The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1895-01-03
MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

RIG Uuc buUuSduulD VI 0OuuVO
"Fausp' at the Paris Grand Opera-house has
been celebrated with great brlllancy. The
fete caused "a French critic to observe: II
hopethat they Will put in The musical dicton,
aries of the future, italian composers are APP
plauded during their lifetime. French COM
posers after their death.'". Among the num-
erOus celebrities present at the gala per-
Torrance of Faust were included the. mme-
date relations OF Goun0d. and 1t delighted the
public TO see his grandson leading The APP
plause. Many artists who had distinguished
IN former days; in Faust were
there; Madame Rely Faiyre, once an inc0m-
parable Slebel; Bartot, who was iii the original
cast; Madame Krduss, The great Gretchen Of
the German drama, and Madame Deyries. who
had been such poetical Marguerite. The per.
Torrance was a triumph, and even the most
rabld WagneriaHs applauded. During an in
terlude some music especially written for the
occasion by Ambrose Thomas was sung by
Miss Sybil Sanderson, VINO was pronounced TO
be "daZZing"5y the critics. To take so pro.
nounced part on such an occasion was in
deed a triumph for the California prfma donna.
The American auxiliary chorus at the Met
ropolitau Opera house Is showing a true
amount of American Independence, and the
fehearsas are frequently emivened by rather
vigorous discussions over the f0otlights be.
tween Signor Manclnelll, the conductor and
several of the young women Ia the amateur
contingent. One of these, tall, dark-halEed
contralto. does more acting to the square iuch
than all the rest OF the company, principals
and chorus put together SignOr Mancinelti
protests very vigorously In Italian against
what he calls the young weman's superb buud.
ance of energy. and she subsidies after his pro-
tests have been translated 10 her. Ii Is not
long, however, before she RECEIVERS her spirits
and is struggling for the middle of the stage.
This eirl's face has become as well known to
regular opera-goers as those OF the principal
singers. The American auxiliary chorus,
though it may seem excesSivef In action 10
Sign0r Mancnelli. lends an animation and
movement to he scene that are generally lack
ing on the opera stage. q"
The epidemic OF the composition Of short one
or TWO act operas has not yet run its course.
A private performance for musicians and crit
les has just been given in New York OF one
OF tile lale est results of this fancy OF the mo.
ment. The work is entitled "Mara, and is the
of Ferdinand Hummel, harpist OF
The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. The story
deals with the lives of semi-barbaric. people.
There are onlyIour characters. and the revenge
spripging out OF a tribal atfray furnish the
OF the plot. The score Is OF the
"CavallerIa Rusticana" order. poignant, STIR
ring and full of striking contrasts. Anton
Seidl conducted the New York production.
MARA" has just been played also in Vienna,
and such great things were expected of IL That
the director OF tile Imperial Opera house went
The length OF a. double cast However, 1t
pleased the public very little though the critics
say II deserveda better fate. In Berlin MARA"
has proved successful.
Nine. ManteHi is one the few OF the Met
ropoltan Opera-hOuse pflma donnas who has
had more than thr success she hoped for aud
she is reported to be very much delighted with
her reception at the hands OF the New York
public. In private life she Is the wife Of NJ de
Nj oHtovanL Her husband was formerly amer
chant In Rio Janeiro and she met him when she
was singing In opera. She had been on the
stag for three We ,rs at that time and after her
retired and lived in Brazil. The DO
litcal disturbances there resulted In her hus-
band losing his fortune and last season Mme
Man ell returned TO the stage and sang in Rus
STA and Italy. Prma dounas' husbands are
considerable part of the problem
which an impresario is called upon 10 settle,
and one who has retired from commercial fife
Is enough OF novelty to prove interesting.
M. de Montovani refuses 10 Interfere in his
wife's business affairs and keeps entirely aloof
from them
RubInstein had, II seems. written two vol
umes of memoirs, aud he destroyed them
few days before his d. ath telling his wife he
had criticized his contemporaries 50 freely that
were the memoirs published he would be ac-
cused ao[.professional animosity. His resolu-
ton Is the more regret able IN that no musi-
clans memoirs have been Issued that were not
full of criticism more or less tinged with per-
sonal bias. Rublnstein's death has. had the
effect OF causing renewed attention to be paid
10 Russian music, which, during MS life, was
fostered to greater extent than during CEN
fury before his appearance in the musical
woEld. Most excellent musical teaching Is
now-owing to the dece lsed composers efforts
given gratuitonsly In ST. Petersburg and all
important towns. Yet it is only quarter OF
century since the first Russian symphony was
copyright performance" was recently
given in London of play by Miss S. A. Ra
phael. entitl d r"Reethoven's Romance"
critic remarks ave must acknowledge that
with all the erratic course OF he plot there IRE
undeniable signs OF TALENT in the work. The
authoress has already Informed herself OF the
history Of the great composer. and In the no.
mantle: story that runs through the piece she
has presented the master In some OF the humors