The morning call., 1895-02-21

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tute a very compound play, but l hope the
public will not judge it too severely. Renauo
has written charming musical score Tor Don
Quixote, full of warmth and color. In snort,
if the play does not succeed 1t Will not De the
fault of the composer, nor OF the interpreters
nor of Cervantes, but of his collaborator-
Sardou."
Both the De Reszkes have tendency to put
on weight rapidly, and though the big basso is
indifferent to his increasing bulk, tits serious
and important matter to the tenor. He takes q
great deal of exercise and has several times at
tempted in New York to ride in the riding
academies, but on his second appearance in
each hall there has been such an influx OF
beaming and amiable women that the tenor,
who had the reduction of his weight in mind
and not the conquest of femininity, gave it up.
He is exceedingly shy OF the sort OF public adj
miration which other operate stars enjoy.
Planeon for instance is in his element when
he can sing at a tea. He goes early, and, stand
ing in conspicuous place, accepts the homage
of all the stagestruck girls. Planeon is the
idol of the women in New York.
The London World does not believe that the
time has yet come when it can be said that
genius is certain of recognition and need no
longer wither upon the stalk in the cold blast
of indifference. This conclusion is forced on
it by the music publishers. They issue to the
world what they expect to sell, and most of
the music issued by them, and most of the
music that does sell, is rubbish, pure and
simple. The vapid fortunes one hears so much
about are made by men who have knack of
turning out rapid ballads full of sickly brown
sugar sentiment or absurd impossible manli-
ness that every real man should heartily de-
spise.
Cosima Wagner hes apparently lost none of
h n1io Ifotr nf 10
favorable reception of her husbands operas in
Paris during the last few years. She has just
won a lawsuit according her damages of $6
that was doubtless inspired by her hostility to
the Gauls. At Bayreuth, last year, she cele-
brated the anniversary of the birth of her son
Siegfried by composing some verses, which she
circulated by tying them to the necks of her
five pet dogs. A local newspaper got hold of
the doggerel-no pun intended-and, of course,
printed it, Nine. Wagner took it all in good
part until the lines were reprinted by the
French newspapers. This made her so angry
that she took the only method of revenge at
hand and sued the original publishers of her
lines for breach OF copyright.
concert was given on Tuesday at the
Swedenborgian church on O'Farreu street,
at which the only performer was a
large variety of monograph. This in
strument occupied the place of honor on
the platform and amused and interested the
hearers by giving variety OF vocal and instru-
mental selections, among them being repro
duction OF the chimes of Trinity Church, New
York. 1t was curious and interesting expert
ment to give an entire photographic entertain
ment, and it leads one to wonder whether in
the present age the instrument viii reach a
point of development at which its music can
be listened to with rapture-how terribly the
monograph would lower the prices of great
virtuosi, if it did.
A dispatch from Madrid to LIE Figaro contains
the following: "At Salamanca an operetta is
running in which Mile. Alba was the prima
donna. At4 o'clock yesterday afternoon the
diva received the news of her fathers death.
She begged for forty-eight hours leave of abb
sence, but was refused By one of those acct
dents so frequent in theatrical life Mile. Alba
had to sing the couplet Il have neither father
nor mother During the performance, when
she was repeating these words, the diva fell
fainting on the stage and was carried home un-
conscious. Her condition has since grown
critical. very gay life that of the theater is
it not?p
well-known critic, in recent article on
Berlioz and Schumann, says: s'Schumann
never tries to make music express more than it
is capable of expressing, as Berlioz did. His
only alteration in that direction, as far as I
can remember, is a passage in one of his sym
PAoH1es, WHICH Is supposed 10 express, 1t iS
said, the impression produced BY the sight of
the Cathedral of Cologne. I have listened in
vain to this little picture; it always produces
in me the same empty or displeasing effect
To translate architecture into music has always
seemed to me chimerical."
London has home for lost and starving
dogs, for the benefit of which concert was
given the other evening. Had Richard Wagner
been alive he would doubtless have bought a
box for the occasion. One of the greatest sor-
rows OF his life was the temporary loss of his
Newfoundland dog in London.
Lillian Russell continues to prove financial
failure to her impresarios. A rumor has been
circulated that Grau may resign his post as sec
Rotary 10 Henry Abbey on account OF his mis-
take in engaging the prinia donna of light
opera at preposterously high salary.
Walter Damrosch has been educating the New
York public up TO his season of German opera
by giving explanatory recitals on the 'tNibelun-
gen Ring" and Christian und Isolde"