The San Francisco call., 1895-11-14
MUSIC AND MUSICIANS.

Astonishing mechanical appliances will be
used, it is said. when the "Damnation of
Faust is produced in Paris at the Opera.
Four OF these so wonderful that deep
secrecy is maintained about them; but one of
them has been patented and repatented, and
improved and reimproved until it has become
public property. This is a model for the horse
to replace the "fery steeds' needed in the
"course Pabime" on which Faust and
MephistopheleA take their ride. NJ. Gailhard
conceived the idea, Paris journalist asserts,
of replacing the real by mechanical horses,
and had an analysis made of the component
movements OF a horses gallop. These seem to
be eight in number, and taking this as his
starting point, an engineer, NJ Charles Ingray,
has invented the mechanical horse, which it
is supposed will supersede the genuine article
on the stage. It is asserted that besides exc
cutting all the movements of horse in mo-
tion the appliance neighs. snorts, kicks, pricks
the ears, rolls the eyeballs, foams, and costs
II 800 francs. Paris wits are now suggesting
that Gailhard shall invent mechanical prima
donna by system OF care full analysis.
The Journal des Debats indulges in the fol-
lowing mild raillery: .'M. Mascagni has gone
to Berlin to conduct two OF his operas. Hardly
arrived he had himself interviewed, and now
everybody knows all the details of his trip.
In the first place he travelled first class; he is
that fact. At Munich we came across another
peculiar circumstance; he came near giving a
fee to an attache of one of the embassies
whom he m1stook for waiter. Finally-and
this is the most astonishing part of his adven-
tures-Mascagni travelled from Munich to
Berlin with an Englishmau who hac intended
to go to Innspruck, but who changed his route
in order to have chance for a near view of
the composer of 'Cavalleria.' This insular
fO
for Mascagni writes his operas preferably in
the cars-hrst-class cars, be 1t understood.
The Englishman found this spectacle so
curious that he followed the maestro as far as
Berlin without losing sight of him. You see,'
concluded Mascagni, there are people who
are satisfied with little.'"
Once more the vault of Paganini has been
opened for repairs. The lower part of the
great yiolinist's body is found to be mere
bone. The face, however, is as perfect as ever
and has been photographed. Baron Achilles,
Paganinis son (now an old MANI, has caused
the body to be placed in another coffin, the lid
OF which is a large piece of glass. Thus any
artist visiting Parma may see the features of
Paganini by asking Baron Achilles permis-
sion. A ridiculous amount of capital has been
made out of this by the agents OF violinist
who shall be nameless The yirtuOso is coming
| to America this season and in order to boom
him it has been stated that when he played in
Parma Baron. Achilles was>so overcome with
joy at his extraordinary skill that he declared
that he should gaze upon the features of Paga-
mini, and to that end made application to the
civic authorities for permission to descend
into the tomb and wrest open his fathers
coffin. In other words ne let him lock through
the lid, as any other artist is privileged to do
When Melba first presented herself to Mar
chest for lessons that worthy teacher was in
expressibly shocked at the new pupils impossi-
BILE bonnet, her cheap dowdy dress and her ugly
shoes. If Melba is yet devoid of natural taste she
has bought it in these letter days, and it costs
her dear. The gowns she has had made in