The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-11-22
MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

scented honors that came TO him through his
pianoforte playing, and considered the people
dense who would not acknowledge that bis
real claims TO celebrity lay in his operas. Tothe
last be believed that the world would yet awake
TO the merit OF those works. Rubnsteln's songs
and his pianoforte compositions have achieved
great popularity but his operas have IAN
gushed under good deal OF neglect. during
the last few years number of propositions
have been made TO him 10 play in the United
States, but he always made the production OF
one or other of his operas condition of bis
coming, and no manager would be found Will.
ing to run the risk. Rubinstein was firmly con-
vineed that scrlptural subjects were MT for
operate treatment One of his sacred lyric
dramas, "Mo>es," was we'll received In Odessa
less than year ago. No applause was per.
mitted, and the audience acted as If they had
been in church. At the time OF his death
Rubnstein was al work on lyric drama enti-
tied "CaiD."
LIE Figaro says: The first performance of
"His Excellency," an operetla by w. s. Gil
bert, with music by Osm0nd Carr, has just
taken place at The Lyric Theater in London.
first performance by Gilbert is always an event
in London and one must be Londoner, or at
least English, in order to appreciate the pecu.
liar bumor which is called "GiIbertian." No
one argues over this extravagaHt style OF wit
simply they like it or they do not like II. 1t
consists 10 turning things upside down and
taking the sense topsy-turVey. His Excel
lency is provincial Danish Governor, who
transforms his soldiers into dancers. creates
mobiles by the dozen and laughs loud when his
victims complain. The Regent of Denmark,
come incognito TO inquire into this situation,
pretends to enter into the views of the Cover
nor. who does not recognize him and confirms
all the nominations of his impossible Excel
Ieney. who is finally reduced 10 the rank OF a
common soldier All This sounds very extrava-
CANT, but the real wit Of Gilbert makes it,seem
possible in the operetta.
The Interpretation Of "HIs Excellency'' was
excellent, the artists being Grossmith, Bar
rirgton, LIE BAY ana Mines. Jessie BOND,
Elaine ferris, Nancy Mcintosh and Alice
Barnett.
LIE Temps gives the following account of the
production of the Emperor Williams "Song TO
Kglr": "The work was given al the Berlin
o era-house at a charity matinee. The thea
ter was crowded. the Emperor, the Empress
and all the court being present The work, ar
ranged for chorus and orchestra, was SO much
applauded that it had to be given all over
again. William II, like bis ancestor Frederick
the Great and most OF the other members of the
imperial family, has studied music thoroughly.
He plays he violin perfectly, having learned
this instrument when he was a university stu
dent at Bonn as a surprise TO his parents, a1d
his father paid him The flatterlng compliment.
William, thou wilt vt become capellmeister.'
Prince Henry Of Prussia, the Emperor's
brother. also plays the violin very well and has
composed military march that has become
very popular. The Princess Charlotte of SAKE
Meiningen. sister or the Emperor, is pianist,
and her other sister, the Princess Victoria,
plays the organ"
arha . he Of fhaf tha
United States has yet seen opened at the new
Metropolitan Opera-hOuSe. New York, last Mon
day. For the last lew months scenic artists, stage
carpenters, properlymen and cOstumers have
been al work preparing for he event, In add
tiOn 70 the regular Italian chorus there is
newly organized chorus of young American
voices which for the past two months and more
have been under the instruction of Louis Saar,
and have worked daily on the stage OF the
metropolitan. On the opening night the opera
performed was Gounod's Romeo ct Juliette."
In French, with Nine. Melba as the heroine,
Nile. Bauerme lister as the nurse and Nine. de
Vigne as the page. The splendid male cast con-
sisted of an de RcsZke, Edward de ResZke.
T. Plancon, Gromzeski, Marguiere, Castle.
mary, Vaschetti and RlDaldlni. Signor Man
cinelli was the conductor.
The gifted Antwerp composer, Peter Benoit.
is putting the finishing touches TO new lyric
drama In three acts, The Last Days of Pom
peli," the IibrettO of which is founded on
Bulwer.Lyton famous novel. The opera,
the French translation Of which will be given
at the Monnaie Theater In Brussels. demands
magnificent staging. The costumes and dec
oraions will b. executed from designs by
Peter d'Hondt, member OF the Academy of
Fine Arts at Brussels, who has consulted the
most authentic documents in order 10 be cor
rect in every detail. Twenty-Five years ago
the same subject inspired the French COM
poser VctorieD Joneieres, whose Last DAYS
OF Pompeir" was produced at the Lyric Theater
In Paris in 1869 The italian composer Pc
trella also wrote his "Ione" to Iibretto based
on Lytton's novel.
On the subject of the thousaGdth performance
of Gounod's "Faustr In Paris LIE Menestrel
says: CAS- it is not quite certain hat he prep
aratiOns for the anniversary will be COM
pleted exactly for the thousandth performance
the authorities have ceased TO number the per-
formances Of Gounod's masterpiece on the
posters, having stopped at the nine hundred
and ninety sixth representation. Since then
Faust has been given twice. The nine hun
dred and nlneIy.ninth performance will take
place on Friday. 1t is probable that the fete
that is being prepared al the Opera will take
place for the thousand aud second or thousand
and third representation OF Faust This is
not without precedent. For The one nundredtn
OF 'Lohengrin' they put on the postersi Encore
hundredth performance"
The death is announced from Vienna Of AL.
phoDse CZbuKa, the conductor and composer,
whose dance music especially was popular in
Austria Hungary and in Germany. One of his
works, the ''Stephanie Gavotte," composed
about the time of the marriage OF the Archduke
Rudolph with the Princess Stephanie of Bel
GUM, has made the tour of the world. After
having directed the orchestras of a number of
theaters in Austria and that of the Carliheatre
at Vienna. Cztbulka was called to direct the
military music of the Nineteenth Regiment Of
Infantry. He was an Hungarian by birth and
was only so years of age at the time of his
death.
Clarence Eddy, the renowned American
organist, recently inaugurated new, large and
expensive three-mauual pipe organ IN the Church
Of the Holy Communion at st. Louis. What is
somewhat OF novelty In this organ. as
far as the United States Is concerned. is that,
through the medium OF electricity, The key
desk is at distance from the instrument. BY
this means The organ can be placed at the
west end OF the church. and the organtsr sit
in the chaDcel with the choir. The use Of de-
tached keyboard his been growing In popu-