The San Francisco call., 1895-08-01

Scala the public tried by storm of Kisses to
force him to lay down his baton, but Boito,
with sublime obstinacy, went on conducting,
though neither he nor any one else could hear
note of what the orchestra was playing. De-
spite this first fasco it was not long before
"Mefistofele" took its place as one of the operas
OF the century, many musicians preferring 1t
to Gounod's "Faust." What has produced much
comment and wonder is that Boito has never
produced a second lyric drama. For the last
ten years he has been known to be laboring
on the score Of "Nerone," and for six or seven
years he has been exposed to the satire OF the
Italian comic papers for never being able to
make up his mind to finish his opera. 1t was
not sloth that caused the delay, for Boito is a
worker, but the desire to continually elaborate
and add to the beauty of his music. 1t is now
definitely announced that Boito has finished
his new opera "Nerone," and that the work
will be produced next season at the Scala.
The Cornell crew who competed at Henley,
on the Thames, recently, were followed across
the Atlantic by the College Glee Club, and the
band of banios and mandolins, accompanied,
according to the London Truth, by "two very
beautiful young ladies, assumed to be Uniyer-
sity extras, and who, dressed in white, with
scarlet ribbons, played the banjo and pretended
to be plantation melodists." The Cornell
musical contingent aroused considerable at
tention in London, but they made mistake in
giving their recital in st. James Hall, which is
exclusively sacred to the highest class OF
music. "Margate Sands" aays Truth, sis the
place for the ban joist, and in fact the American
students propose at once to tour through
various seaside resorts. The mandolinists will
be popular enough in boat hung with ayly
colored lanterns at night at Henley; the two
Misses Leech would have made a fortune in
fashionable drawing-rooms in June; while 1t
seems that the glee singers, whose serious
songs fell fiat, and whose comic songs were not
understood in our classical recital hall, fairly
turned the heads of the members of the Savage
Club on the previous Saturday night. Comic
part songs are in England associated with
smoking concerts, although the American
students quite predisposed every one in their
favor"
The Cornell singers are considered to have
struck out distinctly novel line in part sing
ing by their introduction OF four-part song,
well known in America, which advertises
patent medicine. In London this madrigal is
considered the latest importation from the
United States. The followingis one criticism
of the work:
'There is little abstruse workmanship about
it, and the piece starts quietly enough with
Misses Win, Misses Win,' and so forth, until
the full choir burst into Mrs. Winslow's Sooth-
ing Syrup ending in a majestic chorus. The
idea opens up infinite possibilities. The
polyphonic pill, the monkey brand march, the
corset carol, the Schweppes scherzo, the anti
tat sllegro, the navy-cut monet, the sanitas
suite, the Liebig largo and the Apollinaris aria
only few of the compositions we might
expect If British tradesmen were as enterpris-
ing as their American colleagues. Large man.
ufacturers have alrea dy employed Royal Acad-
emicians to illustrate advertisement boardings,
but in the setting of advertisements to music
to he a,,I IL 4
field for the British composer, who is ever
lastingly complaining that managers will not
accept his operas and that symphonies do not
pay"
In Europe this season eminent conductors
have been played off against each other in a
quite unprecedented manner. Speaking of this
Joseph Bennett says: "It becomes inevitable,
as soon as the chef d'orehestra lifted himself,
or was forced up by others, from the position
of student-translator, hidden as much as
possible behind the work interpreted, into the
position almost of a creative artist. AS prime
donne are rivals so now are conductors rivals,
and as each first woman seeks to outshine her
colleagues SO does the conductor, impelled by
the exigencies of his position, try, as the vul-
gar phrase Is, to go one better than others.
In this he is supported by curious and not
very thoughtful public, who delight in some
thing new and are little concerned as to its
character or tendency. So tar, perhaps, small
harm has been done, but the conductor of the
present time goes on tour like tenor and is
more in evidence than the music for which old
fashioned folk suppose him to exist. 1 appeal
to men OF experience and common-sense as to
the danger involved in this''
Miss Zelie de Lussan viii be one of the artists
of the Carl Rosa troupe on tour in England
TINS month. She has been suffering from in
disposition and had to disappoint Sir Augustus
Harris at the last moment the other night,
when "Falstaff' had been advertised for
Coyent Garden. In De Lussan's absence it was
hurriedly decided to give s'Faust,p and Nine.
Melba was required for Marguerite She had
left her house on the upper reaches of the
Thames, but whether she had gone up or down
the river the servants could not say. small
heet OF boats were requisitioned and Mr..
glover, the conductor, secured the prize AS
the prima donna was .'lazily drowsilvu reclin.
Ing at the back of a gig stentorian voice rang
out across the clear waters of the Thames:
madame Melba, sure you're wanted at the
Opeera. Will We OhfaaUa tho