The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-01-23
MUSIC IN SAN FRANCISCO.

There appeared, under the appropriate
head in The CALL of Wednesday, a
review of one of the grandest musical
entertainments ever given in the city
| Tuesday evenings production Of Wagner's
Die Walkure" at the Grand Opera House.
The event IN itself would not call for other
I notice than that which the regular critic be-
slows on musical and theatrical perform
ances; but regarded in conjunction with the
previous entertainments given by the same
company, and with rival performances at
another house, it marks so surprising a de-
velopment Of musical taste in this city that
it may fairly call for consideration that is
not purely technical.
For some weeks grand opera has been
played at two leading houses to very large
audiences At one of these houses half a
dollar has been added to the price of admis-
sion. At the other. popular prices" still
rule, and the masterpieces of the chiefs of
the Italian, French and German schools
lave been exhibited for quarter. At both
the demand for tickets has been so insatiate
that persons who waited TIL the day of the
performance 20 purchase seats have had to
content themselves with back rows. 1t is
no eXaggeration 10 say that OH some occa-
| sions, when a fayorte opera was produced
at both houses, 1000 people spent the even
ing in listening to music. 1t implies de-
velopment of love for a branch of art
which is reckoned to occupy a high place
among the graces of civilization.
1t is the more surprising as there has
never been marked taste for letters in this
! city. Catch-penny novels on the one side
| and deliberately Illustrated holiday books on
the other sell fairly well in San Francisco
but for the standard works OF high letters
/ fhaTa ia n
| cent of the books borrowed from the public
libraries are such trivial works of fiction
| that their very titles will be forgotten next
year; while the great novels Of the century,
| Which rank among the classics, are rarely
| asked for, and are not always kept in stock
BY the b aok-selers. 1t is evident that the
taste of the people on the Coast runs rather
to music than TO letters.
And 10 is still more curious that this
young community should have so soon de-
! yeloped discriminating taste in music.
! The operas of the last generation. those
wonderful performances in which gems of
melody were strung on an impossible thread
OF plot, fail TO draw good houses: while the
modern works, which appeal to a highly
cultivated taste, and are unintelligible to the
unframed ear, fill the largest theaters to
OVERLOOKING. Nobody seems to want to hear
Sonnambula," or 50 Puritani," or Nor
ma, or Trovatore," or Lucia" or "Ln-
da any more, but to get tickets for "Lohen-
grin or Otello " one must go early. That
Wagner, who was sc0ffed at by superficial
Partisan audiences, and is only half under
stood in London and New York, should be
so thoroughly appreciated In San Francisco
speaks volumes for the sound musical iudg-
mentof our people. He was a revelation to US
when he was first produced, with due mag
nifcence Of scenery and opalence of orches-
tratlon, by the MetrOpoltans he has been
naturaized by the Jneh Company. San
Francisco has been Waguerized; that is to
say, its people have risen to the lcftiest
heights yet reached in the science Of music.
ana can ENJOY the nobleSt flights to which
the art has ever scared.
The musical instinct is parsimoniouslv
distributed throughout the world. Wealth
cannot create it, 1t never found a. home in
England. Attempts have frequently been
made to awaken it in Spain, in Russia. in
Scandinavia in the Low Countries, in all of
which other arts have fOurished; but they
failed. Only il Germany and Italy, where
sounds, not arms Have won tie prize. ard
In lesser degree in France, has the art
achieved its highest development 1t would
be curious thing if San Francisco should
lead the United States in music, as CIncin-
hati does III plastic art If it did. there
nay De some boy now at school in this city
on Miiose shoulders at some future day the
Verdi may fail. ''-N