The herald., 1896-07-19
MUSICAL COLUMN

BloodgOod's delightful song recital an(
Miss Marian Barnes very promising de
but at Music hall on Monday evening
the final fiutter of the piano pupils re-
cital season, a musicale given by the
Zingari and William Piuttfs farewell
piano recital last night.
1t was certainly a matter of regre
that so few people availed themselves
of the two opportunities lately of hear
ing Mrs. Katherine Bloodgood, con.
tralto who is surely ascending the ladder
of fame, and although in both instance.
there were circumstances that might ac.
count for the smallness of the audience
the experience of the season goes Il
show that the musical public" OF thi.
city prefer to patronize inferior talent
provided 1t is local, cheap or free, to first.
class music II they are asked to put theil
hands in their pockets.
Piuttfs program of his farewell piano
recital last night at the Blanchard-Fitz-
gerald music hall, was of an elaborate
character. comprising seventeen solos
from the works of Beethoven, Chopin
Liszt, Schumann, Grieg, Rubinstein
Raff and Kontski.
Signor Piutti's touch Is undeniably OF
the heavy order, but 1t is also powerful
and in numbers adapted to such style,
such as Kontskis Polish Patrol and the
first parts and the finale of Liszt's Span
ish Rhapsodie, is heard to much greater
advantage than in lighter numbers, such
as Grieg's Berceuse or Schumann's Trau-
merei. If there is little flexibility in his
playing and his expression is sometimes
brusque and abrupt his execution is re-
markably accurate and skillful. AS .
teacher in this city Mr.. Piutti has en-
Joyed large measure of success and his
many pupils will miss him much; he
leaves for San Jose on Tuesday next.
where he has been appointed dean of
music of the University of the Pacific
On Thursday evening next Mrs. Cor
nelius Cole will give an evening of music
at her beautiful home, Colegrove. In the
Cahuenga valley. The entertainment is
to be given for the benefit of st. James
Episcopal mission Those who will con-
tribute to the evenings enjoyment will
be Mrs. Kempton, Mrs. Modini-Wood,
Mrs. Roth Hamilton, Mrs. w. d. LARA
bee, Miss Louise Clark, Messrs. Modini-
Wood, Marion Wigmore, Tom Barnes
and DR.. Semler.
An English paper tells the following
stories of the idlosyncracies of very
prolific and popular song-writer:
Despite his inveterate disdain for the
small details of punctilious etiquette,
Signor Tosti is quick to resent an i'm
A lady once called at his studio. She was
intending, she told him, to sing two of
his songs that evening, and she would
like to run them over with him at once.
Signor Tosti replied with acerbity and
slow emphasis that he much regretted
that he had not time for an immediate
lesson. At this the lady incontinently
leaped out at him. With affronted dig
nifty she informed him that in that case
she would not sing his songs. And Sig
nor Tosti shook hands enthusiastically
with the accommodating woman.
Thank you. thank you so much for that
favor. madame" said he.
In Scotland, on one occasion, he was
summoned to pay a visit with his wife
to Balmoral During the interview with
her majesty, Signor Tosti felt his wife's
eyes fixed steadily, intensely, on his
face without release. He was convinced
that his wife was i'll and dare not say
so. Naturally, he became embarrassed
and when the visit was over anXiously
inquired if she was really feeling unwell
No" she said, II was so profoundly as
tonished at seeing you behave we'll for
once l was compelled to keep my eyes
on you" In fact, she was wondering all
the while whether it was not he who was
1t seems to be settled, says the New
York Times, that Maurice Grau Will sue
ceed to the post of grand opera impress
sario in London, left vacant by the death
of Sir Augustus Harris. From the artis-
tic point of view, Mr. Grau is a much
ADLER man than his predecessor. He
knows the history of impresarioship and
has an intelligent and sympathetic
knowledge of music. Much of the deli
cate work of management, If not all of
1t. has been left to his care during the
administration of Messrs. Abbey q Grau
in our own opera house. He has been the
producer and the pacifier, and always
an acutely sensitive critic of his own
work and that of the artists engaged by
him. But Mr. Abbey has planned and
looked after the finances His name
and fame, his personal magnetism, have
made the firm strong and carried 1t safe
ly through dangerous crises. If 1t is true
that he will take care of the Covent Car
den opera hereafter Mr.. Grau Will not
have the benefit of Mr.. Abbey's active
cooperation there, though he may have
his advice. The arrangement will surely
be beneficial to New York opera-goers
The London season begins in May and
ends with July. 1t is likely that here
after the companies in the two capitals
will be practically identical, and that
scenery, dresses and properties made for
Covent Garden theater can be used in
the Metropolitan opera house and vice
versa. AS for the vocal and dramatic
ensembles. London will be the gamer
Abbey & Grau have given much better
casts to great works than London has
had lately.
Milan has gone crazy over new ope-
ratio singer, Miss Mara d'Asty, beau
tiful young Roumanian. She came, sang
and conquered, and theatrical managers
who are hunting for prima donnas have
nearly gone into insurrection over her
The old Milan experts declare that sht
is almost phenomenon, and the predic
| ton is made that she will be the sue
cessor to Adelina Patti.
Wilhelm Kuhe in his Musical Reco-
| lections tells the following characters
| tic story of Rubinstein:
Among Rubinstein's visitors WaSl one
| day young and beautiful orphan girl
| Her father had left her quite unprovidet
for. although he had found means to ed
| ucate her as a lady. Certain friend:
| had assured her that her musical tai
| ents were worth cultivating, and she &C
| cordingly intended to enter the profes
sion. Before coming, however to a fina
decision she obtained an introduction
, to Rubinstein with view to seeking
| his advice. Having heard her play n
| saw at once that she had mistaken he
| vocation and told her, as kindly ant
| considerably as the circumstances per
mitted, that he could not counsel her t.
spend money and time in pursuing
| phantom The poor child was heart
broken and wept bitterly, exclaiming:
What am / to do? What am to do?'
Rubinstein took her hands, and look
| ing her in the face, quietly observed.