St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-01-06
RECITALS, EVERYWHERE IN
GOTHAM.
FROM SEIDL TO GUILBERT.
THE PADEREWSKI GLORIOSo RE
CITALS BY MAUREL, OPERA
BOUFFE, ETC.
RISE OF ONE YOUNG GENIUS.
Bagby Morning MusicaIes RepInce
Simple Concerts of an I'm
known Musician.
peciai CORRESPONDENTS Of rba c1oho

special Correspondence of the Globe
NEW YORK CITY, Jan. 1.-Musicl
music! music! The city is full of il
From the opera at the METROPOLITAN.
with its Incompatible list of singers. ard
Its magnificent orchestra, under SeidI.
down to-if she will pardon me-Yvette
GulIpert, with symphonic concerts: the
Sagoy morning musicals, the Paderew-
shl Slorloso, the recitals by Maurel and
others, the choral societies, opera bouffe
ana musical receptions in between. Nor
Is this all. Where music is there is
gossip also, not always of the magni-
tude Of the Eames-Calve contreternDs
nor Of the Seidl-Damrosch rivalry
(Where the town took sides and night
was made more or less hideous), but
still sufficiently interesting-the differ
ehce between what John L. Sullivan
called a smuggling match as contraGts-
tnguished from a friendly set-to."
nat mas interested rne most in it all
as showing growth and character was
the success of the Bagby morning must
Gals. Morris Bagby, who is a teacher
musician and Htera teur, came here some
nine years ago unknown and unherald-
ca. For two years he had been study
ing under List, and left him to ioin the
group Of his enthusiastic worshipars
In June, 1885, Bagby offered to the Cent
uTy magazine an article called "A Sum
hler with List in Vienna" It was ar
oepted. List died July 81, 1885. and
Bagby's article led off the Century for.
september. This was a lucky boom fo,.
the young and unknown author. and
men the talI came he found many ac-
4talntances almost made for him. and
ne was thereby enabled to get a punil
or two on the pianos to start with. as
MS circle of friends grew and his studies
became larger he gave recitals to his
friends on Sunday afternoons. first tell
ing them that he was going to NAV
them what the music said to him
ana then playing. This continued until
ms studio was crowded, when il was
suggested that he get up subscription
IecItaIS, with short lecture on the
music. 10 make long story short, the
hst OF subscribers grew year after year.
till now Bagby has the only and the
largest morning recitaIs here. They
are given every Monday in the hall
room of the Hotel Waldorf. which is
seated to its full capacity, and his list
includes the best people here. The sub
scrlptlon part of the entertainment is
not thing of the past, and it has de-
eSiQpe1 INTO beautiful morning con-
cert. For his singers, he gets the best
the world affords. All the PRINCIPAL
grand opera singers have sung for him
except Jean de ReSZke; but the others
Melba, Calve, Edouard de Reszke. Nord.
1ca' the handsome Viennese; Nine.
beeth' at the very price they
are pald per night at the
opera. nave appeared and do ap-
pear Tor him. The subscriptions are not
public and Bagby is the sole Judge of
who shall enjoy his efforts, though his
sole test has been impartiaIly lived No
10, and his list is full, and there are
many applicants for places.
learned much Of this from Bagby
hl1nseH this morning, though the news
papers treat his concerts as social
functions; and so the world may know
much.
L try" said Bagby in his studio. Ito
do all l can to strengthen and cult
Vate the best musical sentiment in New
York. L feel it duty TO do so. for
l work in the field of music. | gain nv
living from it, and [ feel a certain pro-
fessional pride in raising the general
standard of taste. Sometimes [ feel
HiSCCui "SSI, uOI III my own struggles,
for have many pupils, and the morn
ing concerts, though not at all profit
able, pay for themselves; but [ mean in
the public display Of Indifference at
times to the very best in music. | was
thinking just then of the coldncss of
the opera audiences this year There
Is not anywhere in the world this sea-
son such collection of artists as is
in the Metropolitan Opera company
now, and yet evening after evening I
have noticed q difference from the en-
thusiasm of last year. | do not under
stand it. The artists do not understand,
but they feel bitterly about it, and
their only explanation is the old one
fickleness of the public. [ have heard
another explanation, which is generally
accepted, that it is not considered good
form this season to applaud. 1 have
myself noticed the feebleness of it in
the boxes, and it is so silly. Why, in
Vienna the house rises at the beautiful
Beeth, and the same is true whenever
Melba and Calve and the others appear
on the European stage. And they are
all so charming personally one feels sad
that they have noticed our lack of
warmth But how can they help? They
never sang better either alone or with
Others Well, we are hearing the best
that can be heard"
How about the enthusiasm of Yvette
Guilbert?' I asked.
"Oh, you cannot be in earnest about