The morning call., 1895-02-21

VI SAoaV suHe1IuS1 ana, reClrln8 from the
| stage, did not reappear Gradually the rumor
spread through the theater that she was at
| lacked with syncope, the result of q terrible
| trial experienced during the day. She had
been sitting in the public gardens with her
maid, when two men approached them, and
| stole Calves reticule. The bag contained about
$500 in notes and money, but it was not the
| loss of the filthy lucre that broke up Calves
fortitude; it was the loss of little objects she
regards as relics, souvenirs of her father
| fetiehes. Yes, fetiches. If she sang without
having on her person a tiny purse, containing
some flowers from her fathers tomb, she would
be sure OF not succeeding. In the stolen reti-
| cule there were souvenirs that CaIve does not
know how to live without, and in spite of the
fact that the whole of Madrid tried to console
her, the charming artist has returned home to
Paris to bewail her loss
"Made in France could be said of great
many of the most famous 'ffn de steele" COM
posers, but there was a time when it was not
SO, as a recent rather amusing conversation
between the directors of the Grand Opera
| shows. One of the evening papers had sug-
| gested that three classic French composers
| should be annually feted, just as the three
great dramatists, Moliere, Corneille aud Racine,
are feted
"Among those who are antique enough to be
classics" said one of the directors when the
project was being discussed, ''we could only
find of native-born musicians Rameau and
Dalazac, and think it would be little rash
| to put them on the same pedestals as the
dramatists." ave might make the ancient
French composers cut good figure" suggested
another director, "if we naturaliZed Gluck.
who was an Austrian; Lulli, Piccini, Sacchini,
| Spontini, who were Italians; and Gretry who
was Belgian" The upshot of the discussion
was, however, that the directors abandoned
the idea OF feting any composers along with
the classic dramatists and dispersed congratu-
lating themselves that the present century has
given France such composers as Herold,
Hslevy, Ambrose Thomas, Gounod, Reyer,
! Saint-Saens, Massenet, Bizet, etc.
So seldom do great concert artists come to
San Francisco that the advent of Bernhard
Stavenhagen and Jean Gerardy, who are posi-
| lively announced for next month, will mark
quite an era in local musical annals. Where
ever they have played-in New York. Boston,
Philadelphia, etc-they have created quite a
Juror. Stavenhagen is considered one of the
best OF living pianists and was, ii not the only
favorite, at least one of the favorite pupils of
List. 1t was at recital given in London in
1886 that List, who was enthusiastically
cheered led on the platform his pupil Bernhard
Stavenhagen, who had just performed his con-
certo in Z fiat, and patting the young man low
fngly on the shoulder, said: "He is the best
pupil l have taught for some years past, and
preQ1Ct tnaJ ne Will take q distinguished
place in the foremost rank of mastery pianists.'
Jean Gerardy is lad of 16, who is said to play
marvelously on the cello. He is a native of
Liege, the town that has recently sent out so
many wonderful artists-Ysaye, Caesar Thorn
son, etc.
The French papers have given their readers
a good laugh over comical mistake recently
made by the New York Sun. Some time ago
LIE Figaro published an album containing por-
traits of musical celebrities and among others
was that of Felix Faure the once famous
French barytone of the Grand Opera house and
composer of the wel-known song, "The
Palms" When the news of the change in the
French administration was telegraphed to New
York the Sun culled the portrait of the barry
tone from the Figaro's album and writing be-
meath it the words, an. Felix Faure, President
of the French Republic published it in all
good faith the portrait of Casimir-P erier's
successor. The illustrated song folios, how
ever, had made the face of the French baritone
so familiar to the American public that the
readers of the Sun were sorely puzzled when
they were given to understand that he had
stepped from the boards of the opera-house to
the Presidential chair. The fact, of course was
that the Sun had been deceived by a similarity
of names Felix Faure, the President is no
connection of Felix Faure, the baritone
Miss Augusta Holiness whose new ballet mn
SIC, line BRICK mountain, is the talk OF Paris.
is an Irish girl who has made France her
adopted home. There is an extraordinary
yigor and dash about her compositions that
one would hardly expect from woman. 1t is
in the choice OF her subjects that the high
flown imagination of her sex shows itself.
Glory, Fatherland, Liberty, being her pet
themes. But though she has flown so high.
Miss Holmes has not yet broken her wings.
The best works she has produced yet are:
"Lucrezia," "Poland," "Ludus pro Patria" and
s'Ireland," the latter being her masterpiece.
The rehearsals OF "The Black Mountain have
been going on for some time, and Miss Holmes
has shown herself as full of vim as her music. |
she gestlculates TO every one, sings with the
chorus, dashes on to the stage to accentuate the
gestures OF some performer even Gusts the |
conductor, and takes his place when she wants
to improve upon the way in which he is di- |
recting her music.
Victorien Sardou's new play, "Don Quix-
ote, which is being rehearsed at the
Chatelet in Paris, promises to be of very COM
poslte order. In a recent interview Sardou
SAID: I'm my piece, just as in Ceryantes'
novel, there are comedy, drama and even farce |
Ceryantes saw nothing to despise in false |
boards, cardboard noses and wooden horses
covered with fireworks All those things COM
plned with music suitable to opera-comique,
operetta and fairy ballets will certainly const-