Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-05-11
MUSIC AND THE DRAMA.
SOMEWHAT REMARKABLE MUSICAL
SEASON IN NEW YORK.
The Difficulties of Designing the Amazon
March-"Paul Kauvar''-General
Stage Notes.


of the SUNDAY UNION, writes as follow,
about amusements in the great metropolis
although the musical season proper
has ended with the departure of the Ital
ian Opera Company, yet occasional rart
attractions are yet to come, the mos
notable being a joint appearance of DIAL
bert and Won Bulow, the latter of whom
will lead an orchestra to the solo playing
of his great rival, while subsequently the
two will perform a duet on two pianos
This week Won Bulow gives preliminary
concert, and it is reasonable to suppose
that Sarasate, the violinist, will not leave
without being heard once more. Taker
altogether, the winter has been rich ir
musical entertainments of a high ant
varied order.
ORCHESTRAL CONCERTS
Test the love of art far more than opera
which, by adventlsious aid of plot, scenery
and famous personalities, may attract The
unthinking, to say nothing of wealthy
box-holders who notoriously attend fol
the sake of gossip, show of dress anG
sometimes lack of dressing. 1t is, then
most creditable to reflect that more thar
seventy concerts, exclusively orchestral
have been encouragingly patronized and
proved source of profit. Thirty choral
performances attest public interest in that
line, while, in addition, have been song
recitals, benefit concerts, entertainment
of chamber music &and operetta. The
presence of DAlbert, Won Bulow, Joseffy
and the Packmans has assured the best
work in the line of
PIANO PLAYING,
Nor is it possible to over-estimate the
privilege of listening to such singers az
Patti, Albani, Fabbri, Ravelli, Del Puente
Yardo, Castelmary, Fischer, Reichman and
Lehman. When it is remembered, further
more, that the season here does not last
more than six months, the summary o.
musical activity becomes more interesting
as showing how rapidly one attraction has
followed upon another, and in this connec
tion it may be worth quoting the list made
by a leading journal for one week: Mon.
day, January 9th, 'Lohengrin,' Metropol.
itan Opera House. Tuesday, January 7th
DAlbert's piano recital, Steinway Hall,
P. NJ; Edwin Klahre's piano recital, Stein.
way Hall, s P. NJ; first performance ol
The Gondoliers,' Park Theater, 8 P. NJ
Wednesday, January Sth, Barber of Bag.
dad,' Metropolitan Opera House; Curtis
testimonial concert, Chickering Hall, 8
P. NJ. Thursday, January 9th, Otto Heg.
ner's piano recital, Amberg's Theater. $3.50
P. NJ; Metropolitan Musical Society, Met.
ropolitan Opera House, s p. NJ. Friday
January 10th, Philharmonic Society re.
hearsal, Metropolitan Opera House, 2 P
NJ; Tamhauser,' P. NJ. Saturday, Jan.
uary 11th, Lohengrin, Metropolitan
Opera House, 2. P. NJ; Otto Hegner's
piano recital, Amberg's Theater, $50 P. M. !.
Philharmonic Society concert, Metropolis
tan Opera House, s P. NJ. Total number
of musical performances for the week,
thirteen. That looks like an exceptional
week, but the very next week the number
was fourteen.
IN THEATRICAL MATTERS
The engagement of Rosina Vokes at
Days and Stuart Robson at Proctor's are
the events of greatest interest, and both
these popular favorites have been vel.
coined with the heartiness they merit
Uncertain ventures and Withdrawals are
the rule at other well-known houses, the
most notable among the latter being the
announced farewell for this winter of THE
Old Homestead at the Academy OF
Music"
THE AMAZON MARCH.
81 suppose that very few of the people
who have ever seen the marches of ballet
girls in spectacular productions have
stopped to think of the immense amount
of labor involved in the preparation of
these Marches" said well-known theatri-
cal manager the other day. "The audience
look at the long lines of brilliantly -arrayed
girls as they go through the most intricate
figures, with never thought of the work
of the designer of the figures. The girls
do their part with such apparent ease that
there is no indication of the weeks of toll
which were required to produce the effect.
Let me tell you how march for the bal
let girls is made. There are only two or
three professional march designers in this
country, and they probably pursue differ
ent methods in getting up new figures, but
l will tell you of the way went about 1t
year ago when l wanted to train some
girls. had never given thought to the
fact that it was one thing to train the girls
to march, and quite another one to design
the figures.
II told my stage manager to train the
girls for an Amazon march, and thought
that that was all that was required. He
asked me if had any figures. l told him
that l hadn't, and he said that would
have to get some for him before he could
do anything with the girls. / went to the
ballet master and asked him for some
figures. He told me to call the next day.
/ did SO, but he said he wasn't quite ready
for me yet. called several times, and he
always had some new excuse to offer. l
went to another ballet master and had the
same experience. They were evidently
unwilling to let any one have their figures.
There were no other men in the city to
whom l could apply, so said to myself,
L will invent some figures myself After
giving the matter some thought, 1 bought
a set of poker chips and began my work.
l took sixteen red chips and sixteen white
ones. Then 1 got down on the floor and
arranged the poker chips in two rows, a
white row and a red row. Then straight
ened up and looked at them. l tried hard
to imagine that the poker chips were girls,
but / only partially succeeded. Down
got again, and began to move the chips
one at a time into curious figures, but it
was slow and unsatisfactory work. found
that would have to work with other
material.
II procured some large beads and strung
sixteen of them on string, fastening
them about an inch apart. l strung six
teen beads of another color in the same
way. These beads represented the thirty
two girls who were to take part in the
march. Then l began to arrange them in
figures, and when | got what thought
was good one made note of it. For
over two months worked in this way
with the beads and the poker chips before
was satisfied with the figures. handed
the diagrams to my stage manager, and
with my help and explanations he trained
the girls. This took two months more,
but even when they were perfectly drilled
the work was not over 1t is never over
The reason of this is that very frequently
| either have to discharge one of the girls
or she may leave of her own accord. Then
a new one-a raw recruit-has to be taken
on and trained. To train one girl it is
necessary to make the entire thirty-two 20
through the march over and over again
The next time that any one proposes that
l shall start an Amazon march l will strike
him off my list of friends. l have had
enough of it"
PAUL KAUyARn