The record-union., 1896-11-08

styles, will not be issued by MeSSrS.
Novello till the end of the month. The
first act in the Temple of Venus is
mostly lyrical, and besides three cho-
ruses it contains three solos for Hero,
soprano; two for her father, bari
tone, and one for Leander, a tenor; be-
sides species of love duet for Nine.
Albani and Mr. Lloyd. The second act
comprises the feast to Aphrodite, with
sacred dances and pagan ceremonies,
and the taking by Hero of the oath of
priestess. In the third act, the scene of
which is in Hero's tower overlooking
the Hellespont, with chorus of sailors
heard in the distance, Leander swim
ming across from Abydos is drowned
in a storm, whereupon Hero throws
herself into the water in despair"
+ 4
There was time when the Viennese
honored composers neither in life nor
i'll death. When Mozart died, three
friends accompanied him to the grave,
and they turned back because it began
to rain. Schubert was buried at his
brothers expense. But the world moves.
The Viennese, though they neglected
Anton Bruckner during his life, have
at the citys expense, and the Emperor
himself sent the flowers from his private
gardens Thousands of people lined the
streets when the funeral procession
passed. Hans Richter conducted the
services and among the famous musi-
clans present were: Brahms, Gold
schmidt, Fuchs, Hellmesberger. The
university and the conservatory as well
as the opera house and the various mu
sical societies were represented by many
members. The hearse was followed by
two wagons. filled with flowers. But
Bruckner was not buried in the ceme-
Schubert and Beethoven. His body was,
after the procession was over, taken to
the railway station and transferred to
st. Florian, in upper Austria, as Bruck-
ner wished to be inferred near his birth
place.
1t seems to be pretty certain that I'm
der the Red Robe" has made hit at the
London Haymarket Theater, owing to a
number of effective theatrical situa-
tions, but it does not appear to amount
to much as a play, possessing all the
faults generally looked for in any seri-
Gus attempt to dramatize a novel, a
task never yet successfully accom-
plished. AS one critic says: Mr. Rose
as a dramatist has suffered from hav-
ing to follow more or less closely the
lines Of the story. The theme>is strong
and dramatic; but a dramatist, working
with a free hand, would have nodded
it quite differently. The long series of
adventures would have been omitted al
together. Interest should have been
concentrated, first, on the growing pas
sion of the spy for the woman he has
been sent forth to betray; secondly, on
sCme single crisis in which he should
have to choose between his mission and
his love. AS it is, the passion is taken
for granted, and the crisis is frittered
away in succession of petty incidents. -
Tim Murphy tells this story OF
Charles H. Hoyt: During one of the
seasons of "a Texas Steer Hoyt was
with the company. Their route was
through a hot belt of country. The
temperature in the sleeper was ter
rifle and sleep was out of the ques-
ton. Tim heard sounds Of abjurga-
ton proceeding from Hoyt's berth
Presently the playwrights head emerg-
ed from behind the curtains.
Great ScOtt!" exclaimed the owner
of the head, in tones that could be
heard all through the car, ''if Hades
ie any hotter than this 1 am going to
he good
The great scene in a London melo-
drama shows the platform of the gull
lotine. The hero is seized and put in DO
sition for execution. Then the knife
falls, but owing to some sudden disar-
rangement of the machinery, the edge
comes to stop an inch or two above his
expectant neck. Before it can be in
duced to work properly he is saved bv a.
revolution. 1t is difficult to imagine
how the agony" could be worked I'D TO
q much finer point
Fanny Davenport is reported to he
tired of playing the Sardou repertoire
and it is promised that she will present
an American play next season, giving it
superb spectacular production. in
every sense as elaborate as those she
has been giving Sardou's plays for sew
eral seasons past. 1t will be exceedingly
agreeable to the American public to
have Miss Davenport in a distinctly
American play, and there can be no
question about her being successful in
the undertaking.
Two new operas by Scandinavian
composers are in course of being mount
ed at the Royal Opera in Copenhagen.
viz, one in three acts entitled "Vifan-
daka," by Herr Alfred Toffs, and an
other, "Bagahijol," the music of which
is composed by Herr Emil Hartmann.
the gifted son of the veteran Danish
composer of the same christian name
Mr.. Nikisch seems to be on the look
out for new names to adorn the pro-
grammes of his Philharmonic concerts
in Berlin. Among new works to be pro-
duced during the season may be in
stanced Symphonies by Gernsheim R
fiat major) and Widor with organ), a
Sinfonietta by f. f. Koch, Richard
Strauss "Zarathustra," and Fest
Overture by Stcnhammar.
There are hundreds of Conservatives
of music in the world with tens of thou
sands of pupils. yet the supply of vo-
calists becomes smaller from year to
year. We all know how it is with
opera the few available singers make
their own terms and gobble up all the
profits; and now comes the London
"Athenaeum' with the following: "The
terms of vocalists are ever rising, and
il is said that f230 more was paid to
them at the Gloucester Festival last
year than in 1892. If the movement
continues oratorio performances on a