The morning call., 1895-01-17
MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

1t is an interesting study to trace the career
of Humperdinck's new opera, "Hansel and
Gretel" as it is produced in different countries
All through Germany it has created perfect
Juror, Siegfried Wagner going SO far as to de-
clare it the greatest opera since "Parsifal."
The overture is all, so far, that has been hea I'd
in Paris, and that was torn to pieces by the
French critics "Hansel and Gretel" has Just
been produced in London. One paper says of
it: "The moral of 'Hansel and Gretel,' now be-
ing performed at Days, seems to be that new
composer is unwise to go to lady relative for
the hbretto of his first ambitious work, or to
ally Wagnerian music, which no child could
understand, with a babyish book which no
adult could be interested in. Even with the
best of acting, singing and stage setting, Han
sci and Greter will always be handicapped by
the libretto. German children may doubtless
be familiar with and appreciate the red-nosed
ogress who entices little children to cage
whence they are popped into an oven and baked
to gingerbread; but British boys and girls, and
adults alike, have to be instructed in the mys-
teries of 'Knusperhexe' and the 'Knusper-
hauschen' before they understand what the
slender plot is all about. The strength of the
opera undoubtedly lies in its music. Many Of
the numerous themes are either folk tunes or
excellent limitations of them, treated as lett
motives in the lighter Wagnerian manner"
The thousandth performance of Gounod's
"Faust" has brought to light endless anecdotes
of Charles Gounod. The following is one con-
tributed by NJ de Monasterio, the director of
the Royal Conservatory of Music of Madrid: :
"Many years ago, in 1852, happened to be in
Paris. At the end of luncheon that had
taken with my excellent old friend Aristide
Cavaille-CoIl, he said to me: Il have an ap-
pointment to-day with q remarkable artist.
with pleasure, and on arriving NJ. Coll pre-
scented me to the musician saying, Here is a
young Spanish violinist who has just obtained
the prize of honor in NJ. de Beriot's class
What a happy coincidence replied the COM
poser; 4 have just this moment finished mel
ody for the violin. Will you play it? and will
accompany YOU I took the violin that he Of
fered me eagerly and played as he wished.
Thus had the happiness of being the first to
execute piece that was very little indeed,
but that has contributed greatly to the popu-
larity of its author, who was no other than
Charles Gounod. The melody was called Med
itation,' written on the first prelude of Bach's
well-tempered tClavecin.' Later it was adapted
to the Latin words of ave Maria and to-day
its popularity is universal
Whether elaine" is ever sung at the Metro
politan Opera-house again or not, Bemberg
may console himself on his homeward voyage
with the thought that he accomplished some
thing in his short stay in this country that has
always proved beyond the power of Maurice
Grau, Signor Mancinelli or anybody else. He
persuaded Nine. Scalchi to sing in French 1t
was only in one of his songs-the "Hindoo
Love Song"-and it happened at a Sunday
night concert, but the achievement should not
be underrated. When the rest of the principals
in "Faust'' sing in French, Nine. Scalchi clings
to her native tongue, for nobody has ever been
able to persuade her to learn the short part of
Siebel in French and contribute uniformity to
the singing of the chief parts in the opera.
She says that her motives in singing only in
Italian are patriotic but she has confidentially
added few emphatic opinions as to tn. some
what undeveloped capacity of Americans to
distinguish one foreign language from an
other.
One reason for the popularity of Hansel and
Gretel seems to be that there is a reaction
against the lurid plots of the new school of
opera. Particularly is this the case in Europe,
where so many of the works have been heard,
in which librettists have We'd with one another
in depicting low life and piling horrors on
horrors head. "Pagliacci' and "Cavalleria
Rusticana" take their audiences into refined
society and are free from CHASTITY details CON-
pared with some of the ''modern" realistic
works. Samara's lie Martire' depicts the