The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-03-20
MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.
OF THE NEW ENGLAND UNI-
VERsITY OF MUSIC.

why sybil sandersOn Sang Only
Once I'm BostOn-Interesting Re-
marks AbOut Opera singers-sOme
Conservatory Pupils Who Have
Won Fnme-Other Matters Interest
Ing TO Those Who Delight I'm Liter
ature, Music and Art.
y. F. Conservatory. Boston. Mass.
March B.-The consultations in the oper-
attic sky have disappeared. and after two
weeks OF feverish excitement over the
respective merits Of the rival prime dome
and tenors and baritones. peace reigns
again and the Virgil Clavier receives in
dumb submission the poundings OF the
technic mad. Oh, but that same Clavier
is a great and benehcient institution You
can play scales. exercises. one. two. three
four, five-hnger ones. octaves by the
dozen; you can drum on one note until
you wonder the hammer or the string does
not give way; you can execute the most
brilliant passages, play whole sonatas
fugues, concerts. and no one be any the
wiser but yourself-and you absorb wis
dom by the yard; for your inner conscious
ness must supply the soul for the silent
instrument. We are to have the pleasure
Of comparing Italian and German opera
very shortly. for Damrosch's company,
with such artists as Sucher. Alvary and
Fischer will be at the Boston Opera house
In April. 1 think myself, things should
| nave been reversed. They put the italian
and French in Mechanics hall, which is a
perfect hlppodrome Of place, big enough
Tor the chariot race In Ben Hur from start
to finish; with a miserable stage, question
able scenery and a seating capacity of
about 1000 or 5000. No wonder Sibyl San
derson took one look at It and emphat-
ically refused to sing She changed her
mind, however, to appear in Manon the
last week once. l think she must
have sent previously for every reporter
and musical critic in the city, for the
papers next day unanimously declared
that II was a shame that a superb singer
and fascinating actress should have been
compelled TO apear In such a place where
her distinctive charm of voice and nnesse
were almost lost in the vast distances
And now they put Wagner's operas on in
theater! True. the Boston will hold
about 5000 people. but it is a house, not
Darn and when the orchestra get in
their work in some of those tremendous
overtures want to be second balcony last
row. ! hope when the Italian opera peo-
! PIC ASbuih III Apfll the weather VIII be a
little more propitiouS. They all took turn
about being ILL., and 1t was a trihe dis
| couraging to buy tickets expecting to
hear Games and Manuel in Falstaff and,
behold, instead Helen and Maugiere in
Carmen or some such optical and auric-
ular deiuSion. The conservatory students
who invested in front seats in the sweet
hope Of Jean De Reszlce and got-Russi-
tano, are still tearing their hair Still,
Edward De Reszke, who is almost as
fascinating, came nobly to the rescue
and l dare say IL he could have taken
the tenor roles he would have done it
cheerfully. The Musical Courier saws
Mile. Bauermeister would in a minute.
She Is one of those general utility artists
who never get i'll and can take any part
from the Queen Of the Huguenots to
Desdemona, and she has a cute little
figure and jolly little face and really
sings well. The fun of it is that when
she is sick nobody can take her roles.
The three queens of song Mlba, Nordica
and Eames are all handsome and look
superb on the stage The first as Mar
guerite of Valois sang divinely. Her voice
is so pure and intensely sweet that all
others suffer in comparison-to my think
ing. But little Russtano as Raoul De
Nangis in the Huguenots, pulled the
strings of laughter. He is most insig-
niticant in appearance, and what with his
funny costume, his lead-colored pot-hat
with its bunch OF red feathers, his thin
legs, his little black face, his sword about
two yards long. and his expressive ges-
lures, he really needed only string and
handorgan. Nordica as Valentine was
lovely in her wedding gown and almost
inspired Raoul to Jean De Reszke nights
in the last scene.
He sang "Ah, dillo ancor tn M ami"
beautifully, landed on a thrilling note
and hoped briskly out of the window to
be shot, like a little man. 1t seems to
me that the present fashion of decrying
Italian music is ridiculous Just as
though all Italian music was of the hand
organ variety.
We had an illustration of the absurdity
of this view recently when Signor Ro-
tall illustrated one of DR.. Goetschins.
weekly lectures in Sleeper hall
The subject of the discourse was ORA
matte Music in Italy and Slgnor sang
noble aria from one of Paisiello's seri-
Gus operas, then a gay and passionate
gypsy song, playing the accompaniments
himself and singing with inspiring brill
liancy and dramatic expression
The last lecture stepped over to Eng
land, and was illustrated by
solos, duets (recitative and
aria), and chorus, sung by a
very clever quartette of n. E. c. stu
ents under DR.. Goetschns direction from
Henry Purcelrs first English opera, dido
and Aeneas." DR.. Goetschius very kindly
gave us the gist of the various acts, read
ing parts of the dialogue, and this, to-
gether with the charming singing, gave
us remarkably distinct idea of the whole
work. 1t is short, of course but very char
acteristic and English in flavor. and, "oh.
joy, oh, rapture" the libretto, was in a
language we could understand.
Quite in line with this was Mr.. Elson's
last Thursdays lecture on old English
ballads, during the course of which the
speaker sang us The BaNtff's Daugh-
ter of Islington,' and the woefui ballads
of Hugh of Lincoln" and THE Three
Crows" He also gave us an illustration
of Queen Elizabeth at the Virginals per
forming one of her favorite tunes" and
told us many quaint and curious bits of
forgotten lore" How the fascinating
drum-major is an evolution of the min
strel-knight, like Cailleper at the van of
the invading conquerer; how the raxish
air I'VE won't go Home till morning." is
a remnant brought from the Orient bv the
the first crusaders, and folk -song to this
day in Arabia, with inessential differ
ences. He Hlumined few pages of history
for us by holding over them the lamp of