The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-12
MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

/
Oscar Hammerstein is introducing some in
novations at his new Olympia that have startled
New York music-hall circles, but what has
| startled them most is the Olympia Sunday con-
cert, directed by Fritz Scheel. The New York
Sun says: can audience accustomed to Sunday
| sacred concerts assembled at Oscar Hammer
STEMS Olympia last night and got surprise.
| Most OF them went there with the idea OF hear
| ing tenors, with diamond shirt studs and sOr-
! rowful voices. sing about the desirability OF
| keeping fresh sod on mothers grave. or of
| hearing shaDely soubrette singing "Nellie's
| Flew the Coop" ''Sister's Hair has Bleached
Out Green," and similar popular and topical
dltties. Such were the expectations with
which they gathered after reading Sunday
| Popular Concert An idea of this most remark
able OF music-hell concerts will be gained when
| 1T is stated that the programme began with
Beethoven's 'Lenore'' overture No. 3,
and ended with Massenet's "Scenes Napo-
| litaines," including selections from Wagner,
Mendelssohn, List, Tschaikowski and
Thomas. rather small audience evlnced
more surprise than enthusiasm for the pro-
gramme. The concert was signslized by the
| first appearance here of Herr Fritz Scheel. He
| has an orchestra of seventy-tive men, and with
! little more practice together they should do
| justice to any music and make these events
| audience will take kindly to that style OF thing
| is problem that Hammerstein has set himself
| to solve"
The other New York papers speak in praise
| OF ScheePs conducting, though they are not
enthusiastic over his orchestra. The Herald
says: although several experienced must
clans are members of the band, many of the
numbers were above the capabilities of the or
chestral players. This is much to be regretted,
as HAmmerStpin has secured an aycpedinplV
| talented conductor, Fritz Scheel, who made his
first appearance last evening, and who is capa-
Bile OF directing an orchestra of the best play
ers with positive authority"
1t seems that the Philadelphia season of
grand opera is likely to end in fiasco. The
guarantee of $4,000 was not enough to
achieve good results (New York guarantees
$3.50 ,OOO), and it has been all that society
could do to keep awake during the perform
ances in the City of Brotherly Love. Speaking
of the cause for the first on burst of enthusi-
asm, and the succeeding lack Of interest, Foot
lights says: "The critics came to the first per-
Torrance. 'Sigurd' was the opera, and the
poor critics were divided between their duty
and their patriotism. If they damned the opera
and the cast, woe be it to Philadelphia's hope
of equaling New York's season. If they told
the truth, then those sarcastic Gothamite
scribes would say nasty, mean things about
Philadelphia chickens ana Philadelphia butter.
And SO the critics buttoned up their coats at a
quarter to in the morning, went to their re-
spective offices and ground out superlative ad-
jectives of praise for Hinrichs. the company
and for Philadelphia. No finer bit of imagi-
native writing can be found in modern fiction
than those selfsame criticisms. The Philadel-
phia Call was the only paper to speak the truth
| about the operas, and the opera management
Immediately took their advertisement from
| that paper. OF course it isn't Mr.. Hinrichs'
fault that the disappointment attendant upon
the opera season is so universal. He attempted
| too much with too little, but why keep up the
farce? Why not acknowledge that the grand
opera we have been having is not grand opera
at all, but a travesty?"
| The Partisan papers are chuckling over
| little trick which the New York Herald re-
Gently played upon Lillian Nordica. 1t seems
| that this distinguished singer labors under
| the impression that artistic successes won in
| America are hidden under q bushel and their
| light is not seen by the world at large. This
| lady. who is singing with the Metropolitan
Opera-house Company, recently addressed q
| letter to the New York Herald, in Paris, to ask
| if it was not possible to reach q business
| arrangement by means of which the European
public could be kept informed of her success
| in America by dispatches addressed TO the
| Partisan edition of the Herald. Commenting
| on this LIE Menestrel says: "Our contemporary,
| the Herald, was mischievous enough to print
| this letter lin extenso,' and naive enough
was it really naivete Ito ask with astonish-s
| ment what sort of arrangement Nine. Nordica
meant. Parbleau! Business is business"
The Maine widow evidently knows what bust
ness means. She is q rich woman, and she is
said to be willing to part with fraction of her
| treasure to let her recent success as Isolde be
"Heralded" to the Partisan public
| manuscript libretto of "Lohengrin" will
| soon be put up at auction in Berlin. 1t is not
written by Richard Wagner, but several pass
ages are corrected by his hand and the title is
| in his writing, as well as the list of dramatis
| persona; all Of which is considered proof
| that he made use of the book What interests
musicians in the libretto are the differences
that exist between it and the edition of "Lo-
hengrin" finally adopted. The Ms. contains
16O verses which are not found in the pub
| lished edition, and the published edition con-
tains ffty-eight verses not in the Ms. These
variations are of great interest, especially
those relating to the famous swan. Ortrude
recounts at great length why and how
she metamorphosized the crown prince of
Brabant into swan, and atterward the bird
sings six verses before resuming the form of
| the prince. 1t seems a matter for real regret
that Wagner should have suppressed this
swans song.
"Many are called but few are chosen" is par
tieularly true of the foreign virtuosos who
come focking to America. The failure of sew
eral of these gentlemen this season seems to be
proof of the fact that the public will not
| always be beguiled by the voice of the press
agent, laud he never so loudly. There is Mar
| tin P. Marsick, for instance, thoroughly good
violinist, who had to get leave of absence from
his class at the Paris Conservatory to under
take an American tour. But Marsick could
not live up to such advance notices as MAR
sick is among the leaders of musical art in
ASSM -