Thomas County cat., 1890-03-13

!; !: J; !; J: ! !:
< .zns entertainment. 1t
w. ~ was q musical after
M noon reception. The
Mss $8 guests were limited
ME 81 to three hundred.
" r. A One man in all New
~ York has the busi-
ness of supplying extra chairs for
Fifth avenue houses onsuch occa-
sions. They are light arm-chairs
with easy backs. This was the style
of seats at Mrs. Vsnderbilt's for her
guests. Mr.. and Mrs. Vanderbilt greeted
Them cordially, without any stiff form
ality, in the beautiful hallway of the
house. The usual laying aside Of wraps
and hats followed, after which the people
assembled in the great parlors, which
were arranged like q concert hall, with a
piano and violin stand at one
end and rows of chairs extending
crosswise to the other end. The per-
Torrance began at three o'clock and
lasted for something more than an honr
and a half. Only four musicians took
part, but that is no criterion by which to
judge of the quality or expense of the
entertainment. That guartette cost 81 .20O
for they included the stars of the musical
season-Eugene dAlbert and Pablo de
Sarasate, besides Bertha Marx and Otto
Goldschmidt in minor capacities. The
programme was literally brilliant, but
hardly such as these artists would have
cared to present had the critics of the
newspapers been present. D'Albert and
Sarasate realized that no single social set
in New York could number three hundred
genuine music-lovers in its list. They
knew that large proportion of the list
eners would be not only ignorant of mu-
sical literature but lacking in cultivated
taste. To great extent, therefore, they
catered to the audience, and no severe
intellectual composition of Bach, Brahms,
or Beethoven was used. The COM
posers chosen were Schubert, Chopin,
Rubenstein, Strauss, Sarasate, Greg,
Liszt, Wieniawski and Zarzychi. Most
of these are ranked as classical, but the
selections from their works were of the
lighter character, and such as had been
made tolerable to uncultivated ears by
great repetition Even at this, and
though the pieces were performed SUPER
latively we'll, there were not a few who
found it struggle to keep bored ex-
preston from their faces. Yet every
thing was heartily applauded, and every
body said how much he had enjoyed it..
A good many, like Miss Sallie Hewitt,
the organizer of the Indies orchestra,
Mr.. and Mrs. Z. c. Stanton, and the
Misses Stokes, were undoubtedly i'll
earnest; but there is no question that the
social aspect of the affair entertained
many others more than the very costly
music.
At the close of the concert the guests
We're served with what was called lunch
con, but which might have been termed a
banquet, although the company was in
afternoon dress and some of the features
of formal dinner were lacking. But
there was plenty to eat in the way of deli
cate pates, confections, ices, cold meats,
salads, and bottled goods. The musicians
get some of it, too, being treated precise
ly like other guests. and it was interest
ing to note that DAlbert, who has been
dubbed Cowboy Pianist" by some of the
local musicians, on account of his un-
couth appearance, dress and manner, be-
haved quite in conformity with the usa9es
of the society in which he found himself
for time. While luncheon was being
eaten there was more music, this time by
Lander's Orchestra. a small local band
whose chief business is to play waltZes
and dreamy reveries at the houses of the
mighty while the mighty feed. People
like Lander's music because there is no
necessity of suspending conversation
while it is going on. The entertainment
as over early in the evening, and the
guests separated while yet here was time
to get into evening dress and 60 to dinner
somewhere. .-NeW York letter to Chicago
IedOer