The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-10-11
MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

Musical festivals are following thick and fast
upon one another In England. Speaking of the
recent Hereford one the musical critic OF the
London Referee says: al calculate that those
west country folk who sat through the rehear-
sails and performances this week must have
listened TO over thirty hours of music in five
days Did they seem weary of 1t? Not in the
least. They came up smiling al each success
sive performance, and on the last day expires.
sions of regret were heard on all sides that it
was coming 10 an end. Your musical amateur
runs a good second to the devotee of sport In
the matter of good honest enthusiasm and
truth 10 tell there was much during the past
week to render enthusiasm not only pardon
able but praisewOrthy. The cathedral organ
isl, g. r. Sinclair. is as much in the right place
in the conductors desk as he is in tn organ
loft. He is a thoroughly up-to-date musician.
and knows his Wagner as well as he does his
Bach, Handel ana Mendelssohn. Then the
vocal chorus was a capital force equally al
home In The Messiah and the complexities
of Dvorak's Requiem The novelties were
not of what the Germans term an epoch-
making character. The more acceptable was
Professor Bridges The Cradle OF Christi the
music OF which. If neither powerful nor very
original, is mild and melodious-I had almost
said. chidIike and bland, quite within the
means OF ordinary choral societies In small
for works of this sort"
In an excellent article on voice-training, just
published in Music, tile writer says: .eTbe
great fundamental principle of the old italian
method was the development of the voice as a
unity, all the tones alike In character and as
far as the effect Is concerned all In one and the
same register This was the secret of Jenny
Lind's artistic perfection; it is the secret of
PATHS supremacy. The new school of singing
which displays diagrams OF The vocal organs
and talks OF registers, especially the chest
register, turns out hordes of rapidly trained
artists who for few years manage with more
or less SIKH 10 bridge over the always per-
ceptibe and always disagreeable breaks In
their voices and are then set aside as worn out.
being SUPERSEDED by other aspirants spoiled in
the same way and destined TO the same disap.
pointments. II this one fault Of pressing down
the lower tones could be eradicated from the
modern method Of instruction all the other
errors which have crept In would die of them.
selves. because they are all dependent upon
and caused by that chief mistake"
Last years magnificent operatIc season at
the Metropolitan Opera.house, New York. and
the promised treat this season are rapidly max.
Ing New York the recognized musical center OF
the United States. 1t has become a common
thing for musical folks in Boston, Philadelpbfa
Washington and Baltimore to engage board for
three months In New YORK 10 order 10 enioy to
its fullest extent the lyric luxury offered by the
Metropolitan management BY making I'M
parties Of dozen or more these musical yisi.
tors secure a rebate in rates. They almost in
variably carry complete scores of the
opera with them and observe the exact intona
ton which the famous singers give 10 their
arias and duets. This year the impresario.has
decided that special reduction of 20 per cent
will be allowed TO all subscribers for the entire
course Of ifty-two performances.
The Recorder has just been commenting upon
the domestic felicity OF some OF New York's
musicians. "Where," It asks, ''can more de.
voed couple be found than Mr.. aud Mrs. An.
ton Seidl? The once famous prima donna who.
a few years ago, as Mrs. Sedl. Kraw, charmed
New York audiences with her beautiful sing.
ing, has turned into perfect housekeeper, and
knows no greater ambition than 10 please her
husband by weil-regulated household. Mrs
Frank Damrosch comes from a musical family,
and although she is no artistic herself her nus
band can rely on her judgment In matters of
music. She goes 20 almost every good concert,