The San Francisco call., 1896-10-08
PaderewskYs Factotum, Who Was
Annoyed by an Iowa Band.

band com menced playing outside This street
band seems to have been the only trial to his
fortitude which the pampered GorlitZ was
called upon to sustain during his American
tours with the Polish pianist The enthusi-
astic demonstrations of admiration of which
1--WE" were the object do not seem to have
Jared upon his sensibilities, possibly because
of the four and five dollar prices to which he
naively alludes thus: "Our car was sur
rounded by people who Immediately Mr.. Pad
erewski appeared cried out. Yes, yes; it's
hep and in about an hour every seat was sold
at four and five dollar prices" The quotation
"It's he is the one drop of balm which Cor
1itz pours on the sensibilities of the Polish
pianist's American friends. 1t was kind OF
him 10 spare us, for he might have represented
the admiring throng as crying, regardless of
grammar. Its him."
An interesting recital was given not long
go in Paris at the theatrical and musical ex-
position in the Palace of Industry. 1t was the
first exhibition of a new system of piano
pedals iRyented by man named Cateura OF
Barcelona in Spain. There were six pedals TO
the pianoforte, including the forte, celeste and
tonal pedals, the uses OF which are already
well known. The three new pedals included
in the system are called the peddIe soudine,
which was found by the critics to weaken and
suppress the sound in a very curious fashion
disappear; the pedale claire which, on the con-
trary, gave great intensity and distinctness to
the notes, and, lastly, the peddle hGrBaoniQue,
which made the harmonies struck on the Key
board stand out in an entirely new fashion for
the piano. These six pedals are placed in the
following order: For the right foot, the peddle
claire, the pedale forte and the pedale sourdine;
for the left foot, the peddle celeste, peddle hdr-
montque, pedate tomato (for retention). 1t is
said that the mechanism is not difficult to
master. The recital which introduced the new
and revised piano to Paris was given by Emilio
Sabater, young Spanish pianist.
snowy, attractive march composed by E.
(. Schmitz, musical director of the Columbia
Theater. has just been published. The new
work is called ''The Great Unknown" In
these days OF Sousa and his admirers 1t Is hard
for an American march composer to break
away from the traditions of "The Washington
Post March" and its numerous limitations. Mr..
Schmitz, however, has had the courage to strike
out for himself and 1.-The Great Unknown" has
plenty of ''go," though 1t is not of the Sousa
school. 1t is written in six-eighI time,
rather uncommon time-signature in popular
marches, but this does not prevent it from
having good, swinging rhythm. While the
modulations are simple the changes of key
which occur in "Tne Great Unknown" add
considerably to its color and variety. The
march will be almost certain to achieve popu-
larity 1t is easy to play and may safely be rec
commended as an excellent study in phrasing
to those pianoforte students who affect the
popular style of composition.
The Paris Opera Comique has reopened for
the winter season with most successful re-
prise of Gluck's "Orpheus." On the first night
the public nouced that the staircases leading
to the auditorium were new, and now a rather
cfo orf limo tod SI,a
out. 1t seems that last May the staircases
were declared unsafe by experts, and the
people connected with the theater were ex-
pecting them to fall from day to day. All
through June the manager lived in hourly
terror of a catastrophe, but nothing seems to
have been done till the theater was el osed for
the summer vacation. The Opera Comique is
an opera-house subsidized by the Government.
and one would imagine that an unsafe stair
case would not be permitted to linger there
day Nevertheless the Paris papers gravely
describe the condition of affairs now that the
danger has passed, and they add that the new
staircases are warranted to last till the new
home of the opera comique is completed.
George II. Clurson has been uttering a yerv
true wall of an accompanist. He SAYS: .He
must have considerable technique, and conf
dent command over his instrument be we'll
versed in the different schools of music. be
able to adapt himself to the nor.
sonality of the artist he is assisting, be able 70
read with certainty at sight, possess the power
of finding little or no difficulty in transposino
have enormous patience, tact and judgment
be prepared to bear all the consequences nj
any mistake on the part of the soloist. accent
most inadequate fee for his services. ano
feel grateful to the critic who will condeseend
so much as TO say, Mr.. So and So accompan.
ied,' in recognition of his work. AS To his no.
sition in the artistic circle, l am sorry tn sav
the real value Of his work is rarely apnre.
ciated."
Poetry and music have been called into
requisition to fete the return of the hardy
polar voyager DR.. Nansen. A Christianfa news
paper which opened competition for the
best piece in verse destined to glorify the Gel.
ebrated voyager announces that II has ra.
ceived no less than S43 MANUSCRIPTS. AS for
music, it appears that in Christiania thew are
selling thousands of divers compositions in
spired by the voyage of Nansen. The work
most In request is a march by Oscar Borg. en-
titled the "Nordpol March, )" and piece which
bears the original and meteorological title of