The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-16
UNREASONABLE ENCOREs.

Like most other great artists, Ysaye has
responded generously to the enthusiastic
encores which his wonderful fiddling has
called forth. 1t is fortunate for him that
with his Astounding good nature he has so
strong a physique. For audiences are
often utterly needless of an artists comfort
and physical capabilities, and hence often
those performers who do not wish to APP
pear ungracious must submit to torture.
There is not a true artist, no matter how
long he has performed in public, but that
must feel certain swelling of the heart
as he listens to the generous applause of
his performance and clamorous demand
for a repetition. 1t is an appreciation
which is personal, immediate and spon-
taneous, and differs wholly from the praise
which an author, a sculptor or a painter
may read in the cold, sharp and severely
studied lines that critic pens. This is
one of the reasons why the stage, whether
in music or the drama, has so powerful a
hold upon its devotees. n
Actors do not find extremely enthusi-
astic applause unpleasant, but musicians
have to face the terrible encore, and that is
a very different thing. In most cases the
audience intends merely to compliment
the performer and show the intensity of
its enjoyment; but very often the value Of
the compliment is lost in the tortures OF a
repetition. 1t is very rare that great nlusi-
clans are physically weak, but it is fact
that even the strongest of them may be
temporarily exhausted by a supreme eff
fort in presenting masterpiece. There
have been many instances of even
strong young woman singing an
exhaustive aria, retreating in excellent
outward form to the wings, falling ex-
hausted on a lounge in her dressing room
and then bursting into hysterical tears
when the audience persisted in calling her
out for an encore After the elder Salvini,
powerful though he was, had finished the
closing scene Of "Othello," the audience
has been known to thunder for curtain
bow until the stage manager was forced to
come out and explain that it was impossi-
BILE for the master to appear. Salvini
meanwhile was lying in his dressing-room
completely exhausted and half-uncon.
scious, his two personal attendants wait
ing for his com atose condition to pass, and
then reviving him with vigorous rubbing,
to be followed by hearty supper and a
snug tucking into bed.
When great musician shows a positive
willingness to respond to an encore it is
only kind to reflect that there may be some
| good reason for it and 10 cease the demon
| stration after reasonable time. For that
matter, when it comes to an inquiry into
the philosophy of an encore, we fall upon
| vague ground. 1t is an interesting fact
| that although the word "encore" means
"again" or repeat" a repetition even of a
| part of what has been sung or played is
| generally safe plan to prevent another re-
call. To repeat part of what already has
been given is an absurdity in an artistic
sense, and hence most great artists give
something Internationally simple,
familiar and inartistic production. They
must do this in violation of their own
sense of art and fitness, and either out OF
weak Kindness or through a commercial
sense to secure wider popularity. In any
aspect of the case response to an encore is
| generally violation of art ethics, and a
demand for one-for anything more than
curtain bowls generally confession on
the part ri the audience that it has
an understanding of art below that OF the
great artist whom it is blunderingly seek
| ing to fatter