The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1896-09-20
) MUSICAL COLUMN :
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES


The musical season may at last be
said to have fairly opened. The Hinrchs
Opera company has afforded delightful
treat to the music-loving public, but
the excellent productions were not as
we'll patronized as they deserved. The
coming week will see the large force of
music teachers once more at work. The
coming concert season promises to be of
unusual interest, several well-known
artists having already made engage
ments here. The only event of purely To-
cal interest during the past week was
the preliminary debut of Signor Gino l..
Perera, a mandolinist of extraordinary
skill, whose playing will undoubtedly be
q feature of the coming season. To the
many musical people who have hitherto
believed that the mandolin was an insig-
niflcant if delightful instrument only
appropriate for the lightest music, Signor
Ferera'S playing comes as revelation.
Mr.. Perera has offered his services for
the fete champetre, to be given on Mrs.
M. s. Severance's grounds this week.
Beethoven never married. But it was
from no defect of sensibility that the trib-
ulations which were distributed among
many successive housekeepers were not
heaped upon the devoted head of a wife.
If love be a disease, Beethoven was al
ways i'll, or, at best, but convalescent.
No less than forty ladies, save four, has
he immortalized by his dedications 10
them. To Bettina Won Arnim-Goethe's
Bettina-for whom he long cherished a
hopeless passion, he once said, after try
ing over a composition which he had
just written: Il made that for you; you
inspired me with it. l saw it written in
your eyes" And this is but a specimen
of the gallantries to which he was ad-
dicted.
Twice, at least, he proposition one
occasion to the lady who, as he found,
to his modification, was already the
fiance of his friend Hummel. That mar
riage would have saved him from good
Wany worries is certain enough, for it
must be allowed that, as Emil Naumann
delicately puts it, he Ibid not possess
any aptitude for household manage
ment. "-Blackwood's Magazine.
A curious picece of news is contained
in the Monde Orphanique: "A new in
strument has just been introduced into
the orchestra of the Royal Opera at
Dresden. 1t is known as a war horn,
and is no other than the horn of an AZ
rican antelope, perforated with great
address. Its mouthpiece is of metal AMI
exactly resembles that of a trumpet. Its
natural scale gives five notes-ut, SOL ut,
mi sol-and it appears that its sound is
much more majestic and penetrating
than that of any metal horn. William H..
in his quality as a musician, has inter-
ested himself in the new instrument and
has given orders for it's introduction into
the army. II is stated at Berlin that the
will f1,ay tlr
ton clarion of the Prussian army. Its
length of nearly a yard and a. half will
astonish the soldiers, and those who are
of the Hebrew faith will be able ii imag-
inc themselves in an old synagogue. for
it seems that the antelope's horn very
much resembles the old religious horn
of the Israelites (schophar). 1t is to be
hoped that unsteady speaking, it will
give more melodious results" The par
allel between a metal horn and one of
real horn seems doubtful from the stand
point of acoustic science. In any case,
admitting that the projects of William
II. are well founded, it will be curious
to see the German army adopting for it's
signals the ancient war horns Of the in
digenes of Kassai.
Although Paderewski has recovered
in large measure from the insomnia
which troubled him SO seriously at the
close of his American tour, he is not to
return to this country next year, and
it is probable that he will not play pub
licly in Europe. His London negage-
ments have been Cancelled, and it is
said now that he will not appear there
again until next summer. Most of his
vacation has been passed in the south
of France. Paderewski keeps up his
Paris the friendship of the Americans
he met here, and at dinner he gave
just before leaving Paris the colors of
the flowers were red, white and blue,
taught to play Sousa's marches, and
after dinner was over there was dane
ing, for which the host insisted that
the musicians should play only Ameri-
can airs. One of Paderewski's particu-
lar proteges at present is a New York
girl who has been studying under his
direction in Paris for the last three
years. This is said to be Miss Dun
ham.
De Koven and Smiths new Chinese
opera, The Mandarin. is soon to be pro-
duced at the Herald-square theater by
Messrs. Evans and Mann. The plot
deals with a case of mistaken identity,
q mandarin having to undergo the hui
initiation of being mistaken for q COM
mon coolie laborer. The mandarin is
punished for the coolies misdeeds, while
the real laborer, recognizing good
thing when he sees it, wears the man
darin's yellow button and fattens in the
lap of luxury. The action of the piece
passes in Picking, and De Koven was
very anxious to introduce some local
color by the introduction of some real
Chinese music. He went number of
times to the Chinese theater, and though
he did not admire Celestial harmony
as much as PadereWski did. he managed
at last to pick up a few tunes and get
an idea of Chinese orchestration. Will
lam Mann says that he and Mr.. Evans
were not so enthusiastic about the Chi
nese music as De KOven was, but they
consented to allow some of it to be
rehearsed for them on hired piano,
brought to the theater for the purpose
and played by a professional accompa-
mist engaged for the occasion, and who
is known to his musical friends as 1.-The
Hoboken Rock Crusher." The piano
had stood the wear and tear of a con-
tinuous variety show for some weeks,
but one repetition of the Chinese music
caused the treble wires to slacken a
quarter of an inch. 1t was noticed. also,
on the authority of Mr.. Mann and Mr..