
inc musico-historcal lectures given by PROFESSOR
Paine in Boston Music hath charms puO
mu,icol lectures have not, in the Hub, ana an
enormous audience of fifteen souls Il assume .I"O
each auditor had one was present wheh 4'i''
Eames sang few ancient selections. l"o S'ai
later when Mr.. Gcricllc directed Mahireu' 'no
same Miss Eames took the part OF fHsU spirit
Mr. Gericke jim this case was addicted 10 spiti'S
for he prophrsied great things of the singer D"O
that was all The singer passed away iIoi"
Boston with scarcely line of notice, anu uiie"
suddenly appeared in Paris III Dlaze VI sio'I
Yet she told me that all her real study was uoio
in America. 1t is a fact worth ponuefihs o'ei W
those vounc ladies who think that unless they
study abroad they can never be true aruS's '""O
Miss Eames said 10 me- Il owe ever so much 10
Professor Paine, who kept me digging away 40
ancient music-ever so old; md as regards
very little that was new to me over here MISS
Eames is a hearty and unaffected Eastern sirl
and can emphaticaly state two things first, thaC
she * not spoiled by her success; and second, thaC
she Is not likely to stand still because OF IT, DuC
fancy a modern opera singer who is well grouhdeu
in the works of Palestrna, Marcello q 20! lC
ougurs well for a true artistic career. KNOW
Of very few other prime dome who are real
musicians; Sembrch leading them all IN 'hiS
field.
I mot NJ Massenet again q short time ago, ana
in his vvhirlyind manner he rushed me oil to look
-. tba score of his new opera, The Magl.' lie
has completed only two acts there are to De Iour'
and he * making o piano arrangement as ne
goos What a fondness he has for Oriental suDJects
This time il is TO be Persian, and the lIDretto VIII
mot be so weak as that of ESclarmohue
for IT. * by NJ Rchepn. who is one oil the Ioro-
most poets of France. There are to be some III"
effects Of orchestratOn. and NJ. MasSeheC Is ho"
exnerimenting with bass flute to be used III sOihe
of the ballet scenes The world has not pos
sosscd such an instrument recently, but am con-
WINGED that Pericles and Alcibiades were 1amlIar
with IT, and that the words AulOs' and IDA
used by Virgil and many other old wFitels ehi-
braced many different woodwlm lnstfumeh''' III
Guiding these NJ Massenets manuscript Is ne",
and rather small, reminding one OF the n'uSic"l
handwriting of Mozart, and one proof oil the spoh-
tanpitv of his work is the fact that 1T contains
scarcely single erasure or correction.
From all this civilized music plunged directly
into barbarism, and went to an AnnAmlte opcr,'.
People who think Wagners operas loud shoul"
studv the Annamite music. Wagner gets tof9ls-
str,o from an orchestra of ZIG performers; the
Annamite composer obtains fortlsSiSSmo WIFI an
orcbostra NJ three This orchestra consisted oil an
oboeist. a demented fiddler and vigorous DosS-
drummer 1t was like the lrishmans nea' slian
but active. If it ever should perform IN new
York, | would buy reserved seat somewhere in
Cta+or Island. Wagner has given a work which
renuires four nights for performance OuO 'ie
Annamite Wagner requires about as many weeks
to do Justice to his subject, and the muslcaI play
of "vo-hauo was still going on when left Paris
Tn all seriousness such din as is made by the
little orchestra is unimaginable, and the perform
ers literally shrek from the moment of their en-
trance until their exit. More interesting, from
musical point of view, were the sOng-dances OF
the Spanish Gypsies The troupe consisted OF
some dozen performers, three men, one very
young girl, and the rest most attractive young
women Their music has that sad, walling CHAR
acter even in the midst Of its frenzy wMch is
found in almost all the tunes of haf-cIVlhzed ma
tions and tribes and, although built upon our
scale had many modulations that were oy no
means according TO Richter. yet very ehectlVe'
1t was not as many-Sided as the music OF hungary,
where the true Gypsy music OF the WORLD mas us
home The singers and dancers became wonder
fully excited with their work, and their passionate
execution OF tangoS, fandangOs and iotas was
werdly fascinating
Tbrouob the kindness of NJ. Emile DevauX, |
was invited TO Il grand concert OF the chle1 mixed
cboruses of France, in the Trocadero. Nearly
. 400 performers were present, NJ. Viancsi lead
inc those in the choruseS and NJ. PaumS, formerly
rnusicoI director of the famous band of the Garde
Republicane leading the military band. The
Marscillaise began and ended the programme, and
WAS given in peculiar manner first. 1t was sung
bv men. then a verse was given by women, then
followed verse sung by school-chlldren, and
finally the entire forces united in the last verse.
There were some harmonies given in the accom-
taniment which were new to me, and which GER
tainIy are net used in America although very
effective The French rarely rise when their
National anthem is being played, the English
do but the majesty Of the last verse caused the
audience spontaneously TO spring TO their feet as
a token Of appreciation. There is no national
HYMN which beaIs such varied style of execution
so well as the Marseillaise it is effective all the
way from a solo to the grandeSt chorus.
Speaking of national anthems leads me to add
that in France, in several other countries, the
musicians have decided Hail Columbia TO be
the real National hymn of America. 1t was
plaved the other night, at the Grand Opera. IN
honor of Mr. Edison and | spoke to some OF the
French bandmasters about it afterward. 1lej
told me that they considered it the most disniled
of our National tunes and that is true enough for
America" is borrowed from England " Yankee
Doodle is English and trivial affair to boot,
while The Star-Smngled Banner was drink
ingrsong orgnally-also English But " Hail
Columbia although at first merely intended for
a theatrical entertainment, is American, both in
the words and IN the tune, which was popular
H.. lLI..L ..IAti