The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-25

NINE EMMA EAMEs.
ward that the story leaked out. Nine Eames'
popularity as singer has been so great this
season that it would be hard even for in
| cident like this to add to it. Last year she was
| overshadowed by the gifted and jealous Calve,
but this season Melba has been Eames only
real rival, and Nellie Melba and Emma Eames
are fast friends.
How much Wagner, Berlioz and their imi-
tators have changed musical taste is shown by
! the TACT that what, thirty years ago, was rap
turously applauded as the acme OF good sing
ing is now denounced by advanced people as
''ight-rope vocahzation." Recently Nine.
Patti sang in London for the Philharmonic So
ciety. She was decorated by one of the direc-
tors with a medal and this is the comment of
a leading critic: "Mme. Patti wept, we under
stand, and well she might. We had difficulty
In restraining our own tears, so excruciatingly
pathetic, so painfully ludierous was the scene.
When Mr.. Cummins began list of PATHS
services to music by telling how she sang at
an early age in La Sonambula we mar
veled at the unnecessary bitterness OF the
irony 1t was hard to imagine how many
could help entering into the extravagant fun
OF the farce. The period to which she rightly
belongs ended not month later tn an 1860
She was brought up in the days and by the
school that knows nothing OF the artistic con-
science and you might talk to her year with
out making her understand what you meant.
Artistically she is in state of innocence and
does not know evil from good"
1t was Bizet who said, bitterly, 'To succeed
now in France composer must be either dead
or German" OF Bizet himself this remark
proved true in sense, and people are recall
ing it now, apropos of poor Benjamin GODDARD,
W Wa snatphpd few mo he hp-
fore enjoying the success which was his due.
| Every one remembers the unexpected appre-
| citation Carmen" met with when Bizet was
! dead. Without going so far to predict as
! glorious q fate for Godard's posthumous opera,
| LA Vivandiere," which has just been pro-
| duced at the Opera Comique, q part OF the
French press considers it far the best and most
inspired of Godard's works. He seems to have
| let his genius loose in the opera, and delight
full melodies flow through every page of the
| score. "The Vivandiere" cannot be called
! lyric-comedy in the modern acceptstion of the
| term, it is simply an opera comique of the old
| form, but this form is modernized by so much
| true emotion, grace and freshness, as well as
| by so many picturesque details, that the dis
| ciples of the most modern school do not dis
| pute over the form, but let themselves be con-
| quered by the sincerity of the music, which is
full of Godard's own charming personality
| cone understands now" says LIE Monde Illus
| tire, chow hard it must have been for the poor
composer to die, knowing that the hour had at
last struck for him to receive his compensa-
ton. His relatives and friends, at least can
enjoy the success of his posthumous work"
The hbretto of 'sLa Vivandiere" is by Henry
Cain, and has succeeded in contenting the
most carping critics Although the poem is
framed IN sangulnary period, that of the
war OF La Vandee, and although battles and
,hotc toll of oil tbo
| there is nothing to shock the sensibilities of
the audience, and thanks to q decree of
the Conven ton, which arrives In the nick of
time, the tragic denouement, which appears in
evitable, is avoided. Briefly, the plot is that
| Marion, the vivandiere, interests herself in
| the love-making between Sergea MT George for
| merly Count de Rieul, now enrolled in the
army of the republic, and Jeanne, a simple
peasant girl. 1t was on account of this love
affair that the proud old Marquis de Rieul had
disowned his son, who had in consequence
espoused the cause of the republic and the
people against the nobility and their effort To
restore the old regime. The chances OF war
make the Marquis the prisoner of the Blues.
He is to be shot that night, but Marion deliv-
ers him, and out of humanity betravs her own
side. The crime is fragrant, and she is about
to expiate it with her life when the decree
above men toned arrives. Round this story
plot has been built which made the pulses of
the spectators quicken. 1t was very simple-e
few soldiers, a floating flag, but it touched
those sentiments which lie sleeping, even in
blase hearts.
"Let unknown composers come unto
me" is what M. Franck-Valery has said in q
throo OF arust1c enthusiasm, and the initial
success Oh MS Iheatre-Mondain-for unsuccess-
lul composers onIy-which opened the other
day in Paris, proves that there really was
genius lying about unappreciated. which
Valery had been able to pick up. The first per-
iormance was composed OF three unpublished
WORKS. Ihe Gray Overcoat' was rustic
sKetcn, with alert and unpretentious music by
lie Key, one OF the late Leo Delibes best pupils
| Inc hermit was sort of psychological can
.ata' "nlch proved that when the composer,
M. lie Iourneux, succeeds in finding a good
hbretto he will be recognized by the public as
d very gifted musician. The evening termin-
ated with clever nperetta by Louis Geegh,
VINO is already well known as a song and
pianotorte composer. If few other musical
writers had a NJ. Valery to bring out their
WORKS the way of the young composer would
not be SO hard as it often is at present
special meeting of the Royal Institution
OF Music was held recently in Florence, Italy,
IN rather tardy commemoration of the three
hunuredth anniversary of the birth OF opera III
was In 1884 at Florence, that Peri's "Dafne'
was produced, and that little work is considered
the germ from which the modern lyric drama
has evolved. At the meeting an interesting
paper, ''SulP Opera in Musica,' was read by
Professor Gandolfi, and according to the latest
fashion among musical lecturers his remarks
were illustrated by excerpts from some OF the
works he discussed.
Capellmeister Levi is giving Munich some
rare operate treats. AS well as Berlioz' "Les
Troyens." he has revived Mozart's "The Mar